Lavender Lemonade

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When I was little, the Sam's size Country Time powered lemonade mix was a staple in our pantry. It was perfect to mix up on summer days or for impromptu lemonade stands. Lemonade is something that has sort of escaped my radar, it's super underrated I just always forget about it.

My lavender cupcakes sent me on a lavender high. While running into a friend the other day she told me how she likes to make lavender lemonade and even went to a lavender festival out in the boondocks of Oklahoma once! Lavender lemonade struck my taste buds and I knew I needed to search for a recipe. Little did I know, a recipe was right under my nose. 

My newest blogging for books cookbook came in a few weeks ago. This time I selected Pure Food written by the founder of Pure Bars, Veronica Bosgraaf. Veronica cooks clean, plant-based food in a simple way that anyone can enjoy. I love how she splits the cookbook up by each month. This recipe for homemade lemonade was found in the June section! I love how this lavender lemonade turned out and I promise it's as easy as the powder stuff minus all the additives!

Lavender Lemonade from Pure Food

Ingredients:
6 cups cold water
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
1/2 cup sugar, blended
3 sprigs of lavender

Directions:
In a pitcher combine cold water and lemon juice. In a food processor or blender, process your sugar for just a few seconds to get it superfine. This will allow it to dissolve easier. Take your lavender and roll it on a cutting board to get the aromas activated. Chop the sprigs roughly and add to the pitcher. Let all the flavors combine and chill in the fridge. 

Serve your lemonade over ice with a sprig of lavender and a lemon wedge!

I easily found my lavender at Whole Foods, just look next to the other fresh herbs. I have a feeling a pitcher of this lavender lemonade is going to be a new staple in my fridge this summer! Take a sip!

Annie

I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. If you are also a blogger make sure to check out their site on how you too can start Blogging for Books!

City Guide: OKC

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[UPDATE 8/22/18] Oklahoma City. I love this place, but I'll be honest I didn't always love it. I grew up outside the city in the burbs and loved my suburbian bubble. In the past few years OKC has evolved and changed in front of my eyes. It's the place I now call home and I love living here in the heart of all it's growth.

Below is a complied list of my favorite coffeeshops, restaurants, pick-me-ups and shops. List is subject to change, as my city continues to grow.

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photo opp wall at 405 Yoga

Fitness:
Barre3
Soul Yoga
Cyclebar

Do you live in the city, are you new to the city, or will you be visiting soon? Locals or newbies, I hope you enjoy my list. Feel free to email me at annie@takeabiteblog.com if you need any more recs or suggestions on what to order!

Annie

Kale Yeah!

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So remember my February failures? Well, I vowed to make March more successful, starting with cooking more from my cookbook collection. Check! I made two cookbook recipes recently that I know you're going to love. First up, I'm sharing this recipe for Kale Pesto from True Foods. If you've ever eaten at True Food Kitchen then you now what kind of deliciousness I'm talking about. If you live in a city with one I am extremely jealous of you. This recipe is from the cookbook of this amazing restaurant. 
Before I left for Vegas it was my normal routine of me being my parent's kitchen at all times. When I'm home I think I spend more time in the kitchen than my own room...ya, I definitely do. So to kick off the season of spring cooking I made these scallops with kale pesto and a side of pepper jack grits. Highlight of the meal was the pesto. It went a long way so we grilled it on shrimp the next night and used it in our favorite Barefoot Contessa salad. 

I quickly made another batch once home in Norman and I've been enjoying it on spaghetti squash and salads! Like your average pesto it has similar ingredients such as parmesan cheese, pine nuts and olive oil, but instead of basil you replace it with kale. This gives it dense flavor and tons of nutrients!
After a quick process of boiling the kale, cooling it, then straining the excess water from it, it is ready to be turned into pesto. 

Kale Pesto
yields 1 cup, adapted from the True Food cookbook

Ingredients: 

1 bunch of black kale
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 red pepper flakes
1 tsp. salt
Directions:
Boil a large pot of water over high heat. Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside. Cut off the ends of your kale and plunge into the boiling water for 3 minutes. Using tongs, quickly transfer to ice water for 3 more minutes to stop the cooking. Strain the kale in a colander then squeeze between paper towels to get all the excess water out.
In a food processor (or magic bullet in my case, my college kitchen isn't very equipped) blend the kale, parm, pine nuts, red pepper flakes, salt and olive oil. 
Pesto will last 3-5 days in the fridge or longer in the freezer.
I don't think I've ever met someone who doesn't like pesto. Here you can see my pesto spaghetti squash with avocado, tomatoes, pine nuts and extra parm! Put it on fish, salads, pasta or my favorite, use it as a dip by spreading over goat cheese and serving with crackers. Bottom line-just make it and I'm sure you can find some ways to use. By the spoonful is also acceptable.
Annie

Bites of My Life

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Spring break is over, but I'm back with a spring in my step! Nothing better than the weather changing, flowers blooming and getting to switch out my winter clothes for spring clothes! After a few days relaxing at home, I left Wednesday for a little viva in vegas with my best friends for our last spring break! 
Vegas is another world and will always be a mystery to me, but for a just a few days it was an absolute blast! Highlight of the trip was when Brody Jenner sat down for dinner 5 feet away from us while at Tao on our last night. Ultimate celeb sighting and crush! After a great trip I came home with a full tummy, my skin one shade darker and hilarious memories I'll never forget! 
-Green things in honor of St. Patrick's day. 
-Amazing lunch at a local coffee shop. 
-Made it to Vegas and went straight into vacation mode. Cheers to this toasted coconut colada!
-Senior spring break with all my best gal pals!
-When in Vegas, be as obnoxious as possible with tacky tourist visors. 
-Can check kissing dolphins off my bucket list!
-Our attempt at getting a picture with Brody Jenner...the dark mood lighting killed the vibe and he is just a black blob in the back. 
-Brunch at Mon Ami Gabi at the Paris Hotel on our last day. My love for french food grew even more with my mushroom, kale and brie crepe. Must recreate asap!
-Came, saw and conquered Las Vegas. Excuse me while I sleep for the next three days to catch up!
Annie

Bites of My Life

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A week filled only with food pictures. This isn't unusual just kind of cracks me up and makes me wonder if I should reevaluate my priorities...nah! This is bites of my life after all. 
Last week was a weird one. The week before Spring Break is always a rough. Midterms hit, but everyone's productivity is out the window. Any sort of test or paper thrown into the week is just bound to fail when the only thing on our mind is spring vacation. With the additional craziness that was happening on campus this past week, you can imagine how distracted we all were. 
I'm happy to be finally be on break now have been and enjoying a little bit of a "staycation" before I head off to Las Vegas on Wednesday! Now enough chatter, let's take a bite of my past week!
-Polenta Huevos Rancheros for Monday night dinner while watching the finale of The Bachelor. Recipe was based loosely off this. 
-Al fresco eating is just about my favorite thing, happy this time of the year is back!
-Was treated to my first zoodles experience when my friend cooked them for me last Wednesday!
-Got home on Friday and headed straight to Organic Squeeze. I highly recommend the Muscle Westbrook smoothie, it helped balance out all the chips and queso and ice cream I had the night before...
-Most of our friends have already head off on vacation, but my partner-in-crime Melissa and I really packed in quite the day on Saturday to make sure we were having just as much fun at home. First stop of the day was to OKC's food truck park for pizza and green beer. 
-Next stop was at R&J's Supper Club for some tropical beverages. We pretended we were at the beach for a quick second.
-Last stop was at The Pump for a "snack." A bloody mary with all the fixings is pretty much equivalent to a snack.
-The weather on Sunday was too good to be true. A day spent outside and the inauguration of spring cooking was our only choice. Kale pesto scallops and veggies topped off the day!
I'll be absent the rest of the week so I can really enjoy my time off. Follow me on Facebook and Instagram to keep in touch in the meantime!
Annie