Four Star Menu

I’ve been camping with my hubby, kids and another family for about two years. I always thought, the menu when camping, would be limited to hotdogs and S’mores.
I still feel that I’m a novice at the whole thing but I did feel brave enough to suggest a few menu choices for this past trip.
We’re usually out on an adventure during the day, so lunch happens away from camp. Here’s what we had for our dinners and breakfasts this time around.

Friday Dinner: Chicken tenders, Mac-n-cheese and veggies.

Sat Breakfast: Sausage, eggs and cheese on an English muffin.

Sat Dinner: Pizza Roll.

Sunday Breakfast: Pancakes and Bacon.
Sunday Dinner: Lasagna and Salad.

I’m still amazed. Our menu at home doesn’t always look this appetizing.

Before we left for the camping trip, I made a few things ahead. The mac n cheese recipe I found here.

I altered it slightly, here’s what I did...

More than a half of a box of elbow macaroni; cooked.

An 8 oz. block of white cheddar shredded.
About a ¼ cup of parmesan cheese.
2 T. of milk (could have used a little more I think)
And 2-3 T. of butter.

In a bowl, combine the cooked macaroni and the shredded cheese. Transfer this into a foil pie pan then place pads of butter all around the top and poured the milk over. Then I sprinkled a little extra cheese over the top and covered with tin foil.

 

When ready to cook, place on fire or hot grill. We put ours into a Dutch oven and used the hot coals to heat.

 

It was really good! I think next time maybe a little more cheese and maybe some more milk to give added creaminess. With the chicken tenders (Fully cooked, bread, frozen- they just need to be heated through) some cut veggies and t6here was plenty to feed the 9 of us.

For the pizza roll I used this recipe. It is also was made in advance and frozen to be cooked on a campfire. I made two rolls and we finished the cut veggies left from the first night.

The lasagna was made in the Dutch oven with no-boil noodles (the kind that doesn’t need to be boiled ahead of time). That with a bag of spring mix salad and we had another balanced meal. Yummy!!!

Another successful camping trip full of wonderful memories for the kiddos!

DIY Products; recipe and review

 

Just in case you’re new here, I like to make stuff. So anything that comes with the potential to DIY… I’m on it!!!! I go into making something myself with the thought of being more natural or more cost effective but the bottom line is I just enjoy doing it myself.

So, here are a few DIY products I use with the recipe and my take on how they work or why I use them.

I might be slightly addicted to lip stick/gloss.  If for no other reason than to stop myself from licking my lips or biting them until they are fully chapped. In the winter it seems to be even more of a battle with dry lips. I really like to use a lip scrub before I put on Chap Stick or gloss. It helps get any dry loose skin off before you moisturize.

Several cosmetic lines sell lip scrubs for a pretty penny so I almost never spend the money for them. I found a great recipe to make them at home.

 

Lip Scrub

Equal parts; Sugar, Honey and Olive Oil

I make a small amount and keep it in a tiny medicine cup next to the sink. Use your finger to rub it over your lips and remove any loose skin. I then take a warm moist paper towel and gently dust off any remaining sugar. When I’m done I put on my favorite lip balm and my lips are soft and refreshed.

Review: A+

It works great! Do it only occasionally, 1 to 2 times a week or less. Very cost effective. Takes no extra time.

I have purchased a few lip plumping glosses and I kind of like the results so I thought I would look for a recipe. Found one.

 

Lip Plumper

Add a few drops (3 to 5) of cinnamon oil to a clear lip gloss from the dollar store.

Review: C+

It worked ok but not as well as store bought. The results didn’t last as long and it needed reapplied more often. Ouch! That cinnamon stings!!! Store bought version has a nice tingle…NOT a sting! Cost much less but not worth the time & effort.

I saw a cute recipe on Pinterest for making a lip balm from Kool-Aid and petroleum jelly. I thought it would be a fun thing to do with the kids and a cute little gift to make for friends.

Lip Balm

Mix desired amount of drink mix into a spoonful of Vaseline (petroleum jelly).

You need a small travel jar or something to put your finished product into. I used disposable bowls and Popsicle sticks to mix the ingredients. Then you can have fun with flavors and colors.

 Review: B-

The kids thought it was great to be mixing and they had control over what the flavor was going to be. The color didn’t change much and they all looked sort of greyish but the jars we used were colorful and that it made it pretty.

I was surprised when I tried it out that there is a fair amount of salt in Kool-Aid. Because of the level of salt, I feel it is drawing the moisture out of my lip more than protecting them. I also want to lick my lips more because of the drink flavor. Also, the drink mix does not fully dissolve in the petroleum jelly so it is a little gritty. Fun to make, cute idea but I don’t recommend it for regular use.

 

 

When I can, I try to streamline my daily routines. I don’t wear a lot of make-up and most days I have it down to; cream blush, foundation, mascara and a lip color. By the end of the day I have myself convinced that most of it has worn off and I rarely wash my face before bed. “I’m too tired” “Just tonight, I’ll get back to cleaning make-up off tomorrow” “Urg, it’s late, my shower is just hours away anyway”. Then I wake up looking like a scary Mommy raccoon.

In an effort to simplify the bedtime routine, I found a few recipes for eye makeup remover.

Tried them both and now I’m playing around with a variation of the two combined.

 

Eye Make-up Remover

     #1.

1 cup water
1 ½ T baby shampoo
1/8 teaspoon baby oil

#2.

1 cup water
2 ½ T olive oil
2 T witch hazel
2 T baby wash

Here’s mine…

½ cup water
1 T baby shampoo
1 T Olive Oil
1 teaspoon witch hazel

You will need a small travel bottle to keep your remover in and you’ll need to purchase a package of small cotton rounds. Make sure you shake the remover very well before each use. You only need a few drops on one cotton round per use.

Review: A+

Works great on; eye liner, eye shadow, mascara (didn’t try it with waterproof). Easy to make. Most ingredients should be in your home already. Very cost effective. Added bonus; you can put a few drops on several rounds and place them in a zip baggie to travel.

Now that we’ve made a mess with all our concocting, let’s clean up. I have been using a homemade cleaner since I had my first kid. It’s not for deep, disinfecting cleaning but awesome for all the routine clean ups. I didn’t want to spray harsh cleaners around my kids so I found one with safe ingredients. It works on counters, getting the sticky spot off the kitchen floor, glass doors, windows covered in little fingerprints and I have glass top tables that are constantly bombarded with crumbs, paints, play-doh and other “fun” things.

 

I found this at www.frugaltimes.com/cleaners.html

1/2 tsp. liquid soap
3 T white vinegar
2 cups water

Put it in any spray bottle and keep it handy. I have one in the kitchen and one in the bathroom.

Review A+

I use mine daily. Works great. (I don’t recommend using it on wood surfaces) The ingredients are in your home already and it is very cost effective and much safer than always spraying harsh chemicals.

 

Do you have any good DIY Products you like to use?

 

 

Purple Cauliflower

I’m always looking for a new way to introduce a healthy food for the kids and add something interesting to the menu for me. I have never been a huge fan of cauliflower so I don’t think I’ve ever really tried to give it to the kids. It’s white, how nutritious can it be? Ok, so it’s got folate, vitamin K and vitamin C going for it and some dietary fiber but that’s about it.

So during my weekly run to the grocery store this week, I saw some purple cauliflower. I thought for the color alone it was worth a try

A quick search showed me that ….

The nutrients found in purple cauliflower are similar to those found in common white cauliflower. However, purple cauliflower will provide you with a couple of other nutritional benefits. The purple color is due to the presence of a subtype of flavonoid compounds called anthocyanin, which may help to regulate your blood lipid and sugar levels and body weight, as well as help to lower your cancer risk. Additionally, purple cauliflower contains a compound called glucoraphanin, which is also found in common green broccoli. In your body, glucoraphanin can be converted to compounds with anticancer properties.

(Well, there is your health and science lesson for the day)

I wanted to keep it simple when it came to cooking, just to see how it would be received. I know growing up the only way I would eat cauliflower was if it were smothered in cheese sauce. (Remember the key word here is “healthy”… no cheese sauce)

I went for a simple roasted veggie recipe. 

Clean the head and cut off all florets. I cut each one at least in half so that there would be at least one flat side to rest on the baking sheet.

Once cut, I tossed them in a bowl with plenty of olive oil.

Spread out on a cookie sheet and bake in a 425 oven for 10 minutes. Flip and put back in for an additional 10-20 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. (I added a little Romano cheese. That’s ok, it was just a little and no cheese sauce!)

Family review was better that I thought I would get. They all liked it and said they would eat it again. I'll take that!