Skinny Cherry Cheesecake Dip

June 8, 2015 Amanda Plott

So this weekend a pretty amazing thing happened, American Pharoah won the Triple Crown. He was the first horse to do so in 37 years and also the first to do so the entire time I've been alive! (And I'm turning 30 this year!) My family has been watching the derbies together for the past several years now, a tradition that I believe started sometime when I was fresh out of college. I've been dreaming of the day since then that I would get to see a horse take the triple crown. And man... was it worth it.

A few horses have come close, winning the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness... but, falling short of winning the final of the three at the long track of Belmont. For whatever reason, this year was different. There wasn't nervous tension in the air, but more of an excitement. Everyone just wanted American Pharoah to get it done. Let's see it already. Let's do it!...

Skinny Chicken Wonton Soup

June 4, 2015 Amanda Plott

It's time for another take-out fake-out!

I'm pretty obsessed with wonton soup. There's this place just a few blocks away from my house that has a killer one, and thankfully it's a chicken wonton soup. Oddly enough, I've found that it's sort of hard to find a chicken wonton soup as most wontons out there are stuffed with some sort of seafood or another, which just isn't my... cup of soup. Hah!

The thing is, over the past few years I've become increasingly skeptical of take-out and fast food. I tend to have a hard time eating things of which I'm not sure 100% what's it in or who's prepared it. This fear was ever more prevalent after our recent 6+ hour power outage which got me thinking... Do those places of through their refrigeration units like I do to toss out perishables in that situation? I sort of doubt it.

Either way, I wanted some chicken wonton soup this week and I'm not about to brave the take-out ventures for a good while yet. So what's a girl to do?...

Vanilla Chia Pudding & Strawberry Puree

May 12, 2015 Amanda Plott

As warmer weather starts to roll in, I'm always looking for meals and snacks that are easy, healthy, and also not requiring any source of heat. Chia pudding is and has been one of my favorite quick breakfast and snack options. Toss it together the night before and bam, the next day you have an easy breakfast or a beautiful treat.

Chia pudding is generally gluten-free so there's that as an added bonus, but I wanted to do something a little different today. I also wanted to make it dairy-free as well. I try to do what I can to provide recipes for all special dietary needs, and I often times feel like I lack a little when it comes to lactose/dairy-free.

This perfectly de{light}ful pudding is great for either a breakfast, snack, or even a dessert option. It's sweet enough for dessert and yet healthy enough for breakfast!...

Crock Pot B.B.Q. Shredded Beef

May 7, 2015 Amanda Plott

It was Teacher's Appreciation this week at my little one's school, and the parents all hold an Annual potluck accordingly; serving the teachers breakfast, lunch, and even a dessert. As part of the potluck for the teacher's I decided I wanted to take something that was versatile and well liked by all, shredded barbecue beef!

B.B.Q. anything is a staple around here and it's probably even a law somehow that every Texan is required to eat something barbecued at least once a week. Otherwise you might lose your license to grill. Hah!...

Skinny Avocado Deviled Eggs

March 19, 2015 Amanda Plott

Ah, spring is in the air at long last. One thing that's always been a tradition in our house around Easter is deviled eggs. And man, oh man... I love me some deviled eggs. However, outside of my mother, I'm really the only one in the family that eats them. So, I guess you could say that deviled eggs aren't really a family tradition, but a mother-daughter tradition instead.

Another thing that both my mother and I love endlessly is avocado. I seriously feel as if avocado makes just about everything better. I wish that I could go back to my childhood and collect all the avocado and guacamole that I turned my nose up to then. Erf. What was I thinking?!...

Vanilla Bean Yogurt Panna Cotta

March 9, 2015 Amanda Plott

This post was brought to you by Collective Bias, Inc. and it's advertiser. I received compensation to write this post … but, all opinions expressed are my own. #MullerMoment #CollectiveBias

It has been a really exhausting few weeks for me full of nothing but bad news, and of course with any stressful time in life it's always very important to make some time out for yourself, and to really focus on YOU. My stress relief often comes in the form of creating wonderful treats and eats in my kitchen. So, I decided to make a really easy and delicious vanilla bean yogurt panna cotta to indulge in this week without any judgement!

To make this panna cotta I used the new Müller® Ice Cream Inspired Yogurt, which happens to come in three great tasting flavors; Raspberry Chocolate Chip, Mint Chocolate Chip and Vanilla Bean. Not only is this ice cream inspired yogurt great for recipes, it's also an ideal on-the-go snack or breakfast option!

These yogurts fit perfectly into my 'better-for-you' lifestyle with 6% milk fat yogurt, 7 grams of protein, less sugar than other yogurts, and only 190-210 calories in a serving...