You are here: Home / Archives for Travel & Lifestyle

It’s Time to Celebrate! Celiac Awareness Month 2013

May 13, 2013 By 11 Comments
Gluten-Free Frozen Dessert Round-Up//The Spicy RD

A round-up of my favorite gluten-free frozen desserts! Almost halfway through May and Celiac Awareness Month 2013, and with beach weather, flip flops, and the dog days of  summer firmly in sight, what better way to celebrate, than with an update on what's new in the world of celiac disease and gluten-sensitivity, and some of my favorite frozen gluten-free treats? First the update... Then the treats! Celiac Disease Info & Statistics 83 %.  Although, this number may not be news to some, one of the most alarming facts about … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Recipes and Nutrition, Travel & Lifestyle

To the Bottom & Back: The Ultimate Grand Canyon Adventure Vacation

January 10, 2013 By 22 Comments
EA & VInita

The Grand Canyon, South Rim It's approximately 40,000 steps to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back up to the top.  Add in a quick side trip up Cathedral Rock in Sedona Arizona, and you have yourself the ultimate adventure vacation! Have you ever been to the Grand Canyon before??? Oh, and throw in a little snow, and now you're really on to something fun! The Grand Canyon, South Kaibab Trail, covered in snow. I'm excited to share my Grand Canyon/Sedona adventure trip with you, because it was just so fun, and also because I … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Travel & Lifestyle

Weekly Meal Plan & My Happy Things: On the Road to Vegas Baby!

September 4, 2012 By 20 Comments
Feeling Great with Jasper State

There's no place like Vegas! Happy September.  I hope everyone had a fabulous Labor Day weekend! My family and I took a road trip to Las Vegas over the long weekend.  It was hot but fun! I'll share more below, plus my other happy things of late, but first, this week's meal plan... SPICY RD WEEKLY MEAL PLAN DAY ONE Amazingly Addictive Artichoke Squares {Making a big batch to freeze & serve later for school lunches.}-vegetarian & gluten-free Green Salad: Greens, avocado, cherry tomatoes with golden balsamic … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Travel & Lifestyle, Weekly Meal Plan and My Happy Things

Weekly Meal Plan & My Happy Things:Fun with Friends in San Francisco

July 31, 2012 By 12 Comments
China Town Building

Chinatown, San Francisco: The difference between boys and girls??  SiSi bought a pretty "cat" tile and a bracelet in Chinatown.  Big Tex bought a sword.  As in a REAL sword.  Naturally we had to ship it home, as I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have gotten past TSA. Hello There! How's everyone's summer going so far?? I just returned from a mini vacation to San Francisco where my family and I had the most wonderful time visiting old {Gold} friends and meeting new {Silver} ones. Today's post will be quick as I have heaps of post-vacation … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Travel & Lifestyle, Weekly Meal Plan and My Happy Things Tagged With: , , ,

Weekly Menu Plan and Photo Fun: Sweet Potato Skins and Cowgirl Time!

May 14, 2012 By 26 Comments
Goat chewing on fence

How was everyone's Mother's Day Weekend??? Mine was a blast {except for the lack of sleep that comes with spending the night in a cabin with 11 giggly 9-11 year old girls.  But that's to be expected, right???} Our "digs" for the weekend... I spent the weekend roughing it at Rawhide Ranch with 15 amazing young ladies/women from my daughter's Girl Scout troop, a barnyard full of horses, several pens full of chickens/sheep/goats {you can read more here about my love of goats :-)}, and 1 sweet cow named Pablo. I also rode bareback on a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Travel & Lifestyle, Weekly Meal Plan and My Happy Things Tagged With: , , , , ,

New Zealand Top Ten: Gorgeous Scenery, Fabulous People, and Oodles of Gluten-Free Options!

April 25, 2012 By 29 Comments
Lake Rotarua, New Zealand

A gorgeous morning by the Avon River in Christchurch, New Zealand Finally. My New Zealand post is up! Sorry it took so long, but it takes awhile to go though 750 + photos! Don't worry... I'm only going to share 700 of them with you. Just kidding :-) In all honesty though, it was hard to whittle down my trip to my 10 favorite experiences, but I figured that would be the best way to share at least a glimpse of this gorgeous country with you. So, here they, are {in no particular order}... New Zealand Top Ten ONE: The … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Travel & Lifestyle Tagged With: , ,

Who’s Been Peeking Around in My Kitchen???

April 20, 2012 By 9 Comments
EAPhoto10Desk

My Spicy RD Rack Greetings friends! I'm delighted and honored to be sharing my kitchen with you today over at Wendy Gregory Kaho's blog, Celiacs in the House.  Wendy is a huge supporter of the celiac and gluten-free community, and she has written some wonderfully informative articles for the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness {NFCA} on gluten-free dining in college. {Gluten-Free College Dining Halls: Part 1; Gluten-Free College Dining Halls: Part 2; Gluten-Free Dining Halls: Lesson Learned} At the beginning of 2012, Wendy … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Travel & Lifestyle Tagged With: , , , ,

Wordless Wednesday: Here We Come…Here We Go…

March 28, 2012 By 13 Comments
WWMarch282

I wish my children were this obedient :-) Have a great day!!! I LOVE hearing from you! Please click here to leave a comment or ask a question, or leave a suggestion. And, if you enjoyed the post, please stumble, tweet, pin-it, or share it on Facebook. Oh, and to make sure you don't miss any Spicy food, fun, and adventure, please submit your e-mail address below to be notified on my new posts, OR check out the top right hand side of my blog to get e-mail notifications of new posts via feedburner. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Travel & Lifestyle Tagged With: , ,

Weekly Menu Plan and Photo Fun: BLT Quinoa Salad and Memories of Spain!

March 19, 2012 By 21 Comments
Madrid, Spain

A tree lined street in Madrid, Spain So, what did everyone do for St Patrick's Day?? We had a rare "quiet" Saturday here since SiSi and Big Tex's baseball and softball games were cancelled due to the stormy weekend in San Diego. I made waffles in the morning, then we ended up running some errands as a family, to buy SiSi some new purple Vans {the soles were coming off her old ones}, search for a new point-and-shoot digital camera for our up coming family vacation {sadly my old Panasonic died on me}, and stock up on some Ayala's Herbal … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Travel & Lifestyle, Weekly Meal Plan and My Happy Things Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Weekly Menu Plan and Photo Fun: Pirates, Chicken Sopes and More!

March 1, 2012 By 27 Comments
aeoniumWMblog

Aeonium in bloom in my garden. I don't know about you, but the past couple of weeks have been rather wonky for me... won·ky  (wngk) adj. won·ki·er, won·ki·est Chiefly British 1. Shaky; feeble. 2. Wrong; awry. I was really hoping to have posted another weekly menu plan prior to this one, but my wonky life just got in the way. {NOTE-If this is your first time checking out my weekly meal plans, please read this post for more details.} Not that it has been a bad week or two mind you. Simply wonky :-) Wonky as in the kids … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Travel & Lifestyle, Weekly Meal Plan and My Happy Things Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Farmers Market Finds: Nagoya Kale, Orange Honey Almonds, and the Chubbiest Carrots Ever!

January 10, 2012 By 31 Comments
FMBlog2

In my other life {pre- kids and husband}, I used to go to the Del Mar Farmer's Market almost every weekend. It was easy. I walked out the front door of my {tiny} white washed brick cottage, headed to the street, turned left, went 1/8 of a mile down the hill, and there I was. Right in the midst of a bounty of seasonal and local produce, vibrantly colored fresh flowers, and {in my gluten-eating days} the tastiest Gyros I can recall ever eating. But then life got in the way. Marriage...a baby...a move...another baby...two more … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Recipes and Nutrition, Travel & Lifestyle Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Going Home {to Texas}, and My Dark Chocolate ChickPz Winner!

November 17, 2011 By 30 Comments
chocchickpxgiveawy9

Where do you call home? Our former house in Plano,Texas, 2011 For me, it's San Diego, the town where I was born, my husband was born, SiSi was born, and where I have lived the majority of my life, including now. But, I've also been fortunate enough to have lived in several other towns in my life...Dallas, Texas  for college...Chicago for my dietetic internship {great city, but not so great winters}...back to Dallas {Plano}, Texas for my husband's job...Falls Church, Virginia, again for my husband's job, and, ultimately, back to San … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Giveaways and Reviews, Travel & Lifestyle Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

{Not Quite} Wordless Wednesday: My Trip to Austin and Sunrise in Del Mar

October 5, 2011 By 17 Comments
WW3Oct0511

Just a few photos from my recent "Girl's Trip" to Austin, plus a couple of sunrise photos from home I couldn't resist sharing... Grapefruit on display at the original Whole Foods in Austin, Texas.  When I think of grapefruit, I think of Texas so I thought this sign was kind of funny.. The "bulk food" section at the original Whole Foods in Austin.  The entire store was pretty impressive to say the least. We also took a trip to one of my favorite stores, Central Market, on Friday night, where we had dinner and wine and listened to a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Travel & Lifestyle Tagged With: , , , ,

My River Rafting Adventure: Raging Rapids, Fabulous Food, Spectacular Scenery, and Awesome People!

August 17, 2011 By 29 Comments
When in Idaho, eat potatoes!

Hi Everyone! I'm really excited to share my latest adventure with you... Whitewater Rafting down the Salmon and Snake Rivers in Idaho! Here are some of the highlights of my trip, along with some of my favorite photos... I have to say it was definitely fun taking pictures of scenery and people as opposed to food for a change :-) Boise, Idaho We started the trip in Boise, Idaho which is a really cool city.  Last time I was there I was about 5 or 6.  I don't remember much from that trip, other than going snow shoeing, but I'm … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Travel & Lifestyle Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Camels and Camels Milk…But Were Too Afraid to Ask!

April 30, 2011 By 14 Comments
camelblog

OK. So maybe you haven't been lying awake sleeplessly at night, wondering about camel's milk and camels... BUT, camels, as I have recently discovered, can be really sweet, fun animals, and the nutritional makeup of their milk is really quite intriguing as well! If you're wondering where all this camel talk is coming from, let me tell you about the adventure my 4th grade Girl Scout troop just had at a camel farm. This past week, we took a trip to the Oasis Camel Dairy in Ramona, California.  Once we entered the gate, we were greeted … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Recipes and Nutrition, Travel & Lifestyle Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,
«Older Posts