Skinny Matcha-Monster Smoothie (Sponsored)

January 14, 2016 Amanda Plott

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

My mom is not only one of my friends, she's really my very best friend and she has been for as long as I can remember. Of course, just like any other set of besties, that doesn't come without our occasional squabble. She's my complete opposite in almost every way, even down to our hair color.

I stuck out like a sore thumb as a child. A perfectly blonde and blue-eyed fair-skinned child among a gaggle of dark brown hair and beautiful olive complexions. And although it sounds like it, I wasn't adopted. That's just how things turned out as my mom remarried when I was four years old.

All of my life I've known my mom to be one of the softest and sweetest souls out there. She's the sort of person that would give any of her friends and family anything and everything just to see them smile and be happy. She's kind, generous, easy-going and all about fun. On the other end of things, I'm independent, stubborn, and sometimes rather brash. I'm a perfectionist to the core and entirely a homebody. See? She's my complete opposite, hah!...

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 Matcha Granola

January 8, 2016 Amanda Plott

There's two things that I haven't tried before, making my own granola and matcha. Okay, well... I have tried matcha since my favorite tea room here dusts it over their fabulous brownies, but outside of that - no. I've had my fair share of green tea, but matcha is different. Since I haven't tried it before, but have heard good things... I decided to do a little research.

At the end of my research, I ended up buying myself a package of the green stuff.

Matcha is made by using specially shade-grown green tea that's then ground down into a find green powder. It's supposed to be effective in improving mental focus with it's higher amounts of theanine. The theanine and caffeine together help to give a boot of energy without causing the crash that comes with the caffeine in coffee. The antioxidants are what I'm after though!...

Healthy Fall 'Green Egg' Scramble

October 6, 2015 Amanda Plott

So, I've been eating this for a few days a week for breakfast for a while now. I wanted something that was filling, would power me on through my day, but not be overly heavy. This has been the perfect breakfast bowl for me. It's full of fall flavors with the brussels, pumpkin seeds and the cranberries, but still so very healthy.

When my mom was here this past week, she saw my bag of strange looking shredded brussels and kale and quickly pulled it out of the fridge to ask 'What is this?!' I explained to her what it was and she gave me a pretty strange look. Then I mentioned it was something I put in with my eggs and the morning and she actually gave a somewhat interested nod of approval...

Savory Ham & Cheese Cornmeal Waffles

September 17, 2015 Amanda Plott

Thank you Boar's Head for sponsoring this post. Click here to learn about Boar's Head Smoke House Rules and to enter for a chance to win a gift card.

Waffles are a big thing in my family, it's one of the few things that my little girl will readily eat without question. While I'm in the process of broadening her food horizons, I decided to take a few of her favorite things today to combine them into one perfect savory dish. Waffles, ham and shredded cheese!

Savory waffles are all the rage right now. They certainly are not just for breakfast anymore. I can remember back in my school age days that my parents would, on occasion, do a 'breakfast for dinner' night in our house, so this is somewhat an ode to that memory.

Plus, I just got done watching an episode of The Great Food Truck race where there's a fun food truck on there called 'Waffle Love' that is blowing the race out of the water. I tend to draw my inspiration from several unique places...

Blueberry, Banana & Coconut Parfait

August 4, 2015 Amanda Plott

Introducing #TopItTuesday – Tuesday is the perfect day of the week that could use a little bit more love. For my de{light}ful #TopItTuesday, I decided to make a parfait. Not just any parfait either, but one of my most favorite parfaits!

Blueberry, banana and toasted coconut chips - oh my! That's how I add a little flavor to my life. This parfait is a perfect little treat to enjoy fro breakfast, lunch, or even as dessert to stave off that insistent sweet tooth after dinner.

What's better is that this tasty treat is gluten-free and vegan! Plus, with under 350 calories in a rather nicely sized portion there's nothing to feel guilty about - other than not having made it before. The tartness of the blueberries, the sweetness of the banana and yogurt, and the bit of a crunch with the toppings makes this a perfect bite...