Bites of My Life

A great last week of Whole30, leading up to an indulgent game day weekend in Oklahoma. Spent the week make a few more delicious W30 meals, started a new bible study I’m very excited about, and played a few rounds of tennis. Got to Oklahoma City Friday for pickle ball with friends. and then game day in Norman onSaturday. Now its a speedy week before heading to the mountains for my oldest friends wedding! BRB, off to write my MOH speech.

-The Defined Dish Enchilada Stuffed Acorn Squash, a huge favorite of mine. Super satisfying for lunch and easy to reheat at work.
-Early mornings with Ina as opposed to the news. Best (most relaxing) way to wake up.
-Lamb kofta from Central Market, can’t.get.enough.
-GT’s Kombucha is always the booch brand I reach for but their Fall Edition is a must purchase.
-Still tailgating together 10 years later.
-Big BOOMER weekend!
-Not a trip to OKC without one ;)
-One last glutenous moment was stopping for fried pies on the way out of Oklahoma. I’ve driven past the notorious Arbuckle Fried Pies in Davis, OK maybe 200 times, and stopped for the first time yesterday.
-Peter pies first OKC trip!

Annie

Bites of My Life

Valentine’s Day is back on my list of favorite holidays! It’s sweet whether single or in a relationship. I’ve always loved it. While I tried to sound like I wasn’t hating it, last year I was feeling rather cynical toward this particular holiday. It can be hard, but it can also be really fun, sweet, and special if you have the right attitude. The cherry on top of the holiday this year was waking up to SNOW in Dallas! And more is on the way!

-Reunited with my favorite Trader Joe’s green juice after the queso-brigade over Super Bowl weekend.
-I polled my Instagram followers if they were leftover fans or not. About 75% said they were and I’m in that camp. Mainly because I’m cheap and I really hate wasting food, but I can stretch leftovers for days. Turned Sunday night’s fajitas into 2 nights of dinner and one lunch for me. Quesadilla’s for him, salad for me!
-Cute little Valentine week crew neck sweatshirts embroidered by my friend Kate! One for me and one to give!
-A very successful Galentine’s party with a great group of gals and enough candy, champagne, and heart-shaped pizza to go around!
-What was supposed to be lunch with a best friend Friday turned into crashing her mom’s Galentine lunch! They had the same idea as us the night before and did pizza, champagne, and gossip. Such a fun way to spend a Friday!
-Saturday morning marked the start of Dallas’ incoming snowstorm. Temps droooooped, so Mom’s Chili was a must!
-Did a February 13th Valentine’s Day dinner and it was equally as cute as it was delicious. I won a hot pink pair of stemless Estelle Colored Glasses at Thursday’s Galentine party gift exchange and I couldn’t wait to use them at dinner.
-Homemade blueberry scones for Valentine’s Day breakfast! Hope to make it again so I can confirm the recipe is 100%!
-He did good (great)!!

Annie

Bites of My Life

My apartment feels like the loneliest place ever lately. Is anyone else feeling this? Even after back to back weekends away with friends, the week days are long, boring and isolating. There’s no way else to say it.

My mom and I were talking earlier this morning and the quote unquote good parts of quarantine and coronavirus, like the slow down, the quality time, etc. is fading and the loneliness is creeping back in fast. I’m lucky to be in Dallas which is decently reopened. This week I’m really really trying to plan more reasons to get out. I’m normally a stickler on money during the week but I don’t care if I have to spend $8 on a pricy coffee, I’m getting out and working from a coffee shop at some point everyday this week. Even if it’s still just me going to work alone, I need the social stimulation of other humans around me. If you are feeling the same, I challenge you to actively get out of the house this week. We need it.

-Prettiest spaghetti squash and meat sauce I ever did see.
-I saw Gaby’s customized spatula for the Williams Sonoma/No Kid Hungry campaign and had to have it. It’s covered in CCCs for goodness sake!
-Got to have lunch and tour the new Fuzzy’s Taco Shop corporate office with some friends from the company last week. If you are new here I work remotely for a restaurant group based in OKC, who owns the Oklahoma Fuzzy’s franchise along with a few other restaurants.
-WFH break by working from a favorite coffee shop and getting an afternoon turmeric latte.
-Banana bread baked up for the lake weekend. My tried and true recipe can be found here.
-The South Texas mecca that is H-E-B. We have Central Market in Dallas that is the upscale version, but it’s not the same supermarket goodness that is HEB.
-Got the gang all back together and out on Lake LBJ with thanks to Captain Kirby aka my friend Lauren’s husband!
-My KKG besties in one place is always a treat. We started this reunion trip last year and are hoping for longevity through the years.
-Haven’t had Chipotle in about a year, but the craving hit and needed to be fulfilled.

Annie

Bites of My Life

Home after such a great Labor Day weekend in the Colorado with some really great friends. We booked this trip on a whim over the 4th of July and I’ve been looking forward to it since. We stayed in Beaver Creek, but ventured to Edwards, Minturn and Vail. This part of the mountains is an area I have such fun memories from growing up and it’s always a blast to revisit. Our weekend was the perfect mix of eating, drinking, hiking, shopping, seeing, doing and relaxing. Coming home to a short week is the perfect cure, and then I’m off again this weekend to spend time on Lake LBJ with my best college friends. Feeling very thankful for friends and family lately.

-Have you seen the Slim Aarons documentary? I recently caught wind of it, even though it came out a few years ago. It’s fascinating to learn more about his life. You can watch it here.
-A go-to meal that always hits the spot is spaghetti sauce with meat sauce. It feels indulgent like spaghetti, but is healthy and light all things considered. I bought an extra squash and froze some leftover sauce to have for a healthy meal after getting home from my trip. It was the best to come home to.
-When the tortilla chip craving HITS. These restaurant-style Beanitos are my absolute fave grain-free chips.
-This was my first plane ride since the pandemic. While our American Airlines flight was booked at full capacity, I did feel safe and healthy with zero fears.
-First night in Beaver Creek called for cozy Italian at Ti Amo. I split the chicken and sausage scallopini over angel hair.
-Traded in our Tini Tuesdays for a full weekend in the mountains!
-If you are headed to the Beaver Creek/Vail area, I highly recommend Mountain Standard in Vail for lunch or dinner. We lucked out with walking in, but a reservation is a good idea. You must get the pimento cheese with bacon jam, grilled bread, and pickled celery.
-Already missing morning coffee and evening wine and cheese hour on the beautiful patio at the house we stayed at in BC.
-We had bought produce at the farmers market and had planned on a homecooked Sunday night dinner, but after indulging on dips and crackers and cookie dough, we called that dinner and saved our ingredients to make for a healthy lunch before hopping on our plane ride home.

Annie

Byte Bites: if you missed Friday’s new post style, check it out here!

Bites of My Life

When your mom calls you a few weeks ago and says she and your dad booked a trip to New York and flights are $200 round trip, you go. Such a fun weekend in New York getting to see my sister and her husbands new-ish place and spend the weekend with family! After being in OKC at the beginning of the week for work, then catching a stomach bug, pushing through a few work days back in Dallas, then it was off to New York!

-Monday night in Norman speaking at OU KKG chapter meeting with my sidekick. We spoke on tips for getting a job, life in marketing and how to get paid doing social media!
-Recipe and development for The Social Order’s newest concept.
-100% satisfied with this impulse Barefood Contessa mug purchase.
-Miso Instant Ramen from Trader Joes. Add broccoli or a green veggie of your choice to the broth. And then stock your pantry with these. So good.
-Off to Brooklyn in a Brooklyn sweatshirt. Really leaning into the final destination.
-Officially that person bringing my own cooked food on the plane. I opted for a cooked sweet potato with almond butter. Filling and smell level at a low.
-Cliche Brooklyn graffiti photo, check.
-DATE CAKE. We stayed in on Saturday night. Claire and Mike baked this cake from the Gjelina cookbook to go with dinner.
-My sister’s bathroom is a mirror selfie waiting to happen.
-Trying to live in a city where eating bagels is more the norm. I’ve been a big proponent of more carbs in 2020.
-Anyone else an orange wine enthusiast like me?
-Great last meal at Win Son to end a great trip!

Annie