Homemade Whole Wheat 'Easy Mac'

August 18, 2014 Amanda Plott

My little love was under the weather a for a few days this week, so we didn't exactly have the need for a 'lunch box' today, but... this is what I served her at home for lunch. After all, what's more of a comfort food than macaroni and cheese?

Well, not much! I pretty much put everything into this lunch that would be considered her favorite things. And they all tend to be things that most kids enjoy eating. It was a little bit of a happy accident that it happened to be just what she needed on her sick days! Grapes. Mac-n-cheese. Hot dog. And peas and carrots...

Garlicky Parmesan & Rosemary Roasted Chickpeas

July 21, 2014 Amanda Plott

I was turned on to roasting chickpeas several years back when seeking out healthier snack alternatives. Roasted garbanzo beans are seriously so easy to do that my four year old could almost pull it off all on her own. Well, almost. Plus, they taste absolutely amazing!

If you are a fan of hummus or chickpeas in general, then you will love toasted garbazo beans. I've been on a bit of a chickpea kick lately, if you hadn't noticed already. So... I thought what better time than now to roast some up for a grazing snack to have on hand...

Skinny Italian Stuffed Peppers (Crock Pot)

June 18, 2014 Amanda Plott

I've had a few stuffed peppers in the past. When I was younger, I remember my mom making some spanish style stuffed peppers that I thought were pretty good even though at the time I wasn't a huge pepper fan.

Oh, how times have changed.

These stuffed peppers are pretty amazing and ridiculously easy to do. With around 10-15 minutes of preparation, you can have these babies set to cook through the day in your crock pot with hardly any fuss at all!...

Skinny Tomato Pie

May 31, 2014 Amanda Plott

A couple of weeks ago my grandma and I were out running errands when we decided to stop at this well known place here in Austin called Kerbey Lane. They are famous for their unique twists on classic foods. As an added perk, they generally pride themselves on using organic and locally grown items in their kitchen.

As luck would have it, we happened to go in the middle of tomato season! While paroosing the ‘Tomato Menu’ I came across an interesting looking item that was marked as ‘Limited Quantity due to Popularity’… so of course that’s what I had to order. Tomato Pie!...

Cheeseburger Stuffed Zucchini Boats

May 24, 2014 Amanda Plott

I can has cheezburger? Without feeling guilty?! Yes, indeed! We all can.

These stuffed zucchini boats are a perfectly clever way to have a bun-less burger that I find to be a lot more filling and easy to eat than wrapping a patty in a mere lettuce leaf. You get all the satisfaction and flavors of a traditional cheeseburger packaged neatly into a zucchini squash.

Trust me when I say - you won't miss the bun at all!...

Skinny Green Chile & Cheddar Corn Casserole

May 9, 2014 Amanda Plott

Corn casserole is one of those famous southern things. Though... oddly enough we never had it in my house when I was growing up. We always had cornbread. Not because we weren't fans of corn casserole or anything... we just always had cornbread instead, and I have no answer for 'why'.

To be honest, this corn casserole was actually a happy little accident on my part.

I told you. I too make mistakes in the kitchen, especially with baking!...