Bites of My Life

Week 1 January, done. Easing back into the work grind was a bit easier than expected. The cherry on top was that after a full week we were granted with a little snowy treat in Oklahoma! Snow boots, furry collared coat, fuzzy socks and lots of movies were enjoyed.

Week 1 of Whole 30 is also done! I was a bit of a broken record with eggs for breakfast, butternut squash soup for lunch and roasted artichoke lemon zoodles, loosely based off this, for dinner. I through in a few other options but it was too good to change up. 

Lastly, I got to try a new workout studio (you've got try it), celebrated an amazing friend's birthday and bid farewell to another friend as she takes off for adventures in Denver. Ended the weekend by a fire watching the Golden Globes and seeing La La Land sweep the awards. Hello award season, I love you!

-Two scrambled eggs over spinach with a little turmeric, 21 seasoning salute (I use it on everrrrrrything) and Maldon salt (maldon salt is like fairy dust and you need some)!
-This soup is one of my favorite recipes of all time. Taken up a notch with crispy prosciutto to top.
-Last week's Bites About Town feat. SALAD. What OKC bites do you want to see next? Comment below. 
-Another W30 fav is banana slices laid out, sprinkled with cinnamon, a bit of pink Himalayan sea salt and my favorite almond butter.
-Bulletproof coffee is the only way to drink coffee on Wholev30. It's been around for a while, but I'm finally really jumping on board. My recipe is fresh brewed coffee, a spoon of coconut butter, a spoon of homemade ghee, a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg then whizzed up in the blender to get it frothhhhhay.
-My gym looks like a giant igloo in the snow.
-The lunch board made it's first return this Whole30. This was my staple last round!
-Sunday soakin' made into garlic cashew cream sauce.
-Turmeric Chicken Zoodle soup prepped for lunches this week. Recipe coming ASAP because it's GOLD.
-Meal prep in all shades of green and orange.

Annie

Bites About Town: Best Salads in OKC

updated June 2019

Build your own at Coolgreens

Back again for another installment of Bites About Town. You can see my first post about the best Matcha Latte in OKC here. I love my city and the bites it has to offer.  Today's spotlight bite is, salad. Salads can get a bad rap or get overlooked on a menu, but they can also be a showstopper. To correlate with everyone's efforts to eat healthy in the new year I'm rolling out my Top 5 salads in OKC. I can't rank them individually because they all reign supreme. I will share my #1 fav of the moment, but you have to keep reading to find out.

Grilled Chicken Chop Salad at Mary Eddy's
Ingredients: heirloom tomato, cucumber, avocado, danish bleu, house bacon, chopped egg, green goddess vinaigrette and chicken.  
Notes: I've dined at Mary Eddy's, the restaurant in the new 21C Museum hotel, a few times for dinner, and was left a little underwhelmed. Little did I know I was ordering the wrong thing. Skip the rest of the menu and head straight for the salads. The Chop salad at Mary Eddy's is insanely flavorful, perfectly filling and includes everything you want in an entree salad. I highly suggest adding chicken. They pack some amazing flavor into that little chicken breast. {they have since added chicken to the salad on the lunch menu and changed the portion to a side salad on the dinner menu}. Best part is, the whole salad is sprinkled with flakey Maldon salt. Lucky for me, my company often has lunch meetings at Mary Eddy's meaning the more chop salad the better. 

BB Salad at The Jones Assembly
Ingredients: grilled chicken, lardon, avocado, gruyére, spiced hazelnut, red onion, sourdough crouton, green goddess
Notes: I’m bias here because I work for The Jones, but when we were developing the menu back in 2017 we knew we had to have just a good ole basic salad that you can eat anytime of day and never get tired of it. Enter the BB Salad aka the Basic Bitch Salad. Yes that really is what BB stands for. I love the sweet and crunchy hazelnuts combined with the soft avocado. I love the bite from the red onion and the flavor on the grilled chicken. I am also a sucker for bibb or romaine lettuce in a salad, so it wins in the greens department. And the lardons, gahhh I could eat these plain as a snack. I usually ask for mine without the cheese and croutons and with dressing on the side to save my carb and dairy intake, but I’m also just annoying like that.

Image via Yelp

Farmer's Market Salad at Upper Crust
Ingredients: Boston bibb & arugula, fuji apples, candied walnuts, gorgonzola, white balsamic vinaigrette.
Notes: Any pizza place has to include a few salads on their menu. Usually you get a boring house or caesar option, but sometimes they can blow you away with a salad better than the pizza. This is the case with the farmer's market salad at Upper Crust. It's perfect to share if you are getting a pizza, but also great as an entree if you want to skip the carbs. The white balsamic vinaigrette is incredible. I actually went and bought white balsamic after first having this salad. Try it, you won't regret it. 

Falafel Salad at Saturn Grill
Ingredients: mixed greens, house vinaigrette, fresh tomato, persian cucumber, red onion, yogurt tahini & spicy red pepper sauces, & crispy house made falafel
Verdict: I have a mad love for falafel and all greek food for that matter. This is my sister and I's favorite, we even tried to recreate it at home (read these tragic old school posts for our recreation). If you've ever tried to make falafel at home, you know it is probably a fail. No need to try when you should just go to Saturn and order yourself the falafel salad. The crispiest falafel and best tahini and red pepper sauce. Highly recommend.

Texas "Chop House" Rotisserie Chicken Salad at Red Rock
Ingredients: Iceberg (sub romaine), black beans, tomatoes, jicama, sweet corn, corn tortilla strips, Monterey Jack cheese, chipotle bleu cheese dressing (sub for balsamic), avocado and barbecue sauce. Perk, it comes with cornbread!
Notes: My parents and I got into a bit of a routine of going to Red Rock this summer and sitting on their patio enjoying the live music and lakeside view. That is when I discovered the deliciousness that is their rotisserie chicken salad. With fun ingredients like jimica, tortilla strips, barbecue sauce and a whole avocado it keeps me coming back for more. Pro tip-swap the blue cheese for balsamic and the iceberg for romaine. Also get your dressing on the side because this salad is HUGE and filling. Can easily be taken home for leftovers.

Grilled Shrimp Salad at Republic
Ingredients: grilled shrimp, brussels sprouts, spaghetti squash, spinach, red onion, crispy salami, smoked gouda, horseradish vinaigrette
Notes: If you have never had this salad, I urge you to run to Republic and try it. It's loaded with (honestly) a weird assortment of ingredients, but it totally works. The shrimp is grilled perfectly and has so much flavor and I can't get enough of the crispy salami. One of my favorites by a landslide. 

Image via Facebook

Gusto Chopped Salad at Pizzaria Gusto
Ingredients: Romaine, radicchio, tomato, red onion, pepperoncini, kalamata olives, chickpeas, provolone, salami, croutons, vinaigrette.
Notes: Another chop salad made the list, but rightfully so. Similar to Upper Crust, I could go to Pizzaria Gusto and skip the pizza all together just so I could enjoy every last bit of their chopped salad. The big pieces of provolone are a home run. It's full of Italian flavors, which I love. Gusto also makes all of their dressing in house, so they are free of scary additives-win!

Brussels Sprout, Napa Cabbage, Kale and Burrata Salad at Cafe 501

So now that I've given you the run down on my five favorite salads in OKC, I'll unveil my favorite. Drumroooolllllllllll please.

Favorite salad in OKC (as of now) is...the Grilled Chicken Chop Salad from Mary Eddy's!! Mary Eddy's has me craving this salad weekly. I will happily go eat at Mary Eddy's with you just so I can share this amazing salad with you.

Update: The Jones BB Salad places just under the chop salad. With all of the new spots popping up around town, I don’t eat at ME quite as frequent as I used to. However, you can fined me at the bar enjoying a BB Salad most Friday’s during the week.

I asked for some of y'alls favorite salads when creating this post. Fan favorites included the Rotisserie Chicken salad from Republic, the Caprese and Southwest Spicy from Cool Greens, the Salmon Caesar at Saturn Grill, Simply Falafel's Greek Salad and the BLT salad from The Drake were popular choices. What are some of your favorite salads in the city?

Annie 

Bites of My Life

Goodbye holidays hello long haul until our next break... The week between Christmas and New Years is a little draggy and sluggish. It's an awkward in between stage where you aren't quite ready to jump back in to reality and also an excuse not to. The past week I went to see La La Land (obsessed), cooked dinner for my parents, freshened up my house, hosted a New Years Eve party and bid farewell to 2016. 

Now with a new year and a new week it's time to shift gears back into productivity and accomplishing. I've written out my new year goals, made plans to keep the winter months exciting, and organized my calendar, closet, house and bathroom. I'm giddy for 2017 and feeling energized with the arrival of a new year! I'm kicking off the week with the start of #januarywhole30, crossing my fingers for an OU win in the Sugar Bowl tonight and flipping back and forth between it and The Bachelor. Cheers to 2k17.

-Little make up applied and a leggings only wardrobe last week. Jazzed about my new Outdoor Voices leggings. You need some in your life if you don't have any. 
-I'm typically make a smoothie or some kind of fruit with AB during the week, but I have been all about the eggs recently. I'm priding myself on mastering the best fluffy scrambled eggs and I just can't quit it!
-First whack at my spiralizer! Zoodles with mom's meat sauce and crispy brussels! Get ready for spiralized recipes to come!
-Thanks santa (mom) for hooking up this matcha loving girl!
-A bowl of cereal and a glass (plus some) of wine followed by more junk food to really end the year with a bang. I love being an adult and making my own choices. 
-Some balloon bubbly for a festive new years eve. 
-Coming for you January Whole 30.
-I love food traditions, including my mom's Hoppin' John she makes every year on New Years Day.
-Whole 30 day 1 involved all kinds of meal prepping. My favorite butternut squash soup is going to be lunch for the week. Crispy prosciutto instead of granola made it whole 30 compliant.

Annie

January Whole 30

Whole 30. A healthy whole foods eating craze that has been swirling around the past few years. 30 days of unprocessed clean eats to recharge your body and get it loving you again. It's also more than just a reset, it's a lesson on how to get to eating more whole foods and see how easy it can be. It's a way to influence your eating habits to show you how great you feel when you eat foods your body enjoys. 

I did my first Whole 30 back in August and loved it. Reflecting back on that experience I've compiled all of my tips, ideas, feedbacks and thoughts about Whole 30 for anyone who is interested in giving it a go. I'm doing January Whole 30, join me! 

Let's start from the beginning and get out there what you can and can't eat.
*this is a simplified list created by me, get the official program rules here.

What you can eat:
Fruits: apples, bananas, berries, citrus
Vegetables: lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, potatoes (white and sweet)
Vegetable chips (no additives): sweet potato chips, plantain chips
Protein: beef, chicken, sausage, bacon, salami, nuts, nut butter, eggs
Fish, shellfish
Non-dairy milk (no sugar added)
Oils and clarified butter or ghee
Vinegars: white, apple cider, balsamic (no sugar added) 
LeCroix, Green tea and coffee (black, bulletproof or with non-dairy milk)

What you can't eat:
Grains: bread, oats, quinoa, rice, crackers, chips
Legumes: beans, chickpeas, lentils, peanuts (no pb either), soy, soy sauce, tofu, corn :(
Dairy: milk, yogurt, cheese, creamer
Sweets and added sugar: cookies, cakes, ice cream, sugar, brown sugar
Sugar: honey, agave, maple syrup

Don't think of it as an elimination diet or something where you can't eat anything fun. Look how much longer that list of CANS is than can'ts!! Click here for a list of Whole30 approved brands. Great products for mayo, salad dressings and snacks.

The experience is different for everyone. Each week is also different. I found some weeks to be really easy and some weeks to be more challenging. For me, the first two weeks were the easiest. I was so gung-ho and committed I never wanted to cheat. My energy was a little down with the lack of grains and dairy, but I took that as an excuse to sneak in a few extra naps. The third week was fine as far as eating and my energy was normal. The last week was the hardest. This is a little backward for most, because typically things are supposed to get easier. But by week 4 all I wanted to do was bake and eat ice cream. I admit I cheated a bit. I'm only human.

On that note, I have another thing to admit. Alcohol is off limits during Whole 30. Not drinking alcohol is hard. So I didn't follow that rule. I restricted alcohol to just a couple drinks and only on the weekend. Fair warning, being social while on Whole 30 hard. I found myself wanting to stay in more so I wasn't tempted by treats at friend's houses or parties, or dealing with the struggle of ordering off menus. If you are eating out, cut yourself some slack because their is no way you can be for sure what someone is putting in your food unless you are making it. Just order a protein and veggies if you can, a bunless burger or salad and you should be fine. In a pinch, the hot bar and salad bar at Whole Foods are a great option if you are out of food or not wanting to cook. Chipotle is also compliant if you stick with carnitas, guac and salsa. Here are more eating out tips.

My first round I didn't notice a huge change in the number on the scale, but that's not the point. The way I felt on the inside was very noticeable. I felt comfortable in my skin, I felt healthy, I felt like my body loved me back. I felt like everything was moving and grooving the right way in there. Not like the way I feel after I gorge on chips and queso...

Tips:
Meal prep
Have a buddy do it with you
Include protein in every meal so you stay fuller longer
Keep small baggies of raw nuts or a larabar in your purse for those hangry moments!

Some of my go to meals from Round 1 Whole 30:

Breakfast:
Smoothies: using my basic combo of almond milk, greens, berries or fruit, almond butter and cinnamon
Chia Pudding (but it never filled me up, so not again)
Banana with almond butter
Eggs with fruit
Larabar (for something quick)

Lunch: 
Lunch board
Cobb style salad
Taco Salad no chips or cheese
Prosciutto wrapped apples & veggies with guacamole 

Dinner:
Breakfast for dinner (eggs, sausage, fruit)
Loaded salad with protein
Roast chicken with roasted veggies
Spaghetti Squash

Snacks: (Whole 30 doesn't advice snacking, they want you to stick to 3 whole meals, but sometimes you need a little something something mid day)
Veggies and homemade guacamole
Veggie chips and salsa (check ingredients)
Apple and almond butter
Larabars

Meals I'm excited to make for Round 2:
Butternut Squash Soup (minus the granola)
Potato Soup
Tomato soup
Veggie Chili
Slow-Cooker Basil Chicken in Coconut Curry Sauce (AMAZING!!!)
Spiralized veggies with meat sauce (I got a spiralizer for Christmas!!)
Sweet Potato Crust Quiche
Egg Baked in Avocado (good for breakfast or lunch)
Sweet Potato Toast
Cauliflower Rice

Take a Bite recipes that are Whole 30 compliant:
Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Figs
Baked Egg Sweet Potato
Acorn Squash Salad Bowls (minus the feta)
Carnitas (serve in lettuce wrap instead of tortilla)
Perfect Green Smoothie
Lunch Board
Easy Butternut Squash Soup

Whole 30 Inspiration:

Instagrammers:
@emilyeatsrealfood (my fav) Known for #emilysbreakfastbowls and #emilyschiapudding
@cleaneats_cleantreats
@oliveyouwhole

Blog Posts:
The Lazy Girl's Guide to Whole 30 
Every Last Detail

30 Trader Joe's Approved Foods

My Whole 30 Pinterest Board

Comment below if you are doing January Whole 30. We are in this together!

Annie

What I'm Listening To...

Have you seen La La Land yet? It was just released in theaters nationwide on Christmas, but I urge you to get out and see it asap. It's already won arwards, predicted to win more and got 94% on rotten tomatoes, so that can help sway you too.

It's different from a typical movie, but it works. The story follows to California dreamers Mia and Sebastian as they strive to live out their goals, falling in love in the mean time. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling (heart eyes) are amazing. There is a lot of singing and dancing, but if you aren't into that don't let it scare you. If you are into that, run to the nearest theater. Since seeing it I can't get the songs and tunes out of my head. Especially John Legend's Start A Fire. On. Re. Peat.

Annie