Bites of My Life

Last week was pretty slow. Wake up, workout, work, eat, sleep repeat. I was happy to be home for the weekend to recharge and see a bunch of people I love. I wouldn’t categorize myself as a homebody per se, but I always feel good after a few days back in Oklahoma City. 1. to see my fam and friends who I miss all the time and 2. to remind myself that home is always there and Dallas is an adventure I’m not done pursuing!

-Really really loving my new desk set up. If you are working from home and haven’t invested in a true work space, I highly encourage it for more mental clarity and better productivity.
-This breakfast on repeat last week. Ezekiel toast, almond butter, sliced banana, cinnamon, tahini drizzle and chia seeds!
-Leftover enchiladas made for a really happy lunch break.
-This morning detox drink inspired by my friend Lauren had me feeling so good last week. I would even make it after lunch sometimes or before bed per her suggestion. Recipe here.
-Have you started following my new passion project @confessionsofarentaholic? I rented this band tee (that I ended up buying!!) along with some other goodies last week.
-The same day my “What I Eat in a Day” post went live, I shamelessly indulged in the best ice cream ever. Felt great about it. Don’t miss the post, you can read it here. After posting a picture of Cookie Two Step, I had a handful of people let me know I needed to try the new Cookie Cake and Cookie Dough Overload. Anyone had them?
-Scooted up to OKC for a wedding, but made sure to make a stop at the new Bradford House while in town. Go for breakfast, cocktails or snacks, skip on dinner IMO!
-Some of the best!! I love my friends in Dallas, but I miss my Oklahoma gal pals on the daily.
-We love the maid of honor! Family friend weddings are always a blast with this crew.

Annie

Podcast bite: I don’t talk much about being single on the blog, but if you too are single and struggling or in a place of needing encouragement I wanted to share this podcast episode I was lucky to be on last week with my friend Dr. Julie Shannon.

What I Eat In A Day

Ahh! The old “what I eat in a day” post. I personally love and I’m proud of the shift I’ve seen in the influencer world lately when it comes to these type of posts. I keep seeing more and more disclosures like “this is just what works for me” or some people who won’t even post what they eat in a day because they don’t want anyone thinking that if they eat what that person eats, they will suddenly turn into them. Because you know what, I’ve been there.

I love Melissa Wood. She radiates positivity and and is a gem in the wellness world. I became completely inspired by her back in January and really leaned into her lifestyle. If you follow Melissa you’ll understand what I mean when I say I was doing hot lemon water and green juice in the morning, then I’d practice one of her workouts, avocado toast with tomato after that, a green salad with tomatoes and sauerkraut for lunch, sip on more green juice while I made dinner, and some kind of vegan pasta for dinner. I should look like Melissa now, right? Wrong.

Quarantine hit after a couple of months of this and my cute plant-based inspired diet got thrown out the window when I spent seven weeks living with my parents in a household that runs on meat at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In an effort to not be too difficult (I still snuck in coconut aminos and cauliflower rice when they weren’t looking), I naturally started eating more meat. And you know what, I felt amazing. I had so much more energy, and wasn’t hitting the 3pm slump so hard like I was earlier in the year. When I was trying to stick to more plant-based meals, I was taking a nap every day. Now I know plant-based eating does amazing things for a lot of people and the environmental side of it all is really important but, the natural vitamins and energy that animal protein can give you is something I was really missing. Something that my body needed.

This is a long-winded introduction to finally share what I eat in a day. But before we proceed, take my daily “bites” with a grain of salt. What I like to eat may sound gross to you, and what works for me may not work for you. However, since I genuinely love reading people’s morning routines (should I do a post on this?), knowing what someone “typically” eats in a day is also weirdly fascinating. So without further ado.

MORNING:
I try to drink at least 20-30 ounces of water before I have any coffee or anything to eat. After I work out and get my water in, I switch off between making tea (green or earl gray), decaf coffee or a homemade matcha latte. All with Nutpods dairy-free creamer mixed in. I’m pretty sensitive to caffeine and it really ramps up my anxiety, so I try to avoid it. I love a warm beverage in the morning, so I still get my fix in a less anxious way.

I have tried my hand at intermittent fasting and I still do it here and there, but the more I read is (again just what works for me!!) it’s really not great for women with hormonal issues and those who haven’t been though menopause yet. Also I literally go to bed excited to wake up for breakfast, so why am I trying to skip it? My blood sugar and cortisol need to chill in the morning and eating a good and healthy breakfast is a great help with both. My go-to’s are either avocado toast made from Ezekiel bread, smashed avocado, a sprinkle of turmeric, cayenne, salt, and pepper with some fruit on the side, a green smoothie, or some kind of yogurt (love this one right now) with berries, cinnamon and chia seeds.

AFTERNOON:
I’ve really been trying to amp up my lunches. I used to often eat a salad or a small portion of leftovers that would leave me hungry the second I finished. I’m working on eating a more balanced lunch that is healthy but satisfying. I’ve been loving these wraps full of turkey, salami and the works, either wrapped in lettuce or in a low carb tortilla. I’ve also been making little quesadillas with dairy-free cheese, any deli meat or protein I have, avocado, red onion etc. The best lunch is honestly dinner leftovers. This week I’ve been eating these grain-free enchiladas. I look so forward to lunch. I’ll eat 1.5 and plate them over greens, with extra veggies or an apple on the side to make it more balanced.

Snacktime is something I used to feel guilty about eating. I hate that I’m even saying that, but yes for a long time I used to feel bad if I couldn’t make it from lunch to dinner, without needing a snack. And this is coming from the girl who used to eat a pint of Häagen-Dazs coffee ice cream for an after school snack in high-school...maybe that triggered my snack problem. Two ends of the spectrum! Snacks can be hard. I’m like oh I’ll just have a few crackers then I’ve suddenly downed the box. I think this is why I tried to forgo them all together. The truth is, it’s absurd to ignore your hunger cues. A snack is a great way to put off immense hunger at dinner time, helps you focus to get through the end of the workday, and keeps your energy up. Since quarantine, I’ve really leaned into the afternoon snack. I look forward to it every day. It literally brings me a boost of joy in the middle of the day. I’ve been loving a handful of cashews and dried prunes, an apple and almond butter or a bowl (or 2) of Skinny Pop.

EVENING:
I like to eat early, I always have. I blame living in the sorority house when they would serve us dinner at 5. Since then I’ve fully adopted that schedule and could eat at 5 every night if I chose. Once I eat dinner I’m pretty good, I don’t get too hungry before bed. However, 5 is pretty early so I try to push it to around 6. I typically do a big loaded salad with whatever is in season, I love spaghetti squash with pesto and red sauce, or my favorite go-to/freezer meal is always cauliflower fried rice or some kind of stir fry situation. I try to keep the carbs lower in the evening.

If I need dessert, which I usually always do, I go for a handful of chocolate chips, a spoonful of almond butter or a couple of graham crackers. Sometimes all combined :)

Now this was just an example of a good day. At least a couple times a week there is a massive amount of tortilla chips scarfed down while at drinks with friends, or those nights when I just can’t keep my hand out of the bag of chocolate chips and one handful turns into 4 or 5. You do you and go take a bite of what works for you!

Annie

*This post is not sponsored by Nutpods, but I’d be remise not to mention that you can get 15% off your order by using the coupon code _ANNIETUCKER at checkout.

Bites of My Life

Last week I was off. I felt unmotivated, lazy, a bottomless pit, the list goes on. These weeks come and go. Unfortunately I feel like I’ve been having more than less of these weeks. Being at home with me, myself, and I is wearing on me. I scroll and scroll on social media to fill the long days and can feel the way it’s affecting me.

However, I’m totally aware of all of this. I’m trying really hard to schedule something each day to look forward to. A walk with a friend, meeting up for drinks, or my favorite - just getting out and going for a drive. I’m feeling really motivated by my new desk set up I got assembled over the weekend and ready for a fresh week’s perspective!

-I made The Defined Dish’s lasagna zucchini boats and they were honestly killer. Don’t let the zucchini scare you away from this Pinterest sounding meal. The flavor of these was next level. The recipe is in her cookbook, which I love but have honestly only used a few times.
-This bike short set, just buy it and don’t overthink it because it’s everything of the sort.
-Friday night in with these three celebrating our girl (pup) Finley Anne turning 5!
-I just love a good salad - sue me!
-Tried my twist on these NYT Tahini Chocolate Chip cookies and my twist failed…I tried to turn them into bars since the dough was so crumbly, but they were actually disgusting. The biggest downside was that I proceeded to eat so much of the dough and baked bars that I spent the rest of Saturday on the couch with a stomach ache - yay!
-A new neighbor left this like-new desk outside for 3 DAYS! And I wanted it. More on how I snatched it in this Instagram Reel I posted.
-Got my desk in place and thrilled about my new work from home set up!
-It’s hatch chili season and I also had these amazing homemade coconut flour tortillas I got from the farmers market (if you are in Dallas you have to check out The Salsa Texan and their 10 calorie tortillas). The combination meant one thing for me - enchiladas. I posted the quick recipe for you here.
-Graham crackers, simply the best after-dinner snack. Two a night on r-e-p-e-a-t!

Annie

Lite Bite: Hatch Chili Chicken Enchiladas

Hatch Chili Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:
8 tortillas (your favorite flour or grain-free tortillas are great, I lucked out with these insane homemade coconut flour tortillas I got at my nearby farmers market)
1 ½ cup shredded rotisserie chicken
1 green bell pepper, diced
½ yellow onion, diced
½ cup salsa (a hatch chili or a verde salsa is preferred, but I used a red salsa I had and they were great)
3/4 cup shredded Hatch Chili pepper jack cheese*

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. 

Sauté the bell pepper and onion in a cast-iron skillet. I didn’t even use oil, I added in a splash of water got them cooked and kept them from sticking. Once the onions are translucent add the shredded chicken to the pan just to combine. Transfer the filling mixture to a plate and wipe out your skillet.

Pour 1/2 cup of salsa in the bottom of your cast iron skillet or a 9x13 pan and set aside. In a small saucepan, heat the other 1/2 cup of salsa over medium heat. Once warmed it’s time to assemble. Dip each tortilla in the warmed salsa making sure to coat the front and back of the tortilla. Lay on a plate and fill with about two tablespoons of the chicken mixture. Roll them up and then lay in your pan seam side down. Pour any leftover salsa over the top of the enchiladas. Top with the shredded cheese and then bake for 8-10 minutes until the cheese is melted.

Top with avocado, tomatoes, cilantro, red onion, cilantro etc!

*This recipe can easily be adapted to not be “hatch chili.” Use any salsa you like and regular pepper jack or Monterey jack if you want to tone down the spice a bit.

Happy hatch chili season!

Annie

Bites of My Life

August, but howwwwww? That’s all I’ve got this morning. Happy monday, happy bites, happy August?…

-Tini Tuesday girls do Martini Monday for the new Hudson House opening. Their Blue and Gold martini is what made me fall in love with martinis!
-Breakfast tacos for lunch are cheap, filling, and too easy!
-Not pictured: chips and salsa for dinner, pictured: key lime pie for dessert. Friday night in style.
-Walked to the farmer’s market with friends Saturday morning and got a loot for the week!
-FIG SZN is here (but unfortunately these are just from TJs not the farmer’s market). I love to snack on figs whole, but this smoothie and these blondies are two fig faves!
-Just a great Saturday afternoon of live music and drinks with my Dallas college besties.
-Stayed in Saturday night to cook a summery meal, listen to my favorite playlist and discover that Lucky 7 is available to stream on IMDBtv. Anyone else used to love this made for TV movie?
-Woke up Sunday to begrudgingly workout. Things really turned around when I discovered a live Fleetwood Mac themed flow on Obe! They are replaying it tomorrow (Tuesday 8/4 at 9am)!
-Sunday snack board for lunch! One of my favorite ways to eat!

Annie