Skinny Cheeseburger Soup

October 22, 2015 Amanda Plott

I must admit that I have been in total soup mode lately. I think it's something that happens to me every fall once it finally starts to cool off here in Texas. Of course, it doesn't help that there's been a head cold running around the house for a couple of weeks now too.

Thankfully, we're going to even be getting down into the 70's during the days this week along with some chances for rain, whoohoo! Just in time too. There's a fall festival at my daughter's school this weekend and I'm ready to get into the spirit of Halloween all the more. Pun totally intended.

One of our traditional family favorites no matter the time of year is definitely cheeseburgers. Generally, if we can't think of anything else to grill/cook we end up with burgers and hotdogs. Today I'm taking this delicious staple and transforming it into a better-for-you hearty soup!...

Healthified Jarlsberger

June 30, 2015 Amanda Plott

What's a Jarlsberger? It's basically an all American burger that's covered with a delicious melted slice of Jarlsberg® cheese! I've take this traditional burger and made it more my own by adding in some sneaky vegetables and some seasoning to the lean meat; making it all the more guilt free for your grill and you this summer.

Trust me, you won't even know the vegetables are there, and neither will anyone else for that matter! Adding veggies to my burger meat has been something that I've been doing for all of my cooking-life. It's one of my secret weapons for making a good moist burger, even when using poultry or a lean meat!

As an added bonus to a good juicy burger, you get the keen knowledge that you just got some wholesome vegetables into your friends and family...

Healthified Cowboy Spaghetti

May 21, 2015 Amanda Plott

One of my families favorite recipes growing up was my mom's Cowboy Spaghetti. In fact, it is so much a favorite that we all still ask her to make it for us even to this day. I've been trying for a couple of years now to make the recipe more better-for you without compromising the taste of it. Which oddly enough has been somewhat of a challenge, especially when it comes to getting my mom's seal of approval on the end result.

I always ended up adding too much vegetables or... somehow changed the flavor too much for it to be dubbed the famous 'Cowboy Spaghetti' in any way, shape, or form. So, once more I went back to the drawing board. I left the base of the recipe entirely pure to it's original with just a few minor tweaks here and there...

Crock Pot B.B.Q. Shredded Beef

May 7, 2015 Amanda Plott

It was Teacher's Appreciation this week at my little one's school, and the parents all hold an Annual potluck accordingly; serving the teachers breakfast, lunch, and even a dessert. As part of the potluck for the teacher's I decided I wanted to take something that was versatile and well liked by all, shredded barbecue beef!

B.B.Q. anything is a staple around here and it's probably even a law somehow that every Texan is required to eat something barbecued at least once a week. Otherwise you might lose your license to grill. Hah!...

Spicy Chipotle & Poblano Spaghetti

May 5, 2015 Amanda Plott

Mother's day is nearly upon us! I'm pretty excited because I've got some fun things planned, for not only me but for other special women in my life. I'm fortunate enough to have four generations in my family right now of ladies that are all perfectly beautiful and amazingly inspiring to me.

The first is my grandmother (we call her Neenaw around here though!) She's a fierce little firecracker bundled up into a cute little blonde that gives some of the most amazing hugs on the plant! Don't let her short stature and usually quiet demeanor fool you though, much as myself, she's a live-wire.

The next is my mother who is a unique, quirky, effervescent and bubbly spirit that I could only do justice by comparing to a fine champagne! She's all about fun. I mean, her favorite color is 'glitter', how fun is that? She's as beautiful as they come, both on the inside and the out; an old soul that just wants everyone around her to be happy!

I'm the third generation. A well blended combination of the other three.

Finally, there's my little girl. Not that I'm bias or anything, but she's pretty amazing! What can I say? She's a girl after my own heart. She knows what she wants and gets it; as hard headed as they come. This one is against the grain, her favorite color is blue and she's the only left-handed person in our family. How's that for standing out?...

Crock Pot Irish Beef Stew & Cheddar Herb Dumplings

March 11, 2015 Amanda Plott

I'm an Irish girl, what can I say? If I can find an excuse to cook with bourbon and beer, I'll find it! The idea for this dish actually came from my love of St. Patrick's Day and also my love of these Healthified Crock Pot Chicken & Dumplings, which I made a bit over a year ago and many many times since then.

I basically took the same structure of the Chicken & Dumpling recipe and made it into a hearty Irish inspired Beef & Dumpling recipe instead. This stew is packed full of bold flavor and lots and lots of chunky beef and vegetables. I promise, you won't feel like you're eating anything healthified, but you are. It's definitely a meal in a bowl.

Who knew that Beef & Dumplings would just as awesome as Chicken & Dumplings?

I wasn't sure this would work out, but in the end I'm extremely happy that I tempted the fates with this one...