5 Ingredient Tortellini & Vodka Sauce

May 19, 2023 Amanda Plott

It doesn’t get much more simple for dinner than this 5 Ingredient Tortellini & Vodka Sauce. That’s right, it’s just 5 ingredients and a few minutes of cooking until this meal in a bowl is ready to go for the family. You can easily swap some of the ingredients out to make this dinner into your own thing. Even changing the sauce would make the dish completely different from what I have here.

I went with a fully cooked chicken sausage that had Italian herbs and seasoning in it, but really you could go any which way with it as you wanted. Another good one would be a a sausage with feta cheese for a Greek twist or something with a spicy kick and a nod to something more Cajun…

Wild Berry Pop Tart Bars

May 7, 2023 Amanda Plott

I don’t know about you, but I grew up eating pop tarts. One of my favorite flavors has always been wild berry. So when I decided to turn them into cookie bars, I knew I was going to have to do them in a bright and colorful wild berry version. I started these bars off with a sugar cookie style dough, and being as it’s a take on pop tarts, I wanted to make them a sandwich style of cookie bar.

So the mixed berry jam is sandwiched in between two layers of sugar cookie like dough and then all topped off with a bright and colorful frosting that’s made to look like the original variation of the wild berry pop tarts…

Dill Pickle Pasta Salad

May 4, 2023 Amanda Plott

So… just hear me out. Pickle flavored stuff has kind of become the trendy thing these days and let me just say, I don’t mind it at all. I love me a good pickle. Dill pickle that is. None of that sweet bread and butter nonsense. This Dill Pickle Pasta Salad is pretty amazing. It’s light, tangy, and super easy to make too.

I know it might sound a little weird at first, but I promise it’s one of the best pasta salads I’ve ever had. And I’m southern so I’ve had a lot of different kinds of pasta salad. I lightened this pasta salad up and made it a bit better-for-you but first subbing in a whole wheat pasta. I also kicked the sour cream out and used a plain fat-free greek yogurt instead. And obviously a light mayonnaise was the way to go…

Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Bell Peppers

May 1, 2023 Amanda Plott

These Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Bell Peppers are where it’s at! They’re low carb and gluten free while being absolutely delicious and easy to make too. If you love buffalo chicken, then these are the stuffed peppers for you. I served mine with a side of celery and carrots with some light blue cheese dip, but it would also be good with some rice or even a side salad.

I lightened these peppers up by swapping in some greek yogurt and light blue cheese dressing in place of mayo and sour cream. I also used reduced fat cheeses and boneless skinless chicken breast that I cooked up in my instant pot and shredded myself. But, store bought or left over chicken will work too!…

Cheeseburger Gnocchi

April 28, 2023 Amanda Plott

I’ll be honest in saying that anytime I’ve had gnocchi before, it’s usually been in an Italian soup or as part of a Mediterranean sheet pan. Which, both are amazing. It did make me wonder though - why don’t I use gnocchi more often as a part of other cuisine styles? Enter Cheeseburger Gnocchi. Gnocchi are lovely little pillows of pasta that are usually made at least partially with potato or some other vegetable. It kind of makes them a really good filler or substitute for traditional pasta.

This Cheeseburger Gnocchi starts off with the gnocchi which is sautéed quickly in a pan and then set aside. After that? It’s cooking up all the meat and veggies. I kept this light by using a whole lot of onion and a lean ground beef instead of, well, not lean. After a quick simmer, the cheese and cream is added and you end up with a perfectly cheesy burger dish!…

Skinny Biscuits & Gravy Breakfast Casserole

April 25, 2023 Amanda Plott

Several years back I whipped up this wonderful breakfast casserole for myself for Mother’s Day. It’s so easy almost anyone could make it for the wonderful mother in their life. This breakfast (or brunch) casserole is full of the homestyle flavors of biscuits and gravy, but lightened up to give mom a guilt free meal!

Since this is an older recipe, I decided to revisit it, and wouldn’t you know it? Not far off from Mother’s Day again. It’s a happy coincidence!…