Goodbye Spring, Hello Summer

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image via The Everygirl

Summer came in full force weather wise about two weeks ago. We are already seeing triple digits almost everyday. I love the heat, but this early makes me a little unnerving for what the rest of the summer will look like. Yesterday marked the first official day of Summer, so before putting my Summer TDL out there I wanted to take a look back and see what I crossed off my Spring installment. Pat on the back Annie, you did pretty good!

1. Host a spring dinner party...
I'm so mad I didn't do this. Really striving to make it happen soon. Using these tips to maybe make it a bit easier!

2. Attend the Oklahoma City Arts Festival-CHECK! I actually went twice!

3. Take some kind of cooking, pastry or coffee and latte making class-almost CHECK!
I can't give away too many details for certain reasons, but this is getting accomplished very soon.

4. Go to a crawfish boil/convince a friend to have one-CHECK!

5. Eat outside as much as possible-CHECK, CHECK, CHECK! I would even more now if it wasn't 100+ outside.

6. Cheer on the OKC Thunder at a playoff game...
This unfortunately did not get accomplished:( My thunder held strong for a while, but not long enough for me to make it to a game.

7. Make this Coconut Carrot Cake Cheesecake-CHECK! We can't forget the double cheesecake mistake of Easter2k16.

8. Perfect how to poach an egg...
Still working on this task! I hear the key is using the freshest egg you can. Hoping to hit up a farmer's market soon to get some farm fresh eggs!

9. Host a Cinco De Mayo party-CHECK!

Okay so 6 out of 9 seems pretty good to me. Now to craft up my Summer TDL. Any suggestions?

Annie

My Current Obsession: Podcasts

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Are you a podcast listener? I used to think it was so grandma to listen to a podcast, it seemed so book-on-tape. My thoughts have changed and I recently jumped on the podcast bandwagon. I was a serious Serial listener when it first came out, but had never really gotten into podcasts besides then. When Molly and I met up a few months ago she mentioned how she would be passing the time of her leg of the trip by listening to podcasts. I had a Spotify playlist loaded up, but podcasts? Hmmm. Being inspired by anything Molly does, I researched top podcasts and got my iPhone ready to go for my road trip.

Podcasts are still a little book-on-tapish, but far more intriguing. Since working again, music hasn't been fueling me. I need something more motivating. I love listening to them during my commute, while at work, and I especially love them while going on walks. It's crazy how they can help pass the time.

Podcasts I'm currently listening to...

Blissful Bites Podcast - In this podcast Nicole Culver of Blissful Eats interviews food entrepreneurs and female bloggers. I'm so inspired by the startup stories from people such as Jessica Merchant of How Sweet Eats and Samantha of Emmy's Organics!

The Edible Happy Hour - This is a local podcast just started by some of my favorite foodies. It is a roundtable discussion about food, drinks and local fare. 

Mystery Show - In this lighthearted podcast, Starlee Kine solves funny but curious mysteries. I won't giveaway much so we can keep it a mystery, but trust me, it's just a fun one!

Bon Appétit Podcast- Commentated by Andrew Rapoport, the editor-in-chief of Bon Appétit, this podcast interviews, chefs, foodies, and writers alike. They have guests such as Ina Garten, Bobby Flay and David Chang. 100% obsessed.

Podcasts I'm excited to listen to...

Being Boss - For creatives and entrepreneurs. One of the hosts, Kathleen, is a local okie!

Lady Lovin' - Co-hosted by my Laguna Beach favorite Lo Bosworth, she joins besties Jilly Hendrix and Greta Titleman to talk about the basic realness of life. 

Burnt Toast by Food52 - For those who never stop wondering about food.

Lady Gang - A celebrity driven podcast that is supposed to be a hilarious telling of what it is like to live in Hollywood. 

Any other podcasts favorites I should know about?

Annie

Guest Post: How to Stay Healthy in Your Everyday Life

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via Birdie

via Birdie

Today's post is full of knowledge on how to stay healthy and active in your daily life through exercise. The knowledge in this post is better than anything I could try to make up for you-keep reading to see why! Jennifer McGregor and her classmate are both pre-med students and created PublicHealthLibrary.org as part of a class project.  They enjoyed developing the website so much that they decided to keep it running and continue to develop it. They are hoping for the site to become a go-to health and wellness resource online. 

Make a Schedule and Stick to It
Busy work schedules and personal life make it difficult to exercise. The truth, however, is that it is easier to make excuses than it is to make a commitment to an exercise schedule. By making fitness a priority in your life, you will find that it is much easier to create a schedule for daily exercise and to stick to it. Sometimes simply penciling this into your regular schedule makes it become an automatic part of your day.

Become a Morning Person (#teammorning-AT)
Okay, so being a morning person may not fit into your current routine. In getting up earlier, committed to exercising, your morning workout will soon become part of your routine. You can get your workout off your to-do list first thing in the morning, and not have to worry about squeezing it in later in the day. People who exercise in the morning often say that it energizes them and enhances their mood. That’s a great trade-off for getting up earlier!

via barre3

via barre3

Get Paid to Exercise
Money is a great motivator. If you think that making a little extra cash while exercising sounds like a good idea, there are several options available. One option is to become a dog walker and/or pet sitter. Not only do you get the benefit of hanging out with some awesome dogs, but you get paid to exercise in a fun way. Other great ways to work exercise into your day while getting paid include becoming a mail carrier, guiding walking tours in your area, teaching fitness classes, becoming a ski instructor, or volunteering as a coach or referee.

via birdie

via birdie

Put Down Your Phone
You may be surprised by just how much time you spend on social media, e-mail, or playing games on your phone. If you put down your phone and devote that down time to working out instead of vegging out, you will soon find that exercising can easily become part of your daily life. When you’re done, hop back onto social media and tell the world about your physical conquests!

Move Every Time You Have the Chance
It may not be as structured as thirty minutes on the treadmill, but moving every chance you get will help work physical activity into your day. For example, instead of sitting on the couch while you watch your favorite show, do some squats, pushups, or lunges while you watch. If you keep a jump rope or weights nearby, you may get even more motivated to be active in that down time. Other ways to get active during the day include running in place while cooking, doing squats while folding laundry, or doing pushups with your kids.

Practice High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a quick way to work exercise into your daily routine. When you choose an activity, put full effort into it for 10-20 seconds, and then follow with 40-50 seconds of recovery time. You’ll want to include a 5-10 minute warmup, followed by 10-15 rounds of the activity, and then 5-10 minute cool down. You’ll find that you are burning loads of calories in a short amount of time with HIIT.

Once you start to really look for the time in your day, you’ll find that there are several options for working exercise in. You don’t have to drive to the gym and take an hour-long class to get active and fit. Simply choose some of these suggestions, and you’ll find that exercise quickly becomes a normal part of your day.

Jennifer

Jennifer McGregor has wanted to be a doctor since she was little. Now, as a pre-med student, she’s well on her way to achieving that dream. She helped create PublicHealthLibrary.org with a friend as part of a class project. With it, she hopes to provide access to trustworthy health and medical resources. When Jennifer isn’t working on the site, you can usually find her hitting the books in the campus library or spending some downtime with her dog at the local park.

It is so important for me to stay active and healthy, especially as I translate back onto the working grind. I sit most hours of the day. Waking up early and getting in meaningful workouts (barre3, HITT or cardio) is super important to me. If I don't do it in the morning the chances are slim I'll be motivated to by the end of the day. I'm also on my phone/computer allllll day (life of a social media job), so taking those breaks to get up and stretch, focus on something else, and rest my eyes is more and more apparent. Thank you for your knowledge Jennifer and for contributing to Take A Bite!

Annie

My Kitchen Essentials

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Above I have rounded up my favorite kitchen essentials. These are products I either love or couldn't live without. While my kitchen is still in the process of being stocked with all the proper appliances and tools any standard cook should have, I long for the time when I will get married and get to register for all the things I've been dying for. But let's be real, that'll be a while. Things like a full knife set, a matching set of dishes, proper pots and pans... okay enough day dreaming and back to the things I have now, and think you should too! 

Entree Bowls I'll eat out of a bowl any day over plate. I think it's something about being able to get the food out of a bowl easier than scraping it up off a plate. I don't know, but pro-bowl over here. It's all I really ever eat out of. Salads, soups, curry, rice, chicken and veggies, it's the perfect hybrid. These are only $27 for a set of 4 from Target. (Target has great cheap but cute dishes).

10-Piece Glass Mixing Bowls You need these. I think everyone in my family has these bowls. The fact that you get 10 bowls for $40 is fantastic. This is one of the pieces Ina Garten recommends everyone to have in their kitchen. I agree. I use them for everyyyyyything. The large bowls for cookie dough, the small bowls for making sauces or marinades. 

Kitchen Aid Mixer My pink mixer is like the landmark in my kitchen. It proudly sits on my counter for everyone to see. You just can't really bake without a Kitchen Aid mixer. They are pricy but last for forever. My mom has had hers for 30+ years...

Oven Mitt Don't risk burning your fingers off by pulling hot pans out of the oven with a flimsy hand towel. Make sure your kitchen has a few oven mitts, you'll use them daily. Anthropologie has the cutest! 

Cookie Scoop This is one of my favorite tools. It looks like and ice cream scoop, just a little smaller. If you want pretty, uniform cookies, invest in a scoop. I suggest about a 1.5 tablespoon size. 

Wooden Cutting Boards I have a three-piece set similar to these that I love. You need some plastic cutting boards for things like poultry and fish, but I use my wooden ones daily. I even use them for backgrounds in my food pictures or even as a plate! Wooden cutting boards can also be used as a cheese board.

Non-stick Roasting Pans and Cookie Sheets You need at least two of each, you just do. My cookie sheets get used all the time, but the roasting pans probably get used even more. Roasted veggies, baked fish, sweet potato chips, I have a million ways to use these. When I am making big batches of cookies they even get used as stand-in cookie sheets!

Canisters I use these canisters to store my flour, sugar, brown sugar and coffee right on my counter. They have an airtight sealant on them keeping everything fresh. I love having these essential ingredients right at arms reach. 

Dessert Stand I was gifted this dessert stand customized for me with "Take A Bite" etched on the outside. It sits on my counter and I love to use it as an excuse to bake, so that it is always filled with treats. I would recommend some kind of stand like this with a lid. It's an easy way to display and store homemade goodies!

Le Cruset Dutch Oven My Le Cruset is the newest addition to my kitchen. I had to get pink too so that my Kitchen Aid had a friend. A dutch oven can be used for things like roasting a chicken, making homemade spaghetti, a big batch of curry, a Sunday roast, soup, mashed potatoes, the list goes on. There really isn't a pan to replace it. It's on the pricy side, but also lasts forever. 

Do you have any go to kitchen items you couldn't live without? Let me know!

Annie