'Nut & Seed' Grain-Free Pumpkin Spice Granola

August 31, 2018 Amanda Plott

It's been a hot minute since I made up a batch of homemade granola, mostly because it's just been way too hot here to even think about turning the oven on. But, sometimes... it's just worth it. And this morning? It was just that - totally worth it! With pumpkin spice season on the horizon, I thought there was no better time than now to tempt the cooler weather in with another pumpkin inspired treat!

I based this grain-free granola off of one that I made a while back. The main differences would be the spice used in it and the seeds that I chose to include. Since we're going with the Fall theme, I decided to use pumpkin seeds. Two kinds of pumpkin seeds, that is. I picked up a raw one to roast with the granola, and a lightly salted roasted seed called 'snow white' pumpkin seeds to add in at the end…

Skinny Strawberry Banana Poke Cake

August 29, 2018 Amanda Plott

It's been a really long time since I made any sort of a cake, especially a poke cake. And with the end of summer on our heels, I thought I might throw a few more good strawberry recipes into the mix before they are too far out of season. This Skinny Strawberry Banana Poke Cake starts off with a lightened up strawberry cake that's made with a simple boxed mix that we're upgrading just a bit.

So, what's a poke cake? It's basically exactly what it sounds like. A baked cake that you poke holes in. This time around though, we're filling those holes with some banana pudding and then topping everything off with some coolwhip. This style of cake makes for one delicious treat that's perfectly decadent…

Whole Wheat Fresh Cherry Cobbler

August 5, 2018 Amanda Plott

It's the end of summer (break) and cherries are still in season over here. And since I haven't really done anything with them yet this season, I thought it was high time to do so! To create this lovely cobbler, I started with the base of the one that I made about a month ago. I have used the same recipe a few times now, trying out different fruits.

Up until today, the blackberry seemed to be the favorite.

The only real difference between this version of the cobbler recipe, and the one from before, is that this one I decided to use the cherries and also subbed in some whole wheat white flour instead of the all-purpose…

Low-Carb Instant Pot Cheesecake

July 23, 2018 Amanda Plott

Today it's going to be a whopping 107 in Austin, Texas! I'm at that point of summer where it's so hot that I nearly want it to be over, but I'm also not quite ready to end the freedom with the onslaught of another school year for my daughter. Let's face it, there is just something about waking up in the morning naturally and having absolutely nothing on the schedule that's required to be done that day.

So, while it's literally as hot as hell in Texas... That doesn't stop me from wanting the things that I can't have. Or dare not have, anyway. Things that generally require the oven. Things like... cheesecake. Here we have a no-bake cheesecake that still manages to be cooked!…

Firecracker Cookies (With Popping Candies!)

July 4, 2018 Amanda Plott

Happy 4th of July everyone! Today I have something very special to share. Many many years ago, before The Skinny Fork was even a shadow of a thought, I had stumbled upon this recipe for July 4th Pop Rocks cookies and they were a HUGE hit with the family. They are bright, colorful, fun, and they pop in your mouth!

It's been a while since I've made those cookies, so I decided it was high time for me not only to make them, but to make a healthified version of them to share. These cookies are a lightly flavored sugar cookie base that's made with some popping candy in the dough. They are then topped off with a lightened up cream cheese frosting and then a bunch more popping candies and festive sprinkles too…

Sunny Summer Strawberry Lemonade

June 17, 2018 Amanda Plott

Summer time means lemonade. And lemonade for me means MUST BE FRESH. Fresh lemonade is some of the best lemonade, because obviously... it's made fresh and not all garbaged up with a bunch of junk that no one needs.

Now... it used to be when I was younger that my grandmother and my mom were in the habit of making a little something called 'sun tea'. Which is basically just like it sounds. A tea, that's made in the sun. The bad thing about it is that I can't drink tea anymore due to migraine issues. SNARF. So what's the next best thing to make in the sun? Lemonade!…