Split Pea Soup (Instant Pot)

February 26, 2021 Amanda Plott

The stores here in Texas are slowly getting back to normal after our bit of insanity a week ago during the winter storm. That being said, it’s still slim pickings when it comes to a lot of things on the store shelves. Recovery is going to take more time, especially with an entire state in panic. And that’s on top of the anxiety we’ve all had when it comes to food, lockdown, and this virus.

That being said, one thing that I was prettifying confident I could get my hands on was dried split peas. For some crazy reason or another it’s one of the only things you’ll almost always find on the shelves. Even when everything else is long gone. Now, I’ve eaten split pea soup before, but I’ve never made it. So I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to do so…

Black-Eyed Peas & Cornbread Dumplings

January 3, 2021 Amanda Plott

So, the year has already started off a little rough for me, but at least the food is good. This Black-Eyed Peas & Cornbread Dumplings is as comfort food as it gets, and is truly one of the most tasty and delicious ways that I’ve ever gotten to eat black-eyed peas.

I used fresh black-eyed peas here because they cook fast and are perfect for this seasonal dish. That being said, canned ones or home-cooked would work too. I also used a vegetarian sausage because I have one in my house that doesn’t like traditional sausage for reasons. But any kind of sausage, pork, beef, or vegetarian will be just as good here!…

Instant Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup

December 15, 2020 Amanda Plott

No time to labor over the stove to make dinner? This Instant Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup is quick and easy to make with almost all of the cook time being hands off in the instant pot. You start this soup off with cooking the bacon and then adding in the potatoes and broth to that. Yep, that’s right. The bacon is loaded into the soup from the very start!

After the soup cooks you add in a roux and cheese to really make it fully loaded. I keep this soup with some potato chunk to make it feel even more hearty and filling. I also leave on the most of the skins on the potatoes because that’s where so much of the nutrients are…

Healthified 'Lofthouse' Soft Sugar Cookies

December 13, 2020 Amanda Plott

I've basically taken that original tried-and-true recipe and trimmed it down as best I could without losing the amazingness of that cookie.

The first thing I did was swapped out some of the regular flour for some whole wheat white flour. If you're going to be bad, you may as well get some good in there too! At least you can say you had some whole wheat, right?

I also substituted in some sweetener for about 1/3 of the sugar originally called for. Why? Well, if you can get away with less sugar, then why not? For the cookie dough, I used a light butter rather than full fat. Again, if you can get away with it... do it!

I made a few other minor changes as well, and still ended up with a perfectly light and decedent cookie that has over 50 calories less per serving than it's store bought counter part. Plus, I know exactly what in these cookies since well... I'm one that put it all there!

I'm telling you, they taste almost exactly like the original…

Gingerbread Cobbler

December 5, 2020 Amanda Plott

Sometimes you just have to shake dessert up. This holiday season would be the great time to start a new tradition. Instead of the usual pies and cookies, why not try out this Gingerbread Cobbler! This Gingerbread Cobbler is very similar to my Whole Wheat Pumpkin Cobbler, but more in line with Christmas or New Years than Thanksgiving!

Cobbler just seems like the perfect winter dessert. It’s warm, gooey, and filling too. My mom seems to think that this cobbler is like those old fashioned pudding cakes where you layer the batter on the bottom of the pan and pour hot liquid on top to bake. While baking, the cake bubbles up to the top and the gooey pudding cobbler goodness is on the bottom…

Skinny Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

October 29, 2020 Amanda Plott

Usually around this time of year my daughter is begging my mom to make pumpkin chocolate chip bread or muffins, but since my mom isn’t around yet this year (for the obvious reasons and the not so obvious ones) , I decided to whip up a loaf of the family favorite myself.

This Skinny Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread is lightened up in the best of ways without sacrificing flavor or texture. The bread is just as moist and decadent as it’s full on bad boy brethren - I promise! I only made a couple of swaps to this bread. One was subbing in some natural sweetener in place of sugar, and another was subbing out ALL of the brown sugar for a brown sugar/sweetener blend. That’s it. That’s all…