Skinny Frozen 'Hot Chocolate'

July 15, 2016 Amanda Plott

The heat of the summer is definitely upon us! Whenever it's humanly possible, I'm steering clear of using my oven and stove at all right now. I've been focusing on staying cool with little or no cook meals, or things that can be grilled outside. Even so, I'm dreaming of the cooler months to come. The summer heat here in Texas can be brutal.

So, what's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of winter, snow, and the Holidays? ... Hot chocolate, of course! Trust me, I'll be all over hot chocolate when the time comes, but for now - it's all about this Skinny Frozen 'Hot Chocolate'! Basically, this is a frozen take on a classic hot chocolate, so it's perfectly enjoyable during the summer while you're waiting for the cooler months...

Skinny Mixed Berry Monkey Bread

June 23, 2016 Amanda Plott

I know what you're thinking... how in the world could monkey bread be considered skinny? Well, I've lightened this up as best I imagine anyone possibly could considering that it's a sugary, decadent, gooey, caramel mess of a breakfast treat. So bear with me for a bit while I try and explain all the good that I've done here.

Monkey bread is one of my favorite breakfast or brunch treats, largely in part to the fact that it's so easy to toss together and always comes out in an impressive form. I mean, you know... look at it. It's truly drool-worthy. The only down-fall of it is that it's usually one of the most sugary and unhealthy breakfast bites out there. So, I've taken this traditional treat and revamped it into something a little more guilt-free...

Chocolate Chia Pudding

May 28, 2016 Amanda Plott

I'm up and at it this morning! It felt pretty nice being able to 'sleep in' to a ripe old 7 o'clock this morning. Truth be told, I wallowed around in the bed for another 30 minutes before I actually managed to peel myself up. It's been a busy few weeks around the Plott house between school coming to an end for the year, dance recital chaos, and a head cold that just won't quit.

Needless to say, I was ready to hit the kitchen today to whip up this tasty little number that I've had in my head for a while now. A few weeks back (maybe a month even) I tried out a new chia pudding that the little cafe/juice bar located inside my gym had started offering. It was pretty tasty and I was surprised with the actual 'pudding' like texture.

A lot of chia puddings out there have that tapioca texture. Which is just fine with me, but not always with everyone...

Skinny Lemon Thumbprint Cookies (Gluten Free)

March 16, 2016 Amanda Plott

Thank you Bob's Red Mill for sponsoring this post! Check out more delicious baking recipes at BobsRedMill.com.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again... Spring is most definitely one of my favorite times of year. There's just something to be said of the change in light, the fresh air, and everything coming back to life in the garden.

I don't know about you, but when I think about Spring and Easter, I think about the brightness of lemons. Maybe that's because it's about this time of year when my lemon tree starts to produce for me; giving me plenty of fresh beautiful lemons to use at my leisure.

To celebrate the arrival of Easter and Spring, I decided it would be the perfect time to bake up some tender, sweet and tart lemon thumbprint cookies - perfect for any basket; Easter or otherwise!...

Skinny 5 Ingredient Chocolate Cherry Crisp

March 1, 2016 Amanda Plott

This post was sponsored by Honey Bunches of Oats Chocolate as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central. I received complimentary products to facilitate my review.

Sometimes we all just need a little chocolate in our lives, and in my opinion not much goes better with chocolate other than cherries. You really can't go wrong with the combination. Of course, coming off of an extremely busy weekend, I wanted to be sure to do something simple with few ingredients and lots of flavor.

What can I say? I needed something to curb my sweet cravings.

I've seen it done before where Honey Bunches of Oats have been used as a quick fix 'crisp' style topping for desserts, so I decided to take that idea and run with it. But, I didn't want anything plain-jane so I had to put my own chocolate lover's better-for-you spin on it....

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...