some tricks, lots of treats

because making anything halloween themed is fun.

dirt cake trifle

1 package regular Oreos

2 large boxes sugar free instant chocolate pudding

6 cups skim milk 

8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup splenda

1 8 oz container sugar free cool whip, slightly softened

candy corn, pumpkin candies, optional

1. put all cookies into large plastic ziplock bag and crush until they resemble "dirt" 
2. mix both boxes of pudding together according to package directions in a large bowl. set aside while the pudding sets.
3. meanwhile, beat cream cheese, sugar and splenda together
4. fold in cool whip and beat until incorporated
5. mix cool cream cheese and cool whip sugar mixture with pudding. beat until the two are combined.
6. layer 1/3 of oreo crumbles on the bottom of your trifle bowl. top with layer of 1/2 of pudding. next layer 1/3 of oreo crumbles then top with remaining pudding. dump the remaining crushed cookies on top. 
7. add seasonal decorations of choice (or leave plain and simple and serve all year!)
8. store in fridge

xoxo,

clp

happy halloween + DIY costume

happy halloween y'all! though i may be too old to go door-to-door trick or treating like in the good ole days, i'm not too old to play dress up! because as kate spade says, "playing dress up begins at age five and truly never ends." so, after many costume considerations, this year i decided to be audrey hepburn as miss holly golightly from breakfast at tiffany's. and no, not the typical pearls and black dress holly, but the sleepy but still fabulous holly, eye mask and all.

(source: calder clark)

since i had the grand idea to be miss audrey just this morning (i had originally planned to just be a cat), i didn't have the time to order the mask. instead, i found this DIY from martha stewart and got my crafty skills going! i think it really turned out well and also had the bonus of costing under $15 and being easy to make! 

stay tuned tomorrow for the full costume reveal! 

xoxo,

clp

some like it hot

i began this cool saturday morning with one of my favorite alternative workouts, hot yoga! i do hot yoga here in knoxville at Real Hot Yoga and love it! everyone is so nice and the instructors are great. not to mention, it is a workout. the benefits of yoga are many and when you add in a 95 degree heated room, the benefits are even greater. my favorite hot yoga class is hot power yoga which i took today. it is a combination of various poses and sequences that strengthen and tone and the "hot" element ramps up your workout by adding a cardiovascular workout and a detox! it was a great break from regular cardio and my muscles feel stretched and as a whole, i feel cleansed. afterwards, i stopped in trader joe's (they are next door to each other - so convenient) and was the definition of the classic yoga and organic food cliche.

i wanted to share my costume from last night's costume-birthday party since i think it turned out pretty cute. it was definitely one of the easiest costumes to put together! all i had to buy was the shirt since i had everything else on hand so it was also a budget friendly costume! happy (late) halloween from your one and only red-headed pumpkin!

the temperature dropped quite a bit which to me means its a perfect night for taco soup! this is an original claire recipe and it is a family favorite! it can be easily adjusted according to what you like and you can make it meatless if you prefer. i think i make it different every time and it always turns out delicious. this time instead of chopped jalepenos, i threw in some chili peppers in adobo sauce to kick the spice up quite a bit. i also used diced fire roasted tomatoes with green chiles instead of the can of rotel. it is so adaptable so make it yours! it makes a crockpot full so it can serve a crowd but also freezes wonderfully! tonight i am making some jalepeno cornbread to serve along with the soup as the perfect complement!

taco soup

1/2-1 lb cooked ground beef with taco seasoning

1 c diced onion (i used frozen)

1 c chopped or sliced bell peppers (i used frozen) 

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup corn (i used frozen)

1 can pinto beans

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can mexican stewed tomatoes

1 can hot rotel

diced jalepenos

cumin, red pepper, to taste

garlic, to taste

up to 1 cup water, as needed

cilantro

diced avocado, onion, sour cream, shredded cheese or other toppings of choice

1. combine all ingredients in a crockpot or large soup pot on stove. let simmer/warm on low. 
2. serve with toppings of choice.

mom and dad are here for their parent's council fall retreat so we are going to have taco soup and cornbread tonight and watch UT hopefully win against Missouri. i have had such a perfect weekend so far. not to mention, east tennessee is absolutely beautiful this time of year which makes me love fall even more. the view from my bedroom window could not be any prettier! 

fingers crossed for a Volunteer win tonight and have a great rest of your saturday!

xoxo,

clp

p.s. countdown to 21: 2 weeks! 

all pumpkin everything, throwback thursday & a recipe

y'all! i have had over 10,000 pageviews! what a milestone for me! i just want to start out by saying thank you so much to my readers! because of you, i can do this! please continue to read and share with your friends!

since its thursday, that means its throwback time! once again, its a halloween throwback featuring two of my favorite people in the whole wide world! i don't know what i would do without my Gerhart girls who i have known since birth!

i am on the biggest pumpkin kick ever! pumpkin coffee, pumpkin crepes, pumpkin oatmeal, pumpkin brownies and tonight was pumpkin pasta and pumpkin cookies! pumpkin boasts health benefits too! it has loads of vitamin A, fiber, and vitamin C as well as many other nutrients. tonight for supper i wanted some non-traditional, savory pasta so i decided to try out a recipe for pumpkin sauce that i found online at Created By Diane. i plan on serving it over whole wheat shells with maple chicken apple sausage and a side salad. also, i already made up some cookie dough for later on. pumpkin for dinner and for dessert! these cookies are yummy and healthy and the dough can be refrigerated so you only have to cook your desired amount at a time! 

pumpkin oat cookies

1 1/4 c oat flour (or 1.5 cups oats ground in blender until flour consistency)

1/4 cup Splenda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin spice

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder 

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup pumpkin puree 

3 tbsp egg whites 

dark chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, nuts, craisins or other mix-ins of choice

1. preheat the oven to 350 degrees. spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
2. in medium size bowl, mix together wet ingredients (applesauce, pumpkin and egg whites). add in the dry ingredients and mix well. stir in mix-ins of choice. 
3. scoop 1/8 cup or 2 tbsp of dough into each muffin tin. these cookies don't spread so mold them to fit the muffin tin. bake for 10 minutes or until set. 

(slightly adapted from Dashing Dish)

some other pumpkin recipes i am dying to try are:

• Skinny Pumpkin Pancakes
• Pumpkin Quinoa Risotto
• Slow-cooker Pumpkin Sausage Chili
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars
• Low Calorie Pumpkin Cream Muffins

tomorrow begins Bama Weekend and i am so excited! i crossed most everything off my to-do list and we are Bama Bound the minute everyone is out of class. lucky for me, my one class got cancelled tomorrow so i can be ready whenever! pictures and stories are to come i'm sure! go vols! 

xoxo,

clp 

halloween throwback thursday & a recipe

happy fall y'all! i think fall has finally arrived here in tennessee! fall could possibly be my favorite season of the year (even though i say that every time the season changes). what is better than vests, corduroys, l.l. bean boots and scarves? with fall comes football, bonfires, and corn mazes as well as fall foods such as squash, apples and pumpkin. so, in the spirit of halloween and it being throwback thursday, i am sharing some halloween and fall pictures from years past. i find most of them to be quite funny and its obvious that being a witch was my go-to costume (maybe that should be telling me something?)! the "campbell court gang" always trick-or-treated together every year and there was always quite the assortment of costumes. halloween is one of my favorite memories from my childhood and i loved looking through these pictures!

on a different subject, my thursday was made today when this popped up on my phone:

its safe to say i almost had a heart attack. i was quite excited! i mean, everyone that follows Lilly Pulitzer on Twitter saw my tweet. my tweet! it may not be headlining news, but for me it made my day! one of those little things! and Lilly's reusable bags really do make grocery shopping even more fun (i love going to the store - gives me ideas for meals)! i get compliments on them almost every time i go to the store!

and to round off this post, i thought i would include a breakfast recipe! i had this this morning and it was so good! it could even be a healthy dessert!

breakfast banana pudding for one

"cookie layer"

1/3 cup oat flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp better 'n' peanut butter

1/2 large banana, mashed

1 tbsp unsweetened vanilla almond milk 

1 tsp vanilla

"pudding layer"

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

1/2 large banana, sliced

strawberries, blueberries, pecans, walnuts, cinnamon, honey, etc. for topping

1. in a bowl or container with lid (i usually use a round Ziploc container with a screw-on lid), combine "cookie layer" ingredients and mix well until a "dough" is formed. spread evenly on bottom of container. 
2. spread the "pudding" greek yogurt over the dough layer. then layer sliced bananas. 
3. top with additional cinnamon and toppings of choice. 
4. serve immediately or refrigerate overnight.  

enjoy!

xoxo,

clp