Red White & Blueberry Salad (With Champagne Vinaigrette!)

July 2, 2018 Amanda Plott

This year for the 4th of July we've got some visitors in town for a few days. Amidst the usual chaos of the holiday, I thought it was high time to make a fun, easy, little patriotic salad that could be easily tossed together and enjoyed as a festive side or even as lunch!

I basically started this salad off with one of the most easy and tasty vinaigrettes I've ever had. It's simple and so easy to make with just three basic ingredients; plus some salt and pepper! What goes better with celebrating Independence Day other than with some champagne, anyway? Even if it is in the form of a vinaigrette…

Cranberry BBQ Chicken Bites (Instant Pot)

June 30, 2018 Amanda Plott

Product was provided to me on behalf of Cape Cod Cranberries to review, use, and write about. As always, all opinions are entirely my own.

Summers are for BBQs! The only thing is... it's really hot out right now in Texas. I mean... really hot. We're hovering just outside of the three digit thermometer reads, but let me just say that it doesn't feel like it. Since it's so hot out, I'm opting to stay inside where it's nice and cool. And while normally my oven is in shut-down mode for a couple more months, these BBQ chicken bites were worth it to cook inside today!

Being a native Texan, I can tell you that BBQ is big business here. It's serious business. So you know when I say that BBQ is good, that you can take my word for it. I'm not shy when it comes to playing around with the flavors of BBQ sauce, and this Cranberry BBQ sauce is no different. In fact, I'm pretty sure it's a new family favorite…

Low-Carb Farmer's Market Queso

June 13, 2018 Amanda Plott

Dear queso... Let me count the ways that I love thee...

Queso has been my Achilles' heel for years now. Melted cheesy goodness. I mean... who can pass it up? Well, not this girl! I'm always looking for ways to make my queso feel a little less guilty though. And maybe not just feel less guilty, but to actually be less guilty.

While this queso, and any proper queso, isn't exactly light. I can say that this queso is low-carb and absolutely loaded with veggies. Which, you know, makes anyone feel a bit better about what they're eating. Right? Right!…

Seashell Pasta Salad

June 5, 2018 Amanda Plott

We're a few days into our week long theme of the ocean over here and we're really having a fun time of it! Since we're not big on seafood in this house, coming up with clever non-fishy ocean themed recipes has proved to be... well... a little challenging. It's also been so very worth it too though!

The inspiration behind this pasta salad actually came from one of my daughter's cook books. I had to do a lot of tweaking to the original though to suit our tastes. So much so, that by the time I was done with it... it's basically a whole new recipe…

Skinny Spinach Dip (AKA Seaweed Dip)

June 3, 2018 Amanda Plott

This summer I decided that my daughter and I were going to up our summer game by having a different 'themed' week for all 10 weeks. We've got arts, crafts, and even some recipes planned to make in accordance with each theme. Our first week is going to be 'ocean' themed! We'll be going to a water park, the aquarium, and learning a lot bout the ocean.

Of course, it doesn't stop there. I really wanted to involve the kitchen in our weeks of fun too. Being as we aren't really seafood lovers here in this house, it's been more than a little tricky to find 'ocean inspired' recipes to create that are kid friendly and not seafood. This Skinny Spinach dip was my first idea!…

Low-Carb Cauliflower Pizza Dip

May 24, 2018 Amanda Plott

Ever crave pizza but not all the guilt that goes along with it?

Yeah, me too!

I think though, that I may have finally found a way to sate that pizza urge without all the guilt to follow. This cauliflower pizza dip is low-carb, gluten-free, keto-friendly, and... wait for it... absolutely freaking amazing.

You can trust me when I say that no one who eats this dip will ever guess that it's better-for-you in any way, shape, or form. That's because it feels rich and decadent. It feels naughty. It feels so bad... but tastes so good…