Carrie Underwood and Sweet Potato Burgers

Let's face it: Southerners love anything with sweet potato. Sweet potato biscuits, fries, pancakes...you name it. Thankfully, one of my recent issues of SELF not only featured newly vegan Carrie Underwood on the cover, but had the genius to create (vegan!) sweet potato burgers. (Yes, this issue was from 2 months ago. Yes, that's how far behind I am in my magazine reading. So shoot me.)

Carrie Underwood, Queen of Vegans

Since I have nothing if not impeccable timing, I decided to create and photograph these rigggghhht when my roommates were in the middle of cooking their own dinner. Woops.

The look says it all: Please. Stop. Annoying. Us.

Hey, a blogger's gotta do what a blogger's gotta do. (Plus, I was really hungry and needed to take pictures before I scarfed them down.)

Will I eat both of these? Yes, yes I will. 

My $15 lighting set up , thanks to Taylor Takes a Taste

The verdict? Totally light and tasty, though probably not firm enough to hold their own on a grill. They tasted great coming right from the oven, which was just fine with me. (Especially since I wouldn't know how to light a grill if you paid me.) Plus, despite stuffing them into buns and slathering them with vegan mayo, I convinced myself that they were the healthiest food I'd ever eaten since (hello!)  they're made from sweet potatoes. Feel free to indulge and still look great in that Lilly bikini.

Ingredients

• 1 14 oz. can chikpeas, rinsed and drained
• Cooking spray
• 3 tablespoons tahini
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and grated

Directions

1. In a food processor, combine chikpeas, tahini, black pepper, baking powder, and 3/4 tsp. salt. Pulse until mixture holds together when pinched. (Scrape down sides as necessary.)

2. Transfer mixture to a bowl. 

3. Stir in grated sweet potato and add last 1/4 tsp salt. 

4. Form mixture into 4 burgers, place on baking sheet, and cover tightly with foil.

5. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, coat burgers with spray, and and bake until crisp underneath, 20 to 25 minutes.

6. Flip burgers, coat with spray, and bake until crisp on opposite side, 10 to 15 minutes. 

Serve on a whole wheat bun with some vegan mayo and Dijon mustard. Serves 4. 

Cheers, y'all!

Fashion Friday: Svelte Summer Sundresses

Summer has officially hit in Edenton. We almost made it to Cinco de Mayo before temps rose precariously into the 90s, but not quite.

Which means I'll just have to sip my margs while floating in the water vs. sitting on the dock. I think I'll survive.

Once Southern humidity descends, I stash my blow dryer for the season and dig out all of my light cotton sundresses. (There's something about sweltering heat that gives me a deep distaste for anything with a waistband. Or a bra strap.)

Since I plan on spending this summer recovering lounging, lounging, and (that's right) lounging some more, I'm considering the purchase of some comfy, go-anywhere cotton sundresses an investment. ("An investment" sounds a lot better than "I put this on my credit card", don't you think?)

This one's too cute for lounging on the back porch, but I wish I had a place to wear it:

Thea Maxi dress $69.99

Strappy and light, this aqua one would be perfect to throw on after a shower on my summer days that consist of nothing but working out, reading, and blogging:

j.crew Factory Drawstring Drop-Waist Dress $39.50

Strappy, cotton, and did I mention it was $20.00?

Target Juniors Skater Dress $20.00

This little yellow number would look great with some strappy sandals and wavy boho hair:

Target Slub Jersey Dress $20.00

I know there's not much to this one, but it looks like it would allow that whole no-bra thing that I'm really going for, which is #1 in my book:

Strapless Essentials Dress $24.99

Sigh. Unfortunately things like paying my bills tend to eat up my teachers salary before I can hit the stores. But hey, all that laying around this summer hopefully means that I'll be stashing plenty of cash that I can guiltlessly blow on slinky sundresses. Agreed?

Happy Friday ya'll!

Beer-garitas: It's All in the Wrist

In an attempt to escape the reality that is my life be fun last weekend, I hopped back in the car and headed to meet some friends in North Myrtle Beach. Like me, they love to drink margs and endlessly discuss the finer qualities of shows like Cougar Town and Happy Endings. Unlike me, they aren't teachers, so I knew I wouldn't have to talk about work. 

It's a win-win, really. 

Speaking of "win-win", Saturday night we made the brave attempt at making "beer-garitas", which are exactly what they sound like: beer + margaritas. I got the idea when I lived in New York, where the Mexican place around the corner from my apartment served a Red Nosed Bulldog: frozen marg with a Corona turned belly-up, topped with sangria. As you drank the margarita, more and more Corona would bubble out of the bottle and deliciously mix in with the tequila. 

It was heaven. 

My black bean salsa recipe on left, beer-garita on right. Yes, it's more delicious than it looks.

Luckily, Saturday night my girls took a leap of faith with me, and pay off it did. (That is, after my first few attempts to upturn the beer bottle into the marg, which ended with lots of frozen tequila slush all over the floor. Woops.) Trust me, it's worth the risk of having to mop the next day. See for yourself: 

Beer-garita 

Step 1: 

• 2 quarts ice cubes
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can frozen limeade concentrate (or lemonade if you're in a pinch)
• 12 fluid ounces tequila (measure with empty limeade can...oh yeaaaaah)
• 1/4 cup triple sec

Blend ingredients together. Avoid drinking directly out of the blender, as this makes you look like a lush.

Step 2: 

6 bottles of lime-flavored beer, such as Corona, Bud Light Lime, or Mich Ultra Lime.

Fill each glass about 1/2 full with frozen marg. Get the mouth of the bottle as close to the slush as possible, and quickly turn it upside down into the slush (do this over a sink). It should be completely vertical, otherwise it's just going to gurgle out and your glass will overflow. 

Top with lime wedge for garnish. Add straw and enjoy. 

Cheers, ya'll!

30 Day Shred + Lilly Bikinis

Spring Break have come and gone, but my desire for a beach body hasn't waned. (The desire is heightened by the fact that Spring Break drinking has made my pants just a littttle bit harder to button. Gross.)

Basically, my 0.5 mph after-school strolls around neighborhood aren't cutting it when it comes to losing weight. Inspired by my super-hot friend Jamie, I picked up Jillian Micheal's 30 Day Shred at Wal-mart on my way back from the beach this weekend. 

The basic premise: there are three different levels, each increasing in intensity. The program is designed to do Level 1 for 10 days, Level 2 for 10 days, and so on. 

Oh, and the other thing? You have to do it every. single. day....for 30 days. 

Since I this will be my first summer off...ever...I plan on spending a LOT of time at the beach, and I've finally reached the point of desperation motivation where I'm willing to do something like this. 

I started Sunday, then yesterday decided to be a rockstar and do Zumba + 30 Day Shred. Today will be Pilates + 30 Day Shred. 

Can we say "modeling career"? Oh yeah. 

The light at the end of the tunnel? I've told myself that if I can actually stick with the program for 30 days, I can buy myself a Lilly bathing suit: 

Boardwalk Bikini Ties Top and Sandy Ties Bottom 

Lilly Keene bandeau and Surf's Up Bottom 

So, despite the fact that my arms may fall off of my body at any minute, I think it's worth it. Summer 2012, here I come.

Magic Teaching Pants

Cafe Capri in Abstract Leopard (I die.)

I may have discovered the secret to teaching middle school:

Cute clothes.

Not joking. Besides giving you me that pep in my step that only a great outfit can, showing that you actually take care of yourself and your appearance seems to show students that you are, actually, Somebody. Plus, my female students write about my outfits in their journals. (Um, the fat, frumpy, middle schooler in me is dying that someone is writing about my clothes in their journal. Dying.)

Also, the best teaching pant ever? The j. crew cafe capri in...every.single.color. Not only are they comfortable enough to sit on the floor if need be, they make me feel a little Jackie-O -ish when I pair them with low heels and a boatneck. Die.

Cafe Capri in Dazzling Sun

How. Awesome. Are. They.

Cafe Capri in Warm Jade

Cafe Capri in Fresco Floral Sateen

I could keep going...forever. The best way to stock up? Score them at the outlets. Did I mention j.crew gives a 15% teacher discount on sale items as well? Done and done. Sorry, credit card.

Three Little Birds

Trust me, it seems even farther when you realize you have to walk alllll the way back

I spent the last weekend of my (incredible, perfect, amazing) Spring Break in Charleston with my amazing friend Lindsay. Friday morning, I somehow thought it would be a greaaat idea to walk the Cooper River Bridge in Charleston....all 5.2 miles of it. Let's just say that about halfway through, Linds had to put up with me crossing my arms, stomping my foot, and pushing my lower lip out like a 2 year old. (At which point she kindly reminded me that our car was back at the other end of the bridge, so if I ever wanted to make it home, I was eventually going to have to start walking. Touche.)

Yes, I Insta-grammed. So shoot me. 

 Luckily, you can convince me to do pretty much anything if there is a food-related reward at the end. Since Linds know me all too well, she took me to Three Little Birds, a cafe on James Island that has vegan breakfast items.

 Unfortunately for her, I got a little "hangry" (hungry + angry) and could barely put a cohesive sentence together. (Unless you consider "Where the heck is our waitress I need a coffee IV drip nooooooooow" a cohesive sentence.)

Post workout, but happy to be fed

Eventually, I chowed down on the Breakfast Burrito: black beans, sweet potatoes, and peppers stuffed into a spinach wrap and doused with salsa verde. Yum. With calories and caffeine coursing through my bloodstream, I was semi-pleasant to be around. I think I might have carried on an actual conversation as well.

Sigh. Now I'm back in the land guzzling a smoothie on the way to work. Not quite the same. On the bright side? I'm not having a mid-bridge meltdown either.

Bull in a Lilly Shop

I was a very bad girl yesterday. 

But how could I be good when:

1) birthday money was practically burning a hole in my pocket, and 

2) the Lilly store in Southpark was practically beckoning me to enter?

The short answer: I couldn't.  

 They politely let me snap some pictures of the gorgeous store on my phone (perhaps because it was clad in a Lilly cover?). Check it out:

If only my kitchen cabinets looked like this...

Yum. How much longer until the Phi Mu print is out?

I tried to steal this couch, but didn't get very far.

Just gimme.

I was there for a purpose (other than drooling all over myself): buying a dress for my cousin's (Royar's brother) upcoming graduation from Hampden-Sydney.

The staff was incredibly kind to me as I paraded around the store, asking them questions like "Is this too casual for a graduation party/outdoor fete/all around debauchery?" (Their answer: No.) 

I walked away with the Somerset dress in this print:

Somerset dress in Worth Blue May Flowers $108.00

I haven't quite mastered the hands on hips aloof look yet, but I'm working on it. 

And, for my vegan travels, a roomy cooler (bottle opener and corkscrew included):

Insulated Cooler $32.00

However, you know you have (financial) issues when you go to pull out your wallet at said Lilly store, and two Lilly koozies fall out of your purse. Woops.

Isn't the first step to recovery admitting you have a problem?

I'm in Charleston for the last leg of my Spring Break...hope you are relaxed and happy wherever you are. Happy Friday, ya'll!