Lemon, Blueberry & Poppy Seed Parfait

April 18, 2017 Amanda Plott

So, remember that Lemon Poppy Seed Granola from a couple of weeks ago? And how I told you that I had big plans for it? Well, here you go! My idea all along for #TopItTuesday was to incorporate it into some sort of super fabulous luscious lemon parfait. And what goes better with lemon other than blueberries? I got some gorgeous local blueberries in last week, and just knew that they would be the perfect addition to this particular parfait.

I'm so happy that it's Spring time. I love the mild weather and the sudden influx of seasonal fruits and berries too! Nothing says Spring time to me more than lemons and blueberries though. There's just something about that bright burst of citrus flavor that I can't help but crave being paired with those sweet blueberries...

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...

Skinny PB&J Parfait

June 6, 2016 Amanda Plott

That's right. It's 'Peanut butter jelly time, peanut butter jelly time...'

This is for those of you out there that looove peanut butter and jelly! And trust me, I know there's a lot of you out there. Peanut butter and jelly has always been one of my most favorite sandwiches and flavor combinations. Over the years I've made it into cookies, candy, cupcakes and more.

Since this Skinny PB&J Parfait is about three years old now, I decided that it needed a little bit of a make over. Not only has my style of cooking and creating recipes changed, but my photography skills hopefully have too!...

Banana Nut Breakfast Parfait

May 25, 2016 Amanda Plott

One of my fondest memories from when I was little was my mom making her banana nut bread. It wasn't something that she would make very often, usually a treat around the holidays when she had time to bake. Friends and family will often find it tucked away in their yearly basket of baked goods at Christmas.

Even still to this day she makes it every now and again for all of us, especially my little girl, to enjoy. But, with summer and hotter weather closing in on us here in Texas... it's time for me to start cutting the use of my oven way down. So, to sate my craving for the dense and rather out of season bread, I've opted to turn it into a parfait!...

Dairy-Free Grapefruit & Banana Breakfast Bowl

March 22, 2016 Amanda Plott

Today I wanted to keep things rather simple for breakfast. Simple, but tasty and dairy-free! Like I've said, I'm trying to be a little more plant based lately. I decided that a breakfast bowl was the way to go, so I grabbed one of my leftover grapefruits from the fridge and knew exactly what I wanted to do.

I used the juices of the grapefruit along with some local honey to make a sort of faux fruit cocktail to go atop one into my breakfast bowl. A 'not quite ripe' banana will work best here.

If it's an overly ripe fruit you might just end up with a bowl of mashed banana instead and nobody wants that!

Of course, I had to have a little bit of a crunch factor on top with some local low fat granola to top it all off and pull everything together. One of the best parts though, is what was under all the fruity goodness...

Skinny Matcha Granola

January 8, 2016 Amanda Plott

There's two things that I haven't tried before, making my own granola and matcha. Okay, well... I have tried matcha since my favorite tea room here dusts it over their fabulous brownies, but outside of that - no. I've had my fair share of green tea, but matcha is different. Since I haven't tried it before, but have heard good things... I decided to do a little research.

At the end of my research, I ended up buying myself a package of the green stuff.

Matcha is made by using specially shade-grown green tea that's then ground down into a find green powder. It's supposed to be effective in improving mental focus with it's higher amounts of theanine. The theanine and caffeine together help to give a boot of energy without causing the crash that comes with the caffeine in coffee. The antioxidants are what I'm after though!...