Mermaid Smoothie

June 23, 2017 Amanda Plott

This post was sponsored in partnership with Millennium Blend. All views are my own. #MillenniumBlend #Ad @MillenniumBlend

It's hot here in Texas. Like... real hot. As in, I can't use my oven anymore sort of hot. As in... your only escape right now is a body of water. Hm... that gets me thinking. About what, you ask? MERMAIDS. I've been head-over-heels in love with Unicorns for a while now. Buuut, when the summer rolls around, the inner mermaid in me comes out. It's time to splash around and have some fun!

This mermaid smoothie is the perfect summer treat. And what's better is that it will keep your figure seashell ready all season long while keeping you full and completely satisfied. It doesn't hurt that it's as pretty as a mermaid to boot. Tasty, healthy, and beautiful too? Yep! It's a winner all the way around...

Crockpot Chicken Verde Pozole

June 20, 2017 Amanda Plott

Today is it, y'all! It's my birthday! And while I'm off taking the galant drive to Dallas to pick up my brother and my nephew for a few days... I decided to leave you all with this to savor until I return tomorrow. It's too effing hot out. So... no stove or oven for us today. Nope. We're going straight to the crockpot. My best friend during the summer months of Texas. While it does put off a mild warmth through the day, it's nothing like what my stove or oven will do. So, here we are!

Can I be honest in saying that I've never had pozole before? Never had it. Never made it. I'm not sure why either. 'Cause I'm here to say, that after today, it's going to be a staple around these parts. And I mean that too. This verde version of pozole is so very similar to my Legion Chili. Really the main difference here is the chili has beans and the pozole has hominy in it. What's hominy? Your guess is as good as mine. Hah! I kid...

Honey Beer Cupcakes with Fresh Blueberry Buttercream

June 18, 2017 Amanda Plott

My dad's birthday always falls around Father's day, which usually means... double the celebrations! Some of his most favorite beers are from the local Austin brewery, Infamous Brewing Company. I've had the honor of meeting the owner (Josh) and hanging out at the brewery a few times. They've won a LOT of medals for their selection of regular and seasonal beers. Their Pumpkin Massacre is a family favorite when it comes around in the fall.

Their brewery was literally right down the street from my parents when they lived over near the lake. Now it's a bit of a trek for either of us, so unfortunately we don't get to go there much anymore. The good news is that they sell Infamous beer in almost any store here around Austin and most of Texas too. If you can't find Infamous near you though, you could always use another beer of your preference for these cupcakes...

Turkey Greek Style Tacos

June 16, 2017 Amanda Plott

Over the lifetime of The Skinny Fork, I've been blessed to see such growth between myself and the blog. As strange as it may seem, we both seem to push the other to our limits in mostly positive and amazing ways. I'll be honest in saying that I'm a bit of an introvert. I could hold up in my house for days on end and never give it a second thought. I have a lot of social anxiety that I've been steadily working through as I become older and more confident in myself.

One of the most interesting things I find is that being a blogger has often pushed me into social situations; meeting and working with new people. Whether it be at the farmer's market, social media, or answering your questions. A little over a year ago now I was contacted by Cassie over at OnTheHealthyside.net - she was starting out on her own journey and was seeking some friendly advice. We've followed one another on social media ever since...

Healthified Crockpot Low Country Chicken Boil

June 13, 2017 Amanda Plott

My local box of produce over the past couple of weeks has gifted me with a bounty of red potatoes that I can't bare to let go to waste! My mother asked me a couple weeks back about this recipe that I had put together a couple of years back now. With my brother not being a seafood eater and my dad being mildly allergic to shellfish, she wanted to put together a Low Country Boil that omitted the shrimp or crawfish. Being as I'm not a seafood fan either, I had tried my hand at a seafood-free low country boil, like I said though, this was a couple of summers ago.

So with an idea in mind and plenty of red potatoes to go around, I got to work on my Low Country Chicken Boil once again. Here among the southern states, summer time is when everyone starts to have crawfish boils! It's always sounded amazing to me; sausage, potatoes, corn - who wouldn't like it? Well, me! If you haven't noticed yet, I'm not a seafood eater. I wish that I could be, but it just isn't a possibility. Sadly...

Roasted Beet & Pistachio Salad with Citrus Poppyseed Vinaigrette

June 10, 2017 Amanda Plott

Can we just take a moment to enjoy and revel in the natural beauty of this salad? Just take on all the glorious colors that are straight from nature's bounty! Reds, yellows, greens, oh my! This salad is truly one of the most bright and vibrant things you could put on a plate. Naturally. Over the past couple of weeks, I've been collecting a montage of beets from my local produce box and for the first time ever... I got my hands on some golden beets!

Don't worry though, I also have a plethora of traditional red beets too for those traditionalists out there. I love beets. All the beets. Red. Yellow. It doesn't matter. One of my favorite ways to enjoy them is roasted; cooked in the oven in their own yummy juices and then tossed into a salad. For me, there's no better pairing than beets and feta...