Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread

January 28, 2022 Amanda Plott

I’ve made a lot of banana bread in the past, but I realized that I’d never made one that only had chocolate chunks in it! Not only that, but this one is also made with no egg and no oil! That’s right. This bread is super tasty, easy to make, and good for you too - with well under 300 calories in a huge big thick slice!

This banana bread is as easy to make as one, two, three. Mix the dry stuff. Mix the wet stuff. Combine and bake! It really couldn’t be any easier. Of course, the chocolate chunks are the best part. I used a semi-sweet chocolate chunk, but you could go with dark, or milk, or whatever other chocolate chunk is your favorite…

Pink Velvet Waffles & Cream Cheese Drizzle

January 22, 2022 Amanda Plott

Valentine’s day is coming and that always puts me in the mood for sweets. Being as my daughter is pretty much in love with waffles, I decided to try my hand at making some pink velvet waffles! What are pink velvet waffles? Well, they’re basically a pink version of red velvet that’s made with just a touch of cocoa powder and lighter colors to be pink rather than full on red!

Being as they are pink velvet waffles, I opted to make a cream cheese drizzle in place of syrup to go along with these sweeties. And of course, no waffle can go eaten in this house unless it has sprinkles on top. So, these pretty pink sprinkles were the perfect addition…

Instant Pot Funfetti Cheesecake

January 13, 2022 Amanda Plott

I’m no stranger to cheesecakes in the instant pot, and so far they’ve all worked out really well. So, I thought I would try my hand at making one of my favorite cheesecakes in the pressure cooker. After all, what’s better than rainbow sprinkles in your cheesecake?

This cheesecake recipe is super simple and is pretty much fool proof too. And trust me, I know cheesecakes can be tricky and finicky at best. But, this one isn’t - I promise! It’s as tasty as it is easy to make too. Plus, did I mention that it’s basically fool proof? A fool proof cheesecake? Yes, please!…

Birthday Cake 'Cake Batter' Waffles

January 7, 2022 Amanda Plott

To say that these waffles were a hit this week would be a vast understatement. I had originally made these waffles some years ago and just this week decided that it was high time to revisit them with my new waffle maker, and I was not disappointed - and neither was my daughter. She’s been a bit of a waffle fiend lately, and being as she’s one of the most picky eaters I’ve ever known, I was a little concerned that she would turn her nose up at these. But, she didn’t!

These waffles turn out light and fluffy and perfectly soft. The batter makes quite a few waffles, even with using a full cup of batter for these with my giant Belgian waffles, I got 7 of these bad boys…

Peanut Butter Cup Snack Mix

January 4, 2022 Amanda Plott

Back to school with the kiddo today after the two weeks off for the holidays. And going back to school always means a tighter schedule so it’s always nice to have snacks on hand. This Peanut Butter Cup Snack Mix is one that the whole family can enjoy. There’s a little bit of sweet and a little bit of salty in there, along with varying textures of soft and crunchy; all things that I love about a good snack mix.

One of my favorite things about this Peanut Butter Cup Snack Mix is that it stays good and is shelf stable for a good long time. It would happily sit on the shelf for a good week or two without changing at all, and maybe for even longer than that…

Instant Pot Pot Roast

January 1, 2022 Amanda Plott

Pot Roast at it’s finest! This pot roast is made in no time at all in a pressure cooker and the homemade gravy is the best of the best! I love to cook this ahead of time to have ready and waiting to finish up and pile on the plates at dinner time for a hearty and well rounded meal. It doesn’t get any better than this for a filling meal during the cooler winter months.

I like to serve my roast over some mashed potatoes, but if you don’t want to take it the extra few steps, you could always leave the potatoes in their quartered form. No matter which way you go with it, everyone is sure to enjoy it.

This pot roast is as simple as they get. The homemade gravy is the most complicated part, and making it in the instant pot makes it almost fool proof. The only thing that is a little different is that the potatoes are more of a yellow color after being cooked in all that dripping goodness. But, that also makes them taste that much better.

This makes a nice big pot of food that can feed the crowed and keep them full and happy!

Instant Pot Pot Roast

Yield: 8

Author: The Skinny Fork (Amanda Plott)

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 55 Min

A traditional pot roast with potatoes and carrots made in little time at all in the Instant Pot and topped off with a homemade gravy!

Ingredients

3 Lbs. Chuck Pot Roast, Cut into 6 Pieces
Salt & Pepper
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Medium Yellow Onion, Chopped
2 Tsp. Minced Garlic
1 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
1/4 C. Red Wine
1 1/2 C. Reduced Sodium Beef Stock
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire
5 Large Carrots, Cut into 2” Pieces
1 1/2 Lb. Potatoes, Quartered
1 Tsp. Rosemary
1 Tsp. Thyme
2 Whole Bay Leaves
2 Tbsp. Butter
1/4 C. All-Purpose Flour

Instructions

Season the pieces of roast with the salt and pepper.
Heat the 1 Tbsp. of oil in the base of an instant pot and place the pieces of meat into the hot base to brown on all sides for 2-3 minutes.
Remove the meat to set aside.
Add the 1 chopped yellow onion to the instant pot and sautee for 2-3 minutes.
Stir in the 2 Tsp. Minced Garlic and 1 Tbsp. Tomato Paste to cook for about a minute or two or until fragrant.
Add in the 1/4 C. red wine and scrape down the bottom of the instant pot of all it's crispy browned bits.
Turn the instant pot off and stir in the 1 1/2 C. broth, 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire, and chopped carrots.
Top the carrots with the browned chunks of meat.
Top the meat with the potatoes and sprinkle the 1 Tsp. Rosemary, 1 Tsp. Thyme, and 2 Whole Bay Leaves.
Secure the lid, set the steam valve to sealed, and cook on high pressure for 35 minutes.
Once done, allow the steam to release naturally.
Set the potatoes aside in a bowl.
Remove the meat and carrots to set aside on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
Beat the mashed potatoes with a splash of unsweetened almond milk and season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside and cover to keep warm as well.
Strain the beef drippings through a fine mesh strainer, reserving 2 C. of the broth.
Whisk together the 2 Tbsp. butter and 1/4 C. flour in the base of the instant pot and set it to sauté to make your roux.
Slowly add the 2 C. reserved drippings, whisking constantly until the gravy has reached your desired thickness then remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Plate accordingly and enjoy right away!

Nutrition Facts

Calories

572.60

Fat (grams)

30.88

Sat. Fat (grams)

12.94

Carbs (grams)

27.10

Fiber (grams)

3.28

Net carbs

23.83

Sugar (grams)

3.44

Protein (grams)

45.98

Sodium (milligrams)

313.58

Cholesterol (grams)

148.81

Nutritional Claims: Egg Free • Peanut Free • Tree Nut Free • Soy Free • Shellfish Free • Pork Free • Crustacean Free • Celery Free • Mustard Free • Sesame Free • Lupine Free • Mollusk Free