Lily's Lunch Box (Week 1) - Homemade 'Lunchable'

July 28, 2014 Amanda Plott

With the new school year fast approaching, I've decided to do a whole 6 weeks worth of healthy lunch box ideas for the kiddos... and the parents! My little girl is in pre-k this year, and just like all parents out there, I too have struggled with brown-bag lunches.

It doesn't help that my little mini-me is still in the midst of a rather finicky food phase. She is as close to being a vegetarian as she can get without actually being a vegetarian. I can't blame her at all either. I was the same exact way when I was her age.

You reap what you sew, yeah?...

Skinny Bluechai Tea Muffins

July 23, 2014 Amanda Plott

I was contacted quite a long while back by Bluechai, an organic tea company based out of Thailand. They wanted to send a free sample packet of their loose Bluechai tea to me to try out. All natural and organic blue... tea? Amazing!

I was in not compensated by Bluechai, and all of the opinions and views expressed here are my own.

The tea is made from some beautiful blue butterfly pea flowers and is the world's first and only blue tea. It's caffeine free (which means that I can give it to my little blue-loving princess without a bit of guilt) and has some amazing health benefits to boot!...

Crock Pot Blueberry & Banana Irish Oatmeal

July 16, 2014 Amanda Plott

A big heaping bowl of irish oatmeal for breakfast almost always hits the spot for me, but I haven't had any for quite a while now. I guess I have it in my mind that oatmeal isn't exactly a summer sort of breakfast, so I tend to brush it aside for these grueling few months of 100 degree weather.

However, oatmeal was a specific request on the part of my grandmother, and since it's getting down to her last few weeks here... I thought I would finally oblige!

I didn't want to make the same irish oatmeal that she had before when she was here last summer to visit. No, no. I wanted to try something a little different.

Blueberries and bananas anyone?...

Baking Bacon

July 12, 2014 Amanda Plott

Baking bacon is a handy trick that I picked up a few years ago and quickly fell in love with the idea.

So, why bake your bacon?

Baking your bacon will save you the usual mess in the kitchen (or your microwave.) Plus, it cooks evenly and crisps up nicely while a vast majority of the grease is discarded! Another bonus? You can make a rather large batch of baked bacon rather effortlessly as compared to pan frying. Baking your bacon also tends to keep it from curling up, leaving your bacon straight and perfect!...

Skinny Purple Monster Smoothie

July 8, 2014 Amanda Plott

I needed a bit of a lift today after the exceptionally long weekend of festivities. Not only was it the 4th of July, where I was busy BBQing and roasting in the Texas heat... but, it was also my mother's birthday. Happy Birthday Mom!

Now, I feel as if I should start off by saying that I am generally not a smoothie fan. I would much rather indulge in eating my calories rather than drinking them (unless they are in the form of wine, of course - hah!) Plus, the task of actually making a smoothie always seems incredibly daunting to me... That is until I got my new handy emersion blender for my birthday!...

Cutting Watermelon

July 6, 2014 Amanda Plott

If you have tiny hands in your house (like I do) or are just looking for an easier and less messy way of cutting your watermelon this summer - then this idea is for you!

I've done my fair share of watermelon butchering, and it's almost always been a rather unpleasant task that more often than not ends up with my kitchen in the midst of a sticky mess that lasts for days. Thankfully, about a year ago, I came across a method of cutting watermelon that skips the waste and saves so much time. Plus, it's great for little fingers to grab up...