Skinny Dark Chocolate & Cherry Scones (Sponsored)

January 11, 2016 Amanda Plott

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

So, I'm kind of in love with scones. They're easy to make, delicious, and extremely versatile. Today I wanted to make some scones that would help me bring in the New Year and help me reach my goals while also getting me into the spirit of Valentine's Day (because you know that's just around the corner too!) What better way to achieve both other than with dark chocolate and some cherries? Yum, yum.

I used one of my older scone recipes to start out as the base for this one. And it worked out beautifully with the few changes and new additions that I made to it.

What can I say? It's fun to sometimes go back to revisit older recipes while also adjusting them to my ever changing taste and desire...

Skinny Matcha Granola

January 8, 2016 Amanda Plott

There's two things that I haven't tried before, making my own granola and matcha. Okay, well... I have tried matcha since my favorite tea room here dusts it over their fabulous brownies, but outside of that - no. I've had my fair share of green tea, but matcha is different. Since I haven't tried it before, but have heard good things... I decided to do a little research.

At the end of my research, I ended up buying myself a package of the green stuff.

Matcha is made by using specially shade-grown green tea that's then ground down into a find green powder. It's supposed to be effective in improving mental focus with it's higher amounts of theanine. The theanine and caffeine together help to give a boot of energy without causing the crash that comes with the caffeine in coffee. The antioxidants are what I'm after though!...

Champagne Soaked 'Drunken' Gummy Bears

December 30, 2015 Amanda Plott

It doesn't get much better than this!

For part of my New Year's celebration I wanted to include as much champagne as I could and in as many ways I as I could imagine. One of the first things that I got my hands on was some champagne flavored gummy bears. Yep. True story. My gummy bears were created using Dom Pérignon Vintage Champagne too! So they're extra fancy in two flavors, Brute and Rose.

I knew right away what I wanted to do with them, soak them in champagne. Now... I've seen gummy bears soaked in lots of things, mostly hard liquors and never in merely champagne. So, I decided it was my duty to attempt such a luxury...

Skinny 'Soft Batch' Chocolate Chip Cookies

December 24, 2015 Amanda Plott

So, every year my mom and I get together before Christmas to spend a day baking up some of our most favorite cookies. This year a request was put in, by another health-nut in the family, for some extra special chocolate chip cookies - soft and full of dark chocolate goodness; chunks and chips alike. Of course, I was more than happy to oblige!

These cookies are soft, fluffy, and full of the good stuff that I know my father-in-law loves. To make them even more special, I topped a few with festive sprinkles, others with dark chocolate candies, and some were just left perfectly plain...

Skinny Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

December 14, 2015 Amanda Plott

I got this lovely bottle of Gloria Ferrer Pinot Noir that I've had sitting on my counter and staring at me for a couple of weeks now. I've been pondering over what exactly I wanted to pair with it. With the holidays still in full swing, I thought it would be the perfect time to whip up another tasty and better-for-you appetizer that would be perfect for entertaining; sure to make your next elegant holiday party sparkle!

One of my most favorite things to pair with pinot noir is the earthy flavors of mushrooms that only bring out the brambly flavor of this red wine. Many few years back I had started making these spinach and cheese stuffed mushrooms, so I knew that they would be the perfect partner to my pinot noir....

Cranberry-Nut Cinnamon Chex™ Mix

December 9, 2015 Amanda Plott

My little girl is a huge Chex™ fan, and is also my big-little helper in the kitchen. I like to find fun and simple recipes that she can easily help me with, if not just do on her own. So, I decided that we should start a new tradition to “Mix up the Holiday Magic” with allowing her to pick out her favorite Chex cereal and we use it up in a recipe together.

This year we decided to go with the Cinnamon Chex cereal. I was able to find the perfect Chex Party Mix to make with it.

Seriously, this mix is delicious and couldn't be more easy to whip up. I was really glad that I decided to go with a sweet treat this time around instead of the savory ones that I've come to know, love, and almost expect. This cranberry-orange mix was a delightful change of pace. Plus, I loved that it was something I could let my little one help me with...