fall break adventures: day 4 & a recipe

today i only left the house to make a grocery store run and it was great. it was nice to just stay at home today after going to nashville and franklin the past two days!

saturday started with pumpkin spice crepes, slighty adapted from SkinnyTaste. phillip and dad drove up to knoxville for the day for the game so i decided to make mom and i a fall breakfast! they were light and filling and we had some bananas and raspberries on the side!

pumpkin spiced crepes

1.5 c unsweetened vanilla almond milk

2 egg whites

1 egg

1 tsp oil 

1 tsp vanilla

1 c whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

non-stick cooking spray

greek yogurt cream cheese, pumpkin butter, etc., for filling

1. blend all ingredients except filling in blender. 
2. heat a non-stick pan and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
3. pour 1/4 cup crepe batter into pan, swirling pan to make crepe thin and smooth. cook until bottom is golden brown. flip and cook until golden brown. repeat with remaining crepe mixture.
4. to serve, spoon filling of choice into center of crepe. fold each edge of crepe over filling and roll. serve seam side down and warm! 

i could have gone to the UT game today but decided to watch it from the comfort of my couch at home instead with our gas logs on! mawsie came over to watch the game and we had our own at-home tailgate while we watched the game. megan also stopped by to visit which was perfect! i loved the orange on orange uniforms that UT wore today! AND WE WON. words cannot explain my excitement!

after the game i ran to publix (since they don't have stores in knoxville). mom and i then tag-teamed supper and it was beyond delish. we made creamy mashed cauliflower, roasted acorn squash with shallots and rosemary and roasted pork tenderloin with apples! it was the perfect fall meal.

it was nice today just staying at home and relaxing. unfortunately, tomorrow it is back to reality and back to knoxville. i guess fall break did have to come to an end but it went by far too fast. i have had so much fun spending time with my parents and brother. i am so thankful that i am so close with them. hope everyone has had a lovely weekend so far and that you enjoy your sunday! go vols!

xoxo,
clp

fall break adventures: day 3

can we just rename fall break 2013 to fall food fest 2013? i feel like all i have done is eat! this morning was great though because i got to go to my favorite workout class at the MAC, body pump! i had missed it so much and really enjoyed the workout for a nice change! i also got my haircut today after two months too long! i really like the shorter length she cut it to and the angled style!

after my haircut, mom and i went to The Puffy Muffin for lunch, one of our favorites! i had my usual summer salad: pimento cheese on tomato with fresh fruit! they have some of the best pimento cheese i think. we then shopped at our favorite little boutique next door, Hot Pink, and then went to downtown Franklin and shopped around there some as well. as trip to Franklin would not be complete without getting cupcakes from IveyCake. i don't know how she does it, but they are the best. i got my usual "i do" flavor and stepped outside my cupcake comfort zone and got the spiced apple for tomorrow night! for supper tonight, we are making Eggplant Rollatini from SkinnyTaste with a salad. it is in the oven right now and it smells so good!

today turned out to be a gorgeous fall day. i love all the pumpkins and fall decorations and i think our house looks absolutely perfect! i love the stacked pumpkins and especially the cotton ball wreath.

happy fall friday y'all! 

xoxo, 

clp

fall break adventures: day 2 & 2 recipes

what a wonderful thursday! day 2 of fall break was nothing short of perfect!

for breakfast, we had crockpot steel cut apple oatmeal! it is so easy, ready for you when you wakeup, delicious and filling! it also makes the house smell wonderful! i topped mine with half a banana and some walnuts but really anything goes!

overnight crockpot apple oats

2 c steel cut oats

4 cups water

2 large apples, sliced and diced

cinnamon, to taste

non-stick cooking spray

1. spray crockpot with non-stick cooking spray.
2. combine all ingredients in crockpot.
3. set on low for 8 hours. 

*half of the recipe serves about 3 people. the recipe above makes a lot!

after breakfast, i had a much-needed beautify-ing appointment then mom, phillip and i were off the green hills! i said the mothership was calling me home! we had lunch at The Southern and it was beyond good! i had the grilled portobello mushroom with butternut squash, phillip had a burger topped with pimento cheese and mom had a shrimp BLT. we all cleaned our plates! 

tory burch sweater, AG jeggings, j. crew mcalister boots, 

long champ le pliage expandable tote

after lunch, we headed to the mall and did some shopping! i met with my favorite person ever, my personal stylist at j. crew, katie! katie is always so helpful and she helped me pick out some great fall outfits! we hit up hill center and whole foods before heading back to murfreesboro.

for supper, we had put white and chicken chili in the crockpot before we left and daddy made some cornbread while we were on our way home. it really hit the spot since today felt so fall-ish. 

white bean and chicken chili

2 cans white beans, rinsed and drained

4 c low-sodium chicken broth

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 whole chicken breasts (about 3 lbs)

1 tsp each salt and pepper

2 onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 4 oz can green chiles

1 4 oz can diced jalepenos

1 c water

1 tbsp cumin

1. place beans and broth in slow cooker. 
2. warm oil in skillet. sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and cook until brown. transfer chicken to plate and drain fat from skillet. add onions and garlic; cook until softened. add onion mixture, chilies, jalepenos, water and cumin and chicken to slow cooker. stir. 
3. cook on low for 6 hours. remove chicken and shred, then return to slow cooker. 
4. serve. 

tomorrow, mom and i have another fun-filled day planned that i am looking forward to! needless to say i am exhausted tonight after our long day in nashville! 

xoxo,

clp 

fall break adventures: day 1 & a recipe

i guess today is technically day 1 of fall break and thank the good lord almighty that it is finally here! it officially started for me at exactly 1:01, the minute my finance class let out. i fueled up with coffee and then i was murfreesboro bound for the next 4 days! this semester has been great, but they don't lie when they say junior year is stressful and hard. fall break couldn't have come at a better time!

it was almost like christmas morning when i got home. i have ordered quite a few things and had them shipped home and my room was starting to look like santa's workshop! its sad how much fun i had opening the packages and everything fit so that was fantastic! also, mom and dad had the house all decorated for fall and halloween and it looked great! i love seasonal decorations!

next on my list of things to do when i got home was to make some pumpkin apple bread! mom and i have both been dying to make some so i decided i would have some waiting on her when she got home from work! the house smelled wonderful as it baked!

pumpkin apple bread

1.5 c whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp baking soda

3 egg whites

1/4 c Splenda brown sugar

1 c pumpkin puree

1/4 c plain greek yogurt

1/2 c unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp pumpkin spice

1 apple, sliced and diced

1/4 c crushed walnuts (optional)

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray one loaf pan with cooking spray.
2. in a large bowl, mix flour and baking soda.
3. in a medium bowl, mix egg whites and brown sugar. add pumpkin, yogurt, applesauce and spices until mixed well. 
4. mix wet batter with flour mixture until combined, but make sure not to over mix.
5. stir in apples. 
6. evenly pour batter into loaf pan. sprinkle walnuts on top of batter.
7. bake 50-60 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. 

(slightly adapted from Peanut Butter and Peppers)

hopefully, i will post about my fall break adventures every step of the way and share them with you! today hasn't too exciting but i am so happy to be at home with my family and even my cat! by the way, today being october 16th only means one thing: ONE  MONTH UNTIL MY BIRTHDAY! let the countdown begin!

xoxo,
clp

happy october!

"i am so glad we live in a world where there are octobers"

-l.m. montgomery 

happy october! october is one of my favorite months of the year! it brings so many of my favorite things and this year, october is spilling over with things i am planning to do.

october is already off to a great start with the revealing of the Alpha Chi Omega Lilly Pulitzer print! i may be a little bit biased but i think its the best sorority print yet. i am beyond obsessed with it and can't wait to order anything and everything that they put it on! i was afraid it was going to look too christmas-y since our colors are red and green, but in true Lilly fashion, they made it perfect! i also love that they not only incorporated our flower, the red carnation, but also our symbol, the lyre! i just can't get over how much i love it!

lilly pulitzer alpha chi omega print

my month of october is already almost totally planned out which means i will be a busy bee! however, most of it is fun activities with a side of schoolwork. the things i am most looking forward to this month are...

• this upcoming weekend's home football game: the whole family is coming up with a delicious tailgate in hand and it is the SEC home opener. i can't wait to see the vols run through the T in that smokey grey!
• cooking for my friends: i have already planned a chili and cornbread night with my best friends and then also planned a taco night with my alpha chi little and grandlittle. i love cooking for others and the off weekend from football was the perfect opportunity!
• i am going to my first barre3 class on the 12th and could not be more excited! i have always wanted to try out barre3 and i am finally getting the chance to do so. changing up my workout is always good for my body and i think this will be a great break from the cardio i usually do.   
• FALL BREAK! finally a couple of days off from school and it couldn't come at a better time. this girl needs some beautifying done (hair, eyebrows, nails, etc.), some murfreesboro and a little bit of nashville. mom has taken off from work the whole time i am home and we are going to nashville at least once, treating ourselves to IveyCake and just relax at home with daddy and phillip. i would love to go to a pumpkin patch and decorate the house for fall as well! 
• we also have many fun sorority events this month! sisterhood retreat is this sunday, founder's day is coming up and we also have a mixer or two. the new members will perform in LipSync later in the month and i'm sure they will put on a good show! 
• i am going to my first away game as a student this month too! it will most likely be a blood bath, but a group of us in Alpha Chi is road tripping down to Tuscaloosa for the UT vs Bama football game. i have heard away games are the most fun so i can't wait to see what is in store for us! 
• and of course, if its october that means that november comes next which mean my birthday is almost here! the countdown is on which means i will have to get started on the infamous birthday wishlist i make every year for my parents (which they usually laugh at)! 

this list doesn't even encompass the spur of the moment things and schoolwork that will come up. i love fall and october really is the official start of it for me. i am excited to cook some fall recipes and to break out my fall clothes (especially my boots)! life really does start over again when it gets crisp in the fall!

xoxo,
clp