Strawberry & Coconut Matcha Chocolate Bark

February 5, 2016 Amanda Plott

Valentine's Day is approaching quickly and I'm all for a little guilty pleasure every now and again. Especially when it involves a special holiday of sorts. Although, if I'm going to have any sort of treat, I always tend to throw in a few health aspects just to make it more guilt free. And this matcha chocolate is no exception!

I'm a pretty big fan of chocolate bark, in fact it's a pretty dangerous thing for me to make because tends to go pretty quickly around here. I've been toying with matcha powder for a few weeks now after buying my very first bag of it, and I have to say, it's good stuff.

I've even gotten my mom onto the matcha train too! So much so that she's asked me to come up with ways to add it into foods rather than just drinking it all the time...

Skinny Matcha-Monster Smoothie (Sponsored)

January 14, 2016 Amanda Plott

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BestBlendsForever #CollectiveBias

My mom is not only one of my friends, she's really my very best friend and she has been for as long as I can remember. Of course, just like any other set of besties, that doesn't come without our occasional squabble. She's my complete opposite in almost every way, even down to our hair color.

I stuck out like a sore thumb as a child. A perfectly blonde and blue-eyed fair-skinned child among a gaggle of dark brown hair and beautiful olive complexions. And although it sounds like it, I wasn't adopted. That's just how things turned out as my mom remarried when I was four years old.

All of my life I've known my mom to be one of the softest and sweetest souls out there. She's the sort of person that would give any of her friends and family anything and everything just to see them smile and be happy. She's kind, generous, easy-going and all about fun. On the other end of things, I'm independent, stubborn, and sometimes rather brash. I'm a perfectionist to the core and entirely a homebody. See? She's my complete opposite, hah!...

Champagne Soaked 'Drunken' Gummy Bears

December 30, 2015 Amanda Plott

It doesn't get much better than this!

For part of my New Year's celebration I wanted to include as much champagne as I could and in as many ways I as I could imagine. One of the first things that I got my hands on was some champagne flavored gummy bears. Yep. True story. My gummy bears were created using Dom Pérignon Vintage Champagne too! So they're extra fancy in two flavors, Brute and Rose.

I knew right away what I wanted to do with them, soak them in champagne. Now... I've seen gummy bears soaked in lots of things, mostly hard liquors and never in merely champagne. So, I decided it was my duty to attempt such a luxury...

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...

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?...