senior status & a recipe

officially a senior in college! yesterday i bubbled in my last scantron of the semester and motored on home for summer! yesterday was like a marathon but i came out on top and all unpacked! for cinco de mayo we fixed upside-down salsa cornbread, homemade refried beans and homemade guacamole! it was the perfect welcome home supper (the angel food cake and fresh picked strawberries from valley home farm weren't too bad either)!

today was busy as well! i don't know why i always try to do everything the first few days when i get home but i always do! i hit up the MAC for a good workout and then it was on to running some errands, cleaning up the house and doing a bit of cooking! i also had to pack a load of things to take to my nashville apartment tomorrow. life has been a bit of a blur since i got home to be honest!

i did find time this afternoon to sit outside and paint my nails in OPI's "kiss me i'm brazilian" pink and finish allegiant by veronica roth. it was different than the first two in the divergent series in that it is told from two perspectives but it is just as gripping as the first two! this is a series that i am so glad i took the time to read! it is a great summer trilogy!

this post is short and sweet but i wanted to share that i was home from knoxville for the summer! tonight's supper is in honor of summer: BBQ pulled pork, corn, baked beans and watermelon! the BBQ pulled pork recipe is one of the easiest i have ever made and the house has smelled wonderful all day!

crockpot BBQ pulled pork tenderloin

1 trimmed 2 lb pork tenderloin

1/2 to 1 cup chopped onion

1 cup BBQ sauce (we like Sweet Baby Ray's)

garlic powder, to taste

1. cover bottom of crockpot with 1/2 cup BBQ sauce and onion.
2. place pork tenderloin in crockpot and cover with remaining BBQ sauce and season with garlic powder if desired. 
3. cook on low for 4-6 hours, until cooked through and tender.
4. shred tenderloin with two forks (i just did this in the crockpot) and stir to coat. 
5. serve on whole wheat buns with your favorite BBQ sides! 

(recipe courtesy of youbeauty.com)

xoxo,

clp

restaurant, book and movie review

well it was a fun night in the 865 last night... the weather service alert going off on my phone at 1:15 AM for a tornado warning was terrifying enough, not to mention the thunder, howling winds and lightning! usually storms don't bother me much but without my daddy to keep me safe, i did end up sitting in my bathroom for about 30 minutes and monitoring the storm on my computer - thank goodness for live streaming! thankfully, it ended up passing through without any damage! yesterday, i went on the ultimate girl date with kaitlin: target, movie, dinner and ice cream! it was really a good break from campus and the apartment though and got my mind off the exams that i am starting to study for today. i thought for my post today i would share with you my opinions on my recent reads, eats, and views!

• divergent by veronica roth: i started the book after i saw the movie which i hate doing but it was so worth it! i didn't think i would like the movie, much less the book but i was unable to put it down! it may be more of a young adult book, but the fast-paced plot, action and budding romance had me hooked! 
• insurgent by veronica roth: this is the second of the three books in the divergent series and just like the first one, i was hooked! the characters grow and mature in this sequel and the plot thickens in unexpected ways. the last part of the book was especially interesting and i have already downloaded the third book, allegiant, to my kindle! 
• the other woman: hilarious. this was on my must-see list for the summer and i am so glad i saw it yesterday. my friend and i laughed the entire movie and though it was funny, it was not stupid-funny. it was a great girl-empowerment movie with a comedic side! not to mention the clothes were fantastic! i would definitely recommend this to anyone, boy or girl! 
• cru bistro and wine bar: after the movie we were famished so we decided to try out cru! i had been to the one downtown for brunch but their dinner menu is completely different. they have a little bit of everything but not in the applebee's/TGI friday's way. cru's menu ranges from soups and salads to sushi and pizza, with an extensive wine list. the menu has a gourmet southern flair to it and something that everyone can eat. i ordered the tomato arugula salad which comes with sliced tomato, feta, cornbread croutons (OMG - must try to make!) and a peach-basil vinaigrette. i topped mine with some grilled chicken since it was my entree and it was delicious! i would certainly eat there again without hesitation! 

today is moving day part one! my mom and dad are the world's best because they are taking the time to drive up here and get a load of my stuff to move back home! i will move everything else when i come home after exams! they were also going to come see me as a diamond girl at the baseball game tonight but unfortunately the weather canceled the game. still, they are making the trip and taking me out to dinner so i can't thank them enough! my first exam is on thursday so the hard core studying begins as soon as i finish writing this! i hope everyone stayed safe last night with the weather and continues to be safe today as there is still a possibility for more storms! 

xoxo,

clp 

productive saturday & 2 recipes

it is only 3:00 and i am worn out! i have had quite the productive saturday so far! it started relatively low-key, with my morning coffee, one of my new favorite breakfasts of mueslix cereal with almond milk, sliced banana and dried apricots sprinkled with cinnamon, OJ and the today show. i then went to sweat it out at real hot yoga! i hadn't been in a while and it was quite the workout! i swear i was even sweating from my kneecaps... (TMI i know). after hot yoga, i came home and made a cornbread salad (complete with spinach, corn, green peas, onion, tomato and buttermilk and ground pepper) and also sliced up a pear with some cranberry cheese for lunch.

after lunch, i set my sights on the kitchen. i have a pretty busy week ahead of me starting tomorrow afternoon so i wanted to go ahead and make some things for my lunches and breakfasts this week. i made up a batch of my go-to granola, which will be yummy with kefir and fresh fruit. i also hard-boiled a few eggs (just put in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes and voila!) for sandwiches or wraps. this warm weather has me wanting not only pimento cheese but also chicken salad so i decided to make both this week since the pimento cheese keeps well! these are all classic recipes, but lightened up (no mayo!) and modified a bit!

lightened-up jalepeno pimento cheese

1 cup non-fat plain greek yogurt

1 4 oz. jar diced pimentos

1/2 small can diced jalepenos, plus 1 tbsp of juice from can

2 tbsp chopped cilantro

 1 8 oz. block Cabot jalepeno light cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 8 oz. block Cabot sharp extra light cheddar cheese, shredded 

1. combine all ingredients together and stir well. serve as sandwich, as a dip with cut vegetables or wheat crackers, on sliced tomatoes, or melted in an omelette! 

(slightly adapted from Southern Living)

greek yogurt chicken salad

6 oz. shredded white chicken (i used canned)

1/2 cup non-fat plain greek yogurt

1/4 cup dried cranberries or raisins

1/4 cup chopped celery

1/8 cup chopped pecans or almonds

1 tsp honey

pepper, to taste 

1. combine all ingredients together and stir well. use a pastry blended to chop ingredients more. serve as sandwich, as a dip with cut vegetables or wheat crackers or on sliced tomatoes.

(slightly adapted from The Yummy Life)

needless to say, i am very much looking forward to my lunches this week! this week really starts the push towards the end of the semester. i am working the vanderbilt vs. UT baseball game tomorrow afternoon and then my week consists of classes, meetings, projects and tests. friday i will be working the sea-ray relays meet and also participating in relay for life. a week from today is the orange and white game, which mama, daddy and phillip are coming up for so i am looking forward to that as well as my chapter's senior recognition banquet next sunday. hopefully i will be able to come up for air at some point, but if not, i'll be back on here as soon as i can! 

xoxo,

clp 

p.s. last night i saw divergent. it was so much better than i expected and i definitely recommend it! i was a hypocrite and saw the movie before reading the book but it is waiting for me to read on my kindle tonight!