Bites of My Life

Around here kids are already going back to school, and I'm starting to feel a bitten from the fall bug. I came home from work today and lit my pumpkin scented candle, I was was also this close to buying fall decorations at Home Goods. I see a pumpkin recipe in the future...

I'm trying to hold on to every last bit of summer, but I'm slipping into the next season. I've also felt like I've been in a rut recently. A rut in all aspects of life, just a little stagnant. Maybe a new season would change that?

Rut aside, the current state of the union includes helping open a new restaurant, completing week 1, baking up a storm despite it, celebrating 27 years of sister with "white water rafting" and our favorite pie, and of course, the olympics. Gymnastics, synchronized diving, swimming and track and field fire me up, what about you?

-Pop, fizz, clink, champagne emoji, our 5th Oklahoma and 100th location nationwide opened last Monday!
-Bought a filet of smoked salmon last week. Worked it into as many meals as I could!
-Finally found a chia pudding recipe I like. This recipe has you heat the milk and chia together. Can be eaten warm or cold. Topped mine with figs and gogi berries!
-You all know I'm an apple and AB girl through and through, but there is something to be said about a creamy banana and nut butter. These banana coins got a drizzle of cashew butter, almond butter and a sprinkle of Himalayan sea salt!
-Cherry Lime Le Croix. Yes yes yup yup.
-Sometimes work involves gramming gorgeous cocktails, not mad about it. 
-It also includes taste testing the fish dishes for our next concept.  
-Nothing I love making more than my signature sugar cookies!
-Whole 30 has been nothing shy of delish. This was my best (and prettiest) lunch yet!
-Going for the gold with this new cookie pizza recipe, check back tomorrow for the recipe!
-This weekend breakfast on repeat Saturday & Sunday it was so simple and good. Two sunny side eggs cooked and sprinkled with turmeric on top, side of blackberries and broiled grapefruit with cinnamon. 
-Sis requested my Cherry Peach Pie for her birthday, so I through sprinkles in the crust to make it a bit more festive!

Annie

Bites of My Life

I had to dig to pull this bites post together. When I sat down to compile pictures for this post I had about a 100 photos for work and 100 photos of the roasted chicken I made last night. Yet nothing in between. I guess that does go to show a little bit of what my week looked like. I haven't talked much about my job, but I'll tell you it involves a lot of social media, a lot of restaurants, currently a lot of tacos and the past few weeks, a lot of hours. I'm pooped. But today we celebrate, because one corner of my job includes the grand opening of this.

Outside of work and getting as much sleep as I could sneak in, there were fantasy suite dates and men tell all viewing parties, (#teamjordan or #teamrobby? I'm #teamshedoesn'tpickeither), a going away party for my soon to be NYC friend, Jason Bourne and an evening in the kitchen getting ready for this.

-What too many of my meals looked like last week and will most likely be in the coming weeks.
-Killer combo: protein powder, almond milk, drop of vanilla extract, cinnamon and all the frozen berries you have!
-Another aspect of my job includes taste testing for a new gig coming this fall.
-My job sucks if you couldn't tell ;)
-This corn salad. It's everything. Recipe here.
-Haphazard brekkie of sliced apples with cinnamon, cashew butter and tahini drizzled over it.
-I'm not a sandwich gal typically. Yesterday I craved a sandwich. Here's to sandwiches I guess. 
-Can check roasting a whole chicken off my cooking bucket list now!
-Roasted broccolini and sweet potatoes for throwing on salads or eating as sides this week.

Annie

Bites of My Life

Work, work, work, work. All about the hustle this past week and weekend. All work and a little play, but I'm loving it. Just like my blog keeps me creatively stimulated, my day job has been doing the same. 

-Perfecting my poach, one farm fresh egg at a time.
-J.R. Designs made an appearance on the blog last week as well as killing it at her first trunk show. Check out her stuff now, if you haven't. 
-Fun to find out there are a bunch of matcha maniacs out there like myself. Glad I'm not alone. This post stimulated another matcha project I have up my sleeve.
-Working for a restaurant group has seeeeeerious perks. 
-Don't knock it till you try it. Almond butter, avocado slices, drizzle of honey and salt. So darn good I can't even.
-That matcha project I mentioned earlier. Here is a sneak peek. 
-When it's 103 outside, smoothie bowls for dinner are just about the best thing ever. 
-Texas and Oklahoma shaped sugar cookies for sweet Lauren as she makes her exit from OKC to Dallas, we'll miss you!
-Visually stimulating Mexican sodas. Come see them for yourself, starting August 1st ;)

Annie

Bites of My Life

Summer well spent this past week. It was just the right amount of getting things done to then enjoy the off time over the weekend. Lots of summer eats and sips and recipes and other creations. Time was spent by the pool, at new workout classes, catching up with friends, deep cleaning and a combo of hustling while also relaxing. 

-Mushroom tacos being continued from the week before.
-I used a lot of words and barely mentioned foods in last week's Sit Still post. Kind of nice to lay it all out there sometimes.
-The sweetest and tastiest delivery showed up on my doorstep last week from Tiny Boxwoods c/o BB Molly!
-Loved seeing last week's Sugar Cookie Pizza with Strawberry Icing already being made. Thank you @annmariedaniel!
-If you have a recent copy of Edible OKC, do yourself a favor and make the Strawberry Tahini smoothie bowl recipe!
-Smoothie bowl after smoothie bowl this week. So good on these 100+ days.
-A trip to a local farmers market called for picking up only local goods, like this Big Oak Blueberry Lavender Kombucha.
-Fresh farm tomatoes and eggs from the farmers market! I was on a quest to perfect a poached egg. I think I did by following these instructions.
-What summer Saturdays are made for.
-An afternoon poolside and a few too many club specials, led to a table full of burgers and fries to cap it off.
-Cooked, recipe tested and meal prepped all day on Sunday. One creation included this homemade jalapeño hummus!
-Easy way to drink more water: keep pitcher of fruit infused water in the fridge. This has been amazing this summer. My go-to is lemon and mint, but this week I have cucumber strawberry ready for me in the fridge.

Annie

Bites of My Life

Last week was simple. It was fun and quick. I'd say the same thing about this weekend. Fun moments shared with friends and family, but nothing crazy. Just a good week at home to recharge after lots of going going going. 

-Accomplished my "Take a cooking class" mission from my Spring TDL, by taking a knife class with my dad. It was something the both of us had been wanting to do, so it made for the perfect birthday present for him, and we loved it. 
-Seriously loving these loaded salad bowls recently. Grains, greens, pickled veg, fresh veg, tzatziki, tahini and more.
-I recently subscribed to Bon Appetit and get stupid giddy when I find that months subscription in the mail.
-Sneak peek of this week's recipe post!
-HBD to my floral and pattern loving bestie. 
-Saturday morning at Jimmy's Egg has some kind of healing power. 
-I posted the recipe for this Watermelon Feta Pistachio Salad last week and was thrilled to see the response of people trying out the recipe! Thanks Diane!
-I woke up Sunday morning with an itch to bake. Blueberry muffins seemed more than appropriate. I would love to have shared the recipe, but they turned out with no flavor and the consistency of a sponge...
-My loaded bowls are really more just a way to clean out the fridge.

Annie