Breakfast Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

August 28, 2017 Amanda Plott

Well, we survived the wrath of Hurricane Harvey this past weekend here in Austin Texas. There were moments when I thought I would need an ark to get my daughter to school today, but that wasn't the case. Thankfully for us here, the rain was moderate and just light enough to continue absorbing into the ground and finding it's way to the overflows. The wind was the worst of it and is still going stronger than I would like. I'm fortunate though and know that not everyone in Texas was nearly as lucky. My heart goes out to all effected but this record setting giant.

Even though our power only went out very briefly here, the lighting (or lacking of) outside all weekend is what ultimately kept me from being able to get a new recipe out. So today, I'm back at it with the sky being perfectly bright and overcast for great natural lighting!...

Mermaid 'Seaweed' Wrap (Sponsored)

July 11, 2017 Amanda Plott

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

The end of Mermaid week is upon us! I've saved the best for last with this Mermaid 'Seaweed' Wrap. There is a long history behind this wrap too! It's special to my family because it's been in the summer rotation for about 5 years now! Yep. That's just how good this wrap is. One thing I love most about it is that it's so versatile; making the perfect lunch box addition, summer lunch or even as a light dinner. It's perfectly 'meal prep' friendly and full of wholesome goodness.

I've dubbed it the 'seaweed' wrap since I like to use the bright and colorful spinach tortilla to wrap everything all up in. On the inside, I've loaded this wrap up with plenty of fun and vibrant mermaid inspired bits. The first layers are hummus and a low fat cream cheese, followed by carrots, tomatoes, spinach, and my favorite part, Chopped Eckrich Honey Cured Ham! It's all pulled together with some reduced fat feta and rolled to perfection...

Schedule

Healthified Crock Pot Kalua Pork

June 29, 2017 Amanda Plott

Summer time around here (especially July) is when my mom always likes to throw a mostly annual luau. Unfortunately, she hasn't really been able to do that for the past couple of years, just because they had moved about an hour further away from me and well... all of their friends basically too. Either way, this is one of our family favorite recipes for these such luaus! And with it being nearly July, I thought it would be a great time to update this Kalua Pork with a bit of a facelift.

So, what do you do in Hawaii? You go to a luau. What do they serve at a luau? Kalua pork.

Kalua (as not to be confused with Kahlua) is a traditional way of cooking pork in Hawaii. The word kalua actually translates to 'to cook in an underground oven'. While they use something in Hawaii called an imu for this process, I don't readily have one of those at my disposal... so I used the next best thing. My slow cooker!...

My Great-Grandma's "Red Beans"

April 26, 2017 Amanda Plott

This is another oldie but goodie that I just had to rework the pictures for since they totally don't do these Red Beans justice anymore. Plus, I thought I'd add in the instructions for how to cook these old fashioned beans in the crock pot!

Today is bittersweet just like it was when I originally posted this recipe.. My grandma is heading home to Oregon soon after her extended stay of about a month. While she was staying here with me we got to talking with my mom about things that my great-grandmother use to cook for the family. I'm always looking for inspiration, and my family is one of the first places I go.

One of her most requested dishes was something she called 'red beans', but I should warn you... they aren't actually red beans (kidney beans) like one might think. They are pinto beans! I think she may have called them 'red beans' because they turn a sort of redish color after they cook all day long...

Parmesan Pork Chop Sheet Pan Dinner (Sponsored)

April 17, 2017 Amanda Plott

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

I don't know about the rest of you, but my life is still in chaos with Easter now being over and the summer fast approaching. Sometimes all I can do is a quick throw-together dinner that's in, out and done. That's why lately, I've been really geared towards 'sheet pan' dinners. The idea of a sheet pan dinner is simple, you toss dinner onto a sheet pan and bake it in the oven until it's one. No fuss. No Mess. One pan dinner.

Now that's what I'm taking about.

This Parmesan Pork Chop Sheet Pan Dinner couldn't be any more easy to prepare (really you're just chopping up veggies here.) Nor could it be any quicker to cook with merely 30-45 minutes of bake time. It's absolutely perfect for those busy weeknights!...

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...