lazy sunday morning: OOTD and 2 recipes

happy sunday everyone!

yesterday was busy but successful! today, i wanted to do a quick post with one of my outfits from yesterday (i forgot to take a picture in what i wore for our photography session) and share two recipes that were both hits!

j. crew linen v-neck, lilly pulitzer linen beach pant, tory burch sandals,

lilly pulitzer "shell yeah" necklace, michael kors watch, alex & ani AXO bracelet, lily & laura beaded bracelet 

i made this hummus last night to complement our italian meal! everyone kept saying they loved it so i thought i would share! 

artichoke hummus

1 can rinsed and drained garbanzo beans (chickpeas)

1 can artichoke hearts, halfway drained

2 cloves garlic

basil, oregano, pepper, and parsley to taste 

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth or to desired consistency. Serve chilled with crackers, pita chips or veggies. 

(slightly modified from Dessert for Two)

i made a special sunday morning breakfast this morning since i was up early as usual! these are our favorite pancakes because you can choose any mix-ins that you would like and any syrup/topping that you prefer. usually we put blueberries in them but this morning, i made them plain and topped them with chopped peaches, Atlanta Fresh greek yogurt cream cheese in apricot honey riesling and cinnamon. with a cup of coffee, a glass of high-pulp OJ and some bananas and berries, it was a healthy and filling breakfast! 

whole wheat pancakes

2 cups whole wheat flour 

4 1/2 tsp baking powder 

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp Splenda 

1/3 cup egg whites

2 cups + 2 tbsp unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 tsp vanilla 

cooking spray 

1. mix all dry ingredients together then stir in wet ingredients. mix well until there are no dry spots. 
2. in a large, heated skillet, sprayed with non-stick spray, pour 1/4 cup of pancake batter (i can usually fit about four at a time in our skillet). flip pancake when it starts to bubble (add fruit before flipping if you wish). repeat with the remaining batter.
3. makes about 14 pancakes that can be frozen and reheated! 

(adapted from Skinnytaste)

hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend! i am off to pack up everything (and by everything, i mean everything) so i can head to knoxville tomorrow to start my junior year! 

xoxo,

clp 

last summer saturday in the boro

today is my last saturday in murfreesboro for a while and it is a busy one!

this morning came super early because i ran the Fenton, Payne and Fred 5k with Alex, my older cousin.  i have only run 2 other 5k's, but i think they are really a fun way to donate to charity. this race's proceeds go towards multiple organizations in murfreesboro which is a plus. also, the race's route was really nice, especially since my grandparents and aunt and uncle could walk out their front doors and cheer us on!

alex and i pre-race

and i'm off! 

i ran it in 27 minutes and 41 seconds and placed 192/702 overall and 4th in my age group! pretty happy with my results since i hadn't run a mile, much less 3, since early may!

after the race, dad and i went to the farmer's market on the square for our weekly trip! i loaded up on veggies and fruits to take back to knoxville with me! i really am going to miss the market on saturdays, but UT has one on wednesday afternoons on the ag campus that i will have to visit!

i mixed up a batch of my go-to granola this morning as well. it is a breakfast staple in our house so i wanted to make sure mom and dad had some for after i left and that i had some since i have a busy couple of weeks coming up. it is a simple recipe but i like it that way because you can mix it with just about anything. we like ours over yogurt or with kefir and any kind of fruit. here's the recipe:

claire's go-to granola

2 c Old Fashioned Oats

1 T Cinnamon

1 T Vegetable Oil

2 T Honey

2 T Splenda Brown Sugar Blend (or 1/4 c Regular Brown Sugar)

1 t Vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. In mixing bowl, combine cinnamon, vegetable oil, honey, brown sugar and vanilla. Stir.
3. Stir in oats until oats are fully coated.
4. Spread on baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
5. Take granola out and flip with spatula. Bake another 15 minutes.
6. Cool completely and store in airtight container. 

this afternoon is going to be busy as well. there are four birthdays in our family during the month of august and since all the grandkids are home, everyone is coming to our house to celebrate. to make it easy on the birthday girls (who would have ended up doing most of the cooking), we ordered pasta, soup, salad and bread from demos' and i am already looking forward to it! we will top off the meal with birthday cake of course!

before supper we are having pictures made of the six grandkids for my grandmother. we attempted this two years ago and the whole thing was a catastrophe from start to finish. mom and i were in tears from laughing so hard when we got the proofs back. however, we are using the talented Angel Pardue today and we are having her take casual shots outside. i feel like i have been recruited as the personal shopper for everyone on what they will wear and am loving it! hopefully these photos turn out much better than the last ones!

amidst all this, i am also trying to get packed up to head back to knoxville on monday. i can't believe that summer has come to an end so quickly but i am looking forward to seeing my sisters and friends in knoxville and moving into my first college apartment. the packing list keeps on growing and growing, along with the piles of stuff that are ready to be loaded in the car tomorrow. hopefully we will have most everything done by early afternoon tomorrow so i can lay by the pool!

happy saturday to all & xoxo,
clp

ten things i'm loving this thursday

1. Gillian Flynn, author of Sharp Objects, Dark Places and Gone Girl: i have only read her first book, Sharp Objects, but i couldn't put it down! It was kinda dark and a little bit graphic, but it was one of the best novels i have read in a while! i picked up Dark Places today and plan on starting it as soon as i can!  
2. HGTV magazine: i have only gotten two issues of it but it is such a good home decor magazine! i was a little bit wary of it for some reason but i got it anyway and i am obsessed with it! we even subscribed to it today! it offers a great mix of high and low price products, easy and affordable DIYs and decorating tips from great designers. 
3. Target: who doesn't love Target? when i'm at school, my weekly trip to Target serves as a stress reliever. in the past year or so, Target has really upped their game. they have cute, affordable clothes, adorable home decor and now even groceries! i think the majority of the things for my apartment at school have come from Target and i couldn't be happier with how they look! 
4. Lilly Pulitzer's fall collection: i love lilly pulitzer. the more colorful my outfit, the better. every season i can't imagine how they can top the last, but somehow they always do. this fall is no exception to the trend. the collection stays true to her bright colors and prints, but is also on trend for the season. the lifeguard press stationary and gifts collection is cute too. i can't wait to purchase a few of the items! 
5. kate spade new york's fall collection: kate spade's fall collection is all about new york city, one of the "twenty five things we love". i am particularly in love with it because of my recent trip to nyc where i fell in love with the city. the collection has adorable clothes and quirky accessories that pay tribute to all things new york. i will hopefully be acquiring some of the pieces in the near future! 
6. skorts: i love them. always thought they were soccer mom-ish but the tides have changed. i bought my first one from athleta the other day and it had little ruffles on it! i loved it so much i got a bright pink one the other day that is from target's C9 by Champion brand! they are great to work out in or wear around town running errands and perfect for any age! 
7. picture albums: i know it may be old-fashioned and no one really develops their pictures anymore, but i love putting pictures in photo albums. it is so much fun sitting on the couch going through an album and remembering the exact moment the picture was taken. 
8. Homeland: i finally joined the rest of the country and am hooked on Homeland. we thought the first episode we caught was so good that we ordered the whole first season and we are already done with the first disc and it just came yesterday! the plot continues to thicken with each episode and claire danes excels at playing her character. each episode leaves you wanting to watch another! 
9. my Lilly Pulitzer planner: i am a planner to the extreme and my Lilly planner is the reason i stay sane. i broke out the new planner for this school year and somehow between school, alpha chi omega and life in general, there is pink ink everywhere in it! still, it keeps me organized and i highly encourage a day planner to anyone. 
10. blogging: i have really taken a liking to blogging! i hope y'all are enjoying reading it as much as i am enjoying writing it. any suggestions are welcomed and i hope to post more recipes, DIYs and maybe some workouts soon too! 

xoxo,

clp

p.s. how bout them braves y'all? 13 streak! 

just another tuesday and a recipe

today was absolutely perfect! of course, it began with my morning MAC trip which consisted of 45 minutes of cardio (stairclimber, elliptical and treadmill) and ab work.

after workouts, i then met my grandmother and cousins at Goodness Gracious Cafe, which may just be the best restaurant in murfreesboro! they serve breakfast, brunch and lunch and the mushroom burger i can't seem to stray from is to die for. i didn't see one thing come out of the kitchen that didn't look delicious. i always love having lunch with my mawsie (my grandmother on my mom's side) and my cousins.

OOTD

louis vuitton bandeau worn as headscarf, tory burch logo earrings, j. crew dress, tory burch sandals

mawsie, erin and i also went to target for a quick trip but ended up being there for over 2 hours. we had so much fun picking out clothes for my younger cousins and for ourselves! i had to practice some self-constraint but ended up getting some workout wear! everything target has, from clothes to home decor, is adorable and i know i'll be back at target soon enough! 

i came home to a surprise again today (i love my surprises). my grandmother on my dad's side had dropped off the tomato relish and pepper relish she makes (with my dad's help on the pepper relish)! her relish compares to none and i am so lucky she shared it with us!  

colorful tomato and pepper relish from grandmommy

and last but not least, a recipe for y'all! we had these last night served over cornbread made in the waffle iron (so good!) with a side of Central Texas Slaw and watermelon! i first had these beans at one of my best friend's birthday suppers and had to ask for the recipe! it comes from a friend that we consider part of the family, talented-portrait artist, Mary Miller Veazie. it is a true southern summer dish that can be served as an entree or a side and is perfect for a potluck or bbq! so without further ado, i bring you Mrs. Veazie's Cowboy Baked Beans!

Cowboy Baked Beans

1 lb extra lean ground beef

1/2 lb reduced-sodium bacon

1/2 C chopped onion

53 oz can of baked beans

15 oz can of lima beans

15 oz can black eyed peas

1/3 C ketchup

1/2 C brown sugar*

2 TBS vinegar

1 TBS dry mustard

Pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Brown ground beef & sauté onions. 
3. Cook bacon until crispy and crumble.
4. Dump all ingredients together in large, deep casserole dish and stir together. 
5. Bake covered for at least 45 minutes or until hot throughout.  

*I used 1/4 cup Splenda Brown Sugar Blend

xoxo,

clp