Season's Eatings

I was given a Taco Cabana gift card in exchange for a blog post. However, all opinions are my own.

There are only a few days left to take advantage of four holiday favorite menu items at Taco Cabana. 

Photo from the Taco Cabana Facebook Page

These items include: Pico & Avo-Verde Tacos, Rancho & Verde Beef Enchilada Plate, Horchata Margarita and Dulce de Leche Cheesecake. 

I tried the Pico & Avo-Verde Tacos, Horchata Margarita and Dulce de Leche Cheesecake. All were delicious. 

The tacos were hot and tasty, the rita was like Christmas in a glass and the cheesecake was smooth with a graham cracker crust. 

Right now, you can get a FREE great appreciation card with the purchase of $25 worth of Taco Cabana gift cards. Happy Holidays! 

Photo from the Taco Cabana Facebook Page 

Merry Friendsmas!

Over the weekend I got together with my friends Samantha, Gina and Aly for a friendsmas dinner.

Aly, Me, Gina and Samantha

Gina hosted and let me decorate her dinning table! I love a good holiday themed tablescape!

I used a table runner I picked up at Target during last years after Christmas sale, score! By mixing a beautiful bowl and cake places I had the perfect platform for some Christmas ornaments I inherited from my grandmother.

I stopped at the Dollar Tree and grabbed simple round ornaments, half matte and half glitter, for the bowl. I had short round jars from my Easter tablescape that filled with fresh cranberries and a white candle. On top of the runner was a strand of battery operated fairy lights. 

The china is from Gina's Williams Sonoma collection. I finished the table by adding a stocking at each plate to hold silverware. These stockings were on sale for less than a dollar at Hobby Lobby. Again, purchased at an after Christmas sale. 

We ate, we drank, we spread Christmas cheer and exchanged gifts. A good night was had by all. 

My very best Martha Stewart pose. Its a good thing. 

Gifting With A Purpose

I received two items from Global Purpose in exchange for a social media promotion. 

During this gift giving season do you really think about the items you purchase? What if you could feel as good about your purchase as the person who receives it? This is exactly what Global Purpose has in mind. 

Global Purpose is a purpose-driven enterprise that has a variety of brands under their care. One of those brands is Village Artisan, a company based out of India that pays local women a living wage to crate handcrafted jewelry and home goods. 

Village Artisan can be purchased right where you pick up groceries! Look for the brand in the Blooms section of your local H-E-B store. 

Village Artisan products are 100% eco-friendly and made from a range of natural and recycled materials. Making purposeful purchasing decisions crates a more hospitable world! 

I was gifted these beautiful earrings and handmade cloth banner, now hanging in my dining room.  

Next time you swing by H-E-B, pick up a purposeful gift for your sister, mother or friend! 

Jumping Out Of a Perfectly Good Plane

I kicked off my 30th birthday at Skydive San Marcos! Skydiving was part of my 30 before 30 bucket list. Read the full 30 before 30 list here.

My sister was the only other person brave enough to take the plunge with me.

I was TERRIFIED the entire time we suited up and gained elevation on the plane. There is such a build up of anticipation before you jump. I skydived tandem and good thing because I don't know if I could have exited the plane alone.

Once you exit there is such a trilling rush. All my nervousness went out the window, or should I say out the plane. My amazing sister got the DVD package so we both jumped with a videographer who captured these shots during the free fall.

Once your shoot opens, and believe me it will open, you enjoy a very peaceful, slow fall back down to Earth. I enjoyed taking in the view, chatting with my instructor and watching my sister land. 

Skydiving might seem scary, but I encourage everyone to take the jump! You wont regret it.

New Flame-Grilled Tacos & Tequila Margarita at Taco Cabana

I was given the opportunity to try three tacos and a margarita at no cost in exchange for a blog post. However, all opinions are my own.

I stopped by Taco Cabana today to try their new menu items, the flame-grilled chicken tacos and the Lunazul Tequila Margarita. 

Premium Lunazul Tequila Margarita

The margarita was amazing! The perfect combo to go with the tacos. You can get salt or sugar on the rim but I opted out. The rita also comes in strawberry, I can't wait to try that next. 

The tacos come in three different varieties, grilled peppers and onions with salsa roja, roasted poblanos with ranchero sauce and cheese, and bacon and jalapeno with salsa ranch. I got one of each. 

Flame-Grilled Chicken Tacos 

It was hard to pick a favorite but in the end the bacon and jalapeno with salsa ranch chicken taco won be over! 

Bacon and Jalapeno With Salsa Ranch Chicken Taco

These delicious tacos sell for $2.29 each or mix and match any three for only $5.99. Hurry! These tacos are only for a limited time. However, the tequila upgrade is a permanent addition. Why not try them both? 

Nothing Left, Even For The Bees 

Ramen Expo 2017

On Monday, I hit the road and headed to Austin, TX for the Ramen Expo. I'm a big fan of a hot bowl of ramen on a cold day, well really any day to be honest.

The expo highlighted the latest equipment, ingredients and flavors. There was even a build-your-own ramen bar. 

I jumped from booth-to-booth tasting what they had to offer. The latest noodle trend is kale noodles! Unfortunately, the vendor didn't have any on hand to try but I'll be on the look out at ramen shops around town. 

Ramen wasn't the only item on the expo menu. There were also chicken, dumpling and beer booths to sample from. 

Leaving the expo I was full and even more of a ramen lover than I was before. If you are looking for a great ramen to try in San Antonio, stop by Sapporo on Hausman. They don't have a big ramen selection but their seafood ramen is amazing! 

Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream

Tis the season for everything pumpkin. For this ice cream recipe I dumped stuff in my mixer and hoped it worked. Thankfully it did. 

Ingredients: 
1 8 oz Whipped Cream
1 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk 
15 Gingersnaps, crushed
1 3oz package of Cheesecake Pudding Mix
1 and 1/2 cans of Canned Pumpkin 
5 Pumpkin Candy Corn (optional)
1 8oz block of cream cheese 

Step 1) Pour condensed milk in a mixing bowl

Step 2) Mix in cream cheese

Step 3) Add cheesecake Jello 

Step 4) Fold in whipped cream 

Step 5) Open can of pumpkin, add a layer to the bottom of a loaf pan 

Step 6) Crush a thin layer of gingersnaps on top of pumpkin layer

Step 6) Add layer of cheesecake mix on top of pumpkin/ginger snap layer 

Step 7) Keep alternating all three layers

Step 8) Run a spatula around the pan to lightly mix layers. Do not over mix.

Step 9) Top with more gingersnaps and pumpkin candy corn

Step 10) Freeze overnight. If you can wait that long :)  

Step 11) Enjoy! 

Cowboy Caviar

When I was working my way through my 30 before 30 list, Samantha from Live, Laugh, Lighty and our friends asked me over for dinner during my vegetarian week. They all agreed to go vegetarian for the meal and I offered to bring an appetizer.

After a quick Pinterest search I came across the most colorful dish, cowboy caviar. This vegetarian delight is quick to mix up and delicious.

You will need:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound Roma tomatoes
1 can (15 oz) black-eyed peas, drained
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained
1 can (11 oz) corn, drained
1 red onion, diced
1 diced green bell pepper
1 diced red bed pepper
1/2 parsley or 1 cup cilantro. I prefer parsley.

Steps:
1) Whisk together olive oil, sugar, white wine vinegar, chili powder and salt in a large bowl
2) Add cut tomatoes, black-eyed peas, beans, corn, red onion and bell peppers to the bowl

3) Add parsley and stir all ingredients together
4) Cover and chill for at least one hour or overnight
5) Enjoy

We couldn't keep our hands off of it!

No Churn Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream. 

Ingredients: 
2 cups heavy whipping cream 
1 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk 
10 Mint Oreos (or regular), crushed
1/2-1 tsp peppermint extract 
5 drops green food coloring 
1/2 cup chopped Andes Mints 

Step 1) Using a whisk, whip heavy cream on high until stiff peaks form. Do not over mix or you will end up with some very fluffy butter. 

Step 2) Add in condensed milk. Mix well. 

Step 3) Add in peppermint extract and food coloring 

Step 4) Fold in crushed Oreos 

Step 5) Pour mixture into a bread pan 

Step 6) Crush Oreos and mints on top (optional) 

Step 7) Freeze overnight. If you can wait that long :)  

Step 8) Enjoy! 

No Churn Cookies N Cream Ice Cream

If you follow me on Instagram you know I love whipping up homemade ice cream. Here is a fool proof recipe that doesn't require an ice cream maker. 

Ingredients: 
2 cups heavy cream 
1 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk 
10 Oreos, crushed
1 box Cookies N Cream pudding mix 

Step 1) Using a whisk, whip heavy cream on high until stiff peaks form. Do not over mix or you will end up with some very fluffy butter. 

Step 2) Add in condensed milk. Mix well. 

Step 3) Add pudding mix 

Step 4) Fold in crushed Oreos 

Step 5) Pour mixture into a bread pan 

Step 6) Add Oreos on top (optional) 

Step 7) Freeze overnight. If you can wait that long :)  

Making Better Choices With GreenBlender

Disclaimer: I was given the opportunity to experience GreenBlender smoothies, at no cost. However, all opinions expressed here are my own. 

The New Year is a perfect time to start making better, healthier choices. GreenBlender makes it easy to do that with a hearty breakfast in less than 5 minutes. 

With GreenBlender, you'll get 5 new smoothie recipes and pre-portioned ingredients delivered to your door each week. No list making, no shopping, no headaches. Bonus: the ice packs the produce is packed in are reusable.  

Building the perfect smoothie is an art and GreenBlender has perfected it. The box includes a breakdown of exactly how to mix up your smoothie. No more just tossing stuff in a blender hoping it all comes out okay. 

Start by adding your liquids to the blender then leafy greens. Next, chop your fruits and veggies then add boosters and ice. Bam, perfect smoothie material! 

Mixing is my favorite part! Look at that blend. 

If getting a healthier start is on your 2017 to-do list, start with GreenBlender. Plans start at $3.90 per serving and each box includes 10 servings and 5 recipes.   Join now here. 

Kiwi Apple Detox Smoothie 

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