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! 

weekend recap: murfreesboro adventures and a recipe

i love weekends like this weekend. staying in murfreesboro all weekend really makes me appreciate what it has to offer.

saturday started off with the weekly trip to the murfreesboro saturday farmer's market on the square to get fresh, local fruits and vegetables with my mom. we love going to the market each week not only because the products are amazing, but it is also a social outing! i have yet to go to the market and not see someone i know! this week we loaded up on green beans, crowder peas, corn, peaches, blueberries, zucchini, watermelon, cantaloupe and bell peppers!

my mom, dad and i also toured Mayday Brewery on saturday! it was a really cool, laid-back local brewery with four different beers with names like boro blonde and angry redhead (my favorite for obvious reasons). the brewery also has live music at night and a deck and a food truck that makes it a fun place to hang out!

the "angry redhead" herself... 

inside the brewery...

saturday night was a favorite in our house: tamale night! mom buys authentic tamales from a lady who makes them for a church fundraiser and they are beyond good! between my homemade guacamole, salsa from la siesta, and chicken tamales, its safe to say we ate well! 

today i have deemed "birthday sunday" to celebrate my mom's birthday even though it isn't for another two weeks. i won't be home on her actual birthday but i still wanted to do something special. today will consist of some of her favorite things: her "cruise ship" breakfast (salmon, capers and cream cheese), laying by the pool, my homemade pimento cheese for lunch (recipe below), tomato gnocchi and salmon (chicken for me, the non-seafood lover) with salad for dinner and her strawberry cake for dessert! 

healthier pimento cheese

1/2 cup non-fat plain greek yogurt

1 4 oz jar diced pimentos, drained

1 tsp finely grated onion

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp ground red pepper 

1 8 oz block Cabot Extra Light White Cheddar cheese, finely shredded

1/2 8 oz block Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar cheese, finely shredded

stir together ingredients and serve.

(adapted from Southern Living's Classic Pimento Cheese) 

tomorrow starts my last week at home before heading back to school! i do really miss my friends and sisters in knoxville and can't wait to see them, but i am really going to miss being home too. this week will be spent getting everything ready to go backs to school- from hair appointments to getting my emissions checked. i can already tell my clothes are going to be a real problem when it comes to packing. in addition to packing, i am going to cram every last minute fun thing i wanted to do this summer into this week! wish me luck!

xoxo, 

clp 

p.s. its shark week y'all!