Hiking

We purchased a used Kelty Tour 1.0 Child's Carrier hiking pack which is shown in these pictures.

7 months

Age & Weight:
We started hiking with Maya when she was 6 months old.

The minimum weight for a baby in the carrier is 16 lb.

I've heard of some families who have used this carrier with their kids 4 years and older!

The maximum child weight in this pack is 40lb.

Maya now at 19 months is 25.3 lb, so we have a while to go!

Duration of hike:
The longest we've tried to go with her has been 30 minutes as a time. We will take her out of the pack for a break for a few minutes, and then she's ready for another 30 minutes. She also has napped in the pack while hiking.

Which version to get:
The version I linked to above is the lowest cost hiking carrier Kelty sells. There are some cool features in the more expensive pack, but I do not feel like with our pack it NEEDS anything more, and didn't want to shell out an extra $50 for small features.

19 months (25.3 lb)

This is what the Kelty Tour 1.0 Child's Carrier looks like:

*Note: some of the links in this post are associate links (if you click the links I might get commission). Opinions are my own.

Matcha Vanilla Spiced Latte

I finally gave in to try the matcha craze and love it.

Recipe:
6 oz warm soy vanilla milk
2 oz warm water
1 teaspoon Jade Matcha or any other Matcha of your choosing*
1 teaspoon honey
sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg
Optional: add Collagen Peptides

*I bought the 30g (1oz) Organic Matcha Green Tea Powder, by Jade Leaf Organic. It has 30 servings for the recipe above. UPDATE: I found a better deal, the same price for twice the quantity with Organic TEAki Hut. TEAki Hut sells 2oz and 4oz.

MEAL PREP GAME: 

Love my morning lattes so much, I added it to my weekly meal prep. Each container is 1 latte serving.

I use the Rubbermaid snack box containers (.5 cup capacity) which are part of the Lunch Blox Container Kit.

Skottle Grill and 5 places to bring it to

The best portable cooking appliance to use for your outdoor adventure is the tembo Tusk Skottle grill.

Backyard Breakfast

Camping Trip

When we have used it and when we will be using it:

1. Your backyard We used this grill to make breakfast with a 1-dish cleanup solution. Our favorite breakfast of choice is bacon (or your kosher meat preference), potato hash and scrambled eggs.
   
2. Camping trip We used this grill to make a fancy steak and peppers dinner at our lakeside camping getaway.
   
3. Picnic at the park
   The camping recipe was so good, we will be skipping the frustration of using charcoal grills at a park for an upcoming picnic and instead using the skottle for burgers.
   
4. Stadium tail gating 
   Coming soon this October!
   
5. Outdoor movie
   It's very easy and fun to make popcorn on the skottle from kernels! 

Outdoor movie night (popcorn being made behind the babe!)

To get this grill, there are two items to purchase:

The first item is the Skottle kit (comes with everything you need to start cooking: an 18" Disc, 28" Tall when assembled, the 3 legs, the burner and the carry bag for both the legs and the grill plate. If you prefer to save a few bucks and not get the carry bag, you can find it here).

The second item to buy is the 1lb propane bottle. Get one here.

For pretty images of the two items, see below.

*Note: some of the links in this post are associate links (if you click the links I might get commission). Opinions are my own.

and

15-Minute Dark Chocolate Truffles (No added sugar)

Prep and Cook Time: 15 minutes

*REQUIRES FOOD PROCESSOR - I use this Cuisinart*

Ingredients (scroll down to buy ingredients):
1/2 cup pitted prunes
1/4 cup pitted dates
3 TBS almond butter (I just used almonds which I soaked for 1 hour beforehand)
1 TBS maple syrup (tastes just fine without this)
3 TBS unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup finely grated unsweetened coconut
Consider adding oats next time

Directions:

In a food processor, drop the prunes and dates through the feed hole one by one. Scrape the processor bowl and run until the prunes and dates are smooth.

Add remaining ingredients except for the coconut. Run until smooth and scrape the processor bowl with a spatula as needed.

Roll the mixture into 12 one-inch balls and roll in coconut to coat. Refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour.

Makes 12 pieces

Recipe from the world's healthiest foods

Future recipe to try: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/cocoa-oat-truffles

TRICKS & TIPS:
This was so easy to make using my Cuisinart. I have both an 11-cup and the 2-cup mini prep. It'll be easier to use the larger one, since it doesn't require any batches and can be done all at once.

Buy Ingredients Here:

Healthy Fruit Cobbler

INGREDIENT
3 Tbls butter
2 cups flour (or can substitute partially with whole oats)
2/3 cup sugar
3 tsp baking powder
2 cups milk
4 cups berries (frozen works just fine!)
You'll need a 9x9 cake pan. I love this one that is non-stick and has a lid to keep it fresh all week in your fridge.

DIRECTIONS
Melt the butter in a cake pan (9 x 9) - I turn on oven and place the butter inside and let it melt.

Mix next four ingredients together and pour in pan after butter is evenly distributed on the bottom.

sprinkle berries on top .

Bake 350 for about 40-45 minutes.

Just as a side note. I created my own mixture of flour. I use a combination (equal part of each) of ground oatmeal, spelt flour, almond meal and rye flour. I also don't use much sugar despite the recipe...

Nutella Strawberry French Toast Roll-Ups

What's super easy and was rated "really amazing"' by guests (adults and kids alike)? Nutella Strawberry French Toast Roll-Ups. 

Less than 15 minutes

Ingredients:







Directions:

• Cut edges off of bread
• Roll bread flat
• Spread bread with nutella
• Make 1 fine row of cut up strawberries on each nutella bread
• Roll up the bread
• Immerse each bread roll up in egg
• Cook on stove top until brown on each side
• Serve warm with powdered sugar sprinkled on top

Support this blog and buy from the Amazon ingredient links above. Thank you BuzzFeed Food for this awesome recipe. 

12-Month Old Week Food Menu

What's on the menu? Each item is explained below

Banana Apple Pear in Squooshi Reusable Squeeze bags

1. Steam peeled and cubed apple in Baby Bullet Steamer. According to steamer's instructions, put 1/2 cup water and steam of setting 2 for 10 minutes
2. In Baby Bullet Blender (or a Cuisinart Food Processor or any other food processor), blend the steamed apples, pour the water from the steamed apple in, add 1 banana and 1/2 a pear.
3. Blend for a few seconds until smooth, and pour immediately into Squooshi reusable bags. 

It only takes 10 to 20 meals to break even on purchasing the Squooshi. 

Makes three 6 ounce serving.

Chickpea Pasta with Broccoli 

1. We like Banza Chickpea Pasta. Get it here from Amazon by clicking on product image. 

Chicken Potatoes Peppers 
Slow cooker recipe, prep time only 15 minutes.

Pea Soup 
From Trader Joes