Bites of My Life

Last week was pretty slow. Wake up, workout, work, eat, sleep repeat. I was happy to be home for the weekend to recharge and see a bunch of people I love. I wouldn’t categorize myself as a homebody per se, but I always feel good after a few days back in Oklahoma City. 1. to see my fam and friends who I miss all the time and 2. to remind myself that home is always there and Dallas is an adventure I’m not done pursuing!

-Really really loving my new desk set up. If you are working from home and haven’t invested in a true work space, I highly encourage it for more mental clarity and better productivity.
-This breakfast on repeat last week. Ezekiel toast, almond butter, sliced banana, cinnamon, tahini drizzle and chia seeds!
-Leftover enchiladas made for a really happy lunch break.
-This morning detox drink inspired by my friend Lauren had me feeling so good last week. I would even make it after lunch sometimes or before bed per her suggestion. Recipe here.
-Have you started following my new passion project @confessionsofarentaholic? I rented this band tee (that I ended up buying!!) along with some other goodies last week.
-The same day my “What I Eat in a Day” post went live, I shamelessly indulged in the best ice cream ever. Felt great about it. Don’t miss the post, you can read it here. After posting a picture of Cookie Two Step, I had a handful of people let me know I needed to try the new Cookie Cake and Cookie Dough Overload. Anyone had them?
-Scooted up to OKC for a wedding, but made sure to make a stop at the new Bradford House while in town. Go for breakfast, cocktails or snacks, skip on dinner IMO!
-Some of the best!! I love my friends in Dallas, but I miss my Oklahoma gal pals on the daily.
-We love the maid of honor! Family friend weddings are always a blast with this crew.

Annie

Podcast bite: I don’t talk much about being single on the blog, but if you too are single and struggling or in a place of needing encouragement I wanted to share this podcast episode I was lucky to be on last week with my friend Dr. Julie Shannon.

What I Eat In A Day

Ahh! The old “what I eat in a day” post. I personally love and I’m proud of the shift I’ve seen in the influencer world lately when it comes to these type of posts. I keep seeing more and more disclosures like “this is just what works for me” or some people who won’t even post what they eat in a day because they don’t want anyone thinking that if they eat what that person eats, they will suddenly turn into them. Because you know what, I’ve been there.

I love Melissa Wood. She radiates positivity and and is a gem in the wellness world. I became completely inspired by her back in January and really leaned into her lifestyle. If you follow Melissa you’ll understand what I mean when I say I was doing hot lemon water and green juice in the morning, then I’d practice one of her workouts, avocado toast with tomato after that, a green salad with tomatoes and sauerkraut for lunch, sip on more green juice while I made dinner, and some kind of vegan pasta for dinner. I should look like Melissa now, right? Wrong.

Quarantine hit after a couple of months of this and my cute plant-based inspired diet got thrown out the window when I spent seven weeks living with my parents in a household that runs on meat at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In an effort to not be too difficult (I still snuck in coconut aminos and cauliflower rice when they weren’t looking), I naturally started eating more meat. And you know what, I felt amazing. I had so much more energy, and wasn’t hitting the 3pm slump so hard like I was earlier in the year. When I was trying to stick to more plant-based meals, I was taking a nap every day. Now I know plant-based eating does amazing things for a lot of people and the environmental side of it all is really important but, the natural vitamins and energy that animal protein can give you is something I was really missing. Something that my body needed.

This is a long-winded introduction to finally share what I eat in a day. But before we proceed, take my daily “bites” with a grain of salt. What I like to eat may sound gross to you, and what works for me may not work for you. However, since I genuinely love reading people’s morning routines (should I do a post on this?), knowing what someone “typically” eats in a day is also weirdly fascinating. So without further ado.

MORNING:
I try to drink at least 20-30 ounces of water before I have any coffee or anything to eat. After I work out and get my water in, I switch off between making tea (green or earl gray), decaf coffee or a homemade matcha latte. All with Nutpods dairy-free creamer mixed in. I’m pretty sensitive to caffeine and it really ramps up my anxiety, so I try to avoid it. I love a warm beverage in the morning, so I still get my fix in a less anxious way.

I have tried my hand at intermittent fasting and I still do it here and there, but the more I read is (again just what works for me!!) it’s really not great for women with hormonal issues and those who haven’t been though menopause yet. Also I literally go to bed excited to wake up for breakfast, so why am I trying to skip it? My blood sugar and cortisol need to chill in the morning and eating a good and healthy breakfast is a great help with both. My go-to’s are either avocado toast made from Ezekiel bread, smashed avocado, a sprinkle of turmeric, cayenne, salt, and pepper with some fruit on the side, a green smoothie, or some kind of yogurt (love this one right now) with berries, cinnamon and chia seeds.

AFTERNOON:
I’ve really been trying to amp up my lunches. I used to often eat a salad or a small portion of leftovers that would leave me hungry the second I finished. I’m working on eating a more balanced lunch that is healthy but satisfying. I’ve been loving these wraps full of turkey, salami and the works, either wrapped in lettuce or in a low carb tortilla. I’ve also been making little quesadillas with dairy-free cheese, any deli meat or protein I have, avocado, red onion etc. The best lunch is honestly dinner leftovers. This week I’ve been eating these grain-free enchiladas. I look so forward to lunch. I’ll eat 1.5 and plate them over greens, with extra veggies or an apple on the side to make it more balanced.

Snacktime is something I used to feel guilty about eating. I hate that I’m even saying that, but yes for a long time I used to feel bad if I couldn’t make it from lunch to dinner, without needing a snack. And this is coming from the girl who used to eat a pint of Häagen-Dazs coffee ice cream for an after school snack in high-school...maybe that triggered my snack problem. Two ends of the spectrum! Snacks can be hard. I’m like oh I’ll just have a few crackers then I’ve suddenly downed the box. I think this is why I tried to forgo them all together. The truth is, it’s absurd to ignore your hunger cues. A snack is a great way to put off immense hunger at dinner time, helps you focus to get through the end of the workday, and keeps your energy up. Since quarantine, I’ve really leaned into the afternoon snack. I look forward to it every day. It literally brings me a boost of joy in the middle of the day. I’ve been loving a handful of cashews and dried prunes, an apple and almond butter or a bowl (or 2) of Skinny Pop.

EVENING:
I like to eat early, I always have. I blame living in the sorority house when they would serve us dinner at 5. Since then I’ve fully adopted that schedule and could eat at 5 every night if I chose. Once I eat dinner I’m pretty good, I don’t get too hungry before bed. However, 5 is pretty early so I try to push it to around 6. I typically do a big loaded salad with whatever is in season, I love spaghetti squash with pesto and red sauce, or my favorite go-to/freezer meal is always cauliflower fried rice or some kind of stir fry situation. I try to keep the carbs lower in the evening.

If I need dessert, which I usually always do, I go for a handful of chocolate chips, a spoonful of almond butter or a couple of graham crackers. Sometimes all combined :)

Now this was just an example of a good day. At least a couple times a week there is a massive amount of tortilla chips scarfed down while at drinks with friends, or those nights when I just can’t keep my hand out of the bag of chocolate chips and one handful turns into 4 or 5. You do you and go take a bite of what works for you!

Annie

*This post is not sponsored by Nutpods, but I’d be remise not to mention that you can get 15% off your order by using the coupon code _ANNIETUCKER at checkout.