Bites of My Life

Winding down from a weekend I don't want to end. Nothing crazy happened and that's exactly why it was so great. Started with a solo sesh dinner, just me, my book and my you-pick-two then joined some friends for Girl on The Train. I didn't read the book which consensus says was a good thing; left for more suspense during the movie. 

Saturday woke up for breakfast and barre with Lindsay then football and bowling with friends. Ended the day making loaves of pumpkin bread and settling into the couch for a triple feature of You've Got Mail, Friends With Benefits and A Walk to Remember. 

Today consisted of the new season of Barefoot Contessa starting, a neighborhood kitchen tour, trip to Trader Joe's, walk with my mom, and a delicious dinner cooked not by me, but for me. A weekend of r&r that I want to repeat ASAP!

-New fav snack: handful of TJ's semi-dried frozen figs microwaved for 20 seconds with AB and CB drizzled on top.
-Celebrated the amazing company I work for with killer views and tasty treats. 
-Cheers to The Social Order Dining Collective being offish!
-I love sneaking over to my parent's house for lunch. Even when my mom thinks there is nothing in the fridge I feel like it's always full with the best goods. 
-Shared my go to work week lunch last week, did you catch the post? Another one of last week's posts here.
-Recipe test round one of Carrot Pecan Muffins. First round came out good, but I'm still perfecting the recipe.
-A perfect delivery of Perfect Bars. I'm a Perfect Bar virgin and can't wait to try these! 
-I hadn't had Panera in about a year and the craving came on strong. Pulled up a table for one before joining my friends at Girl on The Train. 
-Saturday gameday went from football to bowling with a gameday brat on the side. 
-No better smell than loaves of pumpkin bread baking in the oven. Made a huge batch of my mom's pumpkin bread this weekend, recipe will be shared this week!
-The dreamiest pantry in one of the houses on the Nichols Hills Kitchen Tour.
-When you and your UT roommate make a bet on the OU/Texas game and you come out the winner! Bet was if Texas lost, Lindsay had to make me dinner, if OU lost...well we don't need to go there. 

Annie

Let Me Entertain You

The fun part of a new season is the new entertainment that comes with it. New TV shows, new (and old) movies, books, yes books, blogs, songs and more. Let's take a bite of how I've been spending/wasting my time shall we? Thanks for the post inspiration MB!

What I'm Reading ::
On my nightstand: Present Over Perfect, Savour

In my mailbox monthly: Bon Appétit

In my inbox daily: The Newsette

What I'm Watching / movies ::
New releases: Sully, Girl on the Train

As I fall asleep: Dan in Real Life, You've Got Mail (the best fall movies)

THis is Us // Starring my #1 Gilmore Crush Jess aka MIlo Ventimiglia

What I'm Watching / TV :: 
On Tuesdays: This is Us (WATCH IT!!! Especially if you are a fan of the the next two shows listed)

On Netflix: Gilmore Girls, Parenthood

What I'm Listening To ::
My current fav: This Girl by Kungs vs. Cookin'

All day everyday: oldies by Van Morrison

On my neighborhood walks: OKC Over Easy, Bon Appetit podcasts

What I'm Playing ::
Even though I'm no help to the team: Kickball (They just keep me on around because I bring snacks and make up cheers).

via The Kitchn

How have you been entertaining your days this fall? Next up for me, a dinner party of sorts. Something that I always plan to do and never get around to. 

Annie

My Go To Work Week Lunch

Work week lunches are hard. It's the point in the day when you are starving and have to have something that will satisfy you all the way through dinner. It needs to give you energy to power the rest of the day without making you want to take a nap afterward. Lunch is asking for a lot and usually falls short. 

I used to be a basic salad girl. If I loaded it up with enough goods it would usually fit the bill. It's a good filler meal for when I need to clean out the fridge, but nothing excites me for lunch when I know I just have a salad packed. 

When I was doing Whole30 back in August, lunch was hard. A salad would definitely not cut it. I came up with this easy work week lunch that has stuck with me for the months to follow. It's easy to prep the night before and so filling/satisfying. I eat it about 3 times a week and with a few ingredient tweaks here and there I'm not getting sick of it. 

It's a healthy take on a charcuterie/crudite/cheese board. My "lunch board" as I like to call it! 

Basic components include:

2 hard boiled eggs
1/2 granny smith apple
3-4 pieces of charcuterie (prosciutto, salami, chorizo, pepperoni etc)

Items that change depending on taste and what is in season:

4 figs
stem of grapes
handful of snap peas, tomatoes carrots or bell peppers
crackers if you need the carbs
veggie dip or almond butter if you need the extra protein
 

Pictured above is how I take it to work. Hardboiled eggs unpeeled (I make a bunch at the beginning of the week), 1/2 apple uncut to avoid overly browning, meat, veggies and a side of veggie dip. I pack a little baggie of salt and pepper for the eggs and a small knife to cut the apple and eggs when I put it together at lunch. 

Give this lunch a try. It's well balanced and hits on all the taste buds. Tart apple, salty meat, sweet fruit, bright veggie, and filling eggs! It's just the thing to get me through the day and I get weirdly excited for lunch when I know I have this packed.

Get creative and make your own version of my lunch board! Share your lunch board pics with me via snapchat or tagging me on insta and using the #takeabite hashtag!

Annie

Bites of My Life

Gilmore Girls, cookies, happy hour, work, workout, eat repeat all led up to head out of town to the big D for OU/Texas weekend. Once in Texas it was shopping, eating, friends, late nights and a not so average gameday. We won, but I lost a bit. I love a weekend away, but nothing feels better than walking in your front door after a few days out of town.  

-Protein packed Monday with this round up of protein bars I got at the store. 
-I see matcha and I'm intrigued. I tried Trader Joe's matcha mix and it is as good as it gets. Highly recommend!
-Monday's work from home included lunch al fresco instead of al desko.
-Kathleen and I thought we were the only true Gilmore Girls fans who would wake up at 7am for #HappyBirthdayGilmore. Got to our local #LukesDiner (Cuppies and Joe) and were about 250 in line...turns out we aren't the only GG freaks. Skipped the line and opted for coffee at Hank's down the street. This all while wearing flannels and backward baseball caps...
-A friendly game of kickball happens every Wednesday this fall. I may not be the best player, but I provide the halftime snacks!
-Cauliflower fried rice made authentic by being served in a leftover take out box.
-First comes the dough, then comes the best cookies ever. Recipe posted last week. 
-Double the tikka c/o TJ's. Both are take a bite approved!
-Roommates by day, college rivals on Saturdays.
-My gameday turned out a little different and I sadly had to swap my fair corny dog for crackers and ginger ale. 
-Still easing a queasy stomach with the #1 comfort food and a lazy Sunday on the couch. 
-Testing out making my own coconut milk coffee creamer, taste TBD.

Annie

Oatmeal Pecan Chocolate Chip and Coconut Cookies (Best Cookies Ever)

I've firmly decided cookies are my favorite thing to bake and eat, when it comes to dessert. Cookies are fun to make, the dough is always great, they are equally great straight out of the oven and even a few days later. They are the best for sharing with friends and family and easy to stash in the freezer to pull out when you need a last minute dessert. 

I think I really got on the cookie train after my quest to fine the perfect CCC! Found here:) I made recipe after recipe and never got tired of baking cookies. My sweet roommate Lindz had her two childhood besties come stay with us way back in April. One of her friends had been following my chocolate chip cookie quest and said I had to try this recipe. The recipe is titled "Best Cookie Ever Recipe." With a name like that, how do you pass it up?

The recipe has been sitting on my phone, hiding, until I recently resurfaced it. No questions asked, I needed to make the "best cookies ever" stat! They are chock full of goodies (my favorite kind of cookies). Oatmeal, chocolate chips, pecans and the best-coconut. They'd even be great with some espresso powder, pretzels, potato chips, butterscotch chips etc. added in. Really whatever your heart desires. 

They are just one of those All-American cookies everyone will love! I baked off a ton last week and took them to our kickball league. I got thumbs up all around as we washed them down with Coors Light. It was a winning combo in our bellies and on the field. 

Best Cookies Ever
yields about 50 cookies

Ingredients: 
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (softened)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
3 eggs
3 cups flour
1 Tbsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3 cups quick cook oatmeal
12 oz. bag of chocolate chips (2 cups)
2 cups coconut
2 cups chopped pecans

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugars on high for two minutes. Scrape down sides. Add vanilla extract and eggs. In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix until combined. Then add in all the goodies - oats, chocolate chips, coconut and pecans. 

Using a cookie scoop, place golf ball size balls of dough on your cookie sheets. Bake for 9-11 minutes, don't over bake! 

This recipe makes a ton! Perfect for sharing and storing leftover balls of dough in the freezer. I have about a dozen and half waiting for me to pull out tonight to bake off then take as house guest treats while I crash at the "Marge Motel" for OU/Texas this weekend!

Enjoy the best cookies ever!

Annie