Hiking: Backpacking the Old Logger's Path in Pennsylvania

Last week I spent 3 days and 2 nights by myself in the Loyalsock State Forest of northern PA hiking the Old Logger's Path!

I clocked a total of almost 30 miles and 3,800+ft of elevation gain and was happy to finally complete this trail as a solo trip for my first outdoor adventure of the season.

Here's all the food I packed for myself:

2 dinners, 2 lunches, and 2 breakfasts

The drive there was very pretty and took me through forests as I neared the trailhead parking. I arrived on Thurs afternoon to beat the Memorial Day weeekend crowd and was the only car there!

My cell signal was mostly nonexistent so I downloaded an offline map to keep track of my mileage and location as I followed the orange blazes. There were occasional intersecting roads and trails along the way.

Even for late May the weather was still very cool in the 40-50s with lots of rain.

I enjoyed the flora and fauna on trail thru the forest.

On my first day I tracked about 7 miles to my first stop for the night where I set up my tent and got started on dinner (mac and cheese with BBQ pork). I was happy to use my new windscreen with my alcohol stove.

After I finished dinner and cleaned up, I went ahead and tucked into my tent to wait for dark and stay warm against the chilly night. Hiker's midnight is nightfall, and I started my day 2 early with the sunrise.

I finished breakfast and broke down camp to hit the trail by 8am and was rewarded after a steep ascent to this beautiful look out on Sharp Top where I took a break before moving on.

This little baby was right next to the trail keeping quiet! I snapped a pic and moved on so I wouldn't disturb him.

This "stream" crossing is what ended my hike on this trail last year with my buddy. At that time, the water level was hip high and ice cold, and when we were crossing it the current took him down and got his entire bag wet. Due to the cold temps we opted to end it early and headed back to the car.

I knew it was coming up so I had made sure to pack my gear in a waterproof liner, however this time the water was only about calf high (still ice cold!) so other than wet feet I did not have trouble. I shook off best I could then continued on!

On day 2 I has happy to see blue skies peaking out and less rain than before!

These guys were also happy to see the sun...the trail led me out onto this boulder edge where several of these rattlesnakes were hanging out. I knew they were on this trail so I stayed as far away as I could and quickly moved out of this area.

I was intending to make it about 12 miles to my next spot for day 2 however I came upon this unoccupied shelter a couple miles early and decided it was in my best interest to grab it so that I could start drying out. Plus not needing my tent for the night would speed up my getaway in the morning.

I made it here around 2:30pm and quickly made myself at home with a clothesline and some dinner. As the evening went on, a few other hikers joined me in their tents around the site.

Once again it was a chilly night so after cleaning up dinner I tucked into my bag to stay warm and rested the best I could. Morning came early and the sun woke me at around 5:30am so I had an early breakfast and was all packed up for the trail by 7:30am.

Since I had ended early the day before, unfortunately that meant I had to make up those extra couple of miles for my day 3. So now I was looking at about 11 miles also for day 3 to get back to my car. There were definitely more people on the trail this day (Saturday). But the day was more sunny so that was very welcome!

I successfully made it to my car by noon and happily removed my hiking shoes and put on some dry socks and clothes for the 3hr drive back home. I'm pretty proud of myself for doing this solo hike in a different state on a new trail. I'm already looking forward to the next one!

Distance: 29.5 miles

Elevation gain: 3,898ft

Fun Around Town

A couple of weeks ago Nick and I went on a date night in Buffalo to see the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra perform the soundtrack to "Indiana Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark". We both thought that it would just be orchestral music....however it was the WHOLE MOVIE that played on a screen while the orchestra played live. The music was flawless and the movie was great as always. Such a fun night!

Jacob has been in Science Olympiad at school for his club and he loves it! He did great in the Egg Drop competition....

....and got 3rd place in the Jeopardy challenge!

I have already bought my outdoor flowers and planted all of them--next is my garden! All the trees are leafed out, and spring blooms are already fading to give way to summer. My lilac trees are blossoming now and smell SO good! My apple trees and pear tree are full of blossoms as well. We are hoping for a full harvest!

Frugal Meal Series: Butter Bean Coconut Curry Over Rice (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free) $1 Per Serving!

Welcome to my series aimed at helping families on a budget with some new and cost effective ideas for meals! I aim for around $5-7 per meal while trying to highlight dishes from scratch, meatless options, common ingredients, and whole grains. My typical weekly grocery bill for 4 was $50-60 just a few years ago, but with the current economy and inflation it has increased to about $80-100/week. This series shows you my average family dinners including cost breakdown, links to recipes, and other details to help inspire you!

Step 1 of saving money on your grocery bill is to MAKE A MENU! Once a week I sit down and write out a dinner menu for the next 7 days. I take into account what I have in the freezer, what our schedule is like for that week, what the weather is (hot/cold), and any leftovers. It also stops everyone from asking "What's for dinner??" From this you can easily make your shopping list to only get the items you need while keeping an eye out for any markdowns/clearance items you can stick in the freezer for a different meal. I do 90% of my grocery shopping at Aldi as I find that they have the best prices on most items. For a few other remaining items I go to Walmart.

Some meals I make are easy, some are more complicated. I mostly stick to tried and true dishes that I know everyone likes, but occasionally I like to try out a new one and experiment! I cook many style from American to Italian, Chinese, Mexican, and lots of Tex Mex. Variety is the spice of life!

For my cost breakdowns I will show real or estimated prices of items (based on current prices in western NY), but I don't include typical pantry ingredients i.e. spices/oil/butter/milk etc. unless it's a significant amount.

For this meal I made Butter Bean Curry

Total cost of meal for 4: $4.75

Cost per serving: $1.19

Price breakdown and recipe:

3c cooked butter beans with liquid....$0.50 (I cooked mine from dried, canned is more expensive for 2 cans)

2 medium onions, sliced thinly....$1

3tbs tomato paste (can sub for can of petite diced tomato)....$0.50

1 can coconut milk.....$1.75

4 servings cooked rice.....$1

1tbs curry powder

1/2tbs garam masala

1-2tsp salt (to taste)

1tsp coriander

1tbs minced garlic

If needed, start rice cooking first. Cook onion slices in skillet for approx 10min until starting to carmelize. Add minced garlic and all spices, reduce heat and mix well. Add beans/liquid, tomato paste, and coconut milk. Stir to mix, then bring to simmer. Cook on low for 5-10 min, adjust seasonings to taste. Serve over rice with optional naan, pita, or bread. A dollop of plain yogurt is extra delicious as well!

If you are new to curry dishes, this is a great frugal and healthy one to try. The recipe is very flexible, and you could even sub the coconut milk for whole milk to cut the cost way down! It is not spicy however you can add your favorite spicy spice to kick up the heat.

Baked Oatmeal Brownie (Gluten Free, Egg Free, No added sugar)

How good does this look?? It is intended as a "breakfast" which it very well could be, but in this house I also use it as a dessert because CHOCOLATE! My kids love it. There is also NO added sugar however there is maple syrup which yes is "sugar" but you know what I mean. Guilt free in my book! And yes you have permission to eat it for breakfast as well.

2c milk (use plant-based milk to make it dairy free!)

1/2c maple syrup

1/3c peanut butter (can warm to make it easier to mix)

1tsp vanilla extract

2c rolled oats

1/4c cocoa powder

1tbs flaxseed meal

1 tsp baking powder

1/3c chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease an 8x8 pan. Mix all ingredients well except for chips. Pour batter into greased pan then sprinkle chips over top. Bake 40-50 min until toothpick comes out clean in center. Cool and serve!

The oats, flax, and pb make for some high powered plant fiber and protein source to keep you feeling full and energized longer that most simple carb breakfast or dessert foods. You can add more syrup for a sweeter flavor, or swap for honey if you choose. Let me know if you like it!

"Almond Joy" Chia Pudding (Gluten Free, Dairy Free, No added sugar)

Have you ever made chia pudding? Does that sounds weird to you? Well it is weird, but it's so delicious, and also super healthy! There are endless varieties of flavors you can make and it's the perfect snack or even breakfast that you can whip up to have ready in the fridge any time. This recipe is a great imitation of those indulgent Almond Joy flavors we all love--chocolate, coconut, and almonds.

PUDDING:

3tbs chia seeds

1 tbs maple syrup OR honey

1tsp vanilla extract

3/4c coconut milk

1tbs cocoa powder

TOPPINGS:

sliced almonds

coconut flakes

mini chocolate chips

Mix all pudding ingredients and let sit x5 minutes. Mix again to break up any clumps. If too thick, add a little bit more milk. This will thicken more as it sits. Divide up into portion sizes and top with layers of the toppings as you like. Store in fridge. Best to wait a few hours before eating.

So yummy, and so simple! Chia seeds are oh so healthy for you and full of much needed fiber that has many benefits for your body. Let me know how you like this one!

Easter at Home

This Easter we had a couple of friends over for a nice dinner and enjoyed our holiday traditions with the boys. The weather was nice and sunny so they got to have their egg hunt outside!

We started off the morning in our pjs with their treat baskets! Full of special snacks, chocolate, and candy of course.

I got started on our big ham dinner and our friends arrived around 11:30am. We enjoyed their company and ate some delicious food, then played a card game while we waited for our stomachs to have some room for dessert. After dessert they headed home and Nick and I snuck outside to hide the eggs for the hunt!

We hid 68 eggs around the front of our backyard, and I think they found *most* of them!

Then they got to open each one up and enjoy some treats.

Look at these spring beauties that have popped up!!

We relaxed the rest of the day, and the boys actually had the next Monday off school as well so they had lots of time to enjoy their treats! It was back to school after that. Hope your Easter was nice as well!