Lazy Valentine Cookie Bars

January 14, 2021 Amanda Plott

ADD IMAGE

IMAGEImageEDITREMOVE

We all reserve the right to be a little lazy every so often, and with a quick trip planned for the weekend (followed by two weeks of self-quarantine) I’m feeling the laze take over. Either way, my daughter asked for some more cookies after all the GIANT Valentine Cookies from last week disappeared. Gee… I wonder how that happened…

Being as I was out of special Valentine sprinkles, and again… I’m being lazy, I thought I’d try my hand at a ‘lazy cookie bar’ recipe that was passed off to me. I did make one small change to lower the calorie count just slightly, but other than that it’s pretty much the same-same…

Instant Pot Ribs

January 11, 2021 Amanda Plott

Look, sometimes a girl just needs to eat some BBQ. I’ll be honest, I’ve never actually cooked ribs on my own. I’ve eaten plenty of them. But cooking them? It just sounds scary! Even as a native Texan, the thought of cooking GOOD ribs seems daunting. So when I cam across the idea of cooking them in the pressure cooker? I was sold.

These Instant Pot Ribs are pretty damn good for what they are. No smoking. No marinating. Just rub them down and pop them in the pressure cooker before finishing them off with a quick roast under the broiler. Yep. It’s just that easy…

Mini Shortbread Christmas Cookie Bites

December 21, 2020 Amanda Plott

These tiny Mini Shortbread Christmas Cookie Bites are really one of the best things I’ve put in my mouth this week. They’re light, crisp, buttery and full of festive holiday sprinkles. Of course, I didn’t go with traditional ‘red and green’ sprinkles. I found some awesome colorful ‘gingerbread’ holiday sprinkles that really made these tiny bites pop!

The very same ones that I used in my Healthified 'Lofthouse' Soft Sugar Cookies! The sprinkles here DO make a difference, so be sure to use your favorites. Jimmies and ‘confetti’ style sprinkles work best because they don’t bleed out color into the batter as easily as some others…

Instant Pot Cheesecake Bites

December 10, 2020 Amanda Plott

Most recently I found a fun way to make tamales in the instant pot, and being as I’ve also made a cheesecake in the instant pot too, I thought… is it possible to make mini cheesecakes? As it turns out, it is! These Instant Pot Cheesecake Bites are fun and easy to make. Plus, they’re lightened up just enough to be guilt free while still tasting great.

As it turns out, the instant pot is a great way to make cheesecakes, and these mini ones are made directly in my handy-dandy egg bite mold! I lightened them up by using sweetener instead of most of the sugar, and also used a reduced fat cream cheese…

Healthy & Easy Kid-Friendly Spaghetti Sauce

November 30, 2020 Amanda Plott

I'm calling this kid friendly spaghetti sauce because, I generally like to put actual onions and garlic into my spaghetti sauce. However, my little one would turn her nose up at that in a heartbeat, and seeing as how she specifically requests spaghetti every week, I figured that I ought to oblige her with something that would suite her desires!

Besides, who doesn't enjoy eating like a kid again? In my mind, that's one of the perks of being a parent; reliving all the things that you loved when you were growing up!

Though my mom was more of a Hamburger Helper sort of spaghetti maker.

She swears by Hamburger Helper 'Spaghetti' to this very day. Ugh…

Cranberry Jalapeño Cream Cheese Spread

November 6, 2020 Amanda Plott

This Cranberry Jalapeño Cream Cheese Spread has been in my family for years. The base of cream cheese and green onions is topped off with a homemade cranberry sauce that’s kicked up a bit with the warmth of jalapeño and bright citrus notes from orange and lime.

You can serve this dip warm or cold and pair it with bread, crackers, or fresh veggies for the perfect snacky appetizer to have on hand for the holidays. One of my favorite parts of this spread is that you can make it ahead of time and have it ready to go to serve as needed or wanted!…