Besos Asos

XOXO Asos you are killing the shoe game! The targeted marketing we see now is sneaky and it works. I was sifting through pages and pages of clothes on asos.com the other day, then all of a sudden every site I visited had little sidebar and banner ads for Asos popping up. Last week on Facebook a little ad popped up in my newsfeed featuring these shoes. Wahhhhh target marketing you got me. How do you know me so well?

I just got signed up on Try so I quickly ordered them to try and I'm still deciding if I should keep them or not. Amazing and adorable-yes, practical and comfortable-no. Check out more of Asos's killer spring shoes below. At killer prices too might I add. 

I love a good impulse buy, but HELP do I keep or return?

Annie

Bites of My Life

I'm so antsy for spring I can barely stand it. This weekend is daylight savings time and I am eagerly awaiting the return of sunny mornings and evenings that stay bright through 7 o'clock. I need a little spring in my step and I'm hoping the season change does just that. Things were starting to pep up, but then then took a little slide down. Some saddening news and unfortunate circumstances were unwelcome this past week. 

Bad news typically means good news is on the horizon. In the grand scheme of thing I'm always reminded there is more positivity in my life than the negative. I'm counting my blessings and squeezing those who mean the most to me extra tight. 

-I have had the strongest craving for banana bread recently, so no work on Monday meant baking must be done. I used What's Gaby Cooking's recipe minus the chocolate chips. 
-Puppy brother gets cuter everyday.
-My love for these lettuce wraps is to much. You have to check out last week's recipe post if you haven't already!
-Thank you Health Warrior, I now have a lifetime supply of chia bars.
-It's called Yummy Chicken for a reason. 
-Cravings by Chrissy Teigen is finally here! Can't wait to cook up so many of her recipes!
-Have you tried Siggi's new vanilla and cardamon? Not as amaze as I hoped but still good!
-A box of sunshine to brighten your day. More on June Box in last weeks post.
-Slow start to my Sunday. Recipe on instagram.

Annie

Out of the Box

I've got a new one for you, one that takes things slightly out of the box, literally. June Box is bringing a new approach to gift giving. No shopping, wrapping or shipping hassle when you use June Box. The thought and crafting that Carson and Katie Rock have put into June Box makes it a stand out in my eyes. 

Last week I got to sit down with this husband/wife co-founder duo. They greeted me with fresh baked beer bread, and instantly had me hooked. I got the inside scoop on why they started June Box, got to see how each box is put together and hear all about what is ahead for this new company. With a passion for starting their own business, the idea came and they ran with it. They wanted to make the process of gift giving easy. They have found the products, designed the packaging, ship each box and even include a hand written note to make your gift fit each recipient personally and perfectly. 

Since graduating school my friends are spread far and wide. How nice to be able to send a friend a gift for their birthday, when they start a new job, move into a new home, or to just send them a little box of sunshine. 

They have boxes in a range of themes for all of life's occasions. Boxes for your BFF, your bridesmaid, your mom, your boy, the little ones and the furry ones. Getting married? June Box can even handle your welcome gifts for out of town guests.

The products Carson and Katie have rounded up is what makes June Box stand out to me. Each box includes items you would actually use and want. One of my favorite boxes is the You Knead It box. It includes a package of beer bread mix, a tea towel and a butter knife. The perfect thing to send to your friend a few states over who just moved into her first big girl apartment. Biased because I got to try the bread and it's stinking good, but really, you knead it. 

Q&A with Carson and Katie:

Where did you get the name, June Box?  June is the month we got married in, but we also wanted something short, simple and available on social platforms which made us land on "June Box" 

What is June Box’s mantra?  Thoughtfully curated and hand packed gift boxes for all occasions. 

Where do you see June Box going in the future?  Our goal is to make gift giving easier. We want to give people a way to still put thought into their gifts, but have the convenience of online shopping. We are constantly trying to grow our assortment so we have gifts for any occasion you could want to send a box. We're looking forward to a "build a box" option and a full lineup of wedding boxes coming out soon! 

What’s an average day in the June Box world?  On a average day we'll ship out the previous day's boxes (we try to get all boxes delivered within 3 days of your order), update all our social platforms, reach out to new vendors, and continue building out new parts of our website. We also like spending time meeting with future brides and business owners about customized bulk orders at our storefront in OKC (open by appointment only). 

Which is your favorite box?
Carson = "You Knead It" I can't get enough of the Soberdough beer bread mix in this box.
Katie = "Relax" I love the colors of this box, all the products are great, and there are so many occasions to give someone this box! 

Any tips for entrepreneurs?  Go for it! If you have an idea you want to pursue, we'd tell you to jump right in and make it happen. We saved for a year to start this business and Katie still works full time at an oil company while Carson works part time doing consulting. We're excited to be making June Box go from a dream to a reality and for an entrepreneur there is no better feeling than seeing something you've dreamed up actually take shape. So we'd say do what it takes to get your business started as soon as you can! 

Favorite bite?  Carson = Ribs. I love barbeque anywhere, but the ribs at Red Rock Canyon Grill are at the top of my list right now. Katie = chips and queso!

Guilty pleasure?  Carson = AM talk radio/documentaries, I'm kind of a nerd sometimes. Katie = Dancing with the stars. Last season was the first time I had ever watched it, but I'm totally hooked! 

Now for the really fun part. Want a June Box sent to you? Enter the June Box/Take A Bite giveaway for the chance to receive your very on box on your doorstep! June Box is giving away one of their most popular boxes, Ray of Sunshine. Comes from the idea that you can send someone a little sunshine! See below for how to enter!

To enter the giveaway:

1. Follow both @shopjunebox and myself.

2. Tag three friends you would send a June Box to!

Winner will be announced Thursday morning!

Make sure to follow June Box on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to say up to date with all the JB happenings! 

Annie

Thai Cashew Lettuce Wraps

Oh my gosh I could blab forever about these lettuce wraps. They are sitch to make and cook up in about 15 minutes. Weeknight meal perfection. 

When I was younger my family used to have this obsession with P.F. Changs. Sweet Oklahoma City used to be deprived of most chain restaurants, so any trip we went on we would seek out the nearest P.F. Changs to get our fix. When I was in middle school one finally came to town, and my oldest sister even got a job there. The amount of lettuce wraps and great walls of chocolate I ate during her stint of hostessing is too many to mention. Nothing against Changs, but our palates have a matured a bit. 

These lettuce wraps bring back a taste of nostalgia, although they are quite different. They have more of a Thai flavor than Chinese, use soft butter lettuce instead of iceberg, and I use ground turkey instead of chicken. They are sure to please, so enjoy with a crowd of dinner guests! If your stingy, they save up well in the fridge too, so you can eat them over a couple days. 

Thai Cashew Lettuce Wraps adapted from Rasa Malaysia
serves 3

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. oil
1/4 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lb. ground turkey or chicken
1/2 cup whole roasted cashews
1 Tbsp. soy sauce, tamari or coconut aminos
1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro leaves
1 head butter lettuce

Sauce:
3 Tbsp. Thai chili sauce
2 tsp. lime juice (1 lime)
1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro leaves
Pinch of white sesame seeds

Directions:
Mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl and set aside. Wash the butter lettuce then peel each leaf off the stem and set aside.

Heat the oil in a wok or skillet over medium heat. When the oil is heated, add the onion, garlic, and cook until they are slightly browned. Add the ground turkey, and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula to break up the lumps. Add the cashews and soy sauce. Continue to cook the filling until the sauce starts to dry a bit but is still moist. Turn off the heat and add the chopped cilantro.

To assemble the lettuce wraps, take one piece of butter lettuce, spoon in a small amount of filling, top with the sauce and a sprinkle of sesame seeds!

Annie

Bites of My Life

Round of applause for Spotlight!!! I hadn't seen any Oscar nominated movies until Saturday night when one of my roommates and I went to see Spotlight. I was bias with it being the only movie I saw, but I felt like it deserved a clean sweep of wins for every category it was nominated in. Even with only one win, best picture trumps all. Rachel McAdams one best dressed in my book so it was more like two wins for Spotlight. 

After getting over a little allergy bug and what felt like an extra long work week, it was nice to end it with a low maintenance weekend, time with my new puppy brother and a full fledge Oscar watch party. Now it's off to a barre class to counteract all the puppy chow and hummus from last night...  

-A taste of paradise with the recreation of this shrimp wrap and zesty cocktail sauce I had in Arizona.
-Red velvet should be eaten as a cake, not a flavor for yogurt...
-Spring scouting with Scout bags.
-Hello pretty friends!
-Cannot wait to share the recipe for these thai cashew lettuce wraps, coming to TAB tomorrow!
-GNO + rosé + tiramisu. 
-Granny smiths and almond butter never gets old.
-Sippin' on Saturday.
-My second Taste the World box arrived full of goodies from Thailand!
-Spicy grits with pulled pork, green chili sauce and two poached eggs, kudos 501. 
-Churro puppy chow, brown sugar sriracha sesame popcorn, edamame hummus, stuffed mushrooms, cheese and crackers, and grapefruit cocktails. It was a super bowl kind of spread for our Oscar watch party.
-Sips and scores. Only 9 out of 24 for me.

Annie