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...

Granola Cups

July 7, 2016 Amanda Plott

I've been looking to make breakfast a little more interesting and fun round here lately while I've got my little one home for the summer. Ugh! I can't believe she's about to be a big first grader. Anyway, these cute little granola cups were the perfect way to do that! They're cute, and little, and so easy to make!

What I love about these cups is that they are so versatile. You can use them as mini pie crusts, fill them with yogurt and/or fruit (like I did) for breakfast, or even as the base of a tart or other sort of dessert. I'm thinking mini cheesecakes!

By the way, did I mention that they are also vegan, gluten-free, and sugar-free? Yep, yep, and yep! These little cuties definitely hit all the right notes. If all that isn't convincing enough, there's also chia seeds in them too; adding super crunch and even more texture...

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...

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...

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 Ice Cream Scoop Pops (Sponsored)

June 2, 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. #SunsOutSpoonsOut #CollectiveBias

Now that we're over the torrential rain here for a while and the sun has peeked back out from behind the dark and gloomy clouds, it's starting to warm back up here in Texas! I think it's been about a month (if not longer) since I last saw the sun like I've seen it today.

I'm so happy to be getting back into the swing of summer foods, though I know in a couple of months when it starts tipping the thermostat at 100+ degrees outside, I'll be singing an entirely different tune.

For the time being though, I'm ready for some ice cream!

Ice cream is a summer staple for just about anyone. Since my little girl is all about cake pops, I thought it might be fun to do the same thing with ice cream. Ice cream scoop pops; a small school of ice cream on a wooden spoon that's topped off with an array of sprinkles...