Matcha Waffles (Gluten Free)

March 5, 2016 Amanda Plott

So, this is what I've been up to pretty much each morning this week. I've made these waffles three times now, adjusting the recipe and tweaking it to get it to where I wanted it to be. The first time I made them as a test run, they turned out beautifully. But, the second time I made them - they were a huge flop.

Yes, even I make mistakes in the kitchen!

That could have been mostly my fault though. Honestly, my heart wasn't in it that morning and my mind was elsewhere and focused on other things going on in my life. I'm pretty sure in looking back that I left something out at some point and ended up with a waffle iron full of raw inedible goop. Whoops!

This was my third attempt with these waffles after a few final changes and a more careful eye for my measuring and accounting for each ingredient...

Skinny Mixed Berry & Cherry Margarita

February 15, 2016 Amanda Plott

As the weather continues to warm up here and with spring drowning nearer, I thought it would be a great time to get a new skinny fruit cocktail out there. Margaritas are one of my favorites. Why? Because they are so easily made to be a skinny drink, plus you can get your fill of fruits in there too!

This skinny margarita is easy to mix up, and what's better is that it's full of some good stuff. Not just fruit either, but probiotics as well! It's light, bubbly, and perfect for the nice warm afternoons that we're having here in central Texas...

Strawberry & Coconut Matcha Chocolate Bark

February 5, 2016 Amanda Plott

Valentine's Day is approaching quickly and I'm all for a little guilty pleasure every now and again. Especially when it involves a special holiday of sorts. Although, if I'm going to have any sort of treat, I always tend to throw in a few health aspects just to make it more guilt free. And this matcha chocolate is no exception!

I'm a pretty big fan of chocolate bark, in fact it's a pretty dangerous thing for me to make because tends to go pretty quickly around here. I've been toying with matcha powder for a few weeks now after buying my very first bag of it, and I have to say, it's good stuff.

I've even gotten my mom onto the matcha train too! So much so that she's asked me to come up with ways to add it into foods rather than just drinking it all the time...

Skinny Sugar Cookie Bites

January 23, 2016 Amanda Plott

If there's one thing that we all know and love, it's raw cookie dough. I know that when I was little, I must have eaten my weight in the stuff. And I couldn't even begin to tell you the amount of beaters that I licked or bowls that my mom let me scrape the remnants out of.

These days though, it's a whole other story. I rarely ever let my daughter 'lick the beaters', especially when there's raw egg involved. The thought of it just sends my head spinning. Thank goodness she doesn't like the texture of raw cookie dough or cake batter or I'd be in a lot more trouble!

Even so, every time that I make baked goods that childhood inclination comes creeping in.

To eat and risk it, or not to eat and be sad...

Skinny Dark Chocolate & Cherry Scones (Sponsored)

January 11, 2016 Amanda Plott

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MeAndMyTea #CollectiveBias

So, I'm kind of in love with scones. They're easy to make, delicious, and extremely versatile. Today I wanted to make some scones that would help me bring in the New Year and help me reach my goals while also getting me into the spirit of Valentine's Day (because you know that's just around the corner too!) What better way to achieve both other than with dark chocolate and some cherries? Yum, yum.

I used one of my older scone recipes to start out as the base for this one. And it worked out beautifully with the few changes and new additions that I made to it.

What can I say? It's fun to sometimes go back to revisit older recipes while also adjusting them to my ever changing taste and desire...

Skinny Beet Pesto

January 6, 2016 Amanda Plott

You're wanting me to... beet it, beet it!

Lettuce turnip the beet and dance.

I'm dropping fresh beets, yo.

Okay, okay. I'm done with the beet puns and word-play for now. But, seriously - this beet pesto is amazing, easy to make, and super versatile too! Plus, I mean... look at that color. With Valentine's Day creeping up on us already, this would be a perfect thing to make and use around the day of love.

This beet pesto is full of flavor too; it's a little sweet, a little earthy, and super delicious. I recently this year became a beet fan, so I've been trying to come up with fun ways to use them. Especially with February coming up, beets are the perfect natural red and/or pink food coloring...