Rustica Salad

October 30, 2018 Amanda Plott

Well, I guess I spoke too soon about the weather cooling off. It’s been cooler, yes… but we’ve still gotten well up into the 80’s for a couple of days this week. It’s been nice for the most part, crips mornings, warm days, and cool evenings to follow. And while I’m completely set on Fall and Winter meals now, I still needed to toss in a light salad into the mix this week.

I’m calling this the ‘rustica salad’ because that’s the name of the salad that I got the idea for this one from. Of course, I had to put my own spin on it with a homemade dressing and plenty of toppings. The homemade Skinny Balsamic Vinaigrette is one of my favorites. I make a double or triple batch of it up at a time and keep it on hand in the fridge quite often…

Southwest Couscous Salad

September 7, 2018 Amanda Plott

I love couscous. I love it in traditional form and I love it Israeli style too. What's the difference though? Traditional couscous is smaller grained and the Israeli one is more of a 'pearl' couscous. Small little beads of 'pasta' that are extremely versatile and can be amazingly delicious!

The lunchtime struggle is real, and I know it is. I've found that if I don't have something prepared ahead of time for lunch, that I'll often go without or end up eating a less than stellar choice. With couscous being one of my favorite things, and pasta salad on the mind, I thought it would be a great time to make a couscous 'pasta' salad!…

Quarter Pounder Burger Salad (Sponsored)

August 27, 2018 Amanda Plott

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

I tell you, summer is not going to go down without a fight this year. It's been well over 100 degrees here in Austin, Texas and so far we're still hovering in the upper 90's and often with a heat index of 106+ - yikes! It's hot, but nothing is quite as hot as this Quarter Pounder Burger Salad.

Let's face it, we all know what a 'quarter pounder' is. We don't even need to add the 'burger' part to that phrase and we'll all understand what's being spoken about. A quarter pound patty that's got lettuce, tomato, pickles, maybe some onion, and of course special sauce!

While it's unimaginably hot outside and football season is officially kicked off, I decided the best thing to do was to cool off with a nice hearty salad ahead of any big game tailgating (or homegating.)…

Healthified Cobb Egg Salad

August 25, 2018 Amanda Plott

It's been a busy week and so far an even busier weekend! My daughter started school back up and we had just managed to climb off the plane from Hawaii in time to do so. So among the jet lag and getting back into the routine of things I was in dire need of quick and easy lunch options.

This Healthified Cobb Egg Salad really hits the spot. It's a fun new twist on one of my favorites, egg salad! Egg salad is always a great snack or lunch option. It's low-carb, easy to make, full of protein and can be delicious when paired with even the most simple of scoopables such as crackers and celery!…

Simple Greek Quinoa Bowl

August 7, 2018 Amanda Plott

I'm leeeaving on a jet plane, I don't know when I'll be back again...

Okay, not really. But. I am leaving on a jet plane this coming Sunday for nice little vacation. But... before all of that - I've got to get through the week of chaos that is in full swing. We're talking shopping, packing, laundry, lists, chores, instructions, and so on.

As excited as I am, and as much as I have to do, I thought I would keep this week pretty simple with some rather minimal recipes. I don't want to have a bunch of leftover madness going on in my fridge while I'm away. So! That's where this super simple Greek Quinoa Bowl comes in…

Probiotic Chicken Salad

July 16, 2018 Amanda Plott

“This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Mariani Packing Company, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #MarianiSuperPrunes http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV”

I'm not sure about the rest, but I know that here in Texas, chicken salad is basically a staple. No, no, no. I'm not talking about a salad with chicken on it. I'm talking about shredded chicken that's blended together with mayo, herbs, veggies, and maybe even some dried fruit to create a salad of chicken.

I've made a handful of lightened-up and healthier chicken salads in the past. But, today I wanted to do something just a little bit different. Usually in a chicken salad, you'll find dried cranberries, raisins, or maybe even cherries. So, when I heard of Mariani Probiotic Pitted Prunes, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them…