Best Restaurants in Tulum with kids

Tulum is a mecca when it comes to food, especially when you have food allergies like yours truly! I am allergic to gluten and dairy, and while I have been able to make it work in all my travels, eating in Tulum is a special treat because so many restaurants offer g/d -free items that are scrumptious!

Wether you have food allergies or not, Tulum is your place for a fun culinary experience! From cheap 30 cent tacos, to fancy gourmet meals, and everything in between, Tulum offers something for everyone! We had 3 children when we visited Tulum (now we have 4) and these restaurants were all super kid friendly!

Here is a round-up of some of my favorite places:

How to Pay for Travel, Part 3: Food

If you missed Part 1&2 on “How to pay for Travel” see {Part 1} and {Part 2}

Today we are talking about my favorite thing…FOOD! To me, food is culture! Not too many things excite me more than sampling local flavors! However, eating out can get expensive! Especially if you are in Europe…our poor dollar loses so much value to the Pound and Euro! And eating out adds up fast…a breakfast here, a lunch there, throw a snacky snack in, and dinner there…and soon just your food tab alone exceeds $100 for the day! Yikes! Kevin and I realized this pretty quickly and devised a few trips to help cut down the costs! 

**As a note, most of these tips work best in Europe or other more expensive countries (like Australia, NZ, Japan). Traveling in SE Asia, Africa and S. America is a lot easier with food, as meal costs are very cheap! But these tips work well wherever you are:) Enjoy! 

1)   Stay at a place that offers breakfast: You can find very affordable places that include breakfast with the lodging! This is a great way to factor in a meal so that you don’t have to go out for your morning munchies! We found this to be especially lovely in Ireland, where Bed and Breakfasts were the lodging of choice, and you received a very hearty breakfast, and sometimes items to take with you for lunch! Often, because the breakfasts were so big, we didn’t need a huge lunch, only some snacks! And…if you are anything like my sisters, you can even sneak a few pieces of bread into your purse to take with you the rest of the day:)

2)    Pick one meal to eat out: When in extremely high priced countries (such as France) Kevin and I decide to pick one meal to eat out. This allows you to savor the ambiance of local eateries and sample specific delicacies, but also doesn’t break your budget! Typically we choose to eat out for dinner, but depending on where we are it will swap. In Belgium, we knew we had to sample a Belgium waffle for breakfast! Eat the rest of your meals from grocery stores….

{my sweet parents below…eating out in Delft, Holland}

3)   Frequent grocery stores & Open Air Markets: I cannot stress this enough! Grocery store snacks will go a LONG way both in your budget and in your stomach. Our go-to snacks when traveling, which we find the perfect combination of both tasty and filling, is a loaf of bread, cheese and salami. (If you are gluten free like me, Europe is seriously legit at having g-free bread at grocery stores!)This trio is easy to store and take out when your hunger gets the better of you. Add in a few pieces of fruit, some dark chocolate for the sweet tooth, and some carrots, and you are ready to go! Open air markets are abundant all around the world, and picking up some lovely produce and fresh fruit is a perfect way to enjoy the ambiance of the markets, as well as save a few pennies! (fresh nectarines, peaches, apricots, and cherries are the most delicious summer fruits to pick up at markets!) In Paris, Kevin and I spent a romantic evening picnicking in front of the Eiffel tower with our delicious store & market bought food, and wine {when in France, right?}.  This to me was just as special as dropping $100 on a nice meal:) except you save AND the Eiffel tower is your view, hello!!!!

{our lil' french picnic above…and another shot of our janky "picnic basket" aka trash bag, below! ha}

4)   Prepare your own food: Every once in a while you might happen to stay in a place that has its own kitchen. USE IT! This past year my family rented a quaint multi-level home in Delft, Holland from AirBnB (which I will talk about more later!). It had a giant kitchen, and so my mom bought groceries for the week and we cooked different meals every day! Our family also stayed in a dormitory at an old Monastery in Belgium. We picked up groceries before we arrived, and that night my mom made a delicious dinner, and lovely breakfast each monring. This works especially well if you are cooking for a larger group of people! Eating out with 6+ people WILL be expensive, so consider making meals.

5)   Bring your own small packaged condiments from home: That’s right, I’m literally telling you to steal those crushed red pepper packets at the pizza parlor, and your salt and pepper packets off your airplane tray! Am I a red-neck yet? Haha! But, if you know you will be cooking while on vacation, pack a zip lock bag full of tiny packets of condiments you would get at restaurants Our go-to condiments include crushed red peppers, parmesan, and salt and pepper (but others could include ketchup, mustard, mayo, relish, etc). This money saving trip keeps you from having to buy a whole big bottle of any of these items, only to use them a few times! {and really, do you want to put a huge salt dispenser in your purse to take home?}

6)   Pack Snacks! I almost always pack snacks in my suitcase when I travel. Buying a bulk box of granola bars from Costco before your trip can do wonders! Snack items I can’t live without include: trailmix, gluten free/vegan granola or energy bars, dried fruit, rice cakes and inner peas (my favorite snack from Trader Joes). Often I’ll use ziplock bags to divide the trail mix, dried fruit and rice cakes into daily allotments, so that I only have to grab one zip lock bag instead of the whole big bag of granola, fruit or rice cakes! Prepping these items makes snacking a no-hassle job once on your adventure! Snacks also come in extra handy when the food in a particular country is doing a number on your stomach. I can think of times in both Kenya and in Nepal where I literally was not keeping anything in my system (if you know what I mean!), so eating some comfortable food for the body helped keep me going!

If you are all about food when you travel, never fear, I will have a future post on all the most delicious items to eat in each country!  However, I hope that this post just sheds some light on how to save money when it comes to food!

Bon Apetit!

Love Katie

nepal meet mexico, mexico meet nepal

  I don't think it's any secret on this blog that I practically adore mexican food so much that you may as well consider me married to it. 

i.love.tacos.

what can I say? 

the best tacos in the world are my moms, 

and coming in at a close second are tacos from Bear Flag Fish Taco in newport beach. 

{i'm drooling now, dang it} 

{my tribute to bear flag fish tacos}

being as tacos are like the one meal i've mastered at making over here in Nepal,
I thought it would be fun to share my love affair with the girls in the home. 

Lately they've all been on a kick of wanting to learn Spanish. 

there are no words to describe the hilarity of what ensues when these spunky girls start running around the house yelling out spanish words (except not spanish words)

let's just say that "gracias" is a rreeeallllyyy hard work for nepali's to say. 

(or americans... side-eye Grandma Cook) 

so last week Kev and I went on our usual hours long grocery shopping expedition and ended up with all the ingredients to make some bomb tacos and quesadillas (try teaching THAT word to nepali's!). Michelle and I fired up our little gas oven and got the meat and tortillas going strong...

ohhh our house smelled so yum! 

this was the first time we'd ever had the girls over to our home. That in itself was a treat. I have a bunch of pictures up from our life in California, and it was a blast sharing them with the girls. 

then, we taught them the art of making a taco. 

oh yes, there is an art. 

and to our delight, the girls loved them! 

so much that asked for more! 

I was so over the moon about the fact that simultaneously I had mexican food and these precious girls in my house at the same time. 

secretly i wanted to round up a bunch of fire crackers and light them while banging a pinata. 

however, I settled for a rousing card game of jungle speed. 

What's your favorite food? any fun stories of times you've been able to share that meal with a friend or family member? 

have a great weekend! 

love Katie 

travel log: dingle part 1

i have been dying to share with you our most favorite place from our trip. 

Dingle, Ireland. 

ok, ok, go ahead and laugh. 

but that's really the name. 

dingle. seriously magic. 

we had NO idea going in that this place was so unreal. 

surreal to be exact. 

touching down in Ireland, there was no doubt we were in the green, orange and white. 

everywhere we look, green rolling hills. UHmazing. 

i seriously danced a jig when we arrived at the Kerry airport. 

and then we rented a stick shift car and drove on the left side of the road. 

true story- we actually got in the car, freaked out and went back in and bought insurance.

my jig quickly turned to prayers. and lots of them. 

K-dawg was a champ, but that's not to say we almost died a few times. 

ie: backing up on a cliff, or stalling on a hill with a bus behind us. scary. 

as we came into Dingle town, every color imaginable danced off tightly packed buildings in a melodious song of color. gaelic was written on every street sign, and i was dead sure i saw a leprechaun steal a pot of gold. for. real. 

we stayed in the most wonderful, quaint and adorable B&B. 

FYI, if you are going to Ireland, B&B's are the way to go. absolutely. 

Camilla and John, and their sweet son Niall greeted us with hugs and coffee, and a chat in their living room. we felt like family. 

we explored the town that night, and were blown away at the freshness and tastiness of the food. 

we adored the nightlife with it's authentic music and lively atmosphere. 

my new ambition is to learn the fiddle or the banjo. 

the west coast of Ireland is known for being a place where true irish culture is preserved. in this small town, there were no tourist traps or tacky music shows. just real irish musicians playing together in centuries old pubs, tapping their feet like their father's before them. 

the next day we were greeted by one of the BEST breakfasts i've ever had, and then began to drive the peninsula. this was one of the most incredible things i've seen or done. IF you go to Ireland, you would be cheating yourself by skipping the Dingle peninsula. 

it.was.epic. 

we started out at a fort from 500 BC. that was hard to wrap my brain around. 

i'll let these pictures whet your appetite for part 2 which shows more of the peninsula! 

enjoy dear friends!!

and ps- this is the start of many many pictures of my purple head band. i know you'll get sick of it, but when I travel I go for comfort over fashion. so let the love affair with the headband begin, ha! 

love Katie 

{our sweet B&B}

{a few views around Dingle, courtesy of yours truly}

{fish and chips, dingle style!}

 {beginning the drive}

 {pretending to be the soldiers at the fort...pretty darn convincing, eh?}

 {adore ireland, and love my baby}

see Dingle part 2 here

around the world in one county

Kevin and I would forgo fancy smanch furniture, new clothes, expensive accessories, movies, music....well, pretty much anything to tango with the world. Quintessential traveling defines itself best by the essence of discovery, wide-eyed curiosity, and flavors that make you wonder where you have been all your life. I mean, you REALLY begin to feel like you are living. The beauty of this dance is that sometimes you don't have to go far to find it.

Kevin and I gave ourselves the challenge to see if we could discover the best little ethnic food restaurants in and around our hometown. Leaving behind just the idea of simply "eating", we wanted to experience the heck out of each venue, like we were occupying space in that country. So we pulled out our 5 senses, and with the help of our keen intuition (err, I mean google), we randomly stumbled across each place in a different way!

The Jagerhaus

Kevin and I were gifted with season passes to D-land (thanks Mama Cook), and every time we exited Ball Rd en-route to the happiest place on earth, we drove past this janky strip mall and a huge sign that read Jagerhaus, Authentic German Cooking. We were intrigued, for depite it's delapidated appearance, the place looked legit. From the minute we walked in, something about the wood paneling, the vintage chairs, and the walls adorned with shelves upon shelves of beer steins and family crests, we knew it was safe to pretend we were yodeling with the best of them in Germany. We were greeted by the owner herself, a Mrs. Sandra Shweiger, a plump German grandma head to toe in purple, and a smile as wide as the Rhine. Eyes twinkling, she confessed multiple times that she was "nosy", but in this day and age, we'd take nosy over a cold or indifferent waiter any day! "Bratwurst, cabbage rolls, shnitzel, sauerbraten, you will not go wrong with any of them" she mused excitedly!




And she was right, Kevin and I left completely satisfied and surprised how much we enjoyed this place. Amidst Polka in the background, abundant mustard and Hofbrau House Beer, and Sandra's stories of life in Germany, magic wafted in the air. Walking away, we both bid Grandma Shweiger Auf Wiedersehen, and agreed that we'd be back again:)

Kenyan Cafe and Cuisine, Anaheim Ca

Two years ago, I was embarking on spending a month in Kenya with the organization I work for called Empowering Lives International. Admist packing and preparations, I was hopelessly trying to study and learn as much Swahili as I could. Kevin and I were dating at the time, and his current way to impress me included learning Swahili in tandem. So to test out our newly acquired skills, we found this hole-in-the-wall place and said, "twende" (let's go!). Walls painted like the Masai Mara game reserve, we dined next to zebras




and giraffe's, and after a few minutes had quite a few Swahili teachers. Julius, the Kenyan owner sat down at the table with us, and gave us some new phrases. Two Kenyan ladies overheard us practicing while we waited for food, and laughing, offered to give us a hand. Even the cook from the back came out and taught us a song in Swahili. And what would a Kenyan restaurant be without a tv blasting Kenyan gospel music in the background? Kenya isn't know for having the most rich and delicious dishes, but as Kenyan food goes, this place was great. I wouldn't go here necessarily for the food (however it's fun to try dishes i've never heard of), but the familial ambiance and relationships we made at this place rocked! We've actually been back a few times to hang out with Julius!

Supatra's Thai Bistro

After spending a chunk of my life teaching English in Thailand, I had sworn off Thai food for a good year and a half. It's not that I didn't like Thai food, it's just the opposite. I loved it so much I ate it incessantly in Thailand, and overconsumption of anything can have negative effects! Which is why I was so pleasantly surprised when Kev took me to Supatra's for Valentines day last year, and I gobbeled down everything we ordered. This place is amazing, and the ambiance great. The curries and any dish with their peanut sauce is to die for! Plus, the waiters and waitresses humored me as I practiced my Thai, and soon a whole group of them were gathering around asking questions about where I lived and what I did. They even gave us a rose on departure, in which Kevin "the bachelor" gave me his rose at our impromptu "rose ceremony" in the parking lot. Yum-O! If you love good, authentic Thai, you will LOVE this place:)


Tana Ethiopian Restaurant

Tana is right next to the Kenyan Cafe, making it like a whole strip mall filled with African restaurants:) I had eaten Ethiopian once with childlike instincts....anything different tasted icky. But thankfully as I grew, my taste buds grew up too, so I was ready to venture onward and upwards to Tana! And I can't say enough about this place. The food was fabulous, and the culture seemed to seep from the tables and walls and kitchen. Tunes of Amharic bantering in the background, our waiter shared stories of Ethiopia, and it's flavored cuisine. Typical of Ethiopian food, all of our dishes were served on one huge platter made out of Injera (which is a spongy breadish pancake). I haven't the slightest idea what we ordered, but it was all insanely delish, like fireworks in the mouth. Just ask the waiter what he recommends and get that!

Warung Pojok
I tell people that if my husband hadn't been engaged to me while he was in Indonesia, he would have never come home! He's obsessed! Loved the people, loved the food, loved the language. He spent 7 months in Indonesia, coaching a University basketball game, and loving people well.

 needless to say, when he returned to the US, he was hankering for some nasi goreng and ayam. Mission accomplished, we found Warung Pojok. Settled between the classy venues of Chuck-E-Cheese and the 99 cent store, the placed lacked all curb appeal imaginable, and I was afraid that if Kevin and I BOTH went in we'd be breaking some fire code. But enter we did, and in a matter of minutes, the entire family running the place had mobbed Kev learning that not only had he lived in Indo, but spoke Bahasa as well. For the next hour my husband and his new Indo fan-club laughed and talked, while I sat on the side-lines and observed and ate, cracking up inside. Too funny. However, let me give this disclaimer that while Kevin ate to his hearts content, I was not a huge fan. But, it definitely has the authentic Indo vibe, so it's worth checking out.

Bottom line: eating hole-in-the-wall ethnic is about much more than the food. Much like life, it's all about the relationships. Bar none, at every single one of these eateries, we not only met, but walked away feeling like we knew the owners and families. We LOVE that! I want my life to be like that. To let people in, to make them feel welcome and loved. Food has a way of bringing people together, and love has a way of bringing people back! And even though we didn't leave the county, we feel like we entered numerous worlds through the medium of food and relationships! 

Happy weekend, and happy eating. Let me know if you have any don't-miss places to add to the list! Buon Appetito!
love Katie