Unplugged Sunday #2

It's amazing how much you can do without electronic distractions for a whole day!!!!

I am in awe at how wonderful it can be.

Matt & I got up early, we let the kids sleep in.

We stacked a TON of wood, hiked around our house & I made the most delicious Apple Oat Breakfast Cake.

We played Monopoly, Yahtzee, & had a penguin dance party in Averie's room.

Matt fixed the chicken coop gate that need repair & I shoveled paths in the snow for the chickens.

They were tired of being cooped up.

The girls went sledding.

Collected eggs & then scrambled them!

And a little more walking around outside.

I cleaned the house & Matt learned how to repel off a cliff for his upcoming trip.

The girls helped me .

We ate well too!

Eggs, fruit, apple cake for breakfast.

Tuna melt quesadillas, pears & apples for lunch.

Chicken & spinach stir fry, brown rice & veggies for dinner.

At the end of the evening we all got out our favorite magazines & read until bedtime.

Matt = Backpacker, Me = MJ's Farm, Tobi = Rolling Stone, Morgan = Teen, Averie = Highlights

Matt and I are loving it so far. The kids aren't completely convinced yet. Maybe once the weather warms up a bit and we can do more hiking they will enjoy it more.

We will see!

Trail Blazer Cookies

I developed these cookies for my hubby. He is an avid backpacker & hiker but not a huge fan of granola bars. He does love a good cookie and he wanted something hardy like a granola bar. What's nice about this recipe is you can tweak the mix-ins so that it's exactly what you like.

I put peanuts & M n M's in Matt's cookies. He his preparing for a big trip to the Grand Canyon and the M n M's don't melt in the backpack.

I used chocolate chips & pecans in the kid's version only because that's what I usually put in my chocolate chip cookies.

Trail Blazer Cookies

Cream together:

1 cup room temperature butter

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup sucanat

1/2 cup brown sugar

Add:

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

In a separate bowl mix:

1 cup almond meal

(I use my leftovers from my homemade almond milk, just dry it out a bit)

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 1/2 cups oat flour

(just blend oats in blender)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

Mix all ingredients together & then add:

1 cup chocolate chips (m n m's, peanut butter chips, dried fruit, etc.)

1/2 chopped nuts

Shape into balls & place on cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

Almost Wordless Wednesday

Naughty kitty is not supposed to be on the furniture.

She looked so cozy & content that I didn't have the heart to make her move.

Our 1st Unplugged Sunday

What's an unplugged Sunday you ask??

Here's the description from one of my favorite blogs Beauty that Moves.

We are going to give it a shot for awhile.

For our first we spent hiking in Yosemite National Park on Easter Sunday.

We actually ended up with an unplugged weekend.

It was a beautiful day in an amazing place.

I can't believe how close we live to such stunning beauty.

Tobi, our German foreign exchange student.

We did cheat just a little bit.......

we watched Hungry For Change.

A very informational documentary on food.

If you are interested in seeing it let me know.

Easter Saturday

We had a wonderfully fun filled Easter weekend at my Aunt Mary Jane's cabin just outside of Oakhurst. We celebrated Easter Saturday because we wanted to go to Yosemite on Sunday. The weather was so beautiful we spent the entire weekend outside.

It was so refreshing.

We caught the Easter Bunny in the act!!!!

It was so exciting.

Too bad the kids were gone on a bike ride.

Girls decorating cookies!

Taking our Easter Saturday hike up Lewis Creek Trail.
I love this trail.
It runs right through my Aunt Mary Jane's backyard.

Carefully crossing the log bridge.


Family hike.

We made it to the lower falls.

My sister Kari & I playing Katniss in the trees.

My Mom, Aunt Mary Jane, Kari & Tobi inching their way down the steep part.

Dyeing eggs.

Back from their bike ride & they are ready to hunt for goodies.

All tuckered out after all that hunting.

And last but not least.....our Easter Saturday dinner table!
Beautiful table decor by Aunt Mary Jane & Laura.

Thanks again Aunt Mary Jane for another fabulous Easter weekend at the Cabin!