WHAT TO PACK WHEN CAMPING WITH KIDS

 

I have learned after trial and error mostly and even trying those Pinterest “easy meals for camping…” and so on and so forth that what I’m about to tell you is the easiest way to camp with kids! It took all the meal prep frustration, guess work, and stress of when the meal would be ready (because the kids are getting ornery blah blah blah) out of it all. It even made clean up a breeze.  Also, the  list is varied enough that you can choose if you want to bring a cooler for refrigeration or not.

I’m telling you in all seriousness save the  fancy meals prepped in bags and ready to cook and what-have-you for when you are camping with only your significant other and/or other adults.

Also, when camping with kids you tend to pack way too much stuff and end up using only half of it.

For those of you who recently read the post when I first published it, I have now updated it with easy meal preps for our camping trip that’s coming up.

Here are my mealsuggestions:

REFRIDGERATION NEEDED (A Cooler):

• Cheese sticks
• Sliced apples- dip them in lemon juice or sun drop to keep them from browning.
• Carrot and celery sticks
• Bottle of ranch dressing for dipping
• Individual milks and juices
• Hotdogs and buns
• Lunch meat
• A couple of gallon jugs of lemonade or tea

NO REFRIDGERATION REQUIRED (No Cooler):

• Goober PB&J- it saves space!
• gallon of water and water flavoring
• personal size bags of chips
• packs of cheese or PB crackers
• Ritz crackers
• Easy Cheese
• Vienna Sausages
• Easy Meal: Canned Nacho Cheese, and Refried beans, mild picante-dip chips in
• Easy Meal: individual sized chips bags, canned nacho cheese, hot dog chili or mini
• pepperonis
• Chef Boyardee
• individual applesauce cups
• washed whole apples
• Bananas
• Halo Oranges
• Pop tarts
• Granola bars
• Muffins
• Bagels
• Sardines (my husband likes them)
• Loaf of bread- my kids like their PB&J on raisin bread
• S’mores fixin’s

The cool thing is the kids can cook their own hotdogs, s’mores, and  can grab their own sides.   That lessens the work for you.  Win!

 

Utensils needed:

NOTE: You can use reusable plates, napkins, and utensils if you choose, but keep in mind the point of this is to make it easier on Mom and Dad while camping with kids. Dishes aren’t fun while camping, but they are doable.

• Reusable camping sporks or a box of plastic forks and such
• A ziplock bag with paper plates and napkins
• Individual reusable water bottles (sports bottles)
• A water storage container to fill at the campsite with water to wash hands or anything else you may need to clean.
• Baby wipes
• Hotdog roasting sticks
• Can opener

Camping Gear:

• Tent(s)-duh!
• Air mattress and sleeping bag for parents (if you have a bad back like I do)
• The pump for the air mattress.
• Sleeping bags for kids
• Pillows (camping size or regular)
• Moving blankets are good if the camping pad has lots of larger rocks. Lay it in the bottom of your tent. Or you can get yoga mats just for under the kids sleeping bags.  We use one as a soft bed for our dog.
• Kids head lamps–$1 at Walmart
• Solar powered lantern to use inside the tent at night
• Lanterns for outside use
• Packing lightly but appropriately for the weather is important.
• Lighters
• Find a local source to buy your wood from as gas stations and places can be expensive.
• Sun screen
• Bug spray
• Tick twister- this is a MUST have tool and it’s super easy to use!
• Food Tents–These food tents are a must while camping to keep the flies away!   We used them almost constantly.

Entertainment for the kids:

• Anything that glows! Glow sticks, bracelets, necklaces, games, even glow frisbees
• Finger Rockets

 

 

This list will be updated periodically.

VACATIONING IN IRELAND

(More pictures as soon as I find the disk from our honeymoon!!!)

It was a hot June here in NC when we got married!  Of course nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in the morning…but it’s darn hot by lunch time!  We had planned to take our honeymoon in Ireland where the weather would be nicer.

Our plane pulled into Dublin, Ireland on Monday morning around 8:00am.  We went to pick up our Opal that we rented and they had “upgraded us to a minivan.”  This sounds like it would be awesome, but driving a huge hunk of metal like a minivan on the tiny Irish roads, especially on the edge of cliffs, is not what I call fun.  Anyway, what I’m saying is make sure you get a small car!

What you will be reading below is about the places we stayed and spots we visited.  We stopped at neat shops and pubs along the way and even visited the Waterford Crystal factory.

Cullintra House– This was our first stop after leaving Dublin.  Patricia (owner) was eccentric, but an amazing cook and nice host!  If you find a spider and kill it don’t tell her you did!  She doesn’t like that.  She made a spinach soup that was out of this world!  It was by far some of the best food we ate while in Ireland.

Cullintra house is in Inistioge and is a traditional old farmhouse.  The home is older and is quaint and has quirks, but overall it was lovely to stay in.  We stayed in the converted barn, which is now called The Gallery Room.  It was really enjoyable!  It wasn’t even as nice as it shows on the website now because we visited in 2005 and they have done a lot of upgrading since then!

We got to witness Patricia feeding a calf because the mother kept kicking her away and refusing to feed.  The older calves would walk right up to you and let you pet them.  We hiked up a very large hill behind the house and through the cow pasture.  The view at the top was gorgeous!  It was a lovely experience all together.

We loved just driving around the area and seeing the glorious views!

The Fairview– This was a nice hotel in Killarney.  Wood flooring in the rooms and very nice bathrooms.  It was very comfortable.  While here we visited Muckross House and Muckross Abbey.  They are beautiful and historical places to visit and it’s along the Ring of Kerry which is another wonderful drive full of beautiful scenery and stops along the way.

There was an older couple who visited their parents gravesite periodically to clean off the moss and grime with sandpaper and dust away the dirt with a small broom.  Then, they would pay their respects.

The gardens and walks were gorgeous and the weather was so nice.  We really got some wonderful pictures.  It was amazing to compare how the plants grow here to how they grow there.  A peace lily that grew wild on the country side was over 6 feet tall.  I’ve only seen them in pots here and nowhere near that big.  Fuchsia grew huge like hedges and lined some of the roads.  Here I can’t even keep a small one alive!

James G. Ashe– This was an old bar and restaurant in Dingle with rooms above it.  We had fresh Guinness and Bulmer’s Cider, which they drink warm and it’s fabulous.  It had a cozy fireplace in the bar area where locals sat and chatted.

We walked to a nearby little grocery store and bought a fresh loaf of bread, Coleman’s mustard, and Kerry Gold: Dubliner cheese.  It was a nice little snack to keep us going before we wandered the town.

We visited the Gallarus Oratory , the Bee Hive Huts, and the Famine Cottage.  All of which are recommended historical spots to visit and have wonderful scenery.

Ashley Park House– This place was a literal hidden treasure!  The old man that ran the place has a son here in the states.  He was so happy to have American’s staying in his inn.  He was the sweetest little thing!  He said he was so grateful for the opportunities that the USA has given his son and family.  We had a nice meal with him and his wife.  We stayed in a little cottage called The Side Cottage which was adorable and we had a traditional peat fire in the beautiful fireplace the night we stayed.

We visited the gardens that had peacocks and chickens running around.  Beautiful old stables and sheds lined the back garden.  When we walked the property we found a horse pasture where the horses would follow you and nudge you so you would stop and give them love and attention.  It was marvelous and magical.  I want to take my kids there some day.

Kilkea Castle– This was a beautiful site and it was indeed something to check off my bucket list.  I stayed in a castle.  We wandered the grounds in the evening and found out real quick what stinging nettles were when we went off a path a bit.  Let’s just say I would love to have my revenge by eating them in a salad!  A wonderfully fluffy and comfortable bed was perfect for our last stay in Ireland.  There was a fruit platter to die for in our suite when we went up after dinner.  There were fresh red currents and everything.  Wine, fruit, and a hot bath was a simple pleasure.

It has now been about 13 years since we visited and we are planning on going back some time here in the future.  We will probably wait until our children are just a little older though.  I better start planning now!

EMORY’S 7TH BIRTHDAY PARTY

Tea parties are awesome, especially for little girls.  Especially for little girls named Emory!

Today I have been working on setting up a party for a little girl I know quite well, my daughter.

Here are the games we’ve planned:

• trampoline with balloons
• pin the teacup on the saucer
• cookie decorating station- icing tubes, candies, sugar cookies
• edible necklace station- fruit loops and string
• best dressed boy & girl contest
• chalkboard coloring
• Pie uncle Chris in the face

The Food:

• chocolate covered pretzels
• Cake
• cookies
• Fruit
• strawberry pink lemonade
• Chocolate dipped marshmallows
• PB&J tea sandwiches
• Cucumber dill tea sandwiches

 

 

The party was awesome!!! 

The kids had such a great time!  

pie Uncle Chris

Napkins wrapped with candy bracelets

chocolate covered marshmellows

cookie decorating station

edible necklaces

chocolate covered pretzels

PB&J sandwiches and cucumber dill sandwiches

strawberry pink lemonade

 

It’s party day! I have to get up way to early and bake the cake. I just want to sleep.

STRAWBERRY DREAM CAKE

OK, so tonight I got a bit frustrated when I opened up what I thought was going to be an easy way to add color and flavor to my cake.  A store bought icing.

Hot Pink Vanilla Frosting

This is a big deal to me because I usually make  my own icings.  Anyway, when I tasted it I was very disappointed as it tasted very much like food coloring.  So I thought, “Well, there goes that easy way to finish my cake quickly while being pretty and tasty.”

Here’s the process in which I figured out how to fix it.  I say “process” because that’s what it was!

I wanted to keep the color nice and pink, but make the flavor so much better.  Here is what I ended up using.

INGREDIENTS:

• Fresh Berries (strawberries, black berries, raspberries, and blueberries)
• Naked- Berry Veggie smoothie
• Powdered Sugar
• Cream Cheese
• 1 packet of Dream Whip

So, I’m laughing at myself as I type this whole thing out because it was kindof a disaster in the works for a bit.  I thought of naming this post “A Berry Big Disaster,” but I thought better of it.

(Katie, keep yourself focused and tell the nice people about how you fixed it already!)

I figured if I added some softened butter and powdered sugar to the frosting it would make it taste better.  It didn’t!

Then, I thought I’d puree some fruit and that has to help the flavor right?

I put a mixture of berries in the blender along with a little of the fruit and veggie smoothie to help with color, nutrition, and the blender of course needs some liquid.  Then, I used a sieve to get the seeds and pulp out.

I added several tablespoons of the berry puree until I got the flavor right…or so I thought.  So, I tasted it.  Ugh!  I frantically searched my pantry and found I was completely out of powdered sugar.

I found a packet of Dream Whip.  I thought maybe that will thicken it up and help keep the icing, fruit, and butter from separating.  NOPE!  (see the picture).

Icing before the cream cheese was added. Still separated and the flavor wasn’t right.

1 Dream Whip packet

I’m in a bit of a panic.  I want my frosting nice and chilled by tomorrow when I make the cake.

In comes the hubby.  In my best seductive voice I begged him at 12:03AM to go to Walmart and grab more bags of powdered sugar and on a whim I asked for cream cheese too.

When he came back I decided I would try cream cheese first.  I added two bricks of cream cheese and BINGO!

Beautiful frosting

I will be baking the cake in the AM (Oh wait, it’s already 2:23 in the AM.  Why do I do this to myself every time I host a party of some sort?) and I will add the recipe for the cake when I’m done and add a picture of the finished product.

I have awoken! LOL Not really, I’m a zombie, but whatever.

So, at 7:00AM I was up and mixing cake batter. I took two boxes of Betty Crocker cake mix (pink and blue of course) and added 2/3 cup milk and 1/2 a block of cream cheese to each one. I added 3 large finely chopped strawberries to the pink one.

They are baking now. Once they have cooled I will get pictures. I forgot to take pics of the mixing process. Oops!

Edit: The flavor was delicious, but the pink cake didn’t rise like it should have.  The blue cake was perfect.  Work in progress I guess.  Anyone else have thoughts?

I may have over cooked the cakes a little because I… um…forgot to set the timer the second time around!🤦‍♀️

ORANGE CRANBERRY RELISH

Ingredients:

• 2 bags of cranberries picked through and washed
• orange juice with pulp
• sugar
• orange zest

Directions:

1. Put at least 1 cup of sugar into a large pot.
2. Pour 1 cup orange juice in and stir until sugar dissolves.
3. Add the cranberries and zest.
4. Stir and boil until cranberries have popped.  Add more Orange juice if needed.
5. Taste and see if you feel you need more sugar or zest to your taste.
6. Sprinkle 1-2 packages of Knox gelatin on top and whisk in if you want it to set. The amount of gelatin you may need may vary depending on acidity and the thickness you want.

EASY HEALTHY BREAKFAST BARS

 

Good morning Sunshine, it’s time to say, “Hello!”

I made this recipe up a few years ago an totally forgot about it.  I was on FB this morning and got one of those memory things and there it was.  So, I thought I’d share.  They were delicious and were eaten up very quickly!  I think I might make them again this weekend.

Ingredients:

• 3 bananas
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 3 tablespoons chia seeds
• 3-5 tablespoons of whole wheat flour
• a few cups of rolled oats
• a few handfuls of dried cranberries
• 2 tablespoons of melted butter
• Dark Chocolate chips

Directions: 

1. Heat the oven to 315 degrees
2. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl
3. Grease a cookie sheet with olive oil and flatten out the mixture on it
4. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top
5. Bake for 25 minutes

Note:  I don’t usually measure when I cook, so measurements are unknown or not exact.  When adding the rolled oats use your judgement.  I would add a cup and mix it up first and then see if you think you need to add more.

You can add a spoonful of PB or some other nut or seed butter if you would like or even a bit of vanilla extract.  Be creative!  I’ve made these with dried cherries too.