Cowboy Casserole

March 23, 2022 Amanda Plott

What can I say? I love casseroles. I love them any time of day. Recently I had a chicken pot pie, but this time I decided to go with something vegetarian! Yeah, I know. I looks like there’s meat in there, but really there isn’t! I used some vegetarian ground ‘meat’ in this Cowboy Casserole that takes no time at all to come together. There’s veggies, cheese, soup, ground ‘meat’ and then tater tots on top to round it out and keep it light but still hearty and filling.

When I saw the original idea for this Cowboy Casserole, I just knew that I wanted to lighten it up and put a little bit more of a healthified take on it. The first thing I did was to swap out the meat. I also halved the recipe and used a reduced fat version of not only the mushroom soup, but also for the shredded cheese too! As usual, I swap out sour cream with greek yogurt anytime that I can get away with it…

Very Cherry Pie

March 20, 2022 Amanda Plott

You know, I haven’t actually ever made pie dough for a pie before. I’ve made something akin to pie dough for other eats and treats before, but I’ve never made pie dough for a pie before. I saw an idea for a strawberry infused pie dough a long while back now, and it’s sort of stuck with me. So when I decided to try my hand at a homemade cherry pie filling, I thought what the hell! I may as well make the pie dough myself and try to infuse it with some cherry goodness too!

So here we have it! THis Very Cherry Pie! It’s got cherries all the way through the filling and into the pie crust. And can I just say, this pie is actually pretty easy to make! You would think making the crust and the filling would be complicated, but it’s honestly not much more work than pre-made dough and canned filling…

Healthified 'Tortilla Trend' Crunch Wrap

March 14, 2022 Amanda Plott

I’m back at it today with anther ‘tortilla trend’ idea! This one DOES actually use a tortilla this time and it’s a play on the infamous crunch wrap that you can get at Taco Bell, but… it’s made healthified! So, how does one make a crunch wrap better-for-you? Well, I swapped out the giant tortilla for a 100 calorie spinach and seed one, but really any 100 calorie flower-like tortilla will work here.

I also used vegetarian ground meat in mine, but mostly because that’s what I had on hand. Lean ground turkey will work here too. Other than that? I used my own seasonings and spices, and also a plain fat-free greek yogurt in place of the sour cream. Tada. Healthier crunch wrap!…

Crazy Crust Cherry Pie

March 11, 2022 Amanda Plott

Some days are just meant to be lazy, and this is just one of those days. There’s another cold front blowing in right now as we roll into Spring break over here. How crazy is that?! Okay, well it’s crazy by Texas standards anyway. Even so, a cherry pie just sounded good to me and I didn’t want to fuss with a pie dough this time around. So here we are with this Crazy Crust Cherry Pie!

What’s a Crazy Crust Cherry Pie? It’s a one bowl cherry pie where the crust is more cake like and is whipped up in no time at all in one bowl before being poured into a pie dish ahead of cherry pie filling. I’d venture to say that this pie is somewhere in between a cobbler and a pie though since the crust itself isn’t really indicative of a pie dough….

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

February 24, 2022 Amanda Plott

Not all banana breads are created equal. Thinks Double Chocolate Banana Bread takes the cake. It’s a chocolate banana bread batter that’s been lightened up and LOADED with a heaping cup of chocolate chips so that you get an extra chocolatey bite each and every time. It’s a great way to use up old or frozen bananas in what might be a fun and more exciting way than your standard banana bread.

I like baking banana bread for breakfast for a few reasons, the first being that it gives me breakfast to have on hand for the entire week with little to do other than mix up the batter and bake! Banana bread reheats well too, meaning you can have a warm homemade breakfast that’s decadent and delicious!…

Greek Spinach & Feta Veggie Patties

February 21, 2022 Amanda Plott

It’s meatless. It’s Monday. It’s a meatless Monday! These Greek Spinach & Feta Veggie Patties are as tricky and as tasty as they come. I made these patties with a vegetarian ground plant-based ‘meat’ which looks like, tastes like, and cooks up just like ground beef. I loaded these quarter pound patties up with spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and of course some feta cheese to give a little bit of a Greek or Mediterranean twist.

And let me just tell you, they are so sooo good and end up being perfect on their own or as burgers! This time I decided to serve them up all on their own with some roasted veggies for a well rounded meatless, guilt-free, and delicious dinner…