Crockpot Carrot Soup with Basil Herb Oil

June 7, 2017 Amanda Plott

I'm barely a week into summer break over here and I already seem to have lost track of what day it is. Is it still the weekend? Almost the weekend again? Where am I? What am I doing? One of the only things that's managing to keep me somewhat grounded, is cooking. For the past few weeks, I've been getting loads and loads of carrots in my local box of produce. I've been trying to use them up as quickly as I could, but... the bag of them only continued to expand.

I've got to be honest, raw carrots are definitely not one of my favorite vegetables. So, thinking of a way to use up over 2 pounds of carrots was a rather daunting task for me. Especially considering that I wanted to be sure to use them all up before any went bad. Waste not, want not...

5 Ingredient Thai Butternut Squash Soup (Crock Pot)

March 25, 2016 Amanda Plott

So about a week ago I got my hands on the biggest butternut squash that I've ever seen in my life. The best part about it was that it was from a local Texas farm, which you know I'm all about. I had already used the squash in two previous meals this week and was racking my brain to come up with a third and final use so that I could get it all eaten up before the weekend. Because, you know, there is a lot of Easter happenings and I couldn't let this beauty go to waste.

This smooth and creamy thai butternut squash was the perfect was to use up my mammoth of a squash. And what's better is that it is super simple to make since there is little prep work with only 5 ingredients, and the crock pot will do all of the cooking for you...

Skinny Turkey Sriracha Meatballs (Crock Pot)

August 12, 2015 Amanda Plott

I had this amazing new Stubb's Texas Sriracha Anytime sauce sitting and staring at me for a few days before it finally hit me. As the heat of Texas summer starts to consider winding down, that always means that we're getting back into football season. And what does that mean? Tailgating and homegating foods will be back in action before you know it!

These partly Asian inspired and partly Thai inspired meatballs make for a great part of a meal, but would also be amazing for your next gamely spread as more of an appetizer. Toothpick or pretzel pick friendly grab-n-go snack!

As an added bonus, they can stay warming in a crock pot for several hours (if you can manage to keeping around for that long!)...

Crock Pot Irish Beef Stew & Cheddar Herb Dumplings

March 11, 2015 Amanda Plott

I'm an Irish girl, what can I say? If I can find an excuse to cook with bourbon and beer, I'll find it! The idea for this dish actually came from my love of St. Patrick's Day and also my love of these Healthified Crock Pot Chicken & Dumplings, which I made a bit over a year ago and many many times since then.

I basically took the same structure of the Chicken & Dumpling recipe and made it into a hearty Irish inspired Beef & Dumpling recipe instead. This stew is packed full of bold flavor and lots and lots of chunky beef and vegetables. I promise, you won't feel like you're eating anything healthified, but you are. It's definitely a meal in a bowl.

Who knew that Beef & Dumplings would just as awesome as Chicken & Dumplings?

I wasn't sure this would work out, but in the end I'm extremely happy that I tempted the fates with this one...

Crock Pot Spaghetti Squash Primavera

September 27, 2014 Amanda Plott

I've had this spaghetti squash staring at me from the kitchen counter for a week or two now, and I figured... I ought to put that beauty to some use before it went bad on me.

Now, you may or may not notice that this spaghetti squash is a little smaller than the ones you will find in the grocery stores. That is because... this bad boy was fresh off the farm, and from a local and organic farmer too - which makes it all the more exciting to me!

Fresh local ingredients are always the best and are generally higher in nutrients.

I wasn't quite sure at first just how I was going to do my farm fresh spaghetti squash justice. I suppose I felt as though it needed some careful love and devotion.

During my thought process, I remembered this idea I had seen somewhere about a spaghetti squash primavera that was done in a terribly naughty and yet totally delectable manner. I basically took that idea and ran with it; making it easier, lighter more economical, and still amazingly full of flavor...

Crock Pot Pumpkin & Maple Pork Tenderloin

September 22, 2014 Amanda Plott

Oh. My. Goodness.

My house smelled like maple heaven for an entire day with this cooking up in the kitchen. And yes, it tastes just as great at it smells! It was all I could do to keep from going in there towards dinner time and picking off the 'crispy' end pieces to snack on.

Yes, I'm that one. My mom and I are well known for tag-teaming the burnt ends at any family barbecue.

This pumpkin maple tenderloin was pretty amazing and perfectly fitting with pumpkin season and fall weather as it rolls in. I was a little skeptical at first since I'm not generally a fan of adding sweetness to my pork, but it was just the right amount of sweet and tang with the apple cider vinegar...