Seashell Pasta Salad

June 5, 2018 Amanda Plott

We're a few days into our week long theme of the ocean over here and we're really having a fun time of it! Since we're not big on seafood in this house, coming up with clever non-fishy ocean themed recipes has proved to be... well... a little challenging. It's also been so very worth it too though!

The inspiration behind this pasta salad actually came from one of my daughter's cook books. I had to do a lot of tweaking to the original though to suit our tastes. So much so, that by the time I was done with it... it's basically a whole new recipe…

Portobello Pizzas

April 4, 2018 Amanda Plott

We are a houseful of pizza fiends, y'all. I'm pretty sure that we collectively eat pizza in some form or another at least once a week. My almost 8 year old nearly demands it. Pizza has always and will always be a part of our regular rotation here. So, sometimes I have to get pretty creative when it comes to my pizza.

What can I say? I just don't need all those carbs at this point in my life. My body is craving veggies. All the veggies too. This time around, I decided to try my hand at a portobello crusted pizza. And I must say... I was not at all disappointed!...

Zucchini Noodle Spaghetti

February 17, 2018 Amanda Plott

This post was sponsored by Green Giant as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

Many years ago I started making my own spaghetti sauce. Don't get me wrong, jarred spaghetti sauce has it's place and time in my life too. But, when given the option, I will always prefer making my own. I've made several types and kind. Some in the crockpot, others with meatballs, this one though is easy, simple and full of tomato flavor.

This Zucchini Noodle Spaghetti is a perfect weeknight dinner to make when you're looking for something quick and easy that is also guilt-free and a more wholesome option. The sauce here is loaded up with big hearty chunks of tomato, onion, garlic, and fresh basil (the secret weapon.)...

Butternut Squash Alfredo

January 30, 2018 Amanda Plott

I love pasta every bit as the next girl. But, there's always something about it that leaves me feeling a wee bit guilty. Maybe it's something to do with the fact that most pasta dishes are loaded with carbs and not usually the most veggie-forward meal option.

Now, I've made a skinny alfredo before that was loaded up with hidden veggies but I got my hands on a local butternut squash that needed some attention. That's when I decided to go ahead and make another version of 'alfredo' using my winter squash. And let's be honest. Today I'm using the term 'aflredo' pretty lightly...

Creamy Sundried Tomato Basil Vodka Sauce with Mushrooms

November 8, 2017 Amanda Plott

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

It never fails, the first thing to go when we're too busy or have a limited budget, is our eating habits. However, there are plenty of tips, tricks, and hacks out there that will save you time and money in the kitchen.

Take this Creamy Sundried Tomato Basil Vodka Sauce with Mushrooms for instance; it's a one-pot sauce dish that tastes so good, they'll think you spent a fortune and spent hours on it. When in fact, it's just a handful of ingredients (most of which are already in your pantry or fridge) and half an hour to get to this blissful sauce heaven...

Skinny Zuppa Toscana

October 24, 2017 Amanda Plott

Okay, so there really isn't enough good things that I can say about this soup. I actually made my first attempt at this soup a few years ago. Long before I originally posted it here. My in-laws were in town and I knew that this soup from a well-known restaurant happened to be one of my father-in-laws' favorites. Since he's a health-conscious individual such as myself, I thought it would be fun to try my hand at making a healthier version of it for him.

I hadn't had the soup before, so I couldn't say at the time if it was anything similar to the one that he was used to, but he did have a couple of bowls of it for dinner! Me? I was anything but a fan. Why? One word. Kale.

Yes, I've ranted on before about my strange love/hate relationship with kale. And, this is basically where the hate part of that started...