Skinny Fall Harvest Salad

October 8, 2014 Amanda Plott

A while back I absolutely fell in love with this Skinny Honey Mustard Salad Dressing that I had made, and have seriously been looking for almost any excuse to make it again. I could almost drink this dressing down by the gallon, I swear. Anyway, I've used it as both a marinade and a dip for chicken, but I was in the mood for a salad today and had my eyes set on this lovely butternut squash that was perched on my kitchen counter.

In keeping with my fall theme, I basically took all of my favorite fall inspired things and threw them into one giant salad together. The end result? A perfectly filling and delicious salad that I more than enjoyed for lunch!

Fall Harvest Turkey Thai Soup (Crock Pot)

October 3, 2014 Amanda Plott

This soup is perfectly amazing. It's the sort of soup that my dreams are made up of. Low calorie. Low carb. High protein and amazingly delicious. I somehow managed to catch an end-of-summer cold which I'm trying desperately to knock out as quickly as I can, and I always think the best way to do that is with some homemade soup!

Yes, I'm aware that it's still reaching the 90's occasionally here in Austin, but I need soup just like the rest of the country. Get yourself together Old Man Winter.

I had made some turkey breast tenderloins the other day and had some leftovers, so when I decided to jump on the soup band-wagon I knew exactly what I was going to do. Something fall inspired. Something 'harvest' oriented. Something... thai?

'Healthier' Mummy Dogs

October 2, 2014 Amanda Plott

My mom started this tradition several years back where we turned our hot dogs into mummy dogs around halloween. I believe our first few years doing this, we used little smokies instead of actual hot dogs, so we had about a million and one mini-mummies. They were cute... but also a little bit of a pain in the rear to make.

After we learned our lesson, we began to use regular size weenies and it was a whole lot easier of a process! Now that my daughter is older and more sentient (as my brother would say), I really enjoy sharing all the fun and festive holiday stuff that my mother used to do for my brother and I.

While it's a silly and rather minimal tradition, it's ours and we love it.

It helps too that my daughter is a hot dog fiend.

It's seriously one of the only forms of meat that she will actually eat.

Skinny Pizza Potato Skins

September 29, 2014 Amanda Plott

I gotta admit, my lunch today was pretty amazing. As you can see.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again... potatoes always seem to get a bad reputation. Maybe it's because the vast majority of people that eat them always go for the greasy fried versions of potatoes. But, honestly there's a lot of good packed into these things!

Potatoes are a good source of B6, potassium, vitamin C, and fiber! Oh, and did you know that they are actually fairly low in calories? A whole spud is about 160 calorie on average, not too shabby.

Plus, they're filling enough to keep you satisfied and energized to get through your day, which is something that I desperately need today!...

Crock Pot Spaghetti Squash Primavera

September 27, 2014 Amanda Plott

I've had this spaghetti squash staring at me from the kitchen counter for a week or two now, and I figured... I ought to put that beauty to some use before it went bad on me.

Now, you may or may not notice that this spaghetti squash is a little smaller than the ones you will find in the grocery stores. That is because... this bad boy was fresh off the farm, and from a local and organic farmer too - which makes it all the more exciting to me!

Fresh local ingredients are always the best and are generally higher in nutrients.

I wasn't quite sure at first just how I was going to do my farm fresh spaghetti squash justice. I suppose I felt as though it needed some careful love and devotion.

During my thought process, I remembered this idea I had seen somewhere about a spaghetti squash primavera that was done in a terribly naughty and yet totally delectable manner. I basically took that idea and ran with it; making it easier, lighter more economical, and still amazingly full of flavor...

Pumpkin & Black Bean Soup

September 24, 2014 Amanda Plott

I'm putting pumpkin in everything while I can since it's 'seasonable' for the next couple of months. I love fall for many reasons, but pumpkin has to be pretty close to the top of the list! In my opinion, there just isn't too much that you can't put pumpkin in; drinks, desserts, entrees... You name it, and I've probably already thought of a way to put pumpkin in it, if I haven't already put pumpkin in it before - that is!

This pumpkin soup is pretty great. I'd compare the consistency of it to a creamy tomato soup. In fact, it's color and texture are pretty much the same too but a lot more soft and calm with it's flavors since tomato soup has the zing of acidity....