5 Ingredient Thai Butternut Squash Soup (Crock Pot)

March 25, 2016 Amanda Plott

So about a week ago I got my hands on the biggest butternut squash that I've ever seen in my life. The best part about it was that it was from a local Texas farm, which you know I'm all about. I had already used the squash in two previous meals this week and was racking my brain to come up with a third and final use so that I could get it all eaten up before the weekend. Because, you know, there is a lot of Easter happenings and I couldn't let this beauty go to waste.

This smooth and creamy thai butternut squash was the perfect was to use up my mammoth of a squash. And what's better is that it is super simple to make since there is little prep work with only 5 ingredients, and the crock pot will do all of the cooking for you...

Dairy-Free Grapefruit & Banana Breakfast Bowl

March 22, 2016 Amanda Plott

Today I wanted to keep things rather simple for breakfast. Simple, but tasty and dairy-free! Like I've said, I'm trying to be a little more plant based lately. I decided that a breakfast bowl was the way to go, so I grabbed one of my leftover grapefruits from the fridge and knew exactly what I wanted to do.

I used the juices of the grapefruit along with some local honey to make a sort of faux fruit cocktail to go atop one into my breakfast bowl. A 'not quite ripe' banana will work best here.

If it's an overly ripe fruit you might just end up with a bowl of mashed banana instead and nobody wants that!

Of course, I had to have a little bit of a crunch factor on top with some local low fat granola to top it all off and pull everything together. One of the best parts though, is what was under all the fruity goodness...

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...

Corned Beef Breakfast Hash

March 18, 2016 Amanda Plott

Now that St. Patricks day is over, the big question is... what do you do with all that leftover corned beef? Well, here is one of my favorite breakfast ideas that will use up that salty beef goodness while also soaking up some of the party from the night before.

There is more than one reason to stay away from the green beer!

This breakfast hash is quick to cook up and gives you all that needed carbs and protein to get over any amount of Irish celebrations. It's definitely a hearty and filling dish that couldn't be any more perfect as a post St. Patty's Day breakfast or brunch...

Grapefruit & Avocado Buddha Bowl

March 14, 2016 Amanda Plott

So after my crazy, emotional, and exhausting week(end), I needed to get back into the groove of things today. Plus, I could use all the energy that I can get right now; and of course nothing will power you through better than good food in the form of a buddha bowl.

What's a buddha bowl? Well, they can also be called 'glory bowls' or 'hippie bowls' and usually consist of greens of some sort, raw or cooked vegetables, a healthy grain like quinoa or rice, and toppings. They are usually meatless, but still rather hearty and filling.

Exactly what I need right now!...

Skinny Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

March 8, 2016 Amanda Plott

I'm not sure about anywhere else, since Texas is the only place that I've lived in my adult life, but here... we go through an awful lot of cilantro. It's all that amazing Tex-Mex we have here, so you won't find me complaining. Cilantro and I definitely have a love-hate relationship though.

I've come to the realization that I don't tend to like it much in it's raw form. That is... it needs to be added to something; guacamole, fajita meat, etc. I do, however, love cilantro when it's done right by being used as an ingredient to brighten up a dish. And what better way to do that than with a nice fresh spring produce salad?...