Healthy 7 Layer Fourth of July Dip

July 2, 2017 Amanda Plott

It's the fourth of July weekend! While I'm spending it rather lazily at home as I recuperate from a few weeks of busy, busy, busy - I'm still finding the time to have fun and be festive! With an impromptu visit from my brother, I decided to toss together a quick 'snacky' meal that we could all graze on throughout the day at our leisure.

Naturally, my first inclination was a 7 layer dip. I think that's because it's one of those things that has something it in that everyone likes! It's one perfect montage or mashup of everything I love. Plus, it's perfectly light and cool for a hot summer day. And of course, since it's around the 4th of July, you just know I had to arrange this dip into the shape of the American flag to be all the more cute and festive!...

Mini Blueberry Scones

May 1, 2017 Amanda Plott

Breakfast has to be one of my most favorite meals of the day. I'm not sure why. I suppose because I enjoy the fact that it's really the only meals of the day that you can go sweet or savory. For the past three weeks now, I've been loaded up with fresh local blueberries. So I've been wanting to do something extra special with them. Of course, there's always muffins but I thought I would take it a step further and go for scones today!

These aren't your average scones though. They are lightened up in the best of ways using white wheat flour, coconut oil, and no sugar. That's right. NO SUGAR. And they still taste absolutely amazing. I left these scones in 'mini' form since I prefer snacking around for my meals to keep things fun and interesting to my palate. But, they're also the perfect 'tea party' size...

Skinny Banana Pudding Poke Cake

March 20, 2017 Amanda Plott

What can I say? I needed some more dessert in my life, y'all! It's been a really hard week. I went into Spring break with my little one thinking that it was going to be smooth sailing. That I was going to get to sleep in, relax, and catch up on life. Hah! Boy, was I ever wrong.

My elderly cat (who is 13 years old now) had to get a few teeth (almost all of them) extracted. Nearly as an emergency too. He's a big boy - 18 lbs. at his heaviest as a mainecoon. Unfortunately one of their only bad qualities is their teeth. Despite my best efforts these past few years to get them cleaned regularly, it just wasn't enough and 5 of his teeth had to be pulled. Given his age and other health concerns it's been a week full of medication and even a trip to the emergency vet yesterday. Mid-recipe too!

Yep. Right after pulling this cake out of the oven I was hot-tailing it to the emergency vet. Bleh. While my poor old man is on the mend, I still am in desperate need for some dessert. Dessert, my mommy, and maybe some wine. I can't adult today...

Turkey & Cauliflower Shepherd's Pie

March 14, 2017 Amanda Plott

I've partnered with SmartMade™ to create this post! Enjoy!

About three years ago I made this amazing Skinny Shepherd's Pie, to give a tip of the hat to my Irish heritage around St. Patricks' Day. Since then, I've changed a lot and so have my cooking skills. The recipe is still fantastic, but there's always room for improvement and change too! This time around I decided to make a few more smart swaps.

One of my favorite things to do lately has been to swap cauliflower mash for mashed potatoes whenever possible. Don't get me wrong, I love potatoes but cauliflower has significantly less calories than potatoes. So naturally, a cauliflower mash will definitely give you more bang for your buck if you’re looking to cut down on your calorie intake...

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread & Pink Grapefruit Glaze

February 23, 2017 Amanda Plott

Alright, alright... so not every recipe goes as planned. Sometimes I feel like I live in a test kitchen over here. Some things work out perfectly and amazing the first time, but other times... not so much. Baking is hard y'all. It's true what they say, that baking is both a science and an art. Trust me. I have kitchen woes just like anyone else, and this recipe right here is evidence of that if nothing else.

I've had it in my little head for a few weeks now that I wanted to make a lemon poppy seed cake/bread. However, my first attempt was a complete flop. And what's worse? I thought even up until I took it out of the oven that it was going to be great. The batter tasted great. It rose perfectly in the oven, doing everything it was supposed to do before POOF it collapsed into a dense mess of super sad lemon bread. Sigh...

Crock Pot Corned Beef & Cabbage

January 29, 2017 Amanda Plott

I love corned beef and cabbage. I really don't know why I don't make it more often. This year, I decided to get a little ahead of the St. Patrick's Day celebrations to update the photos here from the recipe that I originally posted here back in 2013. I've had a lot of fun lately as I've started to go back and edit some of my older favorites; cleaning them up and reorganizing it all.

I'm an Irish girl (my dad's a full on red-head), so it's probably no surprise that I love corned beef. That being said, I think the first time I ever had it was sometime during my high school or college years. It's a really great meal to make anytime, but especially in March as we get closer to St. Patricks' Day!...