Skinny Jalapeno Popper Dip (Sponsored)

March 23, 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. #BigGameSnacks #CollectiveBias

Game day food is so important in my family, it's always been a big part of our traditions. In fact, cooking on game day was so important that when I was younger we even had a television set up on top of the fridge so that those preparing food could multi-task and watch the game at the same time!

One of the most famous game day eats in our house has always been jalapeño poppers. My dad makes some of the best, next to my own of course. Hah! But, I'm also a big BIG fan of dips and spreads! So, today I've decided to combine the two into one amazing lighter version of a jalapeño popper dip...

Skinny Crock Pot Coke Zero BBQ Pulled Chicken (Sponsored)

March 17, 2015 Amanda Plott

Here in Texas, we're extremely passionate about two things; BBQ and sports! What better than to bring the two together with your friends and family in a fun and creative way? Since my dad is a BBQ professional, I am all about making my own BBQ sauce. I've been known to make it with lots of interesting and sometimes rather uncommon things.

NCAA® March Madness is here and Coca-Cola is celebrating with new Coca-Cola NCAA® Final Four Packs that are available at Walmart. The four packs of cans come in three flavors; Coke Zero, Vanilla Coke and Cherry Coke. I know that when my friends and family get together to watch the games, we're all about home-gating with traditional drinks and 'game day' style foods that are easy to make, versatile, lean, and delicious!

After all, what's more 'game day' than BBQ and Coca-Cola?...

Whole Wheat Broccoli Rabe & Ricotta White Pizza

March 2, 2015 Amanda Plott

I haven't had broccoli too many times in my life. In fact, I could probably count on one hand the amount of times that I've eaten it. Now, that isn't to say that I don't like it. No, no, no. That isn't the case at all. It's just that rapini was never something that my parents cooked, so I guess it just never became a part of my personal food culture.

For a while now, I've been playing off and on with an raw food service that offers delivery of organic whole groceries directly from their farmers and/or local businesses to your house. Pretty nifty, right? Well, I always like to get their 'local box' which is loaded with different local seasonal produce each week. It's fun because I have gotten a lot of interesting new things to try. It's a fun little challenge for me as a home cook.

What can I say? I watch a lot of Chopped...

Skinny Crock Pot Guinness Beer Chili

February 24, 2015 Amanda Plott

This post was brought to you by Stubb's Bar-B-Q. I received compensation to write this post … but, all opinions expressed are my own.

Chili in my family is a pretty big deal. I mean... we're Texans, so everything is a big deal. We've tried chili with many different meats, and made it in many different ways. But, we always tend to go back to my mom's original Chili Con Carne for one reason or another.

With March fast approaching and one of my favorite holidays of the year creeping up along with it, I decided that I wanted to attempt to make a healthier low carb take on an Irish style chili. And by Irish, I really just mean to use beer in it instead of any other form of liquid.

Another big deal in my family is Bar-B-Q, and one of my most favorite brands for spices, sauces, and rubs is Stubb's Bar-B-Q. So, when I got my hands on some of Stubb's new Chili Fixins Cookin' Sauce, I knew I wanted to use it in my St. Patrick's Day inspired chili...

Loaded Green Goddess Sweet Potato Fries

February 10, 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. #GameTimeGrub #CollectiveBias

For me homegating is the way to go with any sport. Who doesn't like tailgating from the comfort of home? It's the best of both worlds! I get to watch my favorite teams live on television without the hassle of the hustle and bustle of crowds, lines, and over priced concession stand foods. Of course, to me, that's the best part - creating my own game day grub!

I always strive to put my own fun and healthful twist on what some might consider traditional. Fries and dips are always a staple of any good game day spread. So, today I give to you these rather guilt free, sophisticated, fiber full sweet potato fries.

My inspiration for this dish started with a stuffed sweet potato that I made a few weeks back. I had loaded a baked sweet potato up with sautéed spinach, black beans, and some homemade green goddess dressing. It was definitely not your typical baked potato, and was amazingly delicious. So, when I was deciding what to do with my Alexia Sweet Potato Fries, I had the perfect direction to start heading in...

Healthified Crock Pot Cheeseburger Sliders

February 2, 2015 Amanda Plott

This weekend was more than a little exhausting and for numerous reasons too. So ,I was more than elated that I happened to have this recipe planned ahead for. Somewhere between the weather, family dropping in, and an injury for my four year old... I was in need of something rather hands free to cook up for dinner for more than my usual table setting.

These burgers are super easy to do and rather guilt free (especially if you used the Annie's cheese sauce packs in stead of the alternative.) Now, I'd never made a cheeseburger in a crock pot before, so I was more than little skeptical of what the outcome would be but as it turns out, it was pretty stellar!

Even as I was preparing the meat to go into the crock pot, my mom was asking me 'what is this for' and 'what is that for'... 'are these sloppy joes'. Nope! Well, not exactly. Though the the texture does end up being rather similar to that of a sloppy joe; being as the meat is held together with cheesy goodness rather than a tomato sauce...