clicks of note: i'm feelin' 32...

get your week off to a colorful start...

How are you all doing this week? Today just so happens to be my 32nd birthday and the first official day of summer break. This weekend we visited a favorite brewery and food truck, visited Roanoke's new Mellow Mushroom, and went to see a Beatles tribute band perform in the park. Today I'll be celebrating my birthday with my Bible study, and tomorrow we're going line dancing! This summer, it's time to stop being jealous of other people's lives on Instagram and really get out there and live my own.

SWOON.

Landon Jacob Photography via Southern Weddings

• From SW, a colorful and fun Magnolia Plantation wedding.
• Found Rentals' perfect midcentury modern wedding shoot.
• This Tuscany wedding from Ruffled is what dreams are made of.
• A sweet San Francisco e-sesh for a dancer and musician.

SMILE.

• The Love Actually short sequel has arrived in the U.S.!
• A blueberry peach chia bowl (How Sweet Eats) looks yummy.
• "Astrology Is Fake, But Brad Pitt Got Owned By A Gemini."
• Little girls are better at designing superheroes than... anyone.

FLASHBACK.

• 2016: olive chinos styled two ways.
• 2015: My 80's birthday inspiration board.
• 2014: the #1 hit songs from my birthday every year, spring blog loves, and spring in IG.
• 2013: May entertainment faves.
• 2011: memorial day party inspiration, my "venue twins," and our invitations.

#5FandomFriday: Favorite Seasonal Foods

5 Fandom Friday is a weekly prompt challenge hosted by The Nerdy Girlie and Super Space Chick. This week's #5FandomFriday topic isn't specifically geeky, but it's a great topic for autumn - favorite seasonal foods. You can see the upcoming prompts here at the Female Geek Bloggers community.

• Butternut squash ravioli - Panera's version of this dish is so good that I'm determined to make my own. I love that this Williams-Sonoma recipe uses wanton wrappers instead of homemade pasta!

• Apple rosemary pork loin - Breeze made some crock pot pork loin with apples and onions last year for Pumpkinfest and I have been dreaming of that dinner ever since. 

• Pumpkin pie oatmeal - I posted my recipe for a healthy fall breakfast back in 2012 and it's still my favorite. On days when I don't wake up early enough to cook, I stir a spoonful of canned pumpkin into instant oatmeal and add pecans and Craisins. Fall in a bowl!

• Apple cider doughnuts - In college, it was a tradition to go apple picking at Carter Mountain Orchard, which is famous for their apple cider doughnuts. My friend Debbie served them at her wedding!

• Pumpkin streussel - I discovered this recipe in college when I needed a dish for a potluck harvest dinner, and it has become a favorite at my family's Thanksgiving celebrations. SO good, and it's made from a boxed yellow cake mix!

What are your favorite fall foods?

breakfast recipe: pumpkin pie oatmeal

In fall, I love everything pumpkin.  One of my favorite breakfast recipes is pumpkin pie oatmeal.  It takes only a few minutes to put together and heat up, and if you make a big batch on the weekend you can have oatmeal for breakfast all week (reheat in the microwave or by adding a little boiling hot water).  This is a healthy recipe designed to boost your metabolism for the rest of the day.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

- 1 cup rolled steel cut oats

- 1 cup pumpkin puree

- 2 tbsp unpasteurized local honey

- 2 tbsp cold pressed flaxseed oil

- 2 tbsp cinnamon

- 1 tbsp ground nutmeg

- 6-8 tbsp ground flax meal

- 2 cups filtered water, boiling hot

- 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

1. Combine oats, pumpkin, flax meal, honey, and oil in a medium saucepan.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg and give it a good stir.  

2. Pour boiling water on top and cook quickly on the stove until it starts to bubble.  Do not allow the oatmeal to simmer on the stove if you are health conscious; the longer you cook it the more the sugars in the oats are activated.  Serve with a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice on top.

Switch it up!

- Try using 1/2 cup pumpkin puree and 1/2 cup apple sauce or apple butter

- For a less healthy version that is more like a real pumpkin pie, substitute 6-8 tbsp graham cracker crumbs for the flax meal

Adapted from Metabolic Bootcamp Protocol Recipes by Thomas Baader, D.C. (2006)

Linking up to Creative Thursday at Michelle's Tasty Creations, Friday Flair at Whipper Berry, Super Sweet Saturday at Sweet Boutique, Weekend Potluck at The Country Cook, and Food on Friday at Carole's Chatter