zoodle soup + club soda bread

yesterday, i ran three miles for the first time in four months. it felt great to run and be outside in the beautiful spring weather, today, i am feeling every step of that run. my entire body is sore, but the pain is worth the gain. so tonight, i am sharing with y'all a quick, easy, healthy and delicious soup recipe. it takes less than 30 minutes and only takes a few ingredients, most of which you probably already have! i used my spirooli sprializer to make the zoodles, but if you don't have one, you can simply grate the zucchini or use a potato peeler. i highly recommend buying a spiralizer though, its one of my favorite cooking tools! i paired my soup with a couple club soda bread muffins (recipe below) and it was the perfect, easy meal for this sore body! 

white bean, tomato and zucchini noodle soup

1 can white beans, drained and rinsed

1 can petite diced tomatoes

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

2 tsp onion powder

1 tbsp garlic powder

2 tbsp italian seasonings

1 tsp basil 

pepper, to taste

1 medium zucchini

shaved parmesan cheese, for serving

1. add all ingredients except zucchini and parmesan to medium pot, stir together and bring to a boil.
2. reduce heat and allow to simmer for 10-minutes.
3. while soup is cooking, spiralize zucchini and cut into smaller pieces (this will make it easier to eat).
4. to serve, add handful of zucchini to bowl, pour soup over and sprinkle with parmesan. (the hot soup will slightly soften the zucchini)

(serves 2)

(inspired by Housewife in Training)

club soda bread muffins

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour 

3/4 tsp baking soda

pinch salt 

1 cup club soda

1. in a medium bowl, mix together all ingredients. 
2. spray muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray and evenly divide batter among six muffin tins (fill about 2/3 full). 
3. bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

(recipe slightly adapted from The Smart Kitchen Blog)

enjoy!

xoxo,

clp

4 ingredient beer bread + 3 piece outfit

last night was low-key and lovely. two of my best friends, caroline and ellie, came over for buffalo chicken chili and beer bread (recipe below) and some buttermilk sky pie shop pies. since the three of us have such different schedules, its hard for us to find a time to all get together, but when we do, we pick up right where we left off! the evening was full of catching up on everything and indulging in too much yummy food! i made my buffalo chicken chili recipe and tried out a recipe for beer bread, which i was so impressed with! it was quick and easy and you probably already have everything you need at home!

4 ingredient beer bread

3 cups all purpose flour

4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 tbsp Splenda brown sugar

12 oz beer of choice (i used coors light)

1. preheat oven to 375 and spray a 9x5 loaf pan with non-stick spray.
2. in a medium mixing bowl, mix together first three ingredients. pour in the beer and stir until just combined.
3. pour batter into loaf pan and bake for 35 minutes, or until the top of the bread is lightly browned and a knife comes out clean.
4. slice and serve! 

(slightly adapted from half baked harvest)

i will end this post with a selfie of what i wore to a meeting today on campus! it was more on the casual side but still looked very put together! 

j. crew cotton cropped sweater, j. crew silk sleeveless blouse in heart dot, 

j. crew sateen toothpick pant, c. wonder novelty smoking slippers

xoxo,

clp

p.s. 8 days until the birthday! 

buttermilk bread + variations

i have made it through one of my hardest weeks so far of the semester! yesterday i consumed probably unhealthy amounts of caffeine (in coffee and green tea form) but i made it through the day. and i'm not even going to lie - last night i was in bed by 9. granted, this week workouts are coming dark and early at 5:30 to make sure i get it in, but for my age, 9:00 PM is an early bedtime.

anyway, i wanted to share with you a recipe that is simple and quick: buttermilk bread! instead of studying this weekend, i chose to make 3 different variations of this bread and could not be more pleased with how it turned out. below is the basic buttermilk quick bread recipe. listed below are sweet and savory variations to try out! the recipe makes 1 loaf of bread in a standard 9x5 loaf pan - but feel free to divide into mini-loaf pans to try out different variations (just be sure to adjust cooking time!).

buttermilk quick bread

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon Splenda

1.5 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup low-fat buttermilk

1 large egg

1/4 cup (2 oz) unsalted butter 

*ingredients for variations, if desired (below)

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees. spray loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. 
2. mix together first six ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. in a separate bowl, melt the butter and mix with buttermilk and egg. 
3. pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and mix until a wet batter is formed. be careful not to over-mix. 
4. add in mix-ins for flavor variations if desired. 
5. even pour the batter into the loaf pan. bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 
6. allow to cool before serving. baked loaves can also be wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen. 

variations:

• cranberry and walnut: add 1/2 cup craisins, 1/2 chopped walnuts, 1 tsp vanilla
• pesto and cheese: add 2-3 tbsp pesto of choice and 1/2 cup shredded parmesan 
• jalepeno and cilantro: add 1 small can diced jalepenos/green chiles (depending on heat preference), fresh cilantro, 1/4 cup cheddar cheese 
• your choice of herbs and spices 
• your choice of nuts, dried fruit, etc. 

(slightly adapted from the kitchen)

there are so many different ways to serve and make this bread. i made the pesto variation and made cheese toasts with it to have beside tomato soup! i also crumbled some one night to use as crumbled croutons atop an italian skillet bake recipe. i plan to have my cranberry and walnut loaf toasted with cream cheese and fruit and then my basic loaf with no variations will be perfect for chili! 

this weekend i am headed home to the Murf for some time away from knoxville. after a busy and stressful past few weeks, i am ready for some hometown-time. we already have plans to try out the pfunky griddle for breakfast saturday and drop by the last farmer's market on the square before plopping on the couch with stella to watch the UT at Georgia game. white chicken lasagna with butternut squash, taco soup, and jalepeno cornbread are all on the menu for the weekend ahead! its looking like its going to be a good one!

xoxo,

clp