Big Bites of My Life

Heyyyyy. It's been a minute since we took a bite, so not only are we double dipping we are triple dipping for a big bite to recap the past ocuple of weeks!

-Meal prepped this stuffed acorn squash for lunches and dinners and really really liked it. The caramelized onions made it! 
-The Bon Appetit's subscriber bonus issue deserves to be framed.
-I strive to turn Elle into my mini me on a daily basis. Safe to say that it's working. #chachamatcha
-My friend Maddie and I had an idea for a Christmas cookie decorating party and it was more fun and cute than we could of thought. Easily becoming a tradition! 
-Love what I do, but love who I work with even more!
-Santa slid down the chimney at The Jones!
-Brunch at home with mom and dad! 
-Christmas bites and sips Pre-Christmas Eve service. 
-Tucker traditional Christmas morning breakfast of stuffed sausage crescents.

-It's not Christmas without dad and I straining our backs hunched over a 1,000 piece puzzle. 
-I love my family of foodies and good eaters. Makes holidays that much more delicious!
-Two days after Christmas my parents and I left for Tennessee for my cousin's wedding. It was nice to get out of OKC for a couple days, and to visit some places I've been coveting. Like Pinewood Social. Great coffee, horrible waitress unfortunately. Which ruins it sometimes.
-Showed up to our hotel in Nashville to see a Caviar & Bananas next to our hotel. I fell in love with this specialty market when we went to Charleston. The turmeric milk overnight oats must be recreated! 
-LOL. 
-If only you could grasp how big the cookies were at C&B. I'm talking bigger than my face. 
-New Year's Eve at The Jones Assembly was just how I wanted to end such an amazing year!
-The night was worth the mess. 
-Black eyed peas for luck! Happy 2018!

-Protein shakes are back starting with this Mint Chocolate Chip Protein Shake overflowing with goodness, literally and figuratively.  
-Cherry Vanilla Protein Shake shared in a lite bite recipe posted here. 
-Couldn't drink this anti-inflammatory smoothie fast enough. Recipe by my friend @veggiebellie. 
-Prettiest and tastiest Thai Chicken and Broccoli Curry, also last week's recipe post!
-Lot's of protein shakes and detox smoothies balanced by devouring a good portion of the most addicting popcorn ever. 
-Had to do a double take passing this pink beetle! NEED. 
-Birthday salads and huge catch up session with my Lex!
-The birthday diva herself who is too great not to celebrate!
-Elle Frances looking cute as always. 

Annie

Lite Bite: Cherry Vanilla Protein Shake

Cherry Vanilla Protein Shake
serves 1

Ingredients:
2 scoops Arbonne Vanilla Protein Powder
1 tsp. Arbonne Fiber Boost
1/2 cup frozen cherries
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
shake of cinnamon
1/2-1 cup almond milk
handful of ice

Directions:
Blend items together. Serve with an extra frozen cherry. #cherryontop! 

Bites of My Life

One week 'till Christmas! I've really loved this Christmas season. It seems to me the older you get the more holiday parties and Christmas celebrations there are. I must mention that all the events can sometimes be exhausting, but I've really enjoyed all the reasons to be together with various groups of people who mean the most to me. This past week including various meals in bowls (LOL, but really see below), a concert, a catering(!!!), a floral arranging class, best friends Christmas party, a visit to see my sweet Gaga, a visit from cousins I haven't seen in forever, precious time with my Elle girl and playing Mrs. Claus delivering fresh baked cookies to my besties. 

-Turmeric smoothie bowl made with the help of these and this.
-Robert Earl Keen with my Fam-O-Lee made for my 4th time seeing REK, but this time at The Jones Assembly!
-While battling a nasty cold at the beginning of the week, I had a major craving for some healing oatmeal. I made a big batch of steel-cut oats and ate them various ways through the week. Seen here as a savory version served with a sunny-side up egg and avo for lunch. 
-Bowls, bowls, all type of bowls. I prefer to eat smoothies and protein shakes from a bowl.
-Oats appearing again with cinnamon apples!
-Peppermint Mocha Protein Shake, bowl style.
-Take A Bite caters! Loved getting ask to make the food for a friend's company Christmas party! 
-Donut dreams came true thanks to Holey Rollers. 
-What breakfast looks like most days. Shoveled in to my mouth with one hand while applying mascara with the other. 
-Dancer, Prancer, Comet, Cupid, Elle and Annie!
-Special day at Elle's baptism. 
-Perfect CCCs decked for Christmas made for the best edible gift for my besties.

Lite Bite: Peppermint Mocha Protein Shake

I've been toying with the idea of doing these "lite bite" posts. "Lite" as in quick or easy. I often come up with recipes on the fly or by accident. These recipes don't get a full camera roll of pictures, or a length story filled blog post, but still deserve to be shared. I mean, let's be honest, no one really reads blog posts anymore anyway. We al just  skip to the section with the recipe listed out. Or is that just me?

I'm going to start posting more "lite bites" when these quicky recipes work out! Enjoy. 

Peppermint Mocha Protein Shake
serves 1

Ingredients:
2 scoops Arbonne Protein Powder, chocolate or vanilla
1 tsp. cacao powder* (only add if using vanilla powder)
1 tsp. coffee grounds
1 drop peppermint essential oils
shake of cinnamon
1 cup almond milk
1/2 cup frozen cauliflower
handful of ice

Directions:
Blend items together. Serve in a mug just like you would sip your favorite coffee drink out of! 

Annie

Bites of My Life

Hi November! Hi daylight savings. Hi being dark at 5pm now....UGH. Love the fall so much, but nothing puts me in more of a cold weather slump then when it gets dark so early. I'll take it though since it means Thanksgiving, holiday parties, comfort food and cozy clothes. 

-Last of the Healing Bowl leftovers. I see a lot of this recipe being made again in my future. So easy to make a little different each day. 
-I have a thing for dressing up like inanimate objects for Halloween. I've been a cup of hot chocolate, a present, a flower in a flower pot, and this year...a glass of The Jones infamous Frosé. Gummy bear and all! 
-"Woods comma Elle!" Elle channeled her inner Legally Blonde this Halloween and we couldn't be more obsessed. 
-Giving Arbonne's nutrition line a try. From everything I have read and from what I have tried so far, I am looooooooving it. 
-Chocolate coconut smoothies for two! Elle bell approved! If only she could try it...
-My fave chocolate mint smoothie, now with a protein boost. I don't eat a lot of meat so I'm loving the added protein in my morning smoothies. 
-Claire's wedding pictures came in. I. can't. even. Every single one captured the day perfectly. 
-Happy 7th to my first fitness love, Barre3! I took a pretty big barre break these past couple months, but with sis back teaching post-pregnancy, I've loved adding it back in. 
-Rollin' with my homies straight into Stillwater for a Bedlam victory.
-Easy like a Sunday morning. 
-Skinny Vanilla Lattes and Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Lattes used to be my drink freshman year in college. It wasn't a productive study sesh without one in hand. Threw it back to the GSCDL days for an extra pep on my walk today. And I'll admit, it was also an excuse to get a Christmas cup.
-The best darn homemade meatballs. Adapted the recipe from Bon Appetit to make them whole 30 compliant and gluten-free and paleo. Hoping to get the recipe up this week.

Annie