The River Wild

I am not the wealthiest mom on the planet so I am constantly looking for ways to entertain my children outside of TV and video games without breaking the bank.  Of course, my tech savvy kids think video games are a way of life, I think it is important to branch out, get them connected with nature and enjoy the outdoors (hopefully more than I actually do).  This is not always an easy feat.

During the winter time I hope for snow so that we can enjoy building snow men and possibly, if bodies are willing, make snow angels.  The summer though opens a world of possibilities.  Although I am not a fan of the city I live in I do have to give credit to the abundance of outdoor activities that the warm weather offers.  We live in Reno, Nevada.  At the base of Lake Tahoe, near the Truckee River and just a hop skip and a jump away from Donner Lake, we have quite a few options as long as we are willing to drive and enjoy them.

 I am a kid from the mountains though so sharing my river front view with a million people, locals and tourists, is not exactly my idea of a good time.  With the Truckee River flowing right through the middle of downtown, this would be an easily accessible point to go to but I like to make things difficult.  I asked around my work for ideas of where I could enjoy the river NOT surrounded by screaming kids, dog poop, and trash and came up with a couple of gems.

In town, just down a couple little roads, there are two places that you can hike, relax and swim in the Truckee River without all the commotion of life.  Really enjoy the beauty and peace of the river life the way it was meant to be.  The first place is Mayberry Park.  In a million years I would have never expected there to be a hiking trail and nice river beach tucked back behind a beer distribution center but there it is.  A small little parking area leads to a nice paved path for mothers looking for a peaceful place to push strollers or for joggers to safely and quietly get outdoors.  There are quite a few dirt paths that veer off in every direction, all leading down to the water.  It takes a bit of hiking around to find the perfect spot for you, but it is well worth the time, and you get to enjoy a bit of nature in it's entirety while you're at it.

Since it is the river, made mostly up of snow runoff I wouldn't say the Truckee River is warm, but it is cool to dip into on a hot summer day.  My kids discovered an area that was very safe and enjoyable for them to play in as well.  The river is fast, but some other parents or children, collected all the rocks from the riverbed and built up a little retaining wall, creating a nice pool for swimming with a soft sandy bottom.  They really love this little river area.  And of course there is a little area for mom to relax in the sun and enjoy the peaceful sounds of nature as well.

The second "secret" in Reno is called Oxbow Nature Study Area.  We have yet to make it here while it was open to the public, but it is supposed to boast trails and river access that are not high traffic area.  They are open, according to the locked gate and sign, from 8am to sunset.  Which in a way makes it a bit difficult to visit in the evening since "sunset" seems to vary depending on the weather and the day.  But it is our next stop on the hiking agenda.  I am excited to see beyond the gate.  It is tucked way back at the end of a rather dismal road, that I honestly thought went no where.  The drive in boasts warehouse art businesses and a trailer park.  So I would have to say this is a pretty well hidden little gem if there ever was one.  Most people will not travel into such dire conditions to find anything, but I was ensured by coworkers that this was a real find.
Later this month, before the summer escapes us I am traveling my little monsters to their first visit of Lake Tahoe. Since they are not the most outdoorsy of kids, I wanted to wait until the weather was warmer, and maybe the lake as well.  If you don't already know, Tahoe is NOT the warmest water, ever.  No matter the conditions outside, but it sure is a beautiful and amazing sight to see.  I think it is the blown base of a volcano, but then I thought lakes like that would have been warm from the flowing lava underneath.  Maybe that's just still active volcanos......Either way, Lake Tahoe is a place I think everyone who visits the West Coast should visit.  It is truely a beautiful place and they offer year round activities if you are so inclined.
So cheers to you and yours on an exciting summer adventure that is maybe a little less plugged in, and a lot more peaceful.  We hope to make the most of what nature has to offer this summer ourselves.

Baked with Love

Fresh Fruit Crumble

In a recent attempt to make my family healthier, I have been purchasing more fresh fruit and trying inventive ways to get it into their bodies.  Apples and cuties are a staple in our diets, but I have been attempting to branch out.  A while back I purchased a large container of Blueberries from Raleys on a special $5 Monday deal.  My kids were NOT excited to eat those fresh blueberries as a tasty little snack as I had hoped.  One twin even commented that they were a "weird little fruit" and so I stuffed them into the freezer before they went bad and decided I would eventually find a use for them.
Like an internet supermom I searched the web over for various uses.  I am sure there are plenty of moms out there with the same problem.  Wanting our families to be healthy but happy at the same time can sometimes be a challenge in this fast food world.  Last time I checked Chicken Nuggets from the Golden arches didn't exactly rank up there in the health department as much as they're a kid friendly favorite.
Often times, when I am scouring the internet, I am kicked back to the wonderful site AllRecipes. I think a lot of people find little gems here, but I really hit the jackpot when looking for blueberry goodies.  Who doesn't LOVE the idea of anything that begins with the word Overnight???

  I am not really a breakfast eater (I know it is "the most important meal of the day"). I do not care for eggs, I don't eat syrup really, and I just find cooking in the morning to be an overwhelming task when I have so many other things to do in the day.  But when I found this recipe, Overnight Blueberry French Toast, my family did not let up until I agreed to make it.  It was an appealing idea to me because of the "overnight" but little did I know, it was more work than I thought.
I must admit that this recipe wasn't diffucult, as much as time consuming.  I read all of the reviews on the bottom, I suggest you do as well there's some great tips, and I surged forth in creating this meal.  Now as I stated before, this meal was an Overnight journey, meaning all the preparation is done the night before you are actually going to eat it (I find these kinds of recipes are best for Christmas when you have less time the day of) and the cooking is left up to your oven in the morning while you relax enjoying your Starbucks.

I simply cream cheesed my french bread, tossed in those fresh blueberries (even though they were still frozen), mixed up the eggs, got it all situated into a baking dish and threw it in the fridge.  When morning came, I popped that bad boy in the fridge, made the suggested fresh blueberry syrup while it baked and listened to my family buzz about the glorious smells that were coming from the kitchen.  Those "weird little fruits" weren't so strange anymore!!!
The finished product, well lets just say it turned out better than I could have ever imagined and I actually ate breakfast, and enjoyed it, eggs and all.

Cookie Monster

I imagine there are a lot of people out there in the world in similar situations as myself.   I have a large family, two hard working adults and 5 rambunctious children.  We do not have a lot of luxuries, and we attempt to live a simple life that affords us the little things we have.  As I have stated before (I think) we love food.  Baking, cooking and eating are things that we enjoy together as a family.  I know that over eating can lead to obesity, but I do not mean to say that we are out of control in our eating habits. Rather we cook dinner together and warm our home on blustery days with baked goods that warm the soul.  I must admit though, when November hits, our home becomes a baking frenzy.  I think a very large portion of our Christmas fund is poured into the kitchen.

Cookies, banana bread, brittle, pretty much any concotion that sounds delicious are things that come out of our cozy kitchen.  Because I bake so much at Christmas time, we generally give more than half of it away as gifts.  Everybody loves snickerdoodles, devil bites and chocolate espresso cookies!!! 

Rarely though, in the spring or summer, do I fire up the oven because it is so hot (we do not use AC) and we are more in the mood for ice cream and iced tea.  Today is a rare occasion.  The weather has decided that it is more like winter outside (even dumping snow in the mountains now in May) and I wanted a little something to warm our home.  Of course because it is 5 months after the winter, Christmas season, my baking supplies are diminished to some bakers chocolate, half a bag of chocolate chips, a cup of flour and a lonely little cup of brown sugar.  What on earth can you possibly make with any of that??

Like many other days, I take to the internet and search eggless, dairy free, and quick recipes.  And much like other wonderful moments of discovery I come across this wonderful blog Authentic Simplicity.  Anne Simpson  (also on Pinterest) gave me the key to quick, easy, scrumptious chocolate chip cookies that just happen to be vegan.

No eggs, no dairy and veagn.  I imagine this may not sound like the most enjoyable recipe for a lot of people, but I am telling you, in a pinch, in a time when you don't have money but you're craving something sweet, or your baking cabinet is depleated, these Chocolate Chip Cookies are going to rock your world. The most simple cookies I think I have ever made really.  I made a few adjustments (I am not vegan) but they still seemed to come out just as tasty as any TollHouse cookie I have ever baked (maybe it was the chocolates).  And I must interject, they came out fluffy, soft and moist, all things that I struggle with in other recipes.  I have been advised by my wise Aunts and Mother that it is due to the elevation but I don't buy it.  I don't think TollHouse was ever the way for me to go.  I was meant for something more exciting, more daring and maybe a little more healthy.

Revamping Blog time

Oh my gosh it has been YEARS, literally, since I was able to access this blog.  After a quick look over, it is quite apparent it needs a serious overhaul.  Where to begin? What do people blog about? What in the world are you interested in? You tell me what you want to hear and I will be more the willing to attempt to fill you in.  I suppose for the time being I will share my adventures in cooking (I kind of love food a lot) cool stuff I have seen on the internet and what not.  That's what people do right?  My ultimate goal is to use a new blogger app ( https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bloggo-for-blogger/id605860879?mt=8 ) on my sexy little iTouch my hubby got me for Valentine's day.  Must make best use of that bad boy any way I can.  I think hubby is starting to worry that I am only playing BeJewlled Blitz and Line Play on it........maybe I am......