Old-Fashioned Southern Lunch Box

April 2, 2019 Amanda Plott

I’ve still been giving a lot of thought to lunches lately. Mostly because it’s a meal that’s pretty easy for me to skip out on. Which is never a good thing. Plus, my mom has needed some fun lunch ideas, so it just seemed to work out perfectly. Originally, I had thoughts of doing an ‘all American’ style lunch box but pimento cheese was being craved so… here we are.

I’m calling this an old-fashioned southern lunch box because when I was little, I remember my grandmother making me pimento cheese sandwiches on wonder bread. Served with a pickle and maybe some plain-jane potato chips. So this is a nod to that!…

Healthified Chicken Noodle Casserole

March 25, 2019 Amanda Plott

We’ve got just over two months of school left this year and I have to say… I’m chomping at the bit to get through with it. I’m in survival mode at this point to get through it and into the footloose and fancy-free days of Summer. However, I’m going to enjoy the tepid Spring weather and getting to use my stove while I still can.

With all of that in mind, now is the perfect time for easy-peasy weeknight dinners. And what’s more easy than a casserole? Or chicken noodle anything? This chicken noodle casserole is an ode to those classic casseroles that most of us grew up with and yet don’t see around anymore. I honestly… have no idea why either. Casseroles are the best…

Egg Roll Soup

November 19, 2018 Amanda Plott

If you like egg rolls, and you like soup, then this is the soup for you! Remember a while back when I made that Egg Roll Bowl? Well, this is sort of a winter-ized take on that. It’s an egg roll that’s been turned into a soup!

Yes, all the flavors and components of a good egg roll are here in this soup; including onions, cabbage, carrots, and meat. Even though I made my last egg roll recipe with chicken, I decided to go with turkey this time around. This was for no other reason than texture. It’s low-carb, gluten-free, and ridiculously easy to make all in one pot…

Healthified Crock Pot Chicken & Dumplings

August 21, 2018 Amanda Plott

This is my healthier take on an old classic comfort food. I think the very first time that I had chicken and dumplings was at my grandmother's house with my dad when I was pretty young... elementary school still, I'm sure.

She cooked the soup up on the stove for a few hours and then tossed the raw dough into the pot. I thought she was crazy at the time, but after my first bite... I was in love.

Years later when I first started cooking, I dabbled with the infamous chicken and dumplings in the crock pot using canned condensed soups and biscuit dough. I'll be the first to admit that it was delicious, but a huuuge guilty pleasure! Full of preservatives and nothing good for you. Bleh!...

Minestrone (Instant Pot)

August 16, 2018 Amanda Plott

Yeah, so... I might be on vacation, but that doesn't stop this work engine from running. I really wanted to get at least one recipe out during the week of my being gone. So whilst in the midst of packing and sorting and getting ready, I was also busy in the kitchen. Okay. Not really busy. This Minestrone soup is delicious, simple, tradtional, and couldn't be any more quick or easy to make.

One of my favorite things about this soup, is that it's a great way to use up leftovers from the fridge or pantry. Any of the vegetables or noodles or beans can be swapped out for nearly any alternative that you might have on hand…

Garden Vegetable Soup

June 15, 2018 Amanda Plott

Last week it was 'ocean' week here in my house, and this week we're going with the theme of plants! In doing so, I decided to throw a LOT more veggies and vegetarian dishes into the mix this week. We always have a couple of vegetarian dishes every week, for health reasons, cutting the cost of food, and also because it just makes me feel better all around.

I could easily be a vegetarian. In fact, my daughter was basically a vegetarian of her own accord up until she was about 5 years old. Meat just wasn't something she was a fan of. And I can't say that I was far off from that myself with I was a little girl too.

Ready for a true side story about myself? My parents used to have to tell me that meat came from a meat tree when I was little to get me to eat it!…