Southwest 'Fried' Pickles

May 5, 2016 Amanda Plott

Recently, I had the honor to speak with Brooke Griffin, creator of SkinnyMom.com! I've been part of the SkinnyMom community for a while now, and it was truly a pleasure to get my hands on and review the new SkinnySuppers Cookbook that Brooke just released. It's full of 125 lightened healthier meals for your family.

She has some super yummy looking recipes, plenty of tips, tricks, and advice for the kitchen and surviving dinner time! It's a great read with plenty of home style and southern flavors. One of the first recipes that stood out to me was her Southwest 'Fried' Pickles. After all, who doesn't love a good fried pickle?...

Homemade Skinny Nacho Cheese

March 29, 2016 Amanda Plott

Cheese is my Achilles' heel, there is no question about that. I've come to the conclusion that it is one thing that I am unwilling and unable to rid from my diet. I honestly think that if it were an option, I would live on the stuff.

Being a Texas girl and spending my fair share of time in San Antonio, I've come to know many a Tex-Mex. One could even go so far as to call me a Tex-Mex aficionado. A connoisseur of the Americanize and Texified variations of Mexican style foods. And as such, I know over the years that I've eaten my weight in nachos and nacho cheese.

So, today I decided to take some steps in lightening up and homemaking this classic nacho cheese sauce that we all know and love. Drool...

Spicy Avocado Pesto

March 21, 2016 Amanda Plott

I'm not sure what it is, but the older I get the more avocado obsessed I seem to be. I think at this point that I have avocado in my life almost every day. With a fridge full of greens that were on the way out and some special vegetarian tacos on the plan for dinner tonight, I decided I wanted to try something a little daring and different with making an avocado based pesto.

I mean, what goes better with tacos other than avocado? Nothing.

This pesto is basically a cross better a traditional pesto and a guacamole. You've got avocado and cilantro in there along with greens, garlic and some cheese. The use of the avocado means that this pesto is, you guessed it, oil free! Plus, the additions of all that green goodness bulks up the avocado so you get a whole lot of flavor for few calories...

Scary Good Stuffed Meatballs & Garlicky Sauce (Crock Pot)

October 24, 2015 Amanda Plott

One of my more favorite recipes here is one that is about two years old now. It's a tried and true recipe that I've kept in my back pocket and used numerous times over the years. With Halloween getting closer and closer, I decided to take that recipe out, dust it off, and give it a good scary once over.

A while back now, I had heard of these wonderful cheese stuffed meatballs and just knew that it was something that I had to give a try. So, I thought what better time than now? To make these meatballs even more scary good, I used both ground meat and hot sausage to give that nice little bit of heat. I also wanted to keep the vampires at bay, so I was sure to make the sauce garlicky...

Healthified Pork Skewers "Faux Ribs"

August 13, 2014 Amanda Plott

Is it bad of me to tell you that even as a Texan... I can't stand to eat meat off the bone? I'm a white meat only (no dark meat here) and boneless kind of girl. I always have been for as long as I can possibly remember. That's right. I don't care for ribs on the bone, wings (or legs) on the bone, or even steak on the bone! No bones.

I've said it before, I could very easily become a vegetarian without skipping a beat. In fact, I've found that eating meatless dinners 2-3 days of the week slash my grocery bill and helps me to feel better overall. That being said, I am a Texan and barbecue is a weekly requirement as well!

Since I'm a boneless fan, skewers are sort my go-to for faux ribs. It gives me that raw carnivore feel while not grossing me out in the process. Plus, I get to use a leaner cut of meat for my 'ribs' - which meals less calories and less guilt...

Thick & Hearty Pizza Sauce

December 21, 2013 Amanda Plott

Mm... this sauce is thick, rich, and very hearty with bold pieces of sautéed onion and garlic littered through it. It's absolutely perfect for dipping, but would be just as amazing atop some 3 Ingredient Pizza Dough, or in any other place that you would use a typical pizza sauce...