San Antonio

Ryan and I spent a long weekend in San Antonio this weekend. He had a work conference, and I went along for the ride! Thanks to everyone who prayed for our safe and stress free travels, we had a fantastic weekend!

We stayed at the Grand Hyatt on the Riverwalk. It was beautiful! We were lucky to have such awesome accommodations!

Our first night in San Antonio, Ryan and I had dinner and were serenaded (ahem, scammed) by the Mariachi's at our restaurant. This picture is of us on the Riverwalk, checking things out!

Pretty much the ONLY reason I wanted to go to San Antonio, was to eat at Taco Taco Cafe. I saw it on a special on the Food Network over a year ago, and finally got to eat there! They really were the best tacos in America!

 

 
Ryan's colleague, Christine, and her fiance Paul came with too. Paul and I spent most of the daytime sight seeing, and scoping things out for our group in the evening. Paul and I took a river boat tour of the Riverwalk. It was so interesting! We spent the rest of the weekend telling everybody about everything we had learned!

These pictures are L-R: 1. A building that from below looks like a free standing wall! It's actually triangular. 2. A "Friendship" monument that was a gift to San Antonio from Mexico. In the back ground you can see the Tower of the Americas. 3. A hotel that was built in 202 days! We learned that the first 4 floors were built on site, and everything else was built elsewhere and shipped in, fully assembled furnished, and stacked on top of each other. The hotel is completely sound and fire proof! 4. The Riverwalk and canals were built to keep the city from continuing to flood repeatedly. This picture is of a tree that took root inside of a restaurant during a flood! It remains there, and is watered from the inside! 5. This was Wedding Island. Sort of fun! We saw lots of just-married couples this weekend!

 

We were going to into The Alamo, but the line was too long to keep us interested, so we just stood outside for pictures. Did you know they've moved The Alamo twice?

This is a little map of The Alamo. I'll admit it would probably be more interesting had we gone inside... 

These pictures are from inside the Tower of the Americas. The photo on the left was on the observation deck, where they have a 360degree view of the city. The photo on the Right was inside, where there were telescopes, and maps/photos along the wall so you could see and figure out what you were looking at. It was pretty cool! 

These are photos of us on the ground, with the Tower above us. 

That's my Hubs. :)

Our last day was spent lounging by the pool, and then at a fancy dinner at Boudro's on the Riverwalk, courtesy of Ryan's boss, Tara. It was the best meal we had all weekend! No, there are no photos of us by the pool. After that, we met up with the others for the social event in the ballroom.

This is Christine and me at the event in the ballroom, dancing. No, we were not drunk. 

L-R: Christine, Ryan, Tara at the social event. 

We kept joking about telling people this was our honeymoon. It was nice to get away together, conference or not! 

 

On our way to the airport Ryan and I ate at Taco Taco Cafe again. It was everything I wanted it to be! You can't go wrong with somebody rolling out tortillas behind the counter! 

Always a bachelorette...

Sometimes I wear my bachelorette party veil when I clean the house.

SO?

Grades are posted.

Hello blogladies. I will be grading you today on your blog, based purely on recent attendance.

Nothin' to brag about:
Heather posted recently, but nothing before that for a week!
Erin and babies haven't blogged in an average of 5.5 days!
Carrie posts consistently once a week, but that's not enough!
Kristi blogged more while she was in Florida than this last 10 days.

I am disappointed in
Jean no post in 2 weeks.
Naomi another blog with 2 weeks without a post.
Leslie  2 weeks, no post, and her slide shows are my favorite!

Blog failure:
Cara no post in 4 months.
Sasha  it's a whole new season since she posted some new photos!

Somethin' to write home about:
Carla 12 posts in 14 days!

So Carla is the winner!!
The rest of you: is there nothing going on; are you too busy; are you too cool? Cara, is there nothing fun to share from NY? Jean are you too married to tell us about your life?  Ladies, have there been no photos taken this week?
I miss you, and I want your blog updates. Please come back to me.

Makin' Magic Outta Canned Goods - 4

This week's plan is:

BBQ Short Ribs with Creamy Coleslaw and Oven-Baked Fries
  **I feel so terrible leaving Ryan home on nights I work with nothing but a frozen pizza to eat! So Erin let me borrow her crock pot until we maybe get one from our wedding registry. 
  **Though I don't work tomorrow, I will be gone all day so I'm going to put our ribs in the pot with some BBQ sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's is GF) and let them go! When I get home I'll just throw together some coleslaw and some potatoes seasoned and baked in the oven. 
  **Easy and delicious!

Lebanese Pasta Salad with Grilled Chicken
  ** I was mentioning at work needing some ideas for dinner, and one of my coworkers suggested this salad: 
          DRESSING: Crushed garlic, salt, mint, vegetable oil, cider vinegar.
          SALAD: tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, bell pepper
  **I will be adapting it into a pasta salad, and serving it with grilled chicken to make a more complete meal.
  **Note, if you use GF rice pasta, let the noodles cool in the colander, but don't refrigerate them, or save the leftovers for later. Rice pasta does NOT refrigerate well and gets really hard and gross. I will make just enough pasta for my own dinner, and nothing more for extras.
 
Spaghetti with Italian Sausage Meatballs
  ** We're meeting Ryan's family for dinner this week, and since I'm the one that needs accommodation, I suggested something easy like spaghetti. 
  **I'll be bringing my own noodles, and bread crumbs for the mix. 
  **I like to add grated or shredded parmesan cheese to the mix for some easily added deliciousness. 
  
Homemade Sausage and Mushroom Pizza
  ** It's possible I've mentioned it before... But one of my biggest cravings in my new GF lifestyle is pizza! Last time Ryan and I went out for GF pizza it cost us $70! So we've started making our own. Not only does it satisfy a serious craving of mine, it's GOOD, and it's CHEAP!! 
  **I use Udi's Foods crusts for me (2 for $6), and Betty Crocker just-add-water-type crust for Ryan ($0.70 for a decent sized pizza).  We always switch up the toppings and we both get what we want.
  **I'm using turkey Italian sausage this time, so it won't be as greasy as traditional Italian Sausage. 
  **I will sautee the fresh mushrooms before I put them on the pizza so they're done all of the way, and because I'm weird about mushrooms.
  **And what really makes this pizza the awesome, is that we use thin slices of fresh mozzarella all over it instead of shredded mozzarella. This is something I experienced in NY with Heather at Grimaldi's Pizza in Brooklyn. Trust me, once you try it, you'll never eat shredded mozzarella on a pizza again!

LARA-style bars
  ** Recently I've found myself at work with nothing to eat--and that makes for a long day. After discussing my gluten issues with a coworker she suggested LARA bars, and said she found a good recipe for homemade LARA bars online. I did my own search and found a recipe here at Enlightened Cooking. (They're very similar to the Sugar Plums I make at Christmas time.)
  **I made 3 flavors of them and they have been SUCH a lifesaver at work!
  **Ryan doesn't love them, but he's not a huge fan of nuts.
  **You can get a variety of dried fruit and nuts at Sam's Club, which makes the cost of these bars a fraction of what you'd pay for them in the store! 
  **Next time I make them, I'll probably chop the nuts in the food processor until they're about 3/4 done, and add the fruit right to the same bowl, and process until well combined, thus eliminating the need for an additional bow; the food processor does the mixing for you!


Bon Appetit!

Point taken.

The wedding I worked last night was a couple that were high school sweethearts, and had been together for 10 years. Through the toasts there were several jokes about her waiting for him for 10 years, and how this was more like an anniversary party than a wedding.

At one point I turned to Kelly and said, "Ten years? That is too long!"
Kelly replied, "...Says the girl that waited 3 months."

Touche.

Use your brain, Lady.

This lady just stood up on Dr. Oz and asked if there was anything she could have done to have prevented her brain cancer.

The doctor on stage rattled off a few things--leafy greens, green tea, blah blah.

Dr. Oz then turned to the lady, whom he was standing next to, and said, "Do you smoke?" She admitted she did. He said, "Quitting smoking is the #1 thing you can do."

She goes, "Yeah, yeah, I know, I know..."

Really, Lady? You have BRAIN CANCER, and when Dr. Oz says the #1 thing you can do to prevent it, or get over it is to quit smoking, you're gonna give him a "Yeah, yeah"??? You're an idiot.

PMS Smoothie

So I watched this show today, The Doctors. It's on at the same time as Dr. Phil--whom I hate more than Oprah. They gave a recipe today for a PMS smoothie, touting that diets high in vitamin D and calcium have lower PMS symptoms. So here it is! They also listed 2 other recipes for smoothies that are also listed below...

PMS Smoothie:
In a blender mix 1 cup low fat yogurt, 8 oz orange juice, 1 cup fresh strawberries, 1 banana, 1 T molasses, or to taste.Blend for 45 seconds.

FYI, that's a HUGE smoothie. Maybe try half for a more manageable size.

Breakfast Smoothie:
 In a blender mix 1 cup milk, 1 scoop chocolate flavored multi-nutrient protein powder, 3-4 frozen strawberries 1/2 cup frozen blueberries. Blend for 45 seconds. 
The chocolate protein powder makes the consistency of the smoothie a cross between a chocolate milkshake and a fruit smoothie.


Orgasm Smoothie: 
Are you looking to spice up your sex life?  Try a culinary concoction that promises to perfect your orgasm!

1 banana
1 cup blueberries
1 cup rice, almond or non-fatmilk (substitute with juice of your choice if you don't want to use milk)
1 cup ice chips
½ cup peaches
1 tablespoon flaxseed
Dollop of honey
Sprinkle of ginger root (season to taste)
Sprinkle of nutmeg (season to taste)

Blend and enjoy!

Bananas: Contain potassium and B vitamins that convert carbohydrates into energy, boosting endurance and testosterone.

Blueberries: High in soluble fiber, which keeps arteries clear of cholesterol. Improved blood flow and relaxed blood vessels improve a man's erections, especially in older men.

Peaches: High in vitamin C. Men should consume at least 200 milligrams of vitamin C per day to increase the quality and quantity of their sperm.

Flaxseed: Increases testosterone levels and is packed with essential fatty acids, such as Omega-3 and Omega-6, which keeps hormones at optimal levels and sex drive revved.
Ginger root: Stimulates the circulatory system, increasing blood flow to the genitals.

Nutmeg: Stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps you relax.

Honey: Honey is rich in vitamin B, which is needed for testosterone production. The gooey nectar also contains boron, which may increase estrogen levels in women.