Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

February 8, 2020 Amanda Plott

Being as I’m a Irish girl, leading into the month of March is one of my favorite times of year. The weather usually starts warming up and I get to play around a lot more with Irish staples! Shepherd’s Pie is a staple Irish meal and I’ve made it a few different times in a few different ways. I’ve got to say though… I think this vegetarian one is now probably my favorite version.

That is no lie. This Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie is loaded with flavor and plenty of fresh vegetables. I even used fresh peas! No canned or frozen veggies here. Not today…

Italian Chicken Soup (Instant Pot)

September 11, 2019 Amanda Plott

The weather is starting to cool off here in Texas. And by cool off, I obviously mean it’s down to being in the 90’s on most days instead of the 100’s. Even so, I’m excited for Fall. I love it when Fall starts to roll in, the temperature changes, the leaves drop, and it’s time for pumpkins and spice. Well, almost…

With Fall on the mind, I decided to make an Italian Chicken Soup for dinner this week. This soup is sort of like a minestrone, only without being quite so tomato heavy. This soup makes its own broth while cooking in the pressure cooker with all those yummy veggies and chicken.

It’s chicken noodle soup, Italian style!

Skinny Meatloaf & Mash (Instant Pot Dinner)

September 7, 2019 Amanda Plott

A one pot meal, in the Instant Pot, for under 350 calories? Yep! You got it dude. This lightened-up meatloaf AND mash is made in the Instant Pot in just 25 minutes. And you know what? I think I may just stick to cooking my meatloaf in the Instant Pot from this day forward. It’s quick and easy to do, plus it locks in all the moisture and juices so you don’t run the risk of ending up with a dried out meatloaf for dinner!

The mash and the meatloaf are both cooked in the Instant Pot together at the same time. Leaving you with a pretty hands-off dinner that everyone is sure to enjoy…

Cheesy Bacon & Pesto Potato Skins

January 17, 2019 Amanda Plott

This post has been sponsored by Moink. As always, all opinions are mine alone.

We’ve all made our New Year’s resolutions and now it’s time to continue sticking to them! This year, as with any year, my goal is to continue eating better and more health conscious. Eating ‘right’ can come in a lot of forms, and for me one way to do that this year is to start eating more ethically and simply.

These potato skins are just that. Simple. As simple as they can possibly be. From the potato to the bacon on top there is minimal ingredients used or time spent here! Another good thing about these potato skins? They’re great as a side dish OR as a hot appetizer. I’m thinking… game day spread. Oh, yeah!…

Cornbread & Chicken Nugget Cupcakes with Mashed Potato Frosting

July 29, 2018 Amanda Plott

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tyson Foods, Inc. All opinions are entirely my own.

Back-to-school is on the horizon, and being the mom of an ever growing little, I've found that there's a few tricks to getting kids to eat their dinner sometimes! One of the best ways is to make it fun. Yes, food can be fun and these Cornbread & Chicken Nugget Cupcakes are just that! Fun. It's a savory twist on a cupcake; letting the kids eat with their eyes first.

The base of the cupcake is made with a quick and easy cornbread muffin that's made by mixing together a self-rising cornmeal, cheese, and a creamed corn. This easy cornbread trick is one that I've been using for a couple of years now. And so far, it hasn't let me down yet! From there, the 'cupcakes' are topped with a potato and cauliflower mash 'frosting' which is also made with just a few ingredients…

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!…