Caprese Pasta Salad

June 27, 2021 Amanda Plott

As it’s getting hotter and hotter outside I’m craving the cold stuff. The lighter stuff. The stuff I don’t have to turn my oven on to enjoy. This Caprese Pasta Salad is just that. Get it started in the morning when it’s cool out and then finish it off in the afternoon or evening as lunch, dinner, or a side for one of the two. The pasta dish itself is based off one of my all time favorites - caprese!

What’s a caprese? Tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, and balsamic vinegar in one form or another. I basically turned that into a light, easy to make salad that includes fresh baby spinach and some pasta to make it just a little more hearty…

Skinny Greek 7 Layer Dip

June 12, 2021 Amanda Plott

I’ve been wanting to make a Greek version of a 7 layer dip for a while now and I finally got the chance today! The AC is being replaced and lets just say that with no AC and the heat index being well into the triple digits we needed something cool and light to munch on. That’s where this Greek 7 Layer Dip comes in.

Layer one is a seasoned cream cheese spread, layer two is hummus because hummus is yummus! For layer three you have zucchini (or cucumber), layer four is fresh diced tomato, with layer five comes some of my most favorite olives - kalamata. Towards the end is layer six with crumbled feta cheese, and finally layer seven is your sprinkling of green onions…

Cherry Pie Cookies

May 31, 2021 Amanda Plott

These cherry pie cookies combine two favorites. Cherry pie and cookies! They’re super simple to make with less than 5 ingredients and are super adorable! They’re basically mini individual hand pies that look like pies and yet are shaped like cookies. They make for an impressive dessert, even though they’re so simple.

There isn’t a whole lot that can be done to make these better-for-you other than using a lighter pie filling. You could even make your own pie filling and use that, but today I was keeping it simple so I personally opted out of that option…

Oatmeal Raisin Skillet Cookie

May 4, 2021 Amanda Plott

Cookies just don’t get more simple than this. Not only is this Oatmeal Raisin Skillet Cookie baked in a skillet, it’s whipped up all in one bowl. That means a whole lot less dirty dishes to deal with, and a whole lot more time to spend enjoying this delicious cookie. And let’s face it, saving time and energy at the end of the school year is VITAL.

This oatmeal cookie has all the goodness of any oatmeal cookie, and none of the guilt. I mean, how can you feel guilty about eating oatmeal and raisins?…

Blondies + Maple Cream Cheese Sauce

April 26, 2021 Amanda Plott

It was my brother’s birthday celebration this past weekend, and it sure was a lot different from how it was last year for sooo many reasons. Thankfully vaccinations are in place and we got to celebrate together once again! In lieu of a cake though, my brother wanted blondies this year which I am totally down for! Don’t get me wrong, I love cake as much as the next girl, but there’s something to be said about a good blondie.

These blondies are my healthified take on the ones that you’ll find at one of those chain restaurants. It was always my most favorite dessert there. What with the warm blondie with white chocolate chips, some vanilla ice cream, and that AMAZING maple cream cheese sauce on top. Mmmm…

Buffalo Chicken Potato Skins

April 9, 2021 Amanda Plott

I don’t know. I felt like I wanted some buffalo chicken potato skins.

Easy to make shredded buffalo chicken that’s stuffed into potato skins and topped off with cheddar and blue cheese. Can’t go wrong there. This is a super simple and versatile dish that could be anything from an appetizer to part of a meal. I should say too that I used the BIGGEST russet potatoes for this that I could find. We’re talking HUGE. So if you are using smaller potatoes, this will give you a lot more skins than what it did me…