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…

Cranberry Apple Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette

July 13, 2018 Amanda Plott

Product was provided to me on behalf of Cape Cod Cranberries to review, use, and write about. As always, all opinions are entirely my own.

It's hot. It's hot. It's really really hot here in Texas right now and all I want to do is avoid using my stove or oven! So, today for lunch, I decided to go with a super quick and easy cold and crunchy salad. And when I say easy, I mean almost ridiculously easy. It's so easy that it only takes a whopping 5-10 minutes from start to finish with preparing it.

The best part? There is absolutely NO cooking or heating required! How do you do that? Well, cranberries! Cranberries are a favorite of mine and I love finding clever ways to use them up all year round. They are so versatile that they can be used in just about any meal or in any type of drink. Trust me, I've got a lot of tricks up my sleeve when it comes to these tart bright red little gems. Never mind all their health benefits…

Summer Squash & Ricotta Pasta

July 6, 2018 Amanda Plott

Oyi, oyi, oyi! We are in the THICK of summer right now. It is H. O. T. - HOT! But, one thing I'm not mad about is the plethora of summer veggies and fruits that comes along with the heat. The summer squash and tomatoes are in season here right now and I am eating it up. Pun totally intended.

Summer squash is one of my favorite veggies, that's because they are so versatile. And while there's a lot of things that you can do with them, I've been craving pasta - so that's where they went today. Not just any pasta though. Whole wheat pasta that's kept light and yet creamy still with some ricotta cheese…

Red White & Blueberry Salad (With Champagne Vinaigrette!)

July 2, 2018 Amanda Plott

This year for the 4th of July we've got some visitors in town for a few days. Amidst the usual chaos of the holiday, I thought it was high time to make a fun, easy, little patriotic salad that could be easily tossed together and enjoyed as a festive side or even as lunch!

I basically started this salad off with one of the most easy and tasty vinaigrettes I've ever had. It's simple and so easy to make with just three basic ingredients; plus some salt and pepper! What goes better with celebrating Independence Day other than with some champagne, anyway? Even if it is in the form of a vinaigrette…

Magical Color Changing Unicorn Noodles

June 26, 2018 Amanda Plott

I feel as though I should explain here that my daughter and I are pretty much obsessed with mermaids, unicorns, rainbows and glitter. So when 'science' week started, I just knew that we were going to have to make ourselves some magical color changing noodles!

Unlike most 'colored' noodles out there, we're coloring these naturally by way of a purple cabbage. This gives those rice noodles a beautiful all natural light purple color.

I should also explain here that this is a simple recipe. It's not 'gourmet' by any means. I mean... let's face it, they're basically garlic buttered noodles, but the magic of the color changing and the fun with these noodles are what make them stand out!…

Sunny Summer Strawberry Lemonade

June 17, 2018 Amanda Plott

Summer time means lemonade. And lemonade for me means MUST BE FRESH. Fresh lemonade is some of the best lemonade, because obviously... it's made fresh and not all garbaged up with a bunch of junk that no one needs.

Now... it used to be when I was younger that my grandmother and my mom were in the habit of making a little something called 'sun tea'. Which is basically just like it sounds. A tea, that's made in the sun. The bad thing about it is that I can't drink tea anymore due to migraine issues. SNARF. So what's the next best thing to make in the sun? Lemonade!…