Avocado Caprese & Olive Oil Caviar

August 19, 2015 Amanda Plott

I got to have some extra fun in the kitchen today with my lunch. With it still being rather hot here in Texas, I've been trying to keep my lunches pretty light and fresh. Caprese salads are always one of my staple go-to keeping it cool sort of lunches. They're easy to make, taste great, and are pretty healthy to boot.

I've had this little jar of olive oil caviar sitting on my counter for a while now. It's something that I haven't tried before and one of those things that I was nearly so excited to use that I couldn't think of a use for application that I felt would do it's genius justice. Then... it struck me!

Traditionally a caprese salad is drizzled with a little bit of olive oil, so I thought this would be the perfect way to show off the olive oil caviar in a simple and extremely tasty dish that takes little time and effort to toss together; using the olive oil caviar in place of the drizzle...

Apple Cinnamon Detox Water

August 17, 2015 Amanda Plott

So, I've been working out for about two weeks now, about three days a week. I gotta say, I've been feeling pretty good already! I'm all for getting lean this year. The place that I go for my classes offers ice water and also fruit or vegetable infused water. The water recipe changes daily. So far, I've noticed a lemon water, cucumber lemon mint water, lemon cantaloupe water, and a fresh berry water. They've all been delicious and perfect to drink before, during, and after a good workout.

Needless to say, the notion of the infused water got my wheels spinning once again on my healthy detox waters. I've made a few of these waters in the past, all of which I've loved. I'm an avid water drinker, outside of my morning cup of joe I'm a water all day sort of girl and I always have been!

Stubb's BBQ Gift Package Give Away! (CLOSED)

August 15, 2015 Amanda Plott

The good folks with Stubb's BBQ are hosting a give away for me this week!

One lucky reader will win a complimentary Stubb's BBQ gift package including $20 in Stubb’s Product Coupons, a Tote Bag, T-Shirt, Apron, Mason Jar, and a Wooden BBQ Sauce Carrier!

Cilantro-Lime Coconut Rice

August 14, 2015 Amanda Plott

Let's see... the first time I had cilantro-lime coconut rice was quite a few many years back now. Right about when I first started getting into cooking. As far as I can remember, my mom and I were trying to come up with a rice to go with a Thai inspired dish that wouldn't be quite so traditional.

I remember that I was more than a little apprehensive because coconut is not one of my favorite flavors and I hadn't yet really been exposed to the wonderfulness that is coconut milk. My attitude towards coconut started to change with this rice right here.

One of the great things about cilantro-lime rice is that it can pair well with almost any Asian, Thai, or even Indian style dish. Yes, I've been known to sneak it in with a Mexican style dinner as well, though I usually leave the coconut milk for that variation!...

Skinny Turkey Sriracha Meatballs (Crock Pot)

August 12, 2015 Amanda Plott

I had this amazing new Stubb's Texas Sriracha Anytime sauce sitting and staring at me for a few days before it finally hit me. As the heat of Texas summer starts to consider winding down, that always means that we're getting back into football season. And what does that mean? Tailgating and homegating foods will be back in action before you know it!

These partly Asian inspired and partly Thai inspired meatballs make for a great part of a meal, but would also be amazing for your next gamely spread as more of an appetizer. Toothpick or pretzel pick friendly grab-n-go snack!

As an added bonus, they can stay warming in a crock pot for several hours (if you can manage to keeping around for that long!)...

Cheesy Spinach & Kale Verde Enchiladas

August 10, 2015 Amanda Plott

So, I made a test run of these enchiladas a few weeks back. I've had some enchilada scares in the past before, and always made them way more complicated than they needed to be. They were so good the first time that I just knew that I had to make them again with just a few minor tweaks!

These bad boys were so awesome that my brother's finance left me a note (or two) which I found the next morning after our family dinner saying that she loved them so much. Thanks Jess, that really tickled my pickle!

With it being so hot here right now, I was forced to bake these on our outdoor grill, which ended up working out just as well as in the oven so long as I kept an eye on the grill's temperature. How's that for being clever? The Texas heat will force you to be resourceful!...