Love You Song and High Fives

One of the Beehive's favorite artists, Alela Diane, just came out with a new album that we put on for the first time this morning.  Upon hearing the song, "Hazel Street," The Bear clamped on to my leg, started swaying, and told me it was a "love you song."  At that moment it would not had mattered what song was playing... it was, indeed, a love you song.

Aside from shoes, The Bird has been totally obsessed with trashcans, recycle bins, and the like.  After breakfast, Birdie and I were sweeping a few items into the trash and as I turned to walk away she held her hand up her hand with a giant open-mouthed smile.  High-five, mom!

The Bird's latest fetish

PART 2: Gluten Free Meal Planning and Cooking while Camping

Gluten Free Meal Planning and Cooking while Camping

 

 

I will spare you the stories about all the meals we made but this one was a winner.  Stay tuned for menu after the cool story.

I have to say I was pretty proud of myself on the first day of camping.  It was my mother-in-law's birthday and had planned to keep the dinner meal simple, yet fun. 

What I have failed to mention thus far is that we borrowed my mom's Lazy Daze RV for this trip and, yes, I was going cook some frozen pizzas in the RV oven.  I know, I know, not exactly roughing it.  But hey, I served my time sleeping on the forest floor under the stars and can easily go back there, but for now, with a toddler and a preschooler, I gladly accept the offer of an enclosed environment with a fridge, and stove, and oven... and the possibility of a heater.  We didn't use it!

Okay, back to proudest camping moment.  Dave Bee and his mom took the kids for a walk after the long 5+ hour drive while I stayed back to get dinner going. I anticipated cranking on the oven and popping in the pizzas for warm goodness when they returned.  Let's just say I was glad they took a long walk. 

After finding and perusing the oven manual and many failed attempts to light the pilot... the pizzas were still slowly defrosting on the counter. Boo!

I decided to open a bottle of wine to help me think the situation through...

After a few thoughtful moments I had a grand idea:  make a fire, work it down to coals, and cook the pizza on top of the attached grill.  Easy, right?  Even after being an avid camper and backpacker I was nervous about the building of the fire.  After paper bags, twigs, and small logs all perched precariously like a teepee we had a FIRE!!

 

The very cool "twisty" grill (that's the technical term for it, I'm sure) allowed me to prep the pizza on the foil and then move it around to the hotter part of the coal bed.

 

 

 By the time the crew arrived back we had crispy-bottom, melty-topped pizza.  We ate and washed it down with some more wine and birthday cake!  Cheers!

 

Menu

 

Dinners

Day 1: Wood-fired Pizza!

 

1 - Gluten-Free frozen pizza (I took a Trader Joe's cheese and rice crust pizza)

1 - Regular crust frozen pizza

 

1 - Bottle of Pinot Noir

 

Note: The bonus to doing frozen pizza the first night is that you don't have to keep it frozen for the entire trip and it is SUPER easy!!

 

Day 2: Loaded Baked Potato

 

1 - large russet potato for each person (2 if you hiked that day!): Cover in foil and cook on campfire grill

1 - butter

1 - onion, chopped (we brought one giant white onion and used some of it here)

1 - oz. cheddar cheese per person

1 - head of broccoli (the more the merrier as it is the only greenery for this meal)

Crumbled bacon (We actually didn't do this but wished we had. Cook some extra at breakfast and save for dinner!)

 

1 - Bottle of Chardonnay

 

Day 3: Chili dogs

The recipe here is pretty universal.  I just eliminate the bun to make it gluten-free. Also, beware of chili with gluten ingredients. Lastly, I look for hotdogs that aren't full of crap but still taste like they are. My brother and The Bear will attest, there is just something about hotdogs while you are camping (in their case, or any time!).

 

1 - Angry Orchard Cider (mmmm)

 

Day 4: Mac n' cheese and peas

(See my previous post for recipe)

 

1 - bottle of Pinot Grigio

 

Day 5: Nachos (fish tacos)

So, the story here is that we always plan for fish tacos because we always fish while camping.   The funny part is that it was The Bear's first time fishing AND he was the only one who caught a fish!  It just happened to be pretty small.  Instead of fish tacos we made nachos and pretty much threw all of our leftovers on tortilla chips and called it a day. 

 

I am sure we drank away our no-fish-taco sorrows but I just can't remember what it was we drank... most likely leftovers.

 

 

 

 Lunch

 

Our lunches were not the most extravagant but after a long swim even the most basic meals are delicious. Here is what we had most days:

 

• Sliced turkey/salami/cheese/hummus sandwiches* and added any extra veggies you have.
• Peanut butter and apple sandwiches*.  See recipe here:  http://californiafoodliteracy.org/2012/09/03/food-literacy-sandwich-sunflower-seed-butter-apple-sandwich/
• Apples, grapes, cheddar cheese crackers**

*Instead of whole grain bread I used rice tortillas!

**Instead of cheddar cheese crackers I ate kettle chips.. bummer. ;)

 

Nothing better than a PB & J after a high Sierra swim.

 

 

 Breakfast

 

Dave Bee and I decided to keep breakfast simple during this camping trip because, well, it was a vacation, which meant easy prep and easy clean-up.  This also meant no bacon. We came to terms with that and moved forward like vacation breakfast champs.

 

See some of our basic breakfasts below:

• Eggs various ways
• Oatmeal
• Leftover potatoes, cubed and cooked in frying pan with butter and spices
• Cereal (last day!) 

Some mornings Dave Bee and The Bear would go fishing in which case they packed a breakfast bar in with their powerbait!

 

 

When I met Dave Bee and we went on our first camping trip to some hippie hot spring outside of Redding, CA I learned what a list maker he was. We still laugh at the detail his lists contain {"sleeping bag: Em - 1 (she brings), Dave - 1}.  I will admit, his lists are part of the reason why our trips are so successful!  I should share them sometime!

 

Picture of Dave Bee and I when we first started dating and the lists began!

 

What are some of the crucial items on your family camping food lists? Any great campfire recipes?

 

Stay tuned for Part 3: Family Camping Must Haves of the Family Camping Blog Post Trilogy!!!

PART 1 of 3: Family Vacation: Packing, Gluten-Free Cooking & Must Bring Items

PART 1 of 3:  

Family Camping: Packing, Gluten-Free Cooking & 

Must Bring Items For a Family of Four

I want to preface this post by saying that Dave Bee and I grew up camping and consider ourselves professionals (haha) but nothing prepares you for camping with a 1 and 3 year old... for better or for worse!

Dave Bee scoured the internet and our "camping with kids" books before we left to make sure that we didn't forget anything.  I re-entered the deep depths of my memory to see if I could remember what it was like camping as a kid and what I thought we should bring.

Mostly, I came up with memories of being dirty ALL the time and Dave Bee read that we should bring lots of sets of clothing.  We went for 6 days and 5 nights to Huntington Lake in the Sierra Nevadas at around 7000 feet in elevation with highs of 70 and lows of the upper 30's.

I covered the clothing and food while DaveBee really thought of everything else.  I will share how we managed to pack clothing, meals and extra provisions with awesome proportions. Yea, we rock.

Part 1: Packing Clothing for Camping

• Adults:  Since adults {usually} stay a bit cleaner when camping here is the way we packed for walking, hiking, swimming, and RELAXING
• Short sleeve shirts & shorts: 1 for each day (you will be wearing these for the majority of the day so clean ones are crucial)  
• Exercise clothing: Leggings, sweat-wicking tanks and shirts.  Pretty much anything you would work out in would be suitable for long walks and hiking.
• Long pants & long sleeve shirts: 1 for each day or 1 for every other day (if packing jeans they can be used two to three days in a row and long sleeve shirts are great for layering)
• Hooded sweatshirts or fleece (warm) jackets: 2 for entire trip
• Waterproof jacket: 1 for the entire trip if you anticipate rain (they are lightweight enough to throw them in just in case)
• Pajamas: 1 pair for every other day. (Fleece pants and layered tops worked ideally for me, however, Dave Bee is just fine in a T-shirt and cotton pajama pants!)
• Bathing suit or swim trunks: 2 (one pair can dry while one is being used)
• Shoes: 1 pair of tennis shoes or "crossover" shoes (i.e.: Keen or Teva Sandals), 1 pair of water shoes (if you are camping near water or will be using public showers).  Optional: Fuzzy Boots (see picture above of The Bird) or hard-soled slipper style shoes and/or flip-flops for easy on and off while entering and exiting tents and RV's and keeping the dirt to a minimum. 
• Socks:  1 pair per day (if you use the "crossover" sandal along with the fuzzy boot/hard-soled slipper you can skimp on pairs of socks)
• Hats: 2 for entire trip. 1 wide brimmed for sun and one knit cap for warmth.
  
  
  
• Children: The crucial thing to remember is that kids get really dirty camping!   You may prefer to be over-prepared than throwing a sweatshirt covered in melty, sticky s'mores on your toddler for 3 days in a row.

• Short sleeve shirts & shorts: 1 for each day
• Long pants & long sleeve shirts: 1 for each day (if packing jeans they can be used two days in a row)
• Hooded sweatshirts or fleece (warm) jackets: 1 for every 3rd day
• Waterproof jacket: 1 for the entire trip
• Pajamas: 1 pair for every other day.  "Fuzzies" or "footies" are fantastic if you layer them with a t-shirt in case your kiddos kick off their blankets/sleeping bags like mine!
  
  
  
• Bathing suit or swim trunks: 2 (one pair can dry while one is being used)
• Shoes: 1 pair of tennis shoes or "crossover" shoes (i.e.: Keen or Teva Sandals), 1 pair of water shoes (if you are camping near water or will be using public showers).  Optional: Fuzzy Boots (see picture above of The Bird) or hard-soled slipper style shoes.
• Socks:  1 pair per day (if you use the "crossover" sandal along with the fuzzy boot/hard-soled slipper you can skimp on pairs of socks)
• Hats: 2 for entire trip. 1 wide brimmed for sun and one knit cap for warmth (If your kiddos are fair-skinned like The Bird you might want to throw in one more in case they fly off in the water or your babe is like The Bird and prefers to toss her hat off at any given moment!).
• Life Jackets: 1 for each child (Only necessary if you are going near water! Duh.)
  

Mental Note:  Pack so it makes it easier on you!  I prefer to be over-prepared and comfortable and do more laundry later.  

Coming Soon... 
Part 2: Family Camping: Gluten Free Cooking
Part 3: Family Camping: Must Bring Items

Calf-eine and Pay Phones

I asked The Bear what you call a a baby cow...

He was also quite intrigued with a payphone that he discovered while exiting the doctor's office.  I think he thought he should call everyone he knew.  Unfortunately, I did not have any silver change and he had the handset upside-down.

Udi's Recipe: Apple Stuffed Chicken

If you are gluten-free and you don't know Udi's products you should check them out.  Consistently superior bread products!

Just found this gem... I can't wait to try it!

http://udisglutenfree.com/recipes/apple-filled-chicken-breast/

Again, I will report back!

Evolution of Dinosaur

The Bear had a rough time pronouncing "dinosaur." 

1 1/2 - 2 years old:  "Dinor"
2 - 2 1/2 years old: "Dinosaurus"
2 1/2 - present AD: "Dinosaur"

What an evolving guy.

Hippie Goulash: AKA Easiest Damn Dinner

So, this may be the only recipe post where I don't actually add a picture of the food.  Don't fret, I will show you a picture of my husband and generally what he looks like when he loves an easy and delicious dinner.

Back to the dinner. It is just not as pretty as it is delicious!  And, it is delicious.  I googled the meaning of goulash since my husband named the dish "hippie goulash" after something that he and his college roommates used to make. The definition states that it is a Hungarian stew with meat and vegetables and paprika.

My recipe has meat and vegetables... and that is where the similarities end!  It also includes curried rice and, our family favorite, butter. Oh, did I mention it is crazy-easy?!!

Here is the recipe {gluten-free, of course}:

Hippie Goulash

1 package Biryani curried rice (Trader Joe's... they are not paying me, I swear...maybe they should!)
1 pound ground meat (we have used beef mostly lately as a carry-over from needing more iron during pregnancy)
1 package frozen vegetables or 10-16 ounces fresh vegetables (we add a lot since it is a good way to keep introducing vegetables to the kids!)
2 tablespoons butter

In a large frying pan, cook your meat.  When the meat is about three-quarters of the way done, drain the fat and add 2 tablespoons butter (it's all about the flavor!).  Add the whole bag of curried rice and vegetables.  Turn the heat up as if you were quickly stir-frying and keep it moving with a spoon.  In about 5-7 minutes your dinner is ready to serve. 

Even The Bird loves it as long as all the food is small enough to eat when you just have 6 teeth!

As promised: he loves it!

For the record, I believe my husband's college goulash was any and all leftovers thrown in a bowl and heated up.  I never had the pleasure of trying the delicacy!

Mac and Cheese all Gussied Up

The Bear and The Bird chowing down on their Mac and Cheese and some watermelon

So let's be real.  Boxed Mac and Cheese is not pretty.  It is easy and it doesn't have to be as creepy as the fluorescent orange stuff.  There are a few gluten free brands these days found at Target, most grocery stores with a health food section, and Trader Joe's.  They taste decent and get the dinner "job" done.

I like to have fruits and/or veggies with every meal whenever I can.  Aside from the food pyramid and eating a "balanced diet," I love fruits and vegetables and want to expose my kids to as many as possible.  Organic is ideal when we can!  I also add a lil something to make it creamier.  Watery mac makes me sad!

So, here it is... my fancy-shmancy boxed Mac and Cheese additions.  Give it a whirl and let me know what you think or what you change to kick it up a notch.

• When you throw your macaroni into the boiling water, add an entire bag of frozen veggies.  A bag of mixed peas, carrots and corn does the trick.  (I have used stir fry veggies in a pinch and, honestly, all smothered in cheese, it doesn't really matter!  Let pasta and veggies boil a minute or so longer than box says to for just the pasta.  Drain water from past and veggies.
• Use a tad less milk and replace that with about a tablespoon of butter.
• Add 4 tablespoons of cream cheese to the warm milk and melted butter and let all of those ingredients mix together. Cream cheese will melt when you add warm pasta and veggies to it.
• Optional: a few shakes of garlic powder.

 When all of those easy ingredients come together and slightly cool you are left with an extremely tasty twist on your regular boxed mac and cheese!

Hand Food & No Toys at the Table

While slowly picking through his breakfast with his fork this morning, The Bear came across some sausage at which point he threw down his fork, picked it up with his hand, and shoved it in his mouth: "Sausage is hand food, Mama."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We are in the midst of Monster Truck Madness in the Beehive ever since The Bear received a monster truck book for Christmas {thanks G & J ;)}.  As a result, we have had to ban toys from the dinner table otherwise we may end up with tire tracks through our plate.  Yesterday, I sat down to eat lunch with The Bear and The Bird and was innocently checking my facebook when The Bear kindly reminds me: "Mama, no toys at the table." 

He is so right on both accounts...

Here he is with me on his birthday weekend picking out his birthday cake (a beehive shaped cake, naturally) and eating a flower cookie while we wait. Obviously, a flower cookie is hand food as well. 

Gluten Free Chocolate Banana Oatmeal Cookies

While meandering through the Trader Joe's website looking for new and exciting dinner ideas I discovered that Trader Joe's has gluten-free recipes!

I have been making flourless cookies as of late and find them to be super fulfilling for an evening snack.  I got all the ingredients for these today but have to wait for my baking buddy, The Bear, to wake up from his nap! The Bear loves cookies especially ones with chocolate in them. Pictures and taste-testing results to come!

http://traderjoes.com/recipes/recipe.asp?rid=199

• 2 very ripe TJ's Bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup TJ’s Creamy Unsalted Almond Butter
• 1 tsp TJ’s Pure Vanilla Flavor
• 1 tsp TJ’s Organic Blue Agave Sweetener
• 1 cup TJ’s Gluten Free Rolled Oats
• 1 TJ’s Belgian Dark Chocolate with Almond Bar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine mashed banana, almond butter, vanilla and agave. Slowly add oats to the mixture. Break chocolate bar into small pieces and add to mixture. For each cookie drop a tablespoon of mixture onto a cookie sheet. Bake for approximately 14 minutes.

Serves: 12
Cooking Time: 20 Minutes

Kid tested and APPROVED!

Notes from the recipe:

• I substituted peanut butter instead of almond butter
• I substituted brown sugar for their sweetener
• We used semi-sweet chocolate chips... and LOTS of them
• Recipe does not require eggs so we were free to sample our product right up until it was cooked!

*Parchment Paper is where it's at... just discovered it in the last year. It cooks everything evenly and makes for easy clean-up. Woot woot!

One last thing: I rarely ever follow a recipe exactly as it was intended.  In the last year, I started cooking and baking from instinct and experience and my food has gotten exponentially better.  I generally use a recipe as a jumping off point and have fun from there.  I'm pretty certain my mom has never used a recipe in her life. J/K... maybe once or twice.

Enjoy!

Girlie Pink Icing Recipe

Dye-free, Gluten-free Girlie Pink Vanilla Icing
1           8 ounce package cream cheese
1/2 cup Sweetener (powdered sugar or honey or maple syrup)
1 tsp     Vanilla
1           Beet

Cut beet in eighths. Add to 1/4 cup boiling water in sauce pan.  Boil until water is a gorgeous ruby red. Strain beet pieces and set aside red liquid to cool.  Add sweetener and vanilla to cream cheese.  Mix well.  Add cooled beet juice to cream cheese mixture just like red food coloring until you get your desired color!

Gluten-Free Cupcakes tricks and recipes to follow!

The Bear & the Bird

 The Bear is three and he likes monster trucks, chocolate, and his blow-up pool.

This is the Bird and she is one. She enjoys her doggies, cheese, and anyone's shoes.

Opening Day

Good day and welcome to my new blog.  In The Beehive I will be highlighting my extremely adorable children and their adventures and mishaps, my family's gluten-free lifestyle, and generally keeping you all informed of the cool things that this hippie-turned-mainstream family are all about.  Come on in.