California Cottage Cheese Bowl

June 28, 2023 Amanda Plott

What can I say? When I originally posted this tasty little lunch, I hadn't had cottage cheese in a long time. In fact... I couldn't even remember when the last time was that I had it! These days though? It's a pretty regular fridge staple for me. And it all started right here with this quick and easy recipe!

Cottage cheese had my mind ever since my mom mentioned it a few weeks before when she was trying to think of a way to make the Skinny PB&J Parfait even lighter. We didn't get very far with the notion since... I'm not a huge fan of sweetness with my cottage cheese for whatever reason. I'm still not onboard with that...

Bacon, Chive & Cheddar Eggs in Clouds

June 7, 2023 Amanda Plott

Weekends are for sleeping in, having fun, and experiments in the kitchen. While my mom has been here visiting me, we've been having a lot of fun taking turns with playing around in the kitchen for breakfast in the mornings. And today was no different. We've discussed 'eggs in clouds' a few times before, but today was the day!

It's a pretty simple little breakfast that looks far more impressive than it really is with its handful of basic and minimal ingredients...

Spinach & Strawberry Salad

March 27, 2023 Amanda Plott

Yes, I'm a huge salad fan. I love all the veggies and different ways to dress up your leafy greens with one dressing or another. Plus, there's just something refreshing about indulging in a crisp cool salad when it's upwards of 80... 90... 100 degrees. Which we’ve already gone over 80 here!

So I guess what I'm saying is... be prepared for the montage of salad recipes that are sure to come this way through the next few months. Strawberry and spinach salad is actually one of my old favorites. I think it was one of the first salads that I ever had feta cheese on. It could even be when I fell in love with feta cheese…

Skinny Balsamic Vinaigrette

March 24, 2023 Amanda Plott

I actually made this Balsamic Vinaigrette back in 2013, so naturally after 10 years I thought it was due for an update. Balsamic Vinaigrette is one of my favorite salad dressings. It’s tangy and light and full of flavor.

I've lightened up this classic dressing by subbing water and chia seeds for some of the oil. It's an old but rather faithful trick that I picked up from my mom some years ago when she would make her own Italian salad dressing. And by 'make her own', I mean mix oil and water with a packet…

Marinated Chickpea Pita

March 14, 2023 Amanda Plott

It’s Spring break week here and we’re sticking pretty close to home which I’m totally fine with. Spring time is one my more favorite times of year. I don’t care for the allergies that come along with it, but I do enjoy the brighter lighting of the sun, the blooming trees and flowers, and also the berries that start to pop up. With Spring rolling in, I always like to lighten and brighten things up myself, and that’s where this Marinated Chickpea Pita comes in.

This Marinated Chickpea Pita is light, and bright, and full of flavor. Being as this is made with mostly whole ingredients and seasonings, there isn’t much to do here to make it much better-for-you. Though I did go with a wheat pita in place of a regular one…

Apricot Chickpea Salad

February 8, 2023 Amanda Plott

So, I’ll be honest here in saying that I never really buy or use apricots a whole lot, and I’m not entirely sure why either. They taste good, fresh or dried so it’s not that I don’t like them. I just never really think to use them. But, this salad dressing just sounded really good to me for son reason or another. It’s sweet, but tangy, and yet has just a little bit of a kick from the ginger in there. It’s really one of my new favorite things on the planet.

This salad is a really good mix of textures and tastes. You really won’t miss meat here. And you won’t miss the dairy either. Somehow everything else going on really keeps you from focusing on what’s not there so that you instead focus on what is there. And that’s a lot of goodness!…