Magical Color Changing Unicorn Noodles

June 26, 2018 Amanda Plott

I feel as though I should explain here that my daughter and I are pretty much obsessed with mermaids, unicorns, rainbows and glitter. So when 'science' week started, I just knew that we were going to have to make ourselves some magical color changing noodles!

Unlike most 'colored' noodles out there, we're coloring these naturally by way of a purple cabbage. This gives those rice noodles a beautiful all natural light purple color.

I should also explain here that this is a simple recipe. It's not 'gourmet' by any means. I mean... let's face it, they're basically garlic buttered noodles, but the magic of the color changing and the fun with these noodles are what make them stand out!…

Low-Carb Chili (Keto-Friendly!)

June 19, 2018 Amanda Plott

There's a great debate somewhere out there in this world of ours on whether chili should have beans in it or not. Is it 'technically' chili with or without beans? {Shrug} Who knows? ...Now, being a native Texan... I've got my own opinions on the matter. And I can honestly say that any chili I've ever been served before has always had beans in it.

But, that doesn't mean that I'm not open to a bean-less version! In fact, these days... it's all about those low-carbs it seems. So when deciding to make my take on my mom's Chili Con Carne for our camp themed week this summer, I thought I'd try my hand at taking all those beans out and instead filling it full of more veggies and protein…

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!…

Garden Vegetable Soup

June 15, 2018 Amanda Plott

Last week it was 'ocean' week here in my house, and this week we're going with the theme of plants! In doing so, I decided to throw a LOT more veggies and vegetarian dishes into the mix this week. We always have a couple of vegetarian dishes every week, for health reasons, cutting the cost of food, and also because it just makes me feel better all around.

I could easily be a vegetarian. In fact, my daughter was basically a vegetarian of her own accord up until she was about 5 years old. Meat just wasn't something she was a fan of. And I can't say that I was far off from that myself with I was a little girl too.

Ready for a true side story about myself? My parents used to have to tell me that meat came from a meat tree when I was little to get me to eat it!…

Skinny Spinach Dip (AKA Seaweed Dip)

June 3, 2018 Amanda Plott

This summer I decided that my daughter and I were going to up our summer game by having a different 'themed' week for all 10 weeks. We've got arts, crafts, and even some recipes planned to make in accordance with each theme. Our first week is going to be 'ocean' themed! We'll be going to a water park, the aquarium, and learning a lot bout the ocean.

Of course, it doesn't stop there. I really wanted to involve the kitchen in our weeks of fun too. Being as we aren't really seafood lovers here in this house, it's been more than a little tricky to find 'ocean inspired' recipes to create that are kid friendly and not seafood. This Skinny Spinach dip was my first idea!…

How to Cut a Watermelon (For a crowd!)

May 31, 2018 Amanda Plott

Hey! YOU. Yes, you! You've probably been cutting watermelon wrong for your whole life and didn't even know it.

So, you may not know it. But... I'm a room mom. That's right! I said it. I spend my fair share of time up at my daughter's school. Whether it's helping her teacher out, helping the school out, or planning and preparing things that go on behind the scenes. There's a wonderful group of us that have all become a lot closer this year and hopefully even more in the next to come!

Every year we have the dreaded end-of-the-year party. It's a pretty big deal. I mean... it's hot in Texas about this time of year. And the one fruit we like to serve up is watermelon. It's fresh, cold, and hydrating. Plus... almost every kid likes it. Win. Win…