Welcome Cinnabun!

A late post, but on November 6 we decided to add a bunny to our crazy family! Our rescued kitten Coco ran away and hasn't been seen in weeks, so the kids have been a little blue.

She is a Flemish Giant Lop mix, and yes she's huge! She's is about 5 months old now, and growing fast. It took a few days, but she warmed up to the kids and the house, and loves to run around sniffing everything (with the occasional nibble too). She is litter box trained, and sleeps in a cage at night but mostly runs free during the day.

Cuddles has been none too happy with her....mostly watching from afar with a growl if she gets too close. However he did actually attack her recently so we must keep a close eye on him! She is ok thankfully and doesn't seem traumatized from it. He sleeps about 90% of the day, so he's usually hiding in his bed.

Halloween 2019

Another great holiday in the books! Even the rain couldn't stop us from hitting the pavement. Thankfully it wasn't too cold, just wet.

We started off the festivities by carving pumpkins of course! Brad can do his all alone, but Nick helped Jacob with the cutting.

Next was costumes (after traditional Halloween pizza). Jacob was a fox! His makeup lasted about 5 minutes after being outside and rubbing his face.

Brad wanted to wear the same mask from last year, even though I offered to paint a skeleton face on him.

They got lots of candy, and Nick had a bunch leftover after handing it out. There was less kids out due to the rain but we still had a great time!

Fall Fun at School

Last week Jacob's Pre-K class had a fall festival that parents got to join in on! There were games, snacks, crafts, and face painting. He loved showing us his friends, and playing the fun games. He's getting so big!

We also got the boys' school pictures! They both look so handsome. This is Jacob's FIRST school picture, and Bradley's LAST elementary school pic! Wow!

My Alcohol Stove and Backpacking Meal Ideas

For those who are new to camping/backpacking, or just looking for some inspiration and new ideas--this post is for you! I am new to backpacking, and being the super frugal person I am...I was on the hunt for an affordable and lightweight stove to pack. I came across THIS WEBSITE and  was inspired to try out his idea for a simple homemade alcohol stove! I used a Fancy Feast cat food can ("cat stove") and it turned out great.

I have a Stanley cooking kit to work with, and this stove is just the right size to set it on. I also improvised a windscreen by taking the top and bottom off a 28oz food can and drilling a few large holes around the bottom for airflow. The can fits perfectly around the Stanley pot for cooking, as well as storage/packing for minimal space.

And the stove sits just right inside the nesting mugs inside the pot!

As with any alcohol stove, there is no way to regulate the temperature or flame. I did some test runs before hitting the trail to see if my meal ideas work, and approximately how much fuel each meal would require. I did a simple Knorr rice side for the pilot run, and it turned out great!

I also took the stove on a camping trip prior to backpacking to try it out on the fly outdoors (in the rain). It worked like a charm, maybe just taking a minute longer due to colder outdoor temperatures vs room temperature.

Backpacking Meal Ideas

Here are some lunch, dinner, and snack ideas for backpacking to add to your list! I am not one to pay $8-$10 for a bag of premade backpacking "food" so I gathered these ideas from around the internet based on my preferences and abilities.

 Dinner: Stuffed burritos
Here I used tortillas, a pouch of black refried beans, precooked Spanish rice, and a pouch of fajita seasoned chicken. For weight/space restrictions I ended up having to ditch the black beans for my trip, however the burrito was still delicious! I only had to boil a minimal amount of water to just heat the rice and chicken.

Dinner: Chicken and rice
This was simply precooked wild rice and a pouch of plain chicken. Once again I only had to boil a minimal amount of water to heat them thru.

Dinner: Cheddar broccoli rice and tuna
This was a quick cooking rice mix that did require a bit of attention while boiling, but cooked up very well with just water. Just add tuna and voila!

Lunch/snack: Peanut butter and raisins/craisin burritos
I prefer a no-cook lunch for efficiency on the trail, and we loved this one!! The peanut butter and raisin combination is a classic, and the high protein and carbs is very filling for a meatfree option. Plus you can use the leftover tortillas for dinner ⬆

 Lunch/snack: Tuna salad and crackers
God bless the creators of the pouch tuna! I didn't even know they had tuna salad pouches until I saw them in the store. If you can manage to not crush your crackers, this is a perfect lunch on the go. If you crush them, you can still just eat it all on a spoon!

Breakfast: Instant oatmeal with fruit/nuts
This speaks for itself, and I had it each morning on the trail with instant coffee. There's nothing like a hot breakfast to get you started on a cold morning in the mountains!

Snacks
These are some of the snacks I brought on a 4 day trip...Babybel cheeses (yes they were still good even after no refrigeration for 4 days!), tuna pouches, beef jerky, protein bars, raisins, peanut butter, and fruit bars.

Hot drinks
On a cold morning you need a hot drink to warm you up! Tea and coffee are my go-to, and this is what I took. I portioned out my instant coffee, and of course had to have my creamer and sugar!

I hope this has helped you a bit with your planning! Feel free to comment with questions or your experiences. Click HERE to read my post about my first backpacking trip to the Adirondacks and see all the pictures!