Bites of My Life

Happy Thanksgiving week! I’m SO excited it’s here. I’m lucky to get to be home for a whole week leading up to the big day. After a great weekend just hanging with my mom and dad, going to Norman for gameday and starting to prep and shop for Thanksgiving dishes yesterday, I’m ready for it to get here. These few days leading up will be just as fun. We have a work Thanksgiving today and a day of meetings tomorrow, so the days are sure to go by fast. Oldest sis Claire and her husband Mike get here Tuesday and then the holiday can officially begin!

-Swapped pumpkin for peppermint mocha in my bulletproof and it was everything!
-Decked the halls a little early! Love how my little apartment looks at Christmas.
-Best time of the year, is when this is back on the shelves. Best dairy-free egg nog IMO!
-Makeshift shakshuka in a saucepan lol. I had to throw away my 8in frying pan and was craving this dish. Improvise, improvise, improvise!
-Has anyone else had an opal apple? I couldn’t resist the yellow color! I sliced mine and ate with pumpkin pie spice on top.
-Kappa roots run deep, and I loved getting to spend lunch with KKG Dallas Alum including the star of the show, my friend Maegan from The Baker Mama! She was OU KKG!
-Home just in time to help put up Elle’s Christmas tree!
-Saturday’s in Norman >
-http://www.takeabiteblog.com/blog/2016/6/20/cherry-peach-pie kicked off the holiday baking. I swear by my recipe!

Annie

Bites of My Life

Literally only have food to show for last week. Are we surprised, no? But I promise I did more than eat. Seem appropriate since November is the eating month of all months. T-8 days until my favorite holiday!

-Shared my Mother Earth bowl at-home hack on Instagram last week!
-Has anyone else bought the corn on the cob popcorn from Trader Joe’s? It’s just popcorn, but the fact that it pops off the cob is just too fun.
-It has been coooold in Dallas. Once the weather changes my tastebuds instantly crave oatmeal. I legit only eat it in the winter.
-Mom came down for a quick two-day trip! We had THE most amazing meal at Gemma. Highly recommend. The dried fig and gouda biscuits and baked oysters were unreal.
-Eggs, coffee and the Today Show with mom at my apartment, followed by a walk on the Katy Trail was the best little morning.
-We got zero pictures together while she was here, but I give you yet another photo of the food we ate. We split the California Turkey sandwich at Bird Bakery and I requested some of their GF crackers. I don’t know why but they are so good!
-Drove to Fort Worth Saturday morning to see two of my best friends who were in town for a wedding. We ended up at Austin City Taco and the Migas taco was phenom.
-New art to brighten up my little white apartment.
-Wabi House is the best ramen in town! I went Friday and had a little bit of broth and noodles leftover. I beefed up the leftovers with a soft boiled egg, mushrooms and corn!

Annie

Thanksgiving bites: If you are planning your menu this week let me point out my Homemade Pie Crust I swear by! If pie isn’t your thing or too daunting to make, these Pecan Pie Bars are perfect! And it’s not Thanksgiving morning at our house without a piece of Breakfast Casserole and Pumpkin Bread while the Macy’s parade is on!

Bites of My Life

No Spend November kicked off last week. I can report that so far so good. I had a lunch meeting that was covered for me, a fun cheese class, that I had paid for a few weeks ago and then ate at home every night during the week besides that. I treated myself to Starbucks this weekend because I really wanted a holiday cup (lol) and then purchased a couple drinks out on Saturday. I had dinner with a friend Saturday, but lucky us, our tab got picked up - ha! So indeed I did only spend money 3 times on food/drinks for the week!

-No Spend November started last week, and I loved seeing how many of you were on board to join me!
-This Cider Chicken is a recipe from a friend who is a nutritionist. I had big plans to make it and shoot it and share the recipe, but since daylight savings hit last week I need to rethink my photography time frame.
-Fun work lunch at the original Fuzzy’s Taco Shop on TCU’s campus. Little back story, my restaurant group owns the Oklahoma Fuzzy’s only, however we work closely with the corporate Fuzzy’s team who are based out of DFW. I’ve been able to meet with a couple of times now since being in Dallas!
-My Kale Quinoa Salad made an appearance for meals last week. I swapped out the cranberries for avocado and added in leftover chicken from the cider chicken. It’s so simple but good!
-Look at that board!! Pretty proud of myself for this one. My friend Kacie, who serves as the Marketing Director for Jack Mason, asked me to make a few cheeseboards for a launch party they were having in collab with the menswear line, Taylor Stich.
-Cut the cheese for my bestie Margaret on her bday. If you are in Dallas, I highly recommend the cheese classes at Scardello!
-I got an itch to bake Friday night. I typically always have ingredients stocked for Perfect CCCs. I started baking only to realize I was out of eggs… I’ve had a few people ask me for an egg replacement, so this was an accidental time to test out the applesauce method which I randomly had on hand. 1/2 cup applesauce actually worked great in replacement for 2 eggs.
-A mimosa, a few Ranch Waters, a French 75 and an espresso martini later led to a really fun day with my girl Caroline, but a night of no sleep and a not fun headache the next day…
-Sunday Chili night with the Cowboys and great friends!

Annie

Bites of My Life

Halloween, check! Now bring on the TURKEY!!!! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I’m currently in OKC for a quick work trip, and my family spent part of yesterday planning out our Thanksgiving menu. Truly the best time of the year!

-I tried Culina plant-based yogurt for the first time this week and me-oh-my it’s so good! TBH it’s really expensive for yogurt, but worth the splurge here and there.
-Got a little crafty Monday night and was quickly reminded how much I love to use my hands. Felt good to make something while watching TV, instead of scrolling Instagram all evening.
-First oatmeal of the season! Pumpkin for Halloween of course!
-Creepy crawly CCCs for Halloween + 11 other festive recipes!
-Does anyone else serve their chili over rice? This was new to me, but when a friend made chili for a group on Halloween, he served it over rice. And I approved. Seems strange, but works.
-Friday afternoon remote working at one of my favorite places, Royal Blue!
-If you follow me on Instagram, you saw the tortilla chip saga last week. Tortilla chips are my kryptonite. 5 chips leads to 50 far to fast, anyone else?
-I got to be in a really fun fitness shoot Saturday afternoon. Post-shoot meant beers and cheese fries ;)
-Blondes + Marge!
-I started this book yesterday and already halfway done. It’s short essay style, my favorite and too relatable.
-CHEEEEEEESE with my best girl Elle!
-In OKC for a very quick work trip, but got to squeeze in a belated birthday dinner for my mom. Dinner was at my favorite, Cheever’s, which also meant finishing the meal with the best brandy ice in OKC!

Annie

6 Money Saving Tips

Update November 2020: This post was written in November of 2019. It’s crazy to read this and see how almost all of these tips haven’t translated to the current state we are in due to the global pandemic. Most people are still working from home, working out in their living room, grocery store samples are now obsolete, events have gone virtual or to distanced outdoor spaces, and many restaurants and bars are still closed.

Despite the significant change in our everyday lives, I’ve still managed to get a little swirly with my spending and I’m in major need of a “No Spend November.” With the always expensive holiday season looming, it’s time to reign it in. Scroll to tip #6 for how I plan to approach spending this month. This means being thriftier on how much I spend on groceries to make meals at home, ordering a hot water and bringing a tea bag with me if I meet friends for coffee (any coffee shop with give you hot water for free), zero retail purchases on myself (blessed to have my Rent the Runway membership comped this month!!), and only spending on shopping if it’s for gifts for others.

Note* I do have a trip to California planned in a couple of weeks. I will be spending on food and drinks there, but going to attempt to not go overboard while still enjoying myself!

---

1. Make coffee at home or at the office. This pops up on about every list, but it’s for good reason. Coffee shops jack up the price on even a single bag of tea. If you crave a latte or matcha, spend a little money on the front end buy buying a milk frother and/or fancy kinds of milk or flavorings to save money on the back end.

2. Work a few shifts at your favorite workout studio. Studio fitness is expensive, there is no good way around it. Most studios have front desk positions or I know some yoga studios that allow you to clean the room in exchange for free classes. I’ve taken on two (very) early morning shifts at my favorite pilates studio. I work before my day with my full-time job starts, I get to work out for free and bonus, get paid some extra cash!

3. Samples. Ha, I can’t believe I’m writing this but it is one of my pro tips. I’m a sucker for free samples. They are one of my ultimate guilty pleasures. Sometimes when hunger strikes in the afternoon and I need a little snack, I make a round at Eatzi’s, Central Market or Whole Foods for a few free samples. I then walk out of the store with a look on my face like “darn, you didn’t have what I needed,” and leave without purchasing anything. This isn’t the most morally correct advice, but I spend enough money at grocery stores, I feel fine about swiping some few samples here and there.

4. Attend free events. If you live in a big city there are free events happening everywhere you turn. Especially this time of year. Christmas lights will be going up soon and you can’t put a price on driving around looking at lights (for free!!). Bonus if you make hot chocolate at home to take with you instead of spending $6 at Starbucks. Check with your local Lululemon, Athleta or Outdoor Voices and see if they are putting on free workout classes. Or check your city guides/websites for a list of events. In Dallas, I stalk Dallasites 101’s Instagram and subscribe to their newsletter to get info on fun and free events going on around me! And bonus, often when you attend these kinds of free events, they are typically handing out other freebies or swag of sorts!

5. Drink at home. Ordering drinks at dinner automatically doubles or triples your tab. Try inviting friends over for a glass of Two Buck Chuck at your house before then head to dinner out. I also got in a habit of ordering a Topo Chico while on Whole30. Since you can’t drink on W30, I would eat out and still want a little something with my meal. Ordering sparkling water still has a cost attached to it, but it’s much cheaper than a cocktail.

6. Join me in No Spend November. I need accountability, so I’m asking you to join me in a no spending month. NSP excludes groceries, a few meals out (aiming for only 3 a week), and holiday shopping for others. I have officially deleted the Amazon app off my phone (my kryptonite), I’m not allowing any retail purchases to be spent on myself, and trying to limit my eating/drinking out to only a few times a week. Will you join me?

Do you have any budget saving tips? Any and all are welcome, let me know!

Annie