Skinny Dark Chocolate & Cherry Scones (Sponsored)

January 11, 2016 Amanda Plott

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MeAndMyTea #CollectiveBias

So, I'm kind of in love with scones. They're easy to make, delicious, and extremely versatile. Today I wanted to make some scones that would help me bring in the New Year and help me reach my goals while also getting me into the spirit of Valentine's Day (because you know that's just around the corner too!) What better way to achieve both other than with dark chocolate and some cherries? Yum, yum.

I used one of my older scone recipes to start out as the base for this one. And it worked out beautifully with the few changes and new additions that I made to it.

What can I say? It's fun to sometimes go back to revisit older recipes while also adjusting them to my ever changing taste and desire...

Skinny 'Soft Batch' Chocolate Chip Cookies

December 24, 2015 Amanda Plott

So, every year my mom and I get together before Christmas to spend a day baking up some of our most favorite cookies. This year a request was put in, by another health-nut in the family, for some extra special chocolate chip cookies - soft and full of dark chocolate goodness; chunks and chips alike. Of course, I was more than happy to oblige!

These cookies are soft, fluffy, and full of the good stuff that I know my father-in-law loves. To make them even more special, I topped a few with festive sprinkles, others with dark chocolate candies, and some were just left perfectly plain...

Skinny Nog Pecan Blondies & Nog Cream Cheese Sauce

December 8, 2015 Amanda Plott

As we're getting into the thick of the holiday season, I wanted to step out of the box again and create a lighter take on one of my most favorite desserts in the world, a blondie! Any blondie just won't do. It had to be full of pecans, white chocolate, spice, and topped off with a decadent cream cheese sauce.

Yes, I went there. And I brought my 'Egg Nog' with me.

I wanted this blondie to have more of a holiday twist, so I infused with the flavors of egg nog while omitting (most of) the guilt. I am all about small indulgences, especially around the holidays...

Skinny Chocolate Ginger Bat Cookies

October 16, 2015 Amanda Plott

I've made these particular cookies for a few years now. It all started when we first moved to Austin and my mom made us all take the trek down to the famous Congress Street bridge around Halloween to watch the millions of bats fly out from under it once it was dark. It's a pretty cool thing to watch, especially when leading up to my favorite holiday, Halloween!

When we go to see the bats, and we usually do every year, I always like to take some wine and a snack. We always take the guided bat boat tours which can last a good hour or two while we wait for it to get dark enough for the bats to surface.

I had seen ginger-bread skeletons before, so one year I got smart and thought it would be super cute to make these cookies over in a healthy way while also packing them up for a 'bat night' treat...

Baked Dark Chocolate Coffee Infused Donuts (Sponsored)

March 27, 2015 Amanda Plott

This post was brought to you by Collective Bias, Inc. and it's advertiser. I received compensation to write this post … but, all opinions expressed are my own. #McCafeMyWay#CollectiveBias

I'm the mother of a rather active almost five year old girl. (I mean... what little one isn't active, am I right?) Around here, mornings are always full of chaos and about 75% of the crazythat will go along with the day. It seems like everything is a struggle. Getting dressed, brushing teeth, brushing hair, everything. It's just an all out stressful situation!

Recently, I started in with a 'chore chart' that seems to make the mornings a bit easier. For each 'chore' she does on her own to get ready in the morning, she gets a star sticker. At the end of the week if she has accumulated enough stars, she gets a special treat or prize.

Another thing that helps with my morning routine is always starting my day off with a nice big cup of coffee. It's that morning pick-me-up that I absolutely need to get through it all. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. Once I get my little one dressed and settled in (whether at home or pre-school), I like to indulge in a second cup of coffee for a bit of much needed "me time".

Today I'm using McCafé coffee in yet another way to help me get through my day while indulging in a better-for-you treat at the same time! After all, what goes better with coffee than donuts anyway? Now you can enjoy both together in one glorious bite...

Frozen Yogurt Cake Batter Bites

March 16, 2015 Amanda Plott

This post was brought to you by Collective Bias, Inc. and it's advertiser. I received compensation to write this post … but, all opinions expressed are my own. #CrispyComeback #CollectiveBias

Yes, that's right... M&M's® Crispy are Back! They're so good that the brand brought them back because we asked for it! Now you can finally taste what you've been missing - whether it's because you've never tried them, or remember them from years back.

I've had them before and trust me, they are every bit as delicious as they once were! How can you go wrong with delicious milk chocolate with a crispy rice center? Easy, you can't!

My daughter's 5th birthday is just around the corner and she is just in LOVE with cake batter or 'funfetti' inspired things. I really think this girl lives off rainbows of one kind or another. So, I decided to make use of M&M's® Crispy in a fun and colorful way. A couple of years ago, I came across the wonderfully sinful cake batter chocolate bark that I've definitely eaten my weight in since then. With M&M's® Crispy being just 180 calories per serving, I thought this would be a great opportunity to make a slightly less indulgent version of that lovely cake batter bark in the form of bites...