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!…

'Nut & Seed' Grain-Free Pumpkin Spice Granola

August 31, 2018 Amanda Plott

It's been a hot minute since I made up a batch of homemade granola, mostly because it's just been way too hot here to even think about turning the oven on. But, sometimes... it's just worth it. And this morning? It was just that - totally worth it! With pumpkin spice season on the horizon, I thought there was no better time than now to tempt the cooler weather in with another pumpkin inspired treat!

I based this grain-free granola off of one that I made a while back. The main differences would be the spice used in it and the seeds that I chose to include. Since we're going with the Fall theme, I decided to use pumpkin seeds. Two kinds of pumpkin seeds, that is. I picked up a raw one to roast with the granola, and a lightly salted roasted seed called 'snow white' pumpkin seeds to add in at the end…

Skinny Strawberry Banana Poke Cake

August 29, 2018 Amanda Plott

It's been a really long time since I made any sort of a cake, especially a poke cake. And with the end of summer on our heels, I thought I might throw a few more good strawberry recipes into the mix before they are too far out of season. This Skinny Strawberry Banana Poke Cake starts off with a lightened up strawberry cake that's made with a simple boxed mix that we're upgrading just a bit.

So, what's a poke cake? It's basically exactly what it sounds like. A baked cake that you poke holes in. This time around though, we're filling those holes with some banana pudding and then topping everything off with some coolwhip. This style of cake makes for one delicious treat that's perfectly decadent…

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!…

Whole Wheat Fresh Cherry Cobbler

August 5, 2018 Amanda Plott

It's the end of summer (break) and cherries are still in season over here. And since I haven't really done anything with them yet this season, I thought it was high time to do so! To create this lovely cobbler, I started with the base of the one that I made about a month ago. I have used the same recipe a few times now, trying out different fruits.

Up until today, the blackberry seemed to be the favorite.

The only real difference between this version of the cobbler recipe, and the one from before, is that this one I decided to use the cherries and also subbed in some whole wheat white flour instead of the all-purpose…

Skinny Cream Cheese Rangoon Dip & Wonton Chips

July 20, 2018 Amanda Plott

I keep saying that I'm swearing off my stove and oven right now, and then the very next day I'm firing one, or both of them, up again cook some yummies. And so far lately, all the yummies have been worth heating the house up over. And this Skinny Cream Cheese Rangoon Dip with Wonton Chips inso different. I may even do the very same thing again tonight!

So first thing first. I love cream cheese rangoons. I've made them a few times, and... I could probably eat my weight in them with no questions asked. That being said, I'm all about putting a twist on the things I love. I guess that's why I decided to turn cream cheese rangoons into a dip!…