Do you ever think to yourself,
It’s great to be back in my own kitchen again!?
After a month of crazy {as in good crazy!} travel, both basking in the sun in gorgeous Key West, and schussing down the snow covered slopes in Taos, I’m absolutely, positively, 100% ready to be back home in my kitchen, writing my weekly meal plan, and baking up a batch of delicious strawberry lemon almond muffins.
That is until the next adventure beckons me 
In the meantime, here is my latest weekly meal plan, and a peek at the things that have been making me happy lately.
What’s been making you happy lately???
Weekly Meal Plan
DAY ONE
- Roast chicken or turkey
- Roasted Carrots with Pesto from Spiced Blog
- Baby new potatoes
- Fresh tangerines
DAY TWO
- Minestrone Soup by Ellie Krieger for Food Network Magazine
- Gluten-Free Garlic Bread
- Fresh apple slices with cinnamon
DAY THREE
- Hoisin Pork with Rice Noodles from Pinch of Yum
- Steamed broccoli
- Fresh orange slices
DAY FOUR
- Grilled Halloumi, Tomato, Olive Salad and Pomegranate, Fennel, Orange, and Watercress Salad~Recipes from Mighty Spice cookbook & coming to the blog soon!
- “Dessert of the Week” Gluten-Free Raspberry Almond Bars from Jeanette’s Healthy Living
DAY FIVE
- Power Salad: Chicken, Avocado, Pine Nuts, Feta, Tomatoes & Spinach from Recipe Girl
- Brazilian Cheese Rolls
- Fresh pineapple
My Happy Things
Taking in this Key West view with Mr. Spicy. Notice there are no children to be found anywhere
A completely different kind of fun…Snowball fight in Taos, New Mexico.
I just picked up my first containers of local San Diego Strawberries from Be Wise Ranch. I’m in heaven when strawberries come in to season, and they were perfect in this muffin recipe from The Lemon Bowl. Liz’s recipe is perfect as is, or you can follow these substitutions based on my ingredients at home: Fresh chopped strawberries in place of the blueberries, virgin coconut oil in place of the olive oil, and maple syrup in place of the honey. They were so good, Big Tex almost inhaled the muffin wrapper!!
Speaking of strawberries and the seasons, although it’s not spring yet, this gorgeous tree in bloom is shouting out, spring is just around the corner!!!
I can’t get enough of these nut butters I created recently for a gust post on Stone Soup! Take your pick of Toasted Vanilla Maple Pecan Nut Butter or Raw Cinnamon Raisin Walnut Butter~amazing!!!
That’s it for now, but stop by later this week and I’ll share some more photos and highlights from my recent travels. Cheers!
Have you taken any trips lately? Done any baking? Are you as ready as I am for spring to hurry up and get here???
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“Variety is the very spice of life that gives it all it’s flavour.”
William Cowper, 1785. 
I can’t think of a more varied vacation! Although I am originally from Florida, the Taos shot is more like what I see nowadays here in Scotland! Great menu with super links. And I will look at your nut butters. I lust for a Vitamix to make such things easily, but my good old Magimix Cuisine 5200 is quite the little workhorse. I have done some baking recently – a pbj banana bread. The family inhaled it before I got decent photos! Sounds like baking goes down similarly in Casa Spicy RD
I’m imagining my family, including me, inhaling your PBJ Banana Bread too Kellie~sounds delish! Hope you have a wonderful week & enjoy your mini heat wave
The West view is really gorgeous. I long for warm summer days and berries.
Thanks Angie! Key West was such a fabulous & much needed RELAXING vacation! Taos, not so much relaxing, but {almost} equally as fun
I can’t wait for strawberry season! I always love your weekly meal plans – I need to get better at doing that. Thanks for including my raspberry bars – hope you enjoy them!
My pleasure Jeanette! We’ll be making them this weekend-cant wait
Oh so many yummy things in this post. The raisin nut butter sounds soooo good! Never had a walnut butter! I am so glad you had such a fun vacation. From beach to snow, can’t beat that variety! It’s always so good to be back home after vacation though, no matter how much fun was had.
Agreed-nothing like home-sweet-home! The nut butters are amazing. I just made another batch of the pecan butter, and it’s my “sweet treat” in the afternoon
OOh, your trips all sound so fantastic! We haven’t done much traveling lately, but are going up to Boston (my hometown!) to see my family in less than a month, then hopefully getting in one warm-weather/beach trip before baby arrives. We’ll see if that actually happens! =) And now you have me wanting those strawberry muffins in a big way – they look delicious!
Thats so nice that you and Mr Spicy were able to get away! Alone time is so important.
But nothing beats returning home!!
Especially to some delicious food! Yum!
You seem to be such a good “recipe” person, how many new recipes would you say you make a week? I try to do staples and just 1-2 experiments. Wow- your adventures look great but being home is pretty good too.
Hi there, I haven’t chatted in awhile with you, hope you are well!! Key west is my favorite place to visit. Everytime I would go to see my Grandpa in Miami, he would take us to the Keys:-) It looks like you have been having loads of fun, love that! That raw cinnamon raisin walnut butter looks awesome! Hugs, Terra
Aweee…those beautiful almond muffins…pecan nut butter and the lovely pictures…what not to love about this post!