Italian Chicken Soup (Instant Pot)

September 11, 2019 Amanda Plott

The weather is starting to cool off here in Texas. And by cool off, I obviously mean it’s down to being in the 90’s on most days instead of the 100’s. Even so, I’m excited for Fall. I love it when Fall starts to roll in, the temperature changes, the leaves drop, and it’s time for pumpkins and spice. Well, almost…

With Fall on the mind, I decided to make an Italian Chicken Soup for dinner this week. This soup is sort of like a minestrone, only without being quite so tomato heavy. This soup makes its own broth while cooking in the pressure cooker with all those yummy veggies and chicken.

It’s chicken noodle soup, Italian style!

2 Ingredient Cheese Sticks + 3 Ingredient Pizza Bites (Sponsored)

September 9, 2019 Amanda Plott

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Spin Master PAW Productions Inc. All opinions are entirely my own. #SnackPatrol #CollectiveBias #Ad

All you busy parents out there… this one's for you! And your kids too, of course! I don’t know about you but as an animal lover, my little one loves her cartoons and PAW Patrol has always been at the top of her list of favorites. So, when I saw these PAW Patrol inspired snack cheeses at my local HEB I knew that I had to get them and do something fun with them for snack time!

When I was little, two of my favorite snacks were cheese sticks and pizza bites. So, I thought to myself… why not both? And you know what? Let’s make them crazy easy and simple too. With literally just a handful of ingredients and a quick bake to perfection. The best part? They have the playful look of a rawhide dog bone! PAW Patrol, here we come.

Skinny Southwest Egg Rolls + Avocado Vinaigrette Dip (Sponsored)

September 5, 2019 Amanda Plott

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

Here's another 'take-out fake-out' today for one of my old favorites. It’s no secret that I'm a big fan of baking things as opposed to most other cooking methods out there. I find that it's better-for-you and that it often comes out tasting even better than other versions. The flavors just seem to stand out more. This is also why I use Mazola.com.

Want to find out more? A clinical study showed Mazola Corn Oil reduces cholesterol 2x more than extra virgin olive oil. To learn more about this claim, see Mazola.com.

With September being National Cholesterol Awareness month, and the fact that I'm not all about frying, I put my noodle to work to come up with a better-for-you baked version of Southwest Egg Rolls. So, with a little research and a lot of love, I'm pretty sure I got this one 100% right.

Egg roll and wonton wrappers have been a pretty big part of my kitchen play time lately. I just love how versatile they are. Plus, they are lower in calories than most other doughs. So, to keep these Southwest Egg Roll better-for-you, I made a few careful swaps. First, I used chicken breast as a leaner cut of meat. As a second swap, I used a reduced fat shredded cheese instead of a full-fat version. And finally, I used Mazola Corn Oil on the egg rolls and also in the vinaigrette dip!

Mazola Corn Oil is an all-purpose, cholesterol free cooking oil that is a smart heart-healthy* choice for your family. *See Mazola.com for more information on the relationship between corn oil and heart health. It has a variety of uses including baking, grilling, sautéing, stir frying, or mixing up a marinade or dressing…

Edible Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (Vegan & Gluten-Free)

August 26, 2019 Amanda Plott

Who else sneaks bites of raw cookie dough all the while knowing that you shouldn’t do it? I know that I sure do despite my greatest efforts not to. I’ve made raw edible cookie dough in the past, and it was pretty damn delicious. But, I thought I would take it a step further and make a gluten-free version of it!

Yep, that’s right. This edible cookie dough is not only egg-free, vegan, and vegetarian, but it’s also gluten-free AND dairy-free. Covering all the major bases here while also getting to indulge in some cookie dough. Sounds like a win-win situation, right?…

Sweet Earth Review + Simple Italian Salad

August 23, 2019 Amanda Plott

This shop has been compensated by Blog Meets Brand and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

It’s FriYAY and what does that mean in our house? Pizza day! How does that old jingle go?

Pizza in the morning, pizza in the evening, pizza at supper time!

That’s basically the law of the land around here. Even though my little one has pizza for lunch on Friday at school, she comes home and still wants to have pizza for dinner. Who am I to say no? It’s been a long week full of the first few days of school and we’re all pretty much exhausted at this point.

Of course, when we do pizza night at home, I like to stick to the better-for-you options while also loading us all up on our fair share of veggies. That’s where this Simple Italian Salad and Sweet Earth come into play...

Cobb Skewers

August 5, 2019 Amanda Plott

Well, all of us girls made it through camping and toobing this weekend. Three of us managed to put an 8 person tent up in all of 15 minutes. I guess the 100 degree heat and blazing Texas sun is one of the best motivators there is. Even being home and in the air conditioned house… I’m still craving cold foods.

These cute little Cobb Skewers have been my cure-all today. They’re cold, crisp, and a great way to enjoy a cobb salad as an appetizer or snack. They’re easy to put together and look pretty impressive. It’s a more ‘fancy-pants’ way to serve a salad as an appetizer anyway…