Skinny Matcha Granola

January 8, 2016 Amanda Plott

There's two things that I haven't tried before, making my own granola and matcha. Okay, well... I have tried matcha since my favorite tea room here dusts it over their fabulous brownies, but outside of that - no. I've had my fair share of green tea, but matcha is different. Since I haven't tried it before, but have heard good things... I decided to do a little research.

At the end of my research, I ended up buying myself a package of the green stuff.

Matcha is made by using specially shade-grown green tea that's then ground down into a find green powder. It's supposed to be effective in improving mental focus with it's higher amounts of theanine. The theanine and caffeine together help to give a boot of energy without causing the crash that comes with the caffeine in coffee. The antioxidants are what I'm after though!...

Mixed Berry Chia Jam (Sponsored)

December 17, 2015 Amanda Plott

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MinionsMovieNight #CollectiveBias

My mom and I are all about themes, and anyone that knows the two of us will tell you that through and through. Whether it's birthday parties, get togethers, or sometimes even just movie nights at home. It's a trait that I'm instilling in my daughter too as she gets older.

One of my little one's favorite movies of this summer, Minions © 2015 Universal Studios. All rights reserved., just came out on December 8th to own. I just knew that we were going to have to whip up a fun family friendly movie night in honor of it. So, Illumination Entertainment's Minions movie is the inspiration for this Mixed Berry Chia Jam.

For me, the first thing that comes to mind for me when I think of those cuddly little yellow characters is that famous jam scene. The one all about Mr. Gru's Old Fashioned Jelly in Despicable Me when we're first introduced to the minions...

Healthy Fall 'Green Egg' Scramble

October 6, 2015 Amanda Plott

So, I've been eating this for a few days a week for breakfast for a while now. I wanted something that was filling, would power me on through my day, but not be overly heavy. This has been the perfect breakfast bowl for me. It's full of fall flavors with the brussels, pumpkin seeds and the cranberries, but still so very healthy.

When my mom was here this past week, she saw my bag of strange looking shredded brussels and kale and quickly pulled it out of the fridge to ask 'What is this?!' I explained to her what it was and she gave me a pretty strange look. Then I mentioned it was something I put in with my eggs and the morning and she actually gave a somewhat interested nod of approval...

Skinny Cold Brew Coffee Protein Shake (Sponsored)

September 21, 2015 Amanda Plott

This post was brought to you by Collective Bias, Inc. and it's advertiser. I received compensation to write this post … but, all opinions expressed are my own. #BestLifeProject #CollectiveBias

For the past month or two now I've taken on the challenge of starting to exercise. Healthy eating has been a part of my life for a good long while now, but I've never really been one to actually 'exercise'. I think the last time that I actually didn't anything with fitness was well before I had my little girl. That was over 5 years ago!

I've been 'hitting the gym' 3-4 days a week, doing everything from the treadmill, to tabata, cardio, pilates, barre, yoga and back again. I thought that starting in with a fitness routine would be hard, but I guess I was just mentally ready for it since I became addicted pretty much instantly. I haven't given myself a chance to quit or find an excuse not to go.

In fact, I've found myself considering it as 'part of my job duties'. It's a must do to complete my weekly tasks sort of thing. I feel so much better. Even after the first initial week of exercise I felt lighter, healthy, and more grounded...

Savory Ham & Cheese Cornmeal Waffles

September 17, 2015 Amanda Plott

Thank you Boar's Head for sponsoring this post. Click here to learn about Boar's Head Smoke House Rules and to enter for a chance to win a gift card.

Waffles are a big thing in my family, it's one of the few things that my little girl will readily eat without question. While I'm in the process of broadening her food horizons, I decided to take a few of her favorite things today to combine them into one perfect savory dish. Waffles, ham and shredded cheese!

Savory waffles are all the rage right now. They certainly are not just for breakfast anymore. I can remember back in my school age days that my parents would, on occasion, do a 'breakfast for dinner' night in our house, so this is somewhat an ode to that memory.

Plus, I just got done watching an episode of The Great Food Truck race where there's a fun food truck on there called 'Waffle Love' that is blowing the race out of the water. I tend to draw my inspiration from several unique places...

Fig, Chia & Flax Granola Cereal

August 21, 2015 Amanda Plott

While it's still pretty warm here in Texas, I'm trying to start sneaking in fall flavors where I can and as I can without burning myself up with the oven or stove too much. This granola cereal is the perfect end to the summer and beginning transfer into fall; one of my most favorite seasons! The warm spice of cinnamon, pecan, and fig warm the tastebuds while the crisp of the granola and cool milk keep me grounded into the last few days of summer.

A moment of honesty? Before today, the only fig that I ever had was in the form of a jelly or within that familiar sandwich cookie that we all know and love. I had full intentions of using fresh fig here, unfortunately my local grocer was all out - so I had to go with dried figs.