Bites of My Life

Buckle up, there are 3 weeks of bites in one post. The holidays were great, I want to go back. I’m not quite ready to give back into routine. I mean I am, but I’m not. I’d be lying if I said coming back to Dallas wasn’t hard. I got so comfortable being home and with my family, and best friends. But we are here, I’m back in Dallas, and working to get my mindset wrapped around the new year and decade. It feels good don’t get me wrong. So fingers crossed, prayers being said, and sights set on a great 2020.

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-This green juice from Trader Joe’s is my new secret weapon to add something healthy to my diet every day. I stocked up on a bunch during my last week in Dallas as prep before going home to all of the Christmas cookies, popcorn, drinks and treats.
-Cleaned out the freezer with one of my go-to’s, quinoa fried rice.
-If you missed my Brandy Ice recipe, head here now. I loved loved loved seeing how many people made them over the holidays!
-I ditched my car for a few days and challenged myself to walk more even with the weather being colder. I’ve become a recluse since it turned to winter and I loved pretending like I was in New York walking to work, to work out, the grocery store, etc.
-Christmas ice cream and hot cocoa and a Nancy Meyer’s movie to really lean into the season.
-The Amazon headband quad-fecta!! I have, I kid you not, worn one of these headbands every single day since I bought them. Did I mention they are 4 for $14?
-Had a huge group dinner with everyone back in OKC for the holiday. There were over 20 of us and it was so fun to all be back together.
-My parent’s tree (despite it being fake) is unreal! Full of gorgeous new ornaments intertwined with old popsicle stick ornaments we made as kids. The best!
-The Hall’s annual family friend Christmas party is one of all of our’s favorite holiday traditions.

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-My little elves decorating cookies for Santa!
-Christmas morning cranberry orange bread and coffee. Not pictured sausage crescent rolls and mimosas.
-Cranberry mules to go with Christmas dinner. We just added cranberry juice and fresh cranberries.
-Meat, potatoes and mom’s Christmas salad. Always a win!
-Christmas night brandy ices, the whole family loved them!
-Headed to Memphis between xmas and NYE for Price and Kenzie’s wedding. Kenzie and I lived together my past two years in OKC. It was a really great weekend being back with two close friends for their wedding!
-Brandy Ice at The Jones only for NYE. I quickly grabbed a glass just to make sure it was up to par. It was :)
-Another Jones NYE party success has me feeling #blessed for this marketing team that developed in 2019!
-I finished out the night with some of my very best friends. AKA no one else I’d rather end one year and enter the next with.

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-Greens, salad, vegetables!!! It seemed like so long since I had all of these in one meal. #holidaysgotmelike…
-Gotta get that luck in for 2020, so Hoppin’ John for New Year’s Day lunch.
-Popcorn is the best snack Y or N?
-Some ball pit snuggles and belly laughs with my favorite girls before I headed back to Dallas.
-Avocado toast on Ezekiel bread with tomato, just like my girl Melissa Wood.
-Easy peasy filling meal: sweet potato with almond butter and cinnamon.
-Trying to not eat all the almond butter straight from the container, as well as trying to be more eco and wallet-friendly by creating my own almond butter packs. I pre-portioned out 2 tablespoons in my little salad dressing containers.
-Not doing Whole30 this January and not trying to obsessively diet. I had lots of pizza and this amazing ice cream Saturday and loved every bite.
-Half Baked Harvest’s Indian Coconut Butter Cauliflower for Golden Globe watching and dinner this week!

Here’s to the new decade, new year, new month, new week!

Annie

Bites of My Life

Holiday food, events, movies etc filled last week. Zero complaints here! The same is on this week’s agenda. Only a few days until I’m home for the holidays!!

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-Freezer foraging for dinner is my favorite little challenge and something I’ve gotten pretty good at. Frozen Trader Joes turkey burger over greens, with goat cheese sprinkled over the top, and a side of Trader Joes frozen rainbow cauliflower roasted with grainy mustard on the side to dip in!
-Recipe post #1 from last week: Ginger Cookies!
-Recipe post #2: Wintergreen Salad!
-Sugar cookie prep! Did you know an ice cream cone cookie turned upside down makes for the cutest Santa?
-Brought my annual Christmas cookie decorating party to Dallas this year for it’s the third year!
-Lots of holiday fun last week, but a highlight was Olivia’s ornament exchange feat. her Chinese food spread.
-Foxtrot #2 opened in Dallas on Wednesday and this location is even more convenient for me. Foxtrot is a modern market that came from Chicago to Dallas and it’s one of my favorite places to meet for coffee and get work done. I tried their avocado toast for the first time and it was so good.
-A hint at tomorrow’s recipe post ;))))
-Love love loooooved Drake’s! Dallas’ new hot spot dining destination! The food, the vibe, the service, everything was 100!
-Our London girl was in town so sushi and tons of girl talk were necessary!
-Found the real Santacon in a University Park’s neighbor’s front yard! If you are in Dallas you have to do a drive-by! We went after dinner Saturday and there were 4+ party buses with groups of people driving by looking at lights!
-Ended the week with a cooking class at Tre Wilcox school. Instead of a traditional cooking class, it was a Chopped style competition, something I’ve always wanted to do. We were split into 4 groups, had to create a salmon and steak dish and include snap peas, fingerling potatoes, ketchup and jalapeño in each dish. My team won!!

Bites of My Life

Christmas season has been kicked into gear! After a somewhat unexpected busy week, I’m feeling the business of this time of year and trying real hard to enjoy each moment. A Christmas happy hour, coffee date, nd my first holiday party in the books this past week. Wild to think I’ll be heading home for the holiday in just two weeks. More holiday events on deck this week and two new recipe posts coming this week.

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-I bought this rose quartz jade roller and gua sha kit on black Friday. My insta crush @melissawoodhealth uses a gua sha, so I bought a gua sha.
-Haven’t take off this headband off! Thanks to all who entered my giveaway with The Avenue last week!
-Tini date with my bff Jordan! I’m really trying to become a martini girl. This extra dirty vodka martini with blue cheese olives and blue cheese salt from Hudson House did the trick!
-Baking from Tucker Time. Can’t wait to share a family favorite recipe on TAB this week!
-Smashed avo on GG crackers for the easiest and satisfying lunch.
-I can’t get over this Christmas coffee shop pop-up at Fiction Coffee. Served as the best remote workspace for Friday afternoon.
-First Christmas party via my friend Jess! I met Jess through working at The Slate. She was welcoming even before day 1 at my workspace, and she’s one of my favorites in Dallas.
-When your big sister and pretend sister are in town for the Jonas Brother’s concert (yes I said big sister and Jonas Brothers in the same sentence), and you get to sneak in breakfast before they headed back to OKC!
-Just a bunch of really happy OU fans!!!!!!!! Big 12 champs!

Annie

Breakfast bite: Did you catch my updated post for the Best Breakfast Casserole last week??

Bites of My Life

Thankful, grateful, blessed. << my feelings coming off Thanksgiving mega week. I mentioned this to friends and family a couple of times in the past few days, but I was slightly dreading my extra long week at home. Dreading may not be the right word, but I was weary of being out of my routine and living out of a suitcase for 9 days. When it came down to my last couple days at home I didn’t want to leave. Having my whole family under one roof (mom, dad, sisters, brother-in-laws, nieces, even Gabe) made for the best time at home. I’m happy to be back in Dallas and to make fun holiday plans, but I’m also eagerly counting down to being back in OKC for Christmas! This time of year just craves time with family and oldest friends!

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-The makings of my banana cream pie included a pie crust rolled out on crushed graham crackers. My contribution to our work Thanksgiving! I used Cook’s Illustrated recipe.
-Best Breakfast Casserole got a little photo update!
-It’s not Thanksgiving morning without a slice of our Pumpkin Bread while watching the Macy’s parade.
-Thankful for my momma, sisters and Hallie (and dad and brother-inn-laws and Elle)!
-Picture of the big meal or the hours in the kitchen wasn’t worth it.
-Are you a one slice of pie person or a sampler plate? We had 8 pies and I sampled 4 :)
-No Spend November came to an end on Black Friday with an impulse buy of 1/2 off OPI nail polish and restock of my favorite lip color.
-Wrote our letter to Santa with the cutest kit from All Good Things.
-One last, but important event of the holiday weekend included Hallie’s baptism!

Annie

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!

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-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