Cuban Black Beans (Crock Pot)

December 12, 2015 Amanda Plott

I was trying to use up some of the odd-and-end things that I had leftover in the kitchen this week (mostly to start making room for Christmas foods), and one of the ways that I like to do that is with a nice pot of homemade beans.

Black beans are one of out family favorites, in fact for several years there it was one of the only sources of protein that I could manage to get my little girl to eat. She was basically a vegan for the first four years of her life, by her own choice of course. She's always had a pretty sensitive palette, especially when it comes to spice, so I'll blame it on that.

Beans have always been in her 'safe zone' so, I've made myself rather familiar with making beans in my crock pot over the years. I've found that beans are one of my favorite and most versatile ingredients...

Cranberry-Nut Cinnamon Chex™ Mix

December 9, 2015 Amanda Plott

My little girl is a huge Chex™ fan, and is also my big-little helper in the kitchen. I like to find fun and simple recipes that she can easily help me with, if not just do on her own. So, I decided that we should start a new tradition to “Mix up the Holiday Magic” with allowing her to pick out her favorite Chex cereal and we use it up in a recipe together.

This year we decided to go with the Cinnamon Chex cereal. I was able to find the perfect Chex Party Mix to make with it.

Seriously, this mix is delicious and couldn't be more easy to whip up. I was really glad that I decided to go with a sweet treat this time around instead of the savory ones that I've come to know, love, and almost expect. This cranberry-orange mix was a delightful change of pace. Plus, I loved that it was something I could let my little one help me with...

Avocado Egg Salad

December 1, 2015 Amanda Plott

What can I say? After the large meals and treats that often come with holidays, I always end up feeling as if my body needs a reprieve from it all. Especially when there's a few more still just around the corner!

This avocado egg salad is the perfect way to fill my plate and I with the good stuff while keeping it light, healthy, and super delicious. I've been a huge fan of avocado for a while now, but lately's it's almost been out of control. So much so that I'm now putting in my egg salad!

That might sound a little strange, but hear me out. Avocados are often a great swap for mayonnaise because of their creamy texture. Plus, those avocados have a lot more vitamins than you'll find in mayo anyway. So it's just a win, win...

Broccoli Turkey Cheese Pretzel Pockets

November 24, 2015 Amanda Plott

I've been working hard for the past few years with coming up with interesting ways to use up that leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. One of my most recent favorites was this Skinny 'Leftover' Turkey Salad, and one of my favorites from years past was the Skinny Turkey & Wild Rice Soup.

I still have another idea that I plan to have up some time after Thanksgiving, but I must say that this Broccoli Turkey Cheese Pretzel Pocket will be hard to beat!

What's better is that this Pretzel Pocket is easy to make and de{light}ful for both kids and adults. I mean, who doesn't love a soft pretzel that's been stuffed with turkey, broccoli, and oozy-gooey cheese?

Blue Cheese Guacamole

November 21, 2015 Amanda Plott

If you haven't noticed already, I've been on a little bit of an avocado kick lately. I just can't get enough of these creamy, green, super healthy fruits! I guess that you could even say that I'm a little obsessed with them, which is funny consider that up until about five years ago I thought my mom was crazy for eating 'that green stuff'.

Clearly, I've grown up a bit since then.

Another of my obsessions, and something that I've loved since the moment that I tried it is blue cheese. I swear... I have dreams about it. So, when tasked with coming up with a fun take on a holiday appetizer, I knew exactly what I wanted to do; merge the two together into one ultimate and amazing dish!...

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...