Matcha Mint Smoothie

When biggest sis Claire was home back in April, we tried to balance our huge dinners with lots of smoothies and morning workouts. I made her my Perfect Green Smoothie, because, well it's perfect. She agreed. We also made a stop at Organic Squeeze for CB&J smoothies. You can find my recreation here. 

A few weeks later I got this snapchat from sis insisting that I needed to recreate a smoothie she had. I go weak for green smoothies, so I was game. Claire mentioned how the lady making her smoothie suggested she add matcha next time. Matcha is easily my favorite flavor right now, so that was a given addition when I was to recreate. 

After some trial and error, I give you this tasty matcha mint smoothie recipe! New to matcha? Jump on board. It's the purest form of green tea leaves, giving you so many more nutrients. It has magical energy, detox, and calming powers. Great for weight management,  your skin, combating aging and helps to build immunity. It has a crazy amount of antioxidants and just 1 cup of prepared matcha is equivalent to 10 cups of green tea. Combine it with warm or cold almond milk for a latte, use it in baking, turn it into ice cream, shake it up with ice water, or mix it into a smoothie!

Matcha Mint Smoothie
serves 1

Ingredients:
1 cup non-dairy milk, coconut water or H2O
1 cup spinach
a few sprigs of fresh mint
1/2 frozen banana
1/4 avocado (if you aren't into the avocado thing, use a full banana)
1 tsp. matcha powder (I use Vital Proteins, but any matcha will work here)
1 Tbsp. almond butter
a few shakes cinnamon
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
a handful of ice

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a high powered blender and blend until thick and smooth. Slurp up every last drop and thank me later. 
 

Annie

this post was updated on 6/5/20

J.R. Designs + Giveaway

I've think I've mentioned before how I'm not a huge jewelry person. Not because I don't want to be, I'm just worlds worst at buying jewelry. My mom and sister on the other hand; the best. I think I've asked Kathleen to buy me jewelry for the last several holidays and birthdays. Outside of my everyday pearl studs, watch and tiny gold rings, I rarely stray away. I've been pushing my limits recently and totally jumped on the tassel earring game (way out of my comfort zone). I now have a new jewelry brand that is getting me away from my everyday teeny cross necklace.

I'm so excited to share J.R. Designs with you today. These chic and stylish necklaces are perfect for any outfit, occasion, day or night. I've been throwing mine on with basically everything. Look at me go wearing big jewelry (small applause)!!!

Jordan Richardson, the master designer behind these creations, grew up in OKC and attends SMU for college. I got to meet Jordan last week to chat about her business and all things necklaces.

Jordan started J.R. Designs about a year ago right after she started her freshman year at Southern Methodist University. How she balanced a new business and school is beyond me, but bravo to you girlfriend! After coveting similar necklaces in high end boutiques, Jordan looked past their high end price tags and went to making her own version. 

She didn't start with the intention of it becoming a business, but after wearing her first necklace around campus, girls were flocking toward her design asking for their own. The business formed right in front of her and she ran with it!   

Jordan now makes necklaces in all different shapes, sizes and designs. She is locally based in OKC and Dallas but ships nationwide. The best part of J.R. Designs is the price. The whole reason she started was to avoid dropping $150+ on a necklace, so you can find all of her pieces typically under $50. Music to my ears!!

Now for the part that is probably music to your ears. Jordan was sweet enough to give away one of her unique designs to one lucky Take A Bite reader! Head over to my Instagram to see how to enter!

If you are located in OKC make sure you stop into Gretta Sloane this Thursday, July 21st for a J.R. Designs Trunk Show! Jordan will be selling a slew of necklaces that you won't want to miss. Open from 10am-7pm on Thursday, Gretta will be celebrating their anniversary with food trucks, sales and of course, J.R. Designs!

And now to get to know Jordan and J.R. Designs a little better...

A: How did J.R. Designs get started? Give me some background on your biz?
JR: I started J.R. Designs my first semester of my freshman year at SMU. Because we don't rush at SMU until second semester, I needed a hobby to keep me busy. I have always loved these kinds of necklaces but they were well out of my price range. I searched on Etsy for fun, beaded necklaces but could never find exactly what I wanted. Therefore, I got creative and made my own (the first one being in SMU colors, of course). I wore it to a Boulevard (our version of a tailgate) and received lots of compliments and so many people asking me where I bought it. From there, a business was born! 

I wanted to start selling these necklaces at affordable prices to girls around my age. I originally imagined mostly college girls buying my necklaces, but now my audience includes not only them, but also lots of younger and older girls. People ask me why I don't raise the price of my necklaces, but that is not the reason I make them. By raising the prices, I lose my target audience. My goal was to sell affordable jewelry for people who don't necessarily want to pay $100+ for fashion jewelry, and that is just what I am doing. I love being able to sell people necklaces that they may not have been able to afford otherwise. The best part is hearing feedback from my customers telling me about all of the compliments they get.

A: What does an average jewelry making day look like?
JR: It's not every day that I get to just sit down and make necklaces. Unfortunately, everyday life gets in the way, but I do set aside "necklace making days." I generally buy my beads in bulk and once I have them in my hands, I start making them right away. I sit at my workstation, turn on Netflix, and begin make necklaces for hours. I'm fortunate because I never get bored of it. I enjoy being creative to come up with original pieces, no necklace is ever the same.

A: Had you ever made jewelry before you started JRD?
JR: When I was little I used to make friendship bracelets out of string if you want to count that. Otherwise, no, it is new to me!
(Hello embroidery floss bracelets-my life when I was younger!)

A: What is your favorite J.R. Design you have made? 
JR: I can't pick one necklace in specific, but I love the arrowhead ones. I didn't originally buy the arrowhead stones because my mom didn't like them and told me people would not buy them. Well, this goes to show you that mother doesn't always know best because the arrowheads have ended up being my best sellers! 

A: Starbucks order?
JR: Call me crazy, but I am not a Starbucks fan. In fact, I have never even tried coffee! I know that if I try it once I may get addicted so I'm better off sparing my wallet and not trying it at all.

A: Sweet or salty?
JR: Salty. Don't get me wrong, I love sweets, but I generally find myself craving salty foods. My mom bakes all of the time so I am constantly surrounded by sweets which, oddly enough, makes me crave them less.

A: Favorite show to binge watch on Netflix?
JR: The Office and Gossip Girl...hellooo Chuck Bass and Jim Halpert. Just don't ask me to choose between those two shows, both are addicting! 

A: Favorite bite?
JR: This is a hard one because I love food so much. For the most part I am a healthy eater but all bets are off when it comes to pizza. Also, add this to your list next time you go to Trader Joe's, "Reduced Guilt Guacamole." I can easily go through one a day. Luckily there is a Trader Joe's right by me in Dallas, but for now Tulsa is the closest option. Honestly, the 1.5 hour drive may be worth it.
(I'm impatiently waiting for the OKC location to open in September. Reduced Guilt Guacamole is at the top of my list to purchase once it does!)
 

To order your own J.R. Design you can contact Jordan by email jmrich2010@gmail.com or phone 405-250-7866 (ships nationwide). Make sure to follow her Instagram @j.r.designs for new designs and styles!

Annie

Bites of My Life

Summer well spent this past week. It was just the right amount of getting things done to then enjoy the off time over the weekend. Lots of summer eats and sips and recipes and other creations. Time was spent by the pool, at new workout classes, catching up with friends, deep cleaning and a combo of hustling while also relaxing. 

-Mushroom tacos being continued from the week before.
-I used a lot of words and barely mentioned foods in last week's Sit Still post. Kind of nice to lay it all out there sometimes.
-The sweetest and tastiest delivery showed up on my doorstep last week from Tiny Boxwoods c/o BB Molly!
-Loved seeing last week's Sugar Cookie Pizza with Strawberry Icing already being made. Thank you @annmariedaniel!
-If you have a recent copy of Edible OKC, do yourself a favor and make the Strawberry Tahini smoothie bowl recipe!
-Smoothie bowl after smoothie bowl this week. So good on these 100+ days.
-A trip to a local farmers market called for picking up only local goods, like this Big Oak Blueberry Lavender Kombucha.
-Fresh farm tomatoes and eggs from the farmers market! I was on a quest to perfect a poached egg. I think I did by following these instructions.
-What summer Saturdays are made for.
-An afternoon poolside and a few too many club specials, led to a table full of burgers and fries to cap it off.
-Cooked, recipe tested and meal prepped all day on Sunday. One creation included this homemade jalapeño hummus!
-Easy way to drink more water: keep pitcher of fruit infused water in the fridge. This has been amazing this summer. My go-to is lemon and mint, but this week I have cucumber strawberry ready for me in the fridge.

Annie

Sugar Cookie Pizza with Strawberry Icing

Okay college friends, who's excited? I cracked the code on cookie pizzas. Whether it was someone’s birthday, finals week, a sisterhood event, or sometimes just because, these cookie pizzas used to always make an appearance during my time at OU.

A little shop just east of campus called Cookies and Cards is responsible for crafting up these cookie pizzas. They had all different flavors such as chocolate chip, M&M, red velvet, lemon, but everyone knows the sugar cookie with fresh strawberry icing was the best. 

I ate too many cookie pizzas to count during my four years at OU. Since graduating I still think about them often. They weren't just a cookie cake, they were a cookie pizza. Very important fact.

My new job has me working in Norman sometimes. It was my Maddie girl's birthday last week and I thought how fun it would be to surprise her with one of these coveted cookie pizzas. Work didn't pull me to Norman last week and I was too lazy to make the drive, so I thought why not make my own cookie pizza? 

Taking on this task involved a few requirements. The cookie needed to be slightly un-done and the fresh strawberry icing had to be spot on. You knew you got a good cookie pizza when it was basically dough in the center, and when you get one still warm, it was game over. The strawberry icing is what makes the sugar cookie flavor. This means puréeing fresh strawberries to achieve it.

Good news Normanites, I think I did it. Several friends came over to celebrate Maddie's birthday and several went to OU. They all got a bite and agreed it was delicious and fulfilled the Cookies and Cards' cookie pizza shoes!

Sugar Cookie Pizza with Strawberry Icing

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softned
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Icing:
1/4 cup puréed strawberries (about 4-5 strawberries)
2 Tbsp. butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a large mixing bowl or round object, about 10 inches in diameter, trace a circle on the parchment paper. Flip the parchment paper over so you don't get any pencil or pen marks when you spread out the dough.

Cream butter, oil and sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and both extracts. Add flour, baking powder and salt, and mix on low until the dough comes together.

With clean hands spread the dough out on the parchment lined baking sheet. Spread the dough out, filling the circle shape you drew. Bake for 10-13 minutes. Start on the low end. The key to yumminess in this cookie pizza is for it to be slightly underdone! You want to take it out just before it starts to brown. Let it cool completely.

While the pizza cools, purée your strawberries in a food processor or high powered blender. In a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, whisk purée, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla on low until fully mixed. It should be the consistency of a thick glaze. Using a spatula, spread the icing over the cookie pizza leaving about a half inch border around the edges.

Cut with a pizza cutter and enjoy!

Annie

Sit Still

image via popsugar

I used to be the kid that would veg on the couch for hours doing nothing but watching episode after episode of Gilmore Girls, The Hills, Ace of Cakes, Hannah Montanna, really whatever was on and fit that stage of life. My mom used to get on to me all the time when I would waste days away in the summer watching hours of TV instead of getting outside or putting my brain to use. I still watch a lot of TV, don't get me wrong, but I struggle to just watch TV.

I love The Bachelor. I always have. I have a group of girlfriends who come over every Monday to watch it together. But even with one of my favorite shows on, and in the presence of all of my friends, I can't just sit still. I'm always multitasking. My phone glued to my hand or flipping through a magazine or finishing up Tuesday's blog post on my laptop. I've found myself struggling to focus on just one thing.

I know I'm not alone in this. It seems as though my whole generation struggles with the enemy of multitasking. My brain is always in a million places at once, jumping from one project to the next, always needing more to be fulfilled. Why can't I just do nothing? 

Besides multitasking, I just can't sit still anymore. It's something I have been trying reeeeeally hard to work. I'm giving myself a pat on the back currently for writing this post without the TV on, no music, not simultaneously checking Instagram. I am just sitting in my quiet house typing away. A few weeks ago on Father's Day I was spending the afternoon at my parent's house. We had gotten home from church and lunch, I had already made the homemade ice cream and pie for dessert, I had prepped the side dish I was making for dinner and then my to-do list was empty. Crap. It was about 3:00 in the afternoon and we weren't eating until about 6:00. What was I supposed to do for the next 3 hours. This may sound silly. Annie, you can hang out with your family, you can read a magazine, or just hang on the couch? But nothing sounded fulfilling enough. I asked if anyone wanted to go on a walk.

Me: Come on guys, I'm bored let's get up and move around. Who wants to go on a walk?
My family: No we are tired, it's hot. Just sit down and relax.
Me: But I can't. I can't sit still anymore. 
My family: You need to work on doing nothing and being okay with it. 
Me: Fine, I'll go on a walk by myself.

So, I proceed to go on a walk around the neighborhood by myself, with my favorite podcast playing through my ears. I was perfectly content and had a great walk. Once I got home, it was getting later in the evening and there was more commotion and prep happening for dinner. Thank goodness because I would need something else to do by this point. The next evening as I was settling in on the couch to watch the Bachelorette. Friends were coming over, I was eating dinner and checking my phone (obvi), when I got an email from my dad. The subject line read "Why Doing Nothing Is So Scary–and So Important - The Experts - WSJ." Ugh dad, is what ran through my head, but I proceeded to read the article because it was clearly some kind of sign and my dad is always right. Below is our conversation via email.

Dad: Thought this might be of interest. Some pretty good advice in here about disconnecting and having a little downtime every day.
Me: Yikes, this is spot on. I can't not be doing something.
Dad: You need to learn how to do nothing. More walks like yesterday. Without your phone. Love you. 

Ya love you too dad. Reality check, I need to chill. The article starts by talking about workaholics and how they can't unwind, how going on vacation stresses them out and how they thrive on energy in the office. I'm not a workaholic, but I can relate. "Having time to just sit and think can be uncomfortable, if not unnerving. Indeed, being alone with one’s thoughts can be downright scary." Being alone with my thoughts, yuck. 

I still loving going on walks while listening to podcasts, but I try not to be checking my emails or Instagram while I'm doing it. I try to focus on one task at work, finish it, then move on to the next. This is still really hard, but I'm working on it. I've become addicted to watching Parenthood on Netflix (Dang that show is good). I've been trying to silence my phone and turn it over while I watch, so I'm not multitasking social media while watching my show. Naps used to frighten me. I hated them. Well, I sort of love them now. Parenthood is a little to blame because it is really just an excuse to watch another episode as I drift into a slumber. But there is something super re-charging about an afternoon, or quick post-work nap. I hate to read. You all know this. My mom got me this book for my birthday and I have actually enjoyed clearing out time to sit and be alone with my thoughts while I turn page after page. I may not be ready to sit alone and do nothing for 15 minutes like Dr. Samantha Boardman suggests in the article, but it's something I hope to accomplish soon. 

Are you afraid to sit still too? How do you unwind and do nothing? Do you have any tips for my over-compulsive multitasking ways? 

Annie