Campfire S'mores for All

We went camping for the first time in a long time.  I am pretty sure that our last camping trip was to the local reservoir and included us bringing the ‘pack-n-play’.  Our children loved the weekend of sleeping in a tent, stoking a camp fire, hiking, and fishing.  Like with any camping trip that lacks an expect angler, we planned ahead for our meals in the forest with food brought from home.  It’s a good thing as none us could get a bite on our fishing line all weekend.

We made food that everyone could have and cooked over a campfire and on our cook stove.   The first night we made BLTS and grilled potato.  The second night we made campfire quesadillas.  We packed plenty of fruit, vegetables, and precooked foods like brown rice.  It felt like we were bringing more food than we needed, but camping just has a way of making everyone hungry.

Each evening we made s’mores, even for our child allergic to so many foods.  We had classic ingredients for s’mores for everyone and brought along special ingredients for our son.  For his s’mores, we used Kraft Jet Puffed jumbo marshmallows, Newman’s Own Wheat Free, Dairy Free Newman O’s, and Enjoy Life chocolate bars. 

Neither my son, nor my dad is big on sweets, but they each enjoyed second helpings of s’mores. The only we would do different next time is bring more food!

Get out there!

Oh Thank Heaven

It was a hot week in Pueblo.  My boys spent the week at a sports camp at the university and my daughter was away at a mountain camp.  We wrapped up the week with a family bike ride on the river trail.  A first for our family.  Our youngest is finally able to ride a bike, by himself, in a straight line, using his brakes, and taking off by himself.  We celebrated with a Slurpee from 7-11.  

Why a Slurpee?  A Slurpee is dairy free, nut free, gluten free, egg free.  Free of most anything associated with food, I will admit.  It is a great treat for a child who has never, ever gone out for an ice cream cone due to multiple food allergies.

Oh Thank Heaven for 7-11...

4th of July

We celebrated with 4th of July with friends and family.  We enjoyed an afternoon at the pool followed by a dinner of portobello mushroom burgers, a multigrain side with herbs and lemon, and watermelon arugula salad.  My friend, Andi, provided the portobello mushroom burgers, home baked cookies, and hand dipped patriotic strawberries.  I provided the pool, fireworks, and salads.

Watermelon Arugula Salad

½ of a large watermelon cut into bite size pieces without the rind

4 cups of loosely packed arugula

2 green onions (scallions) finely chopped

1 cup of loosely packed mint, torn into small pieces

½ cup of crumbled feta cheese (optional)

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a large bowl, sprinkle with feta cheese, and pour dressing over salad and serve immediately.

Dressing:   ¼ cup balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon of sea salt. 

Thank you neighbor for the fresh herbs!

Multigrain, Herbs, and Lemon (6-4-2 Salad)

6 cups of cooked grains (brown rice, barley, quinoa, kamut)

4 cups of fresh herbs finely chopped.  Use a combination of parsley, dill, basil, mint, chives.

2 lemons, squeezed.  Combine lemon juice with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, ½ teaspoon of black pepper, and sea salt.  Add lemon zest for added lemon goodness.

Portobello Burger and Beverage

Portobello Mushroom Burgers

I didn't prepare the burgers, but Andi did share a few secrets.  She marinated the mushrooms in a generous amount of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and herbs.  They were grilled on the cap side for about 7 minutes and another 2-3 minutes on the bottom side.  Serve just like a regular burger.  Well, almost...we added goat cheese and declined the ketchup and mustard.  The kids had those condiments with their hot dogs!

The evening ended with a view of the entire community’s vast array of illegal, aerial fireworks exploding in the air.  It was quite a show.

The simple, legal kind...