Cheesy Ranch Chex™ Mix

November 19, 2015 Amanda Plott

Holidays are full of tradition, and one of the traditions that I lacked as a child but have picked up on my adult years is homemade Chex™ Mix! A couple of years back now my mom came over and made up GIANT batch of Chex Mix for us all to enjoy. She made as many flavor combinations as we could think up on.

It's become our tradition to have mix with us almost everywhere we go during the holiday season. My mom takes it to every party, event, and get together. It's always a huge hit, not matter what flavor combination it is, it's always a winner!

I'm not sure exactly what sparked up my mother's sudden desire to start the Chex Mix tradition, but I sure am glad that it happened. I love it when my mom loves food as much as I do...

Guacamole & Hummus Taquitos

November 17, 2015 Amanda Plott

Okay, okay, so these are big-as-yo-face taquitos. I get it. Taquitos are usually rolled up pretty tightly and with barely any filling, but I was hungry today y'all and in the mood for a nice hearty portion of vegetarian filling.

They're Texas size taquitos. But, if it makes anyone feel any better we could also call these baked burritos, I guess.

Either way, they're super filling and amazingly delicious. Plus, I find it pretty fun to play with fusion sometimes. I mean, who puts hummus on a taquito? Well, I do. Hummus is typically made from garbanzo beans, so this is basically a white bean taquito. Works for me!...

Healthified 7 Ingredient Chili (Sponsored)

November 4, 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. #YesYouCAN#CollectiveBias

Oh, man! I'm just settling in after another weekend away. I took my little one out of town to see friends and family for our Halloween celebration this year. It was so much fun to get out and do something different, but with traveling and holidays always comes stress!

To make things easy on myself this week, I decided to again have easy, stress free cooking going on in my kitchen as I settle back into my groove and also start preparing for the next holiday. One of my favorite too. Who doesn't love a holiday centered around food?

As it gets cooler outside, one of the first things that comes into my mind as a great dinner option is chili, and my mom makes one of the best, but... it takes time.

So, can you make a better-for-you chili with just a few ingredients without sacrificing any flavor?...

Chipotle Butter Infused Pork Tenderloin (Crock Pot)

October 29, 2015 Amanda Plott

I've been in meal prep. mode this week while I get ready for another upcoming trip this weekend for Halloween. I'm taking my little Ice Queen to my 'home town' to trick or treat with friends and family there. In the midst of it, I wanted to keep myself sane with just cooking a couple of meals that I could re-heat easily through the week.

One of the things that I wanted to cook up was this versatile pork tenderloin. Since I've been super busy, I thought it would be a great time to get out the old crock pot to cook this batboy up. While I wanted to keep the pork interchangeable, I also wanted it to have a lot of really good flavor...

Skinny Pumpkin Pasta Skillet

October 10, 2015 Amanda Plott

Pumpkin, pumpkin, everywhere! It's that time of year when pumpkin spice and everything nice has once again taken the world by storm, and I love it. I wish the weather was this nice and pumpkins were admired year-round.

Seriously. I'd be one happy girl if it were fall all the time.

This recipe is entirely pumpkin and fall inspired. It's full of creamy pumpkin goodness which is an amazing alternative to some of the more creamy heavy cheese loaded sauces that you come across all too often. This dish is hearty without being overly rich or heavy...

PB&J Cups (Sponsored)

October 1, 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. #SpreadTheMagic #CollectiveBias

Peanut butter is my jam. Pun totally intended.

I know that when I think of peanut butter, I immediately think of peanut butter and jelly. It's a timeless classic that we all know, love, and appreciate. There's just something about the sweet and the savory/salty notes coming together that instantly take you back to a simpler time. Childhood.

Another thing that comes to mind with peanut butter is that age old question, creamy or crunchy? It seems as if though such an easy question could completely divide the world. Well, what if I told you that you could have both? What if I told you that we could all live in peace and harmony, never being forced to choose sides again?...