Bites of My Life

Last week was one of my favorite weeks/weekends in D.C. During the week there was a party at work on Monday, lots of Barre 3 classes, dinner at my now, favorite restaurant and just good chill nights.

Part of the fam came to visit this weekend which made it just perfect. I had been stressing of what all to eat, do and show off to them. Everything ended up going as planned and the weather was actually perfect, so I don't think it could have been a better weekend!

This week marks week 4 in this beloved city. Nothing crazy is on tap for this week, but all four of the roommates and I are headed to NYC on Friday to visits friends working in the big city! 

-The intern life isn't so bad when it involves picking up dozens of the best cupcakes in town.

-Barre3 D.C. is my new happy place.

-Roomie dinner at one of the best restaurants. Table side guac was must and I may have asked this guy if I could have his job. I can make some mean guacamole in case you didn't know. 

-Not a very appetizing picture, but Wednesday night quickly turned into a good night when we discovered Wine Wednesday at the Whole Foods across from our dorm. $5 gets you 5 different samples of wine paired with 5 different food samplings. My favorite was the herb roasted veggies. 

-Finally pulled myself out of bed for an early morning barre class. Walked halfway there in the rain, but it was one of those happy mornings where nothing could rain on my parade. Pun intended.

-I make and take my lunch to work everyday. A version of this quinoa salad with fruit or nuts for a snack is my go to. Looks pretty good for being cooked up in the kitchenette!

-Mom, dad, Claire and her bf, all got in town on Friday! I loved getting to show them around my city for the weekend. 

-Good Stuff Eatery was high on the agenda of things to do while the fam was in town. This was the aftermath of our lunch. 

-I had been waiting to try out Meskerem, a highly rated Ethiopian spot in Adams Morgan. I knew my family's adventurous taste buds would be willing to try it out! No silverware is involved, instead you get plates of injera bread to scoop up all the yummy spiced dishes.

-Loved mom and pop being here, wish they didn't have to go so soon!

Annie 

Zara Has a Spell On Me

So, I've already made a few trips to Zara since I've been in D.C. Both times I have tried on about 15-20 different things. I love how their clothes are slightly different than pieces you would find in other stores. That being said, they are influencing my style to be slightly different than usual. Right now they have all of these cool printed graphic t-shirts. Most have sketches and drawings of models or florals. 

I am randomly obsessed with these t-shirts. This denim pencil skirt is my other random obsession. I need, I want, I think I will buy it today. I feel like I am reverting back to the days in the 90's where it was jean everything. 

printed t-shirt/denim pencil skirt

Just a quicky fashion post to show off the strange spell Zara is putting me under. I'm planning another Zara post soon because the store is just full of goods right now. 

Annie

Bites of My Life

Another week in D.C. has passed. We are trying to plan all the things we want to get done this summer that I am quickly realizing how fast it is going to go by. 

Last week I felt more like a real resident of D.C. I know my way around better and can manage the Metro for the majority without having to use my app-success! 

It was a wonderful week at work. I am constantly inspired by the people I work with and the environment at the office. I love getting to know everyone better during our chatty lunch breaks, happy hours and daily meetings! 

Last week consisted of more delicious food, more exploring to find hidden D.C. gems and the arrival of the summer humidity. My hair is loooooving it...

-The Georgetown Anthropologie has their whole BHLDN wedding line in the store...swooon

-Coordinating my breakfast with my outfit

-I love when co-workers bring their leftovers to work. The best flour less chocolate cake.

-SCOUT happy hour!

-Brain Food Friday is being installed at work to keep us working hard! Whole Foods juices were provided for everyone! 

-My first Jazz in the Garden. Think live music, thousands of people and $6 sangria.

-These may just look like quesadillas, but they were strangely the most delicious shrimp quesadillas I've ever had in my life. A little tex-mex from Tortilla Coast was a fun taste of home. 

-The famous Luke's Lobster for lunch on Saturday. Best lobster roll hands down.

-Spent all day Saturday walking about every square inch of Georgetown! 

-"Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy gelato, which is pretty much the same thing!" This easily lured us into Dolcezza for some espresso and pistachio gelato!

-Explored the Union Market Saturday night. It was the coolest, most modern little food market that pops up right in the middle of nothing. My friends thought I was leading them to a dead end when we got off the Metro, but luckily it turned out to be a success.

-A southern gospel buffet brunch on Sunday. This was just plate 1 of about 4.

I have no doubt it is going to be another great week! Mom, dad and oldest sis get here Friday so it will definitely be a great weekend! 

Annie

Strawberry Salsa Shrimp Tacos

I was so excited to be moving into a dorm with a little kitchenette. I pictured myself cooking dinner most nights and baking up some treats every once in a while. First off the kitchenette is tiny, not a huge deal, but I also can barely figure out how to use anything. Second off, I didn't even think about not having pots and pans or just the basic ingredients you need to make anything. That being said, I was still determined to cook something. 

Last Saturday, after a week of eating out for every meal, I decided it was finally time to cook. I decided to make Strawberry Salsa Shrimp Tacos, adapted from How Sweet It Is. 

The meal was actually super simple and totally manageable to make in the baby kitchen. We did frozen shrimp, thawed and then roasted in the oven. The strawberry salsa consisted of strawberries, cilantro, red onion and lime juice, then topped with some avocado!

I bought foil to make a make shift roasting pan and got a $9 kitchen knife at whole foods to chop up the ingredients for the salsa. I made due and it actually turned out great! So if you ever are in limited cooking quarters, this is the meal to make! It was easy, summery, and won over all of the roommates!

Strawberry Salsa Shrimp Tacos

4 servings

Ingredients:
1 1b. bag of frozen shrimp, thawed, peeled and devained
salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic for roasting
8 yellow or white corn tortillas, warmed

For the salsa:
8 oz fresh strawberries, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
juice of one lime
salt and pepper to taste

Additional toppings:
salsa
avocado
feta cheese

Directions:
First make your salsa so the flavors have time to marry together. Chop up all your ingredients, squeeze lime over the top and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix together and keep in the fridge while the shrimp cooks.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place your shrimp on a roasting pan or cookie sheet in a single layer. Drizzle about 2 Tbsp. olive oil over the top and sprinkle with salt, pepper and chopped garlic. Toss them around then roast in the oven for 8 minutes. 

Warm your tortillas in the microwave for about 30 seconds, then everything is ready! Let your guests put their tacos together as they please! 

Annie

Bites of My Life

Hello whirlwind. Last week was amazing, busy, short, but long. I've officially been in D.C. for a week now. I am trying to squeeze as much as I can into the two months I'll be here, so I am warning you now there may be a lack of posts for the next few months. I am determined to at least post every Monday so you can get a big bite out of what's going on in D.C. I have a few other post ideas still, so don't think I'm writing off the blog completely!

Last week we got all moved into our dorm, or the penthouse as we like to call it. No one had work on Monday because of Memorial day so it was the perfect opportunity to explore our new city! 

I started work on Tuesday, it is amazing. I'm surrounded by the coolest people, working for the coolest company, doing something that doesn't even feel like work. 

Most nights, the roommates and I would get home, take a quick nap or relax a bit then go grab a late dinner. Over the weekend we forced ourselves to push through the tiredness to get out and check things off our summer bucket list. 

Here's to week two in D.C!

-Memorial Day celebrations in front of the National Archives building.

-Cheesy picture in front of my office while we were exploring around Georgetown. 

-Baked and Wired. After Ben & Jerry's we got cupcakes...We got them to-go to not make ourselves feel too disgusting. I got Dirty Chai!

-I love still being able to do Barre 3 in D.C. The studio is conveniently right around the corner from my office!

-Working on your birthday isn't so bad. I was surprised with a little birthday celebration and another Baked and Wired cupcake!

-Came home to flowers and champagne from the sweetest roommate! We quickly popped it to celebrate our first day of work and being 21!

-Finally the birthday celebrations came to a close. Free dessert to end the night didn't make it so bad.

-Look there's wine in there! Being 21 is fun. 

-After dinner stroll by the White House.

-My fellow intern! We both had birthdays last week so we celebrated with Godiva birthday chocolate! I told you, you were going on the blog Savannah!

-Doing like the locals do and getting our Happy Hour on. 

-Bonding over belting Elton John at our new favorite place. 

-Good Stuff Eatery. The best burger and fries hands down. Look! They even regrammed my picture. 

-First meal in the penthouse! I made shrimp tacos with strawberry salsa! Look forward to that recipe post this week!

-WWII memorial. Cliche' pic in front of our home state!

-The big man. 

-Walking the monuments is tiring and it deserves frozen yogurt afterwords. Fro.zen.yo has banana chips as a topping, so I'm sold. 

-After craving asian all week, we ended the weekend with a little sushi, fried rice and curry!

I am going to start doing more detailed D.C. posts so you can know all about what I'm doing, seeing and most importantly, eating. 

Annie