Bites of My Life

Cassie and Colton, are we on board? I think I am. The only thing I’m hating is that my Monday’s are now empty without The Bachelor. However, tonight is the first of my friends and my book club! We’ve been wanting to start one for a while and over the past month we read Educated as our first book. Any suggestions on our next book?

-Spring has me eating and craving all the fruit. Apple and berries with a squeeze of lemon and ground flax on repeat for breakfast last week.
-Remember a few weeks ago when I accidentally died my hair strawberry blonde? Well, my sister/amateur hair colorist finally brought me back to my bright blonde roots.
-Spring also has me craving all the raw veggies. Veg and (double the) hummus for a working lunch on Friday.
-Thin Mint Brownies people.
-I had a r i p e avocado waiting for me to eat it. Sprinkle generously with EBTB seasoning for the best breakfast.
-They may be thin, but they are full of flavor. Thanks to my friend Miranda for letting me try out Thinsters. If you order, let me sway you in the direction of vanilla bean over chocolate chip.
-Lucky.
-Sweet and salty sourdough toast.
-Would you believe me if I told yo it’s gluten free and dairy free? Recipe coming this week!

Annie

Byte bite: I can’t get enough of his new album.

Thin Mint Brownies

I teased these brownies on my Instagram a few weeks back, but I was saving them to share until St. Patrick’s Day. I don’t know if the fact that the Thin Mint box is green or that when you think of mint you associate the color green, but when it comes to St. Patrick’s Day themed treats, several mint chocolate recipes come up.

A mint chocolate St. Patrick’s themed recipe I remember from growing up is when my sisters and I used to make little ice cream sandwiches from a scoop of mint chocolate ice cream between two Thin Mints. You would then wrap them individually in foil and freeze. The snack idea came from a March issue of the American Girl magazine, maybe circa 2000? Did anyone else get the American Girl magazine? Does anyone else associate mint chocolate with St. Patrick’s Day?

These brownies are insanely fudgey, but that’s how I like them. If you can’t do the mint chocolate thing, try my Perfect Fudge Brownies by themself!

Thin Mint Brownies:
yields 9 brownies

Ingredients:
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp. cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 sleeve of Thin Mints, roughly chopped (16 cookies)

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Melt the butter and chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second increments until fully melted. Stirring between each 30 seconds. Make sure to scrape the bottom to keep from burning. In a separate bowl, use a whisk to beat sugar, eggs, and vanilla together. With a wooden spoon, stir in the melted chocolate mixture. Fold the flour, cocoa powder and salt into the mix.

Pour half of the batter into your prepared pan. Evenly distribute 1/2 of the chopped Thin Mints over the top. Repeat with the other half of the batter. I use a butter knife to help spread the batter over the cookie layer. Finish by distributing the rest of the chopped cookies over the top. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Support your co-workers daughter or your neighborhood Girl Scout and pick up a box of thin mints this week! Grab some Samoas while you’re at it for a batch of my Samoa Popcorn.

Annie

Bites of My Life

Dang that week went fast, anyone else? Despite the days seeming longer with more sunlight in the evening, they still went by fast. I felt like i consistently looked at my watch one minute and it was 10AM then 2 minutes later it was 5PM. Energized by coffee, good eats, and a new workout routine with sis and Elle (we have started down the BBG rabbit hole, followed by walks with the almost 8 month old), all of a sudden it was the weekend. A weekend well spent with friends and lots of green. St. Patrick's Day is a pointless holiday that is way too fun to celebrate. I'm now exhausted from the fast and fun week and trying to slow my way into Monday mayhem.

-Because of The Morning Breath, also seen on Shark Tank, I discovered Super Coffee. Shortly after being intrigued by the product and the three brothers behind it, I got in touch to get my hands on some. Just getting started on the East Coast, hopefully Super Coffee will be in midwest stores soon, but for now you can order online. 
-3 ingredient healthy brownies using Brandless' box brownie mix! Recipe in my "bites" insta highlight. Just make sure to use the fresh ground almond butter you make at the store!*
-Banana split sans ice cream. 
-Morning walks with Elle are becoming a thing and I'm l-o-v-ing it!
-A v successful pizza night, all tips and tricks learned from Gaby!
-Pre-green beer brunch at The Jones!
-Matching outfits and drinks this St. Patrick's Day. 
-If you know, you know. 
-Sweet and savory combo that I keep coming back too. AB, almond and cinnamon on one rice cake, and mashed avo with Everything But the Bagel seasoning on the other. 

Annie