Quick Lemon Blackberry Rosemary Spritzer

March 15, 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. #KeepSpringBubbly #CollectiveBias

Spring is here! I'm not sure if it's because this past week was spent 'springing forward' or if it's a change in the weather lately, but I can see Spring quickly taking over! There's nothing that welcomes spring in more than a nice effervescent beverage that's full of the good stuff.

What good stuff? Fresh fruit, berries, and herbs straight from the garden! I'm really lucky to have fresh herbs and a lemon tree at my disposal. Two of my favorite spring fruits are lemons and blackberries. This is a classic flavor combination that always adds a little happy to my day, and trust me, I need some happy lately.

Blackberries have always been a favorite of mine. I remember when I was little and we lived on the coast of Oregon for a few years. Once the sun started to sprout through the coastal clouds, I knew it was the time of year when blackberries ran rampant. I could literally walk out into my backyard and pick a basket of perfectly ripe blackberries. Yum. ...Oh, how I miss those days!...

Crock Pot Irish Beef Stew & Cheddar Herb Dumplings

March 11, 2015 Amanda Plott

I'm an Irish girl, what can I say? If I can find an excuse to cook with bourbon and beer, I'll find it! The idea for this dish actually came from my love of St. Patrick's Day and also my love of these Healthified Crock Pot Chicken & Dumplings, which I made a bit over a year ago and many many times since then.

I basically took the same structure of the Chicken & Dumpling recipe and made it into a hearty Irish inspired Beef & Dumpling recipe instead. This stew is packed full of bold flavor and lots and lots of chunky beef and vegetables. I promise, you won't feel like you're eating anything healthified, but you are. It's definitely a meal in a bowl.

Who knew that Beef & Dumplings would just as awesome as Chicken & Dumplings?

I wasn't sure this would work out, but in the end I'm extremely happy that I tempted the fates with this one...

Skinny Lean & Green Cauliflower Colcannon

March 6, 2015 Amanda Plott

A while back I had made this yummy Cauliflower & Hominy Smash as a lower carb and lighter alternative to mashed potatoes, and trust me... it is so sooo good. So, when I was trying to come up with a way to make a traditional Irish colcannon healthier, I knew exactly what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it.

Don't know what Colcannon is? Colcannon is basically an Irish dish that's made out of smashed potatoes with green cabbage and/or kale with cream, butter, salt and pepper. For this recipe, I basically used the same idea of the Cauliflower & Hominy Smash, but added in some kale and green cabbage to sort of combine the two ideas into one...

Green Eggs & Ham

March 4, 2015 Amanda Plott

In honor of Dr. Seuss's 111th birthday being earlier this week, and with St. Patrick's Day right around the corner, I decided to make a play on Green Eggs & Ham!

“Try them, try them, and you may! Try them and you may, I say.”
― Dr. Seuss, Green Eggs and Ham

St. Patrick's Day is actually one of my favorite holidays, and it also happens to be my dad's birthday. Happy Pre-Birthday, Daddy! My dad always thought it was fun to make Green Eggs & Ham for breakfast around his birthday. So, the idea for my take on Green Eggs & Ham was definitely inspired by him, even though I'm pretty sure that you makes his a whole lot differently...

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...

Skinny Guinness & Irish Cheddar Crustless Quiche

February 18, 2015 Amanda Plott

When I was growing up, quiche was basically a staple in our house. My dad would usually go through the fridge and use up any leftover meats, cheeses and vegetables to make a hearty quiche which was typically served with soup or a salad of some sort.

Quiche is definitely a good way to use up leftovers.

I've always loved quiche. It's sort of like having breakfast or brunch for dinner in my opinion and generally when you think of quiche, you don't think healthy or low calorie by any means.

The quiche of my childhood always had the usual pie crust at the bottom, so when I started off cooking I tended to follow suit. A few years ago though, I stumbled upon the idea of a crustless quiche. ...Why not? The crust to me always just seemed like wasted calories anyway...