Vanilla Chia Pudding & Strawberry Puree

May 12, 2015 Amanda Plott

As warmer weather starts to roll in, I'm always looking for meals and snacks that are easy, healthy, and also not requiring any source of heat. Chia pudding is and has been one of my favorite quick breakfast and snack options. Toss it together the night before and bam, the next day you have an easy breakfast or a beautiful treat.

Chia pudding is generally gluten-free so there's that as an added bonus, but I wanted to do something a little different today. I also wanted to make it dairy-free as well. I try to do what I can to provide recipes for all special dietary needs, and I often times feel like I lack a little when it comes to lactose/dairy-free.

This perfectly de{light}ful pudding is great for either a breakfast, snack, or even a dessert option. It's sweet enough for dessert and yet healthy enough for breakfast!...

Skinny Fairy Bites

April 1, 2015 Amanda Plott

I'm about to head off for a few days of vacation for my little girl's 5th birthday and for Easter! We're only going about 2 hours away, but... with an overly excited almost 5 year old in the car, that's like an eternity. Since we're going on a small road trip, and the birthday is going to be 'fairy' themed, I decided we need a tasty treat to take with us to snack on!

My tinker fairy is absolutely in love with sprinkles, and I happened to come across this great idea for short bread fairy bites a while back. Of course, I had to put my little spin on the cute little magic treats.

Faith, trust, and little bit of pixie dust!...

Baked Dark Chocolate Coffee Infused Donuts (Sponsored)

March 27, 2015 Amanda Plott

This post was brought to you by Collective Bias, Inc. and it's advertiser. I received compensation to write this post … but, all opinions expressed are my own. #McCafeMyWay#CollectiveBias

I'm the mother of a rather active almost five year old girl. (I mean... what little one isn't active, am I right?) Around here, mornings are always full of chaos and about 75% of the crazythat will go along with the day. It seems like everything is a struggle. Getting dressed, brushing teeth, brushing hair, everything. It's just an all out stressful situation!

Recently, I started in with a 'chore chart' that seems to make the mornings a bit easier. For each 'chore' she does on her own to get ready in the morning, she gets a star sticker. At the end of the week if she has accumulated enough stars, she gets a special treat or prize.

Another thing that helps with my morning routine is always starting my day off with a nice big cup of coffee. It's that morning pick-me-up that I absolutely need to get through it all. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. Once I get my little one dressed and settled in (whether at home or pre-school), I like to indulge in a second cup of coffee for a bit of much needed "me time".

Today I'm using McCafé coffee in yet another way to help me get through my day while indulging in a better-for-you treat at the same time! After all, what goes better with coffee than donuts anyway? Now you can enjoy both together in one glorious bite...

Frozen Yogurt Cake Batter Bites

March 16, 2015 Amanda Plott

This post was brought to you by Collective Bias, Inc. and it's advertiser. I received compensation to write this post … but, all opinions expressed are my own. #CrispyComeback #CollectiveBias

Yes, that's right... M&M's® Crispy are Back! They're so good that the brand brought them back because we asked for it! Now you can finally taste what you've been missing - whether it's because you've never tried them, or remember them from years back.

I've had them before and trust me, they are every bit as delicious as they once were! How can you go wrong with delicious milk chocolate with a crispy rice center? Easy, you can't!

My daughter's 5th birthday is just around the corner and she is just in LOVE with cake batter or 'funfetti' inspired things. I really think this girl lives off rainbows of one kind or another. So, I decided to make use of M&M's® Crispy in a fun and colorful way. A couple of years ago, I came across the wonderfully sinful cake batter chocolate bark that I've definitely eaten my weight in since then. With M&M's® Crispy being just 180 calories per serving, I thought this would be a great opportunity to make a slightly less indulgent version of that lovely cake batter bark in the form of bites...

Vanilla Bean Yogurt Panna Cotta

March 9, 2015 Amanda Plott

This post was brought to you by Collective Bias, Inc. and it's advertiser. I received compensation to write this post … but, all opinions expressed are my own. #MullerMoment #CollectiveBias

It has been a really exhausting few weeks for me full of nothing but bad news, and of course with any stressful time in life it's always very important to make some time out for yourself, and to really focus on YOU. My stress relief often comes in the form of creating wonderful treats and eats in my kitchen. So, I decided to make a really easy and delicious vanilla bean yogurt panna cotta to indulge in this week without any judgement!

To make this panna cotta I used the new Müller® Ice Cream Inspired Yogurt, which happens to come in three great tasting flavors; Raspberry Chocolate Chip, Mint Chocolate Chip and Vanilla Bean. Not only is this ice cream inspired yogurt great for recipes, it's also an ideal on-the-go snack or breakfast option!

These yogurts fit perfectly into my 'better-for-you' lifestyle with 6% milk fat yogurt, 7 grams of protein, less sugar than other yogurts, and only 190-210 calories in a serving...

Açaí Breakfast Bowl

February 12, 2015 Amanda Plott

Start your day off right with this bright and healthy fruitastic breakfast bowl! The only thing in this bowl of awesomeness is fruit, fiber, and enough fuel to get you powered through your morning with ease.

Seriously, this is a really filling breakfast.

As I've said before, I'm not really much of a smoothie sort of person. I suppose that the idea of drinking my breakfast is something that escapes me. I'd much rather sit, chew, and enjoy. This breakfast bowl is basically a smoothie in a bowl; you've got your smoothie on the bottom and your tasty tidbits on top...