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! 

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! 

whirlwind of a week

well the first week of junior year (if three days qualifies as a week) has come to an end and i am glad it is over. it has been a whirlwind of a week. thankfully it is the weekend and i am hoping to let myself relax some and rest.

yesterday was a busy day despite having only one class. i would rather have none at all but one at 12:20 on a friday is nothing to really complain about. i did get to spend two hours of my friday afternoon at the genius bar getting them to install windows on my mac (oh the irony). though it took way longer than i expected, they did get my computer to run all the programs i need for class. i was there so long that i lusted over a kate spade phone case so long that eventually i convinced myself i just had to have it.

this morning i woke up and went to power hot yoga at Real Hot Yoga here in knoxville. i love going to hot yoga. not only do you sweat out all your body's toxins, but it also gives you a great strength workout and is a nice break from cardio.

i also made a trip to another one of my favorite places, Trader Joe's. i like grocery shopping at trader joe's because they offer healthy, organic foods at a lower price point than what you find the same products for at larger supermarkets. while they don't have absolutely everything on your shopping list, they do have a great selection of produce and their brand is top-notch. they also sell things that are exclusive to only their stores, such as their infamous cookie butter (which i have yet to try but am going to soon). today, along with many fruits and veggies, i picked up some of their frozen tamales, ravioli and their layered hummus, all of which i have heard are excellent. trader joe's is definitely one of my preferred places to grocery shop.

at the grocery store, i try to buy only what i know i am going to eat. i plan my meals out extensively so i don't waste any food, especially since i buy so much produce that will go bad. meal planning also helps to control your budget and helps with weight management. i find that i spend less because i buy only what i need. meal planning helps to manage weight because you see exactly what you are eating. though it can be time consuming and isn't as flexible, it has more advantages than disadvantages.

today is the last day of formal recruitment and i am quite excited for bid day tomorrow! not only will things get back to normal, but we will get our new pretty little lyres! since i have been on the setup committee i have not seen how the rounds are going firsthand, but i hear that alpha chi omega is a force to be reckoned with! i look forward to seeing who will be wearing our letters!

i made myself breakfast for dinner tonight! this was a quick and easy meal that came together in less than thirty minutes. i didn't want anything too heavy tonight so i fixed zucchini corn cakes with a fried egg, turkey sausage and added a sliced tomato and some watermelon and cantaloupe on the side. the recipe makes just enough for one, but can easily be doubled.

zucchini and corn cakes

1 large egg

2 tbsp + 1 tsp milk

2 tbsp + 1 tsp whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup corn kernels (i used canned)

3/4 c grated zucchini

1/4 c chopped onion

pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, etc. to taste

tabasco, if desired

goat cheese or feta cheese, if desired

1. Stir together all ingredients in mixing bowl until combined. 
2. Drop batter in 1/4 cup measures into heated skillet (sprayed with PAM!). Cook until browned on both sides. 
3. Serve warm, topped with cheese or tabasco hot sauce if desired. 

(adapted from Whole Foods Market)

today is one of my most favorite person in the world's birthday. my sweet, sweet grandmother is celebrating another year of her fabulous life. she, like my mama, is one of people i look up to the most. her life has been nothing short of admirable and i hope i can be half the woman she is. she is the source of my red hair which i am now and forever grateful for.

my mawsie, as she is affectionately known, has always been my biggest fan. the time i spend with her is time that i cherish the most. i know she is always just a call away when i am in knoxville or a five minute drive from my house in murfreesboro. so, happy birthday mawsie and here's to many more years of you! 

xoxo,
clp

p.s. coming tomorrow: favorite september arrivals from j.crew!