Skinny 'Day Before' Mashed Potatoes

November 3, 2016 Amanda Plott

Once upon a time my mom and dad were in charge of Thanksgiving (along with all other Holiday meals) and my mom always ended up pretty stressed out, just like every other mother out there. Then along came my adult self. Together with my mom, we found the perfect end-all to the stresses of the Holiday cooking.

I had basically stumbled onto a perfectly planned out and super delicious make ahead menu plan that was complete with days, times, oven temperatures, etc. You name it, it was there. I like to consider it my Holiday Feast Code Book. Or Holiday Cooking Bible. It has been a life saver ever since it came into our lives, and I'm so happy that I've never had quite the traumatic holiday feast that some do. Oh, the horror stories I've heard...

Roasted Red Pepper Dip

October 20, 2016 Amanda Plott

As we get into the holidays, I'm all about speed and ease in which I make my meals. But, that doesn't mean that I have to sacrifice taste or the more wholesome options for myself or my family. This roasted red pepper dip is super tasty, easy to make, guilt-free, and is so versatile that you could eat it with any meal; breakfast, lunch, or dinner! Plus, it's not spicy at all, so the kiddos can enjoy it too!

This is definitely one of those things that you will find yourself putting on anything and everything. And, that's perfectly okay because that's what it's for! There's nothing but the good stuff loaded up into this red pepper dip. Roasted red peppers, onion, garlic, and plenty of course plenty of flavor...

Bruschetta

October 6, 2016 Amanda Plott

All ideas, recipes, & opinions are entirely my own. A Glassful box of wines were provided to me for this recipe and review.

Want a little cheese to go with that wine? Why, yes I do! I'll take some bruschetta as well. And maybe a full on antipasti plate while you're at it.

It's been all too long since I posted much to pair with wine. One of my favorites from a while back was the Anatomy of a Cheese Plate, which gives a good break down of what all you could have available for a wine tasting or wine enthusiast sort of party. We live in an age of wine, people! My generation is said to drink nearly half of all the wine in the United States. That's a lot of wine for one generation. I guess we were all just raised right.

My inspiration for my antipasti tonight came from one of my dear grade-school friends over at Sweet Hersey Living. Her food and recipes always leave me drooling. She's truly one of the most creative people that I've ever known...

White Bean Avocado Dip

September 28, 2016 Amanda Plott

Thank you to Graze for kindly sponsoring this post. All opinions are 100% honest & completely my own.

I'm a little bit of an avocado fiend. Okay, so... a lot of an avocado fiend. I could easily go through a whole avocado every day and completely all on my own. So when I was trying to decide what I wanted to do with these Super Beet Chips, I figured it just had to be something with avocado and it needed to be a dip.

This White Bean Avocado Dip is super easy to make, full of flavor, and is the perfect dipper companion. It's somewhere between a guacamole (with it's Mexican inspired flavors of lime and cilantro) and a hummus (with garbanzo beans being my bean of choice.) The best of both worlds, if you ask me...

Gluten-Free One Skillet Ratatouille

September 22, 2016 Amanda Plott

As a Degutabox affiliate, all ideas, recipes, & opinions are entirely my own. A Degustabox was provided to me for this recipe and review.

It's the first day of fall, y'all! I couldn't be happier. Here in Texas, we're finally getting a 'cold front' in this week that will get us into the 70's at least. Phew. It's been a hot few weeks, so I'm ready for the cooler weather. I'm also loving that I'm starting to see winter vegetables coming in.

I happened to get my hands on a local acorn squash and thought it would make a great addition to a fall style ratatouille; in place of eggplant since I am not a huge fan of eggplant unless it's entirely hidden in whatever it is I'm eating. Hey! No one ever said that ratatouille had to have eggplant in it, right?...

Gluten-Free Banana Nut Pancakes

September 21, 2016 Amanda Plott

All ideas, recipes, & opinions are entirely my own however, this is a sponsored post on behalf of wholesome brands, Vans Simply Delicious® & Wallaby® Organic.

My mom lives out by one of the lakes here near Austin, and she keeps talking about this restaurant by her that serves some giant banana nut pancakes. And after a few too many (dozen) mentions of them, I guess the thought sort of stuck with me as inspiration. Banana nut anything is okay by me.

There's something about the smell and the taste that takes me back to my childhood. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that my mom makes some of the best banana bread around.

With the idea already locked in my mind, I decided to go ahead and try my hand at making some banana nut pancakes for myself. But, in a more wholesome way that won't leave me feeling guilty or sprinting to the gym right after indulging...