Quick Pickled Radishes & Carrots

March 7, 2017 Amanda Plott

I'm a little bit of a pickle fiend, y'all. I always have a jar (or several) of pickled vegetables of almost any variety in my fridge at all times. This past week I got my hands on some local radishes and well, I'm honestly not the most familiar with radishes. I know they are a little 'peppery' unless cooked, so part of me really wanted to try them roasted.

But, the pickle loving part of my decided to go another route since I had some verde chicken street tacos on the dinner plan. Street tacos always need something on them with a little tang and pop to brighten them up. Some people use a lot of lime juice for this, and others use pickled jalapeños or radishes...

Crock Pot Honey Cajun Pork Tenderloin

February 28, 2017 Amanda Plott

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Whole Earth Sweetener Co. All opinions are 100% mine.

Happy Mardi Gras y'all! To celebrate this super special and festive holiday, I cooked up this tasty Crock Pot Honey Cajun Pork Tenderloin. It's full of cajun spices, flavors, and love; the latter of which is a huge part of southern cooking. I should know. I'm a Texan. Another thing I know that Texas and New Orleans has in common is our love of all things spicy when it comes to our food. The more heat, the better.

Don't worry though, I kept this pork tenderloin on the more mild side while also being easily adjustable for those that crave a more in-depth heat. You know, the sort that makes you start to sweat and clears your sinus. I've got you all covered, from one end of the spectrum to the other...

Healthified Meatloaf Cupcakes & Cauliflower Mash

February 25, 2017 Amanda Plott

It's been a super long time since I made these Meatloaf Cupcakes. As in... years. A lot has changed since then, especially my tastes and cooking style. The very first time that I made these, they were in the traditional manner. Plain old ground beef and mashed potatoes. Nothing fancy. Nothing 'healthified'.

Today though, I've lightened these up and made them a little more wholesome by adding in some veggies like carrots, and zucchini too! I also used an extra lean ground beef which I kept moist and full of flavor by adding in an egg and reduced sugar ketchup. The vegges also help to keep the lean meat from drying out. Of course, I also used a cauliflower mash instead of straight up mashed potatoes to get even more vegetable goodness in there.

These are packed. PACKED. Loaded up entirely with vegetables, and the best part is that you would never guess it!...

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread & Pink Grapefruit Glaze

February 23, 2017 Amanda Plott

Alright, alright... so not every recipe goes as planned. Sometimes I feel like I live in a test kitchen over here. Some things work out perfectly and amazing the first time, but other times... not so much. Baking is hard y'all. It's true what they say, that baking is both a science and an art. Trust me. I have kitchen woes just like anyone else, and this recipe right here is evidence of that if nothing else.

I've had it in my little head for a few weeks now that I wanted to make a lemon poppy seed cake/bread. However, my first attempt was a complete flop. And what's worse? I thought even up until I took it out of the oven that it was going to be great. The batter tasted great. It rose perfectly in the oven, doing everything it was supposed to do before POOF it collapsed into a dense mess of super sad lemon bread. Sigh...

Grilled Market Salad & Zesty Dressing (Chick-Fil-A Copy Cat)

February 18, 2017 Amanda Plott

So, I was telling my mom about one of my all time favorite salads at a pretty well known fast-food chain the other day when she was looking for some quick lunch options. Anytime the family wants to 'be bad' and have chicken nuggets at this place, I always tend to opt for their Grilled Market Salad. It's a really large hearty salad that's extremely filling and easily could be turned into two meals rather than just one.

That discussion got me to thinking about the salad, how good it is, and how simple it is too. Surely there had to be a way to make it myself! The hardest part would be the zesty apple cider vinaigrette. Thankfully, I found a good starting place and made a few more tweaks to that to get exactly what I was looking for after reading the ingredients on the actual dressing packet...

Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore

February 15, 2017 Amanda Plott

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

February is all about hearts and in more way than one! It's true that Valentine's day is in February, but did you know that it's also Heart Health month? Heart health is something that affects each and every one of us. Everyone has at least one person in their life that has been or will be affected by heart disease in some way. For me, half of my grandparents currently have heart disease.

Just this past year my step-grandfather was diagnosed with heart disease. He's been put on medication and told to make some changes to his eating habits in an effort to slow progression of (and hopefully even stop) the disease...