Garden Vegetable Soup

June 15, 2018 Amanda Plott

Last week it was 'ocean' week here in my house, and this week we're going with the theme of plants! In doing so, I decided to throw a LOT more veggies and vegetarian dishes into the mix this week. We always have a couple of vegetarian dishes every week, for health reasons, cutting the cost of food, and also because it just makes me feel better all around.

I could easily be a vegetarian. In fact, my daughter was basically a vegetarian of her own accord up until she was about 5 years old. Meat just wasn't something she was a fan of. And I can't say that I was far off from that myself with I was a little girl too.

Ready for a true side story about myself? My parents used to have to tell me that meat came from a meat tree when I was little to get me to eat it!…

Baked Amish Overnight Oatmeal

February 19, 2018 Amanda Plott

As I think back, I'm not sure when or how I got turned on to Amish Oatmeal. But, I do know that it was pretty much an instant hit with my family. It's quick and easy to prepare with just a handful of basic kitchen staples that soak together overnight to bake up beautifully the next morning.

So, what is Amish Oatmeal anyway? Well, it's sort of a cross between oatmeal and bread pudding. Eggs, vanilla and milk are whisked together to create the 'custard' that the oatmeal is baked in.

Instant Pot Steel-Cut Oatmeal

January 27, 2018 Amanda Plott

Weekends are for being lazy, and there is truly no more of a lazy way to cook steel cut oats than inside of a pressure cooker. I got my instant pot back for my birthday I think and I am absolutely in love with it. Not only does it work as a pressure cooker, but also as a slow cooker; which saves me valuable cabinet space.

So, while I'm slumming around still in my PJs today I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to make some Instant Pot Steel-Cut Oatmeal for breakfast... around noon. That's still technically brunch, right?

Low-Carb African Peanut Stew

January 25, 2018 Amanda Plott

I've been wanting to make African Peanut Stew for a good long while now and since I'm soaking up every last drop of the 'cool' weather here in Texas, I thought there would be no better time than now. This stew is hearty. I'm talking... stick to your ribs and fill you up completely. It's a little bit of all the best things. Savory, sweet, spicy, salty, soft, crunchy...

Honestly, I really wasn't sure how I would feel about peanuts in a stew. It's never been something I thought of as being the main component in dinner. But, I was thoroughly impressed with how good it was. ...To the point, that I think this may go into my dinner rotation!...

Winter Citrus & Honey Power Breakfast

January 21, 2018 Amanda Plott

I guess you could say that this is one bee-utiful breakfast. Ba-dum-psshh! Okay. Seriously though? Let's talk about this power breakfast right here. It's winter right now and there's a plethora of fresh winter citrus going around. Right now is one of the few times of year that you'll find blood oranges out and about.

Don't be scared either. They're called blood oranges because of their usual deep red splotched on their peel and their rich ruby red color of fruit inside. If you've seen or had blood orange juice before, you know what I mean. Along with blood oranges, the grapefruits are HUGE right now too. Just the way I like 'em. Big and juicy...

Healthified Chili Con Carne

January 17, 2018 Amanda Plott

Even though I originally made this recipe back in 2014 - I thought after we made it this past weekend that it needed an update! The recipe is the same-same, only updated instructions, and images.

So, here's the original post as it was:

My mom has this infamous chili recipe that she's made for many years now. It's something that the whole family can agree on. We all love it. It always became a staple in the family's weekly meal plan during the cooler winter months.

I've wanted to post the recipe for a long while now, well pretty much ever since I started all this... but, it just never came to be for one reason or another. In fact, I never even had the recipe in my hot little hand until about a week ago...