Bites of My Life

Last week was busy and breezed by quickly. Something I was in desperate need of. The quick work week came and went and then I was lake bound for the third weekend in a row to celebrate one of my besties Jordan at her bachelorette. It was a great last September weekend.

-Half Baked Harvest’s Kale Caesar has been on my list. Finally made it and it was everything and more.
-Healthy-ish Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins. Make them, I dare you!
-I love a behind the scenes moment. AKA baking these muffins at 8:00 in the morning and shooting them in good light next to my trashcan…
-French pastry date with my friend Ellie at Boulangerie.
-Passed through Austin over the weekend, and had to make an important stop to meet one of my best freind’s little guy!
-Weekend at Lake McQueeny to celebrate the cutest and sweetest bride-to-be.
-Just a girl and her HUGE swan.
-Trader Joe’s hearts of palm pasta, kind of weird, kind of great.
-Father of the Bride 3-ish premiered over the weekend. It was short, sweet, and just what I needed.

Annie

Healthyish Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins

Happy first day of fall! I’m really excited about these pumpkin muffins and fully expect I’ll be baking a few rounds of them during this new season. They took a few rounds of testing, but the end result came out just right.

I’m deeming them healthyish because they are just that. They are gluten-free, dairy-free and free of refined sugars. They are full of real whole ingredients. This doesn’t make them zero calories, but no one should be eating zero calories. Slather one up with some almond butter and serve with a side of fruit for a great balanced breakfast or snack.

Healthyish Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins
Yields 14-16 muffins

Ingredients:
3/4 cup coconut sugar
½ cup coconut oil, measured then melted and cooled 
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
¼ almond milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups gluten-free oat flour (see notes)*
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners or grease your tin and lightly flour with oat flour. If you don’t have muffin liners, I like to cut 3x3 inch squares of parchment paper and then press into each muffin space.

In a large bowl, whisk the melted and cooled coconut oil and 3/4 cup coconut sugar. Whisk in your eggs, one at a time. Add the pumpkin puree, almond milk, and vanilla extract, whisking to combine. 

With a spatula, stir the oat flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt into the wet ingredients. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the batter into the muffin tin, filling to the top. Sprinkle a small amount of coconut sugar over the top of each.

Bake for 20-23 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan.

Notes:
Making oat flour at home is so easy and affordable. For 2 cups of oat flour, simply ground 2 1/2 cups of Gluten-Free Old Fashioned Rolled Oats in your blender. If you can’t find gluten-free that is totally fine your muffins will just not be free of gluten, but will turn out the same. I love this huge bag from Trader Joe’s which is only $3.99 in-store.

Annie

Bites of My Life

I mentioned last week that I had been feeling blah, lonely and in a funk. I’m happy to report, that with valid effort to change, last week was a move in the right direction. I got out of the house, worked from coffee shops, planned walks and drinks with friends, and also kept a few relaxing nights at home. All led to a fun weekend out of town which rounded out a good week.

All to be said, I’m highly aware that we are in control of our feelings and atmosphere, meaning we have the ability to change them if they aren’t going how we want. We just have to put in the effort. It’s a work in progress, but I’m hoping for another great week!

-Taking my Colorado hat on a spin around Dallas.
-I made The Defined Dish’s Enchilada Stuffed Acorn Squash last week and it was such a win! Half Baked Harvest’s Kale Caesar is on the books for this week.
-I worked from coffee shops quite a bit last week and brought this snacky lunch along to get me through the day. Trader Joe’s Rosemary Ham, TJ’s gluten free crsipbreads, grainy mustard and a few dried prunes.
-My friend Kelsey’s cozy backyard, was the perfect Wine Wednesday scene.
-It’s still summer in Dallas, so I’m loving this new white top from Zara.
-Lucky enough to be invited to the soft opening for a hot (chicken) new Dallas spot. Lucky’s Hot Chicken opens today!
-Spent Saturday with the funnest crew at the prettiest lake right outside of Dallas.
-Pimm’s cups for pre-dinner drinks at the lake I love this London cocktail, have you had one? My basic recipe (with my dad’s advice) is: 1/3 pimm’s, 2/3 ginger ale, splash of lemon juice, a few mint leaves, garnished with cucumber and strawberries!
-In typical Annie form, it took me about three months to read this book, but now I have a bug and can’t wait to get into another.

Annie

Bites of My Life

My apartment feels like the loneliest place ever lately. Is anyone else feeling this? Even after back to back weekends away with friends, the week days are long, boring and isolating. There’s no way else to say it.

My mom and I were talking earlier this morning and the quote unquote good parts of quarantine and coronavirus, like the slow down, the quality time, etc. is fading and the loneliness is creeping back in fast. I’m lucky to be in Dallas which is decently reopened. This week I’m really really trying to plan more reasons to get out. I’m normally a stickler on money during the week but I don’t care if I have to spend $8 on a pricy coffee, I’m getting out and working from a coffee shop at some point everyday this week. Even if it’s still just me going to work alone, I need the social stimulation of other humans around me. If you are feeling the same, I challenge you to actively get out of the house this week. We need it.

-Prettiest spaghetti squash and meat sauce I ever did see.
-I saw Gaby’s customized spatula for the Williams Sonoma/No Kid Hungry campaign and had to have it. It’s covered in CCCs for goodness sake!
-Got to have lunch and tour the new Fuzzy’s Taco Shop corporate office with some friends from the company last week. If you are new here I work remotely for a restaurant group based in OKC, who owns the Oklahoma Fuzzy’s franchise along with a few other restaurants.
-WFH break by working from a favorite coffee shop and getting an afternoon turmeric latte.
-Banana bread baked up for the lake weekend. My tried and true recipe can be found here.
-The South Texas mecca that is H-E-B. We have Central Market in Dallas that is the upscale version, but it’s not the same supermarket goodness that is HEB.
-Got the gang all back together and out on Lake LBJ with thanks to Captain Kirby aka my friend Lauren’s husband!
-My KKG besties in one place is always a treat. We started this reunion trip last year and are hoping for longevity through the years.
-Haven’t had Chipotle in about a year, but the craving hit and needed to be fulfilled.

Annie

Bites of My Life

Home after such a great Labor Day weekend in the Colorado with some really great friends. We booked this trip on a whim over the 4th of July and I’ve been looking forward to it since. We stayed in Beaver Creek, but ventured to Edwards, Minturn and Vail. This part of the mountains is an area I have such fun memories from growing up and it’s always a blast to revisit. Our weekend was the perfect mix of eating, drinking, hiking, shopping, seeing, doing and relaxing. Coming home to a short week is the perfect cure, and then I’m off again this weekend to spend time on Lake LBJ with my best college friends. Feeling very thankful for friends and family lately.

-Have you seen the Slim Aarons documentary? I recently caught wind of it, even though it came out a few years ago. It’s fascinating to learn more about his life. You can watch it here.
-A go-to meal that always hits the spot is spaghetti sauce with meat sauce. It feels indulgent like spaghetti, but is healthy and light all things considered. I bought an extra squash and froze some leftover sauce to have for a healthy meal after getting home from my trip. It was the best to come home to.
-When the tortilla chip craving HITS. These restaurant-style Beanitos are my absolute fave grain-free chips.
-This was my first plane ride since the pandemic. While our American Airlines flight was booked at full capacity, I did feel safe and healthy with zero fears.
-First night in Beaver Creek called for cozy Italian at Ti Amo. I split the chicken and sausage scallopini over angel hair.
-Traded in our Tini Tuesdays for a full weekend in the mountains!
-If you are headed to the Beaver Creek/Vail area, I highly recommend Mountain Standard in Vail for lunch or dinner. We lucked out with walking in, but a reservation is a good idea. You must get the pimento cheese with bacon jam, grilled bread, and pickled celery.
-Already missing morning coffee and evening wine and cheese hour on the beautiful patio at the house we stayed at in BC.
-We had bought produce at the farmers market and had planned on a homecooked Sunday night dinner, but after indulging on dips and crackers and cookie dough, we called that dinner and saved our ingredients to make for a healthy lunch before hopping on our plane ride home.

Annie

Byte Bites: if you missed Friday’s new post style, check it out here!