Healthified Cowboy Spaghetti

May 21, 2015 Amanda Plott

One of my families favorite recipes growing up was my mom's Cowboy Spaghetti. In fact, it is so much a favorite that we all still ask her to make it for us even to this day. I've been trying for a couple of years now to make the recipe more better-for you without compromising the taste of it. Which oddly enough has been somewhat of a challenge, especially when it comes to getting my mom's seal of approval on the end result.

I always ended up adding too much vegetables or... somehow changed the flavor too much for it to be dubbed the famous 'Cowboy Spaghetti' in any way, shape, or form. So, once more I went back to the drawing board. I left the base of the recipe entirely pure to it's original with just a few minor tweaks here and there...

Skinny Turkey Kofta

March 25, 2015 Amanda Plott

I think the first time that I learned of a Kofta was about a year or two ago amidst one of the many reality cooking TV shows that I frequently watch; which is one of the sources that I get so much of my inspiration from. I thought it sounded pretty great! A seasoned meatloaf or meatball on a stick? Perfect!

Still don't know what a Kofta is? Well, it's basically a mixture of meat, bread crumbs or rice, and spices to form into meatballs or skewered patties. There are a lot of variations out there, but today I'm going with a healthier play on a turkey Kofta with a sort of Greek or Lebanese twist. I added in chopped onions, egg, and some traditional spices to the meat, and served it with a lemon tahini sauce on the side.

I would have served it with some tzatziki, but I am not a fan at all of cucumbers. Sorry all!...

Green Eggs & Ham

March 4, 2015 Amanda Plott

In honor of Dr. Seuss's 111th birthday being earlier this week, and with St. Patrick's Day right around the corner, I decided to make a play on Green Eggs & Ham!

“Try them, try them, and you may! Try them and you may, I say.”
― Dr. Seuss, Green Eggs and Ham

St. Patrick's Day is actually one of my favorite holidays, and it also happens to be my dad's birthday. Happy Pre-Birthday, Daddy! My dad always thought it was fun to make Green Eggs & Ham for breakfast around his birthday. So, the idea for my take on Green Eggs & Ham was definitely inspired by him, even though I'm pretty sure that you makes his a whole lot differently...

Skinny Crock Pot Guinness Beer Chili

February 24, 2015 Amanda Plott

This post was brought to you by Stubb's Bar-B-Q. I received compensation to write this post … but, all opinions expressed are my own.

Chili in my family is a pretty big deal. I mean... we're Texans, so everything is a big deal. We've tried chili with many different meats, and made it in many different ways. But, we always tend to go back to my mom's original Chili Con Carne for one reason or another.

With March fast approaching and one of my favorite holidays of the year creeping up along with it, I decided that I wanted to attempt to make a healthier low carb take on an Irish style chili. And by Irish, I really just mean to use beer in it instead of any other form of liquid.

Another big deal in my family is Bar-B-Q, and one of my most favorite brands for spices, sauces, and rubs is Stubb's Bar-B-Q. So, when I got my hands on some of Stubb's new Chili Fixins Cookin' Sauce, I knew I wanted to use it in my St. Patrick's Day inspired chili...

Skinny Turkey 'Pigs in a Blanket'

January 28, 2015 Amanda Plott

I'm not the world's biggest football fan. Okay, not a fan at all. But, I love my Longhorns (Hook'em!) and I adore the Superbowl, though If I'm being honest... it's mostly for the commercials, camaraderie, and food! Yes, yes, yes! I love, love, love game day food! I couldn't tell you exactly why either, but I think it has something to do with the fact that it's all snackable little bites of finger foods.

There's just something really awesome about eating tiny food. Maybe that's the girl in me. Or... the kid in me.

Anyway, every year when the big game rolls around I always love to try my hand at healthifying and/or making traditional game day foods both skinny and delicious.

Today, I'm going with 'pigs in a blanket' which of course is usually made using little pork sausages; giving them the 'pig' in 'pigs in a blanket'. However, turkey sausages are healthier and have a lot less fat and calories to them.

So does that make these... 'gobblers in blankets' or... 'turkey in blankets'?...

Healthified Turkey Cuban Sandwich

November 10, 2014 Amanda Plott

I'm always on the lookout around Thanksgiving for recipes that I can use up my leftover turkey, and a lighter cuban sandwich is a perfect way to do just that! Don't know what a cuban sandwich is? Well, it's a wonderfully tasty little sandwich that is generally made with roasted pork, ham, swiss cheese, pickles and mustard on some rather hardy cuban bread. Supposedly the sandwich originated in one of my most favorite places in the world - Key West, Florida!

Since, once again this year, I will not be making my traditional Thanksgiving meal, I've been doing my part it making turkey ahead of time; as if I need to get my quota for eating turkey in before the year is up. Then again, I tend to cook with turkey all year long since it's one of my favorite lean meats...