Oil Pulling

Pinterest has a ton of pins on how to live life with less chemicals and replace them with natural remedies. One of these remedies is oil pulling. Oil pulling is the act of swishing coconut or sesame oil in your mouth for oral health.

Oil pullers have reported:

• Whiter teeth 
• Strengthening of teeth and gums 
• Cavity prevention 
• Gingivitis prevention 
• Bad breath prevention  

I oil pulled for the first time last night and it wasn't as easy as I thought. I used two teaspoons of Trader Joe's Organic Virgin Coconut Oil. 

The smell reminded me of my college days drinking Malibu Coconut Rum. Classy. I soon got over the smell but the texture was far worse. This brand of coconut oil is especially thick. I did not like that. However, after a few swishes the oil thinned out and was much more pleasant.

Most articles recommend swishing for 10-15 minutes. At first I thought that was impossible but watching Modern Family while pulling helped pass the time. Love that show!  

I read people have given up brushing completely and only oil pull. I don't think I will ever get to that point. Especially, since I wanted to brush the all of the oil off my teeth after pulling. I could see a mixture of brushing and oil pulling in my future if I can get over my texture issues.

I love the minty taste of toothpaste so I am going to also try adding a drop of peppermint oil to the coconut.

Ill keep you posted with my results.

In the meantime, read about oil pulling here:
Food Matters

Wellness Mama

CureZone.org


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Vanilla Extract: Update 8 Months Later

Eight months ago I posted about making my own vanilla extract. Read that post here.

Result: I will never buy vanilla extract again!

With just two ingredients, vodka and vanilla beans, this extract is so easy to make. I dropped one more bean in at the 4 month mark but left everything else the same.

Before: 

Vanilla Extract on August 2nd 

After: 

Vanilla Extract on April 2nd 

I will continue to add more vodka and vanilla as needed to keep a supply of extract in my kitchen. I haven't been able to taste a difference between my homemade version and the store bought stuff. I've found Amazon has the cheapest and best quality beans for purchase.

I encourage every one to make their own extracts!

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PS: I am by no means the best photographer but can you tell I have gotten so much better since August.

Market on Houston: Soft Opening

Photo Credit: Lloyd Christmas, Urban Spoon

I had the pleasure of attending the soft opening of Market on Houston located inside the newly remodeled Sheraton Gunter Hotel. Just across the street from the Majestic Theater, I can see this spot becoming a go-to for date night. They will even validate your valet parking.  

Market on Houston impressed me right away by giving us iPads instead of menus. These iPads were loaded with the restaurants menu items and photos of each dish. It was great to sip a glass of wine and browse the menu photos while deciding what we wanted. Everything looked exceptional, it was hard to choose! 

iPad Menus at Market on Houston

We started off with truffle fries and the hearts of romaine salad. Both were delicious but topped with Parmesan cheese the truffle fries were by far my favorite. That was until the next course arrived. 

Truffle Fries

We ordered lamb pops and koby sliders. One of the many beauties of Market on Houston is each menu item is served in a way that is easy to share. The lamb pops looked even more amazing in person than they did on the iPad photo menu. Served on a bed of greens with sauce on the side, each bite was better than the next.

Lamb Pops

After the wine, truffle fries, romaine salad and kobe sliders we couldn't finish all of the lamb. The Market wait staff happily packed up the left overs and I enjoyed them the next night over a bed of kale salad. Recipe found on Pinterest of course. 

Market on Houston isn't just a place to enjoy a sit down meal. Once it opens you will also be able to stop by the market and grab a ready-made meal like breakfast pastries, sandwiches, soups and pizzas. Enjoy them with a premium bottle of wine, also available to purchase. I encourage everyone to try Market on Houston when it opens. You will not be disappointed. Follow them to be the first to know about the grand opening date:

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Superbowl Snacks

For the last few years D and I have gone to our friends annual Superbowl party. Since they recently moved to Houston we were left with out Superbowl plans for the first time in a long time.

A few days before Sunday D decided we would have a few people over for game time. I started planning yummy treats right away to go along with Derek's queso dip and famous meatballs. Here is what I came up with.

Strawberry Angel Food Cake Kabobs: I wasn't sure about this little treat at first but by the end of the night there wasn't a single kabob left! I bought a mix for Angle Food Cake that was super easy to make, just add water! My kind of cake mix.

Step 1) Cut the angel food cake into cubes.
Step 2) Cut the tops off the strawberries
Step 3) Alternate putting a strawberry and angle food cube into skewers
Step 4) Melt white chocolate chips using this method
Step 5) Drizzle chocolate onto kaboobs then place in fridge to chill until game time
Step 6) Enjoy!  

Seven Layer Dip: Notice the green onions are only on half? My husband does not have a love for onions like I do.

Ingredients-Layer one on top of each other in this order. 
1) Cream Cheese-Mix one block of softened cream cheese with one packet of taco seasoning.
2) Refried Beans
3) Salsa
4) Sour Cream
5) Lettuce
6) Cheese
7) Green Onions (optional)

Chill until game time. Boom, best appetizer ever.

Football Strawberries: A twist on my usual strawberry making technique shown here. After the chocolate cooled, I melted white chocolate the same way and squeezed on football laces using my decorating squeeze bottles.

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Apricot Lane Boutique in San Antonio

I was recently introduced to the cutest little boutique, Apricot Lane San Antonio. OMG yall it was fashion heaven! The atmosphere was as friendly as the staff. The boutique is owned by a mother daughter team; Cathy, Allison and Lauren. How awesome is that!  

The trio travels to California about every six weeks for a buying trip. These trips insure the store inventory stays fresh and right on trend. 

When I walked into Apricot Lane I was immediately amazed by the jewelry tables. They have fun bracelets, necklaces and earrings in every color and style.

  

Allison and Lauren mentioned scarfs and leggings have been flying out the door! No wonder, at the time their leggings were only $8! 

Apricot Lane has a wide section of colorful, solid and patterned winter clothing. This cardigan, I dubbed the Candy Cane Cardi, caught my eye.

When I saw the Candy Cane Cardi I remembered a pin I saw on Pinterest earlier that day. Talk about 'get the look'. No surprise, since everything Apricot Lane fit into this years winter trends, love! 
 

I can't wait to wear it with dark skinny's and brown tall boots on cool San Antonio days.

You can find Apricot Lane San Antonio on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter! They are having HUGE Black Friday sales going on today. The earlier you shop, the more you save!

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All About Food

One thing we like to do in the Frye house is eat! Here are somethings Ive whipped up recently thanks to Pinterest!


Chocolate Covered Strawberry Marshmallows: I clearly like dipping things in chocolate. I picked up some strawberry marshmallows from the store for this yummy treat. Melt chocolate using my technique here. Dip marshmallow about half way down into the chocolate and then take out, keep over the bowl because it will drip! Lay down on a pan lined with parchment paper then dust with sprinkles and refrigerate.  

Chicken Enchilada Dip Rolls-Ups: Feeding a small army or planning a party? These enchilada rolls are for you! Serves about 3 dozen.

You will need:

• 2- 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
• 1½ cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
• 1 package of taco seasoning
• 3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 10 oz. can Rotel tomatoes, drained with juices reserved
• 1 package burrito sized tortillas

 To make: 

1. Mix cream cheese and shredded cheese together until well blended
2. Add chicken breasts and green onion
3. Use Rotel juice as needed to thin mixture, and mix well
4. Add taco seasoning, start with 1/2 of package and add the rest to taste 
5. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour
6. Place one heaping spoonful onto tortilla
7. Spread to edges using a metal spatula
8. Roll and cut into slices
9. Enjoy! 

Peanut Butter Bananas: These little gems are AMAZING! Good for dessert or just a little sweet snack.

Step 1: Cut bananas into 3 pieces (2 if the banana is small)
Step 2: Use a straw to hallow out insides of the banana, don't go all the way down
Step 3: Melt chocolate using my technique here
Step 4: Dip ends of of banana in chocolate, (Optional-Then dip chocolate in nuts or sprinkles) place on wax paper and refrigerate
Step 5: Once the chocolate has set pipe peanut butter into the hallowed out banana, refrigerate
Step 6: Enjoy!

Butter: When cooking I ALWAYS forget to set out the butter to soften. I've tried putting it in the microwave but that always turns out to be a BIG mess. Here is the perfect pin-solution! When you need softened butter, grate it while still hard then mix it with other ingredients. The butter will soften quickly and perfectly throughout the other ingredients. What a lifesaver!

Halloween at the Frye House

Since we don't have kids to dress up and take trick or treating, Derek and I aren't huge Halloween people. We don't normally dress up, decorate the house or go to parties, but we aren't complete Halloween scrooges either.

Here are a few Halloween activities we do participate in:

Dressing up my dog, Texan. Last year he was superman which was carefully planned out and happens to be his dads favorite. This year his mom (me) didn't go shopping until Halloween at about 5:30pm so he got a cute little nightmare before Christmas sweater.

PS: He hates it. Look at that face of shame. 

In September, I was invited to a candle party. I ended up buying this glass candle holder with tons of possibilities. For Halloween I filled the holder with candy corn and lit an orange candle. See we can be festive! I plan to change out the decoration to fit the current holiday. 

Derek and I carved pumpkins a week ago. It was nice to spend time together. I got my inspiration for a mummy pumpkin off Pinterest. This is what it should have looked like:

And here is what mine ended up looking like:

Mummy Pumpkin

 
A happy mummy? Kinda? Whatever, the eyes are cool and it was time well spent together.

While we were waiting for trick or treaters to come to the door I made myself a little drink with what we already had in the fridge. I saw a pin earlier in the week about a girls night Mike-A-Rita and thanks to a recent college reunion at our house I had all the ingredients. Mix tequila (I used two shots), strawberry margarita mix and ice in a blender, blend well. Pour mixture into a glass, margarita or regular and quickly dunk a Mikes Hard Pink Lemonade into your glass. Careful not to spill! Enjoy!

Mike-A-Rita

I might not wear a Halloween costume but I will go for some cute Halloween themed nails. Not being a nail pro I was pretty happy with the results. That is until I glanced at my Halloween candle posted above and noticed my mistake. I totally mixed up the orange and white color order. Blame it on dyslexia. By the time I was done I was way too tired to go back and fix them so I rocked the dyslexic candy corn look. I got my inspiration from a pin posted by Pretty Gossip, if you don't read her blog you totally should. She used a make up sponge to apply the color, I used strips of cut up band aides to separate the different sections of my nail. Here's how they turned out vs the Pretty Gossip version:

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