Rock wallin’

With anticipation of a busy day, Dan and I knew it was going to be essentially to fit in a power-packed lunch. The only problem was that I was stumped on what to make, so I asked Dan. To my surprise, he suggested that I make some quinoa. (He even said it with the proper pronunciation!)

That’s my boy!

I was all for the suggestion, too. Not only was it quick and easy, but quinoa is also a complete protein — And did I mention it’s delicious?

Taco-Seasoned Quinoa

Ingredients:

• 2/3 C quinoa
• 1 1/3 C water
• Half of a reduced-sodium taco-seasoning packet

Directions:

• In a medium-sized saucepan, toast the quinoa over medium-high heat just until the grains begin to “pop.”
• Mix in the water and seasoning. Reduce heat to medium and bring liquid to a simmer.
• Continue to cook, covered but stirred frequently. Cook for 15-20 minutes, until all the liquid is absorbed and the spirals begin to unravel. (You’ll understand what I mean…)
• Remove from heat and serve!

Because I am oh-so economical, I used up the other half of the taco-seasoning with a can of black beans. For that, I rinsed the canned beans. Then, I heated the beans, ~1/3 C water and taco-seasoning in a small pan until the beans were heated and the liquid was absorbed.

Together, the quinoa and black beans were dynamo salad toppings!

Consumed: Taco-seasoned quinoa and black beans atop spring greens. Also with mushrooms, onions, steamed broccoli and a bit of cheese. Dressed with olive oil and balsamic.

The food was so filling, yet I managed to eat it all because it was also so delicious! No complaints, because all that protein kept me filled through…

Registry shopping!!!

Trust me, I was even more excited than that in real-life. What do you expect, though, when Crate and Barrel gives you a registry scanner?

Although I put that scanner to good use, the main purpose of today was to get a feel for things. Dan and I plan on registering at both Crate and Barrel and Target. That way, we’ll get a good selection of housewares, which is a good thing, considering this will be our first times independently “setting up house.” (I’ve lived with roommates and he’s lived in a scholarship hall.)

I could have spent all day comparing the plates, looking at the kitchen gizmos and trying to understand what’s the best cookware to get… But I didn’t, because there were other places to go.

And by “other places,” I mean dinner. (Despite appearances, there was actually a lot of time between lunch and dinner!)

Dan and I were in Kansas City for registry-shopping, so we decided to get dinner at a restaurant — Which goes by a very nice name, if you ask me…

And also serves pretty good food…

Consumed: Hummus sampler plate with pita crackers and cucumbers. Cup of tomato-basil soup.

For the sake of killing three birds with one stone, Dan and I also took advantage of Kansas City by going rock-wall climbing. Yes, it’s just as awesome as it sounds…

To keep a story short (wouldn’t that be a first?), I went to an adventure camp for five years and then worked as a counselor at the same camp for another year. As part of the camp, we did high-ropes courses and rock-walls, so I had a good amount of experience.

Still, I knew I’d need a refresher course before I took my fiance’s life into my hands…

Fortunately, the guy at the desk cut us a good deal by helping to just “refresh my memory” rather than charge us for the whole certification. Score.

This also allowed Dan to observe and pick on the techniques. By the end of the night, he also had his certification. Score.

In fact, I was confident enough in him to trust him with keeping me safe as I scaled the walls! Talk about relationship building…

For those couple of hours, Dan and I were concentrated not on registries, guest lists or reception sites. Instead, we were just having fun in the moment — And, let me tell you, it’s more important than ever to take the time for non-wedding related dates these days.

After all, we’re getting married, not getting “wedded.”  (In other words, the wedding’s one day in our lives. The marriage is forever.)

Questions: Have you ever gone rock-wall climbing? What’s the most (physically) adventurous thing you’ve ever done?