Sunday, November 13, 2011
Hot food to warm a damp soul...
I have been eating granola cereal off and on for a while and the box has a note that says "It's good hot too!". So I thought I would give a shot since nothing beats hot food after a damp morning hike! So I grabbed a liquid measuring cup, scooped up 1 cup of cereal then added 1 cup water to a sauce pan and brought it to a boil. I'll be damned if that wasn't some of the best hot breakfast food I have ever had... and it made enough to share with Skyler who actually wanted more!
Morning Hike
Normally on the weekends I tend to go mountain bike riding early saturday/sunday mornings, but with Colleen in Tucson this weekend I figured it was just a danger I didn't need. But then as as I was getting ready for I stepped on the scale and there it was, 215 staring right back at me. I knew I needed exercise, a morning hike is much less dangerous than the routes I tend to take cycling. So, I quickly grabbed my Camelbak MotherLode (backpack) and loaded an old pair of boots, two shelter halves, and my side SAPI plates for weight, then filled a camelback bladder with about 50oz of water. All in all this made for a very comfortable pack weighing in at 25lbs. Then as I got ready for bed I visited mapmyfitness.com to quickly map out my path and printed it, then posted it on the fridge so if something goes wrong I can call home and explain where I am. My alarm went off at 5:45 and it was still dark... I hate daylight savings. So, like any sane person would do, I rolled over and went back to sleep.
By the time I finally made it outside I could see the dark clouds rolling over the mountain tops to the west, and I was going to hiking right into it. Luckily it wasn't too cold and the rain was only a light mist. The only mistake I made was lacing up my Nike desert boots. These boots are uber cool and uber comfortable in garrison, but hiking boots they aren't! My left heel slips a tad too much which caused a hot spot (starting of a blister) by the third mile, making the rest of my trek slightly uncomfortable. I guess next time I should wear my trusty Belleville 390 DES boots. On my way out I noticed a few spots I wanted to explore more, first was a spot I could tell kids had been using as a bb gun range. The other two were the over passes that other people seemed to be going through rather than up over the roads the way I had been going. On the way back I found the closest overpass was passible by foot, but not bike as the sand/gravel mix was too loose. On my way past the bb gun range I saw something that really caught my eye. An abandoned toy bb gun, upon further investigation it was destroyed, but on my way back to the trail I noticed an aluminum bodied LED flash light, the cap was removed, but on the ground laying next to it. I picked it up and pushed the power button and wouldn't ya know it, it worked! Bonus! Over all, the hike paid off with a free flashlight and took me approximately an hour and half.
By the time I finally made it outside I could see the dark clouds rolling over the mountain tops to the west, and I was going to hiking right into it. Luckily it wasn't too cold and the rain was only a light mist. The only mistake I made was lacing up my Nike desert boots. These boots are uber cool and uber comfortable in garrison, but hiking boots they aren't! My left heel slips a tad too much which caused a hot spot (starting of a blister) by the third mile, making the rest of my trek slightly uncomfortable. I guess next time I should wear my trusty Belleville 390 DES boots. On my way out I noticed a few spots I wanted to explore more, first was a spot I could tell kids had been using as a bb gun range. The other two were the over passes that other people seemed to be going through rather than up over the roads the way I had been going. On the way back I found the closest overpass was passible by foot, but not bike as the sand/gravel mix was too loose. On my way past the bb gun range I saw something that really caught my eye. An abandoned toy bb gun, upon further investigation it was destroyed, but on my way back to the trail I noticed an aluminum bodied LED flash light, the cap was removed, but on the ground laying next to it. I picked it up and pushed the power button and wouldn't ya know it, it worked! Bonus! Over all, the hike paid off with a free flashlight and took me approximately an hour and half.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
UCDCRG - Ultra Cheap Day Chicken Rice Gumbo
Today I celebrated a self proclaimed holiday known as ultra cheap day... Colleen, my wife, scored us free tickets to a pre-screening of the movie, "Happy Feet Too". My mistake was I didn't plan dinner... So, how do you feed a family on ultra cheap day and make everyone happy too? Well, you allow each member to choose one item from the pantry and throw it in a pot to simmer...
This is what we came up with:
1 Packet of Asian Sides, Chicken Fried Rice -selected by Skyler. (<$1.00)
1 can stewed tomatoes -selected by me(<$1.00)
~8 oz (frozen) Chicken fajita meat, sliced chicken breast -it was this or bacon...Liberty chose this... thank god. (price unknown, it was left over in the freezer) - To me this was free as it had been in the freezer for over 3 months unused.
1 can chicken broth (~$1.50)
1 can tap water (nearly free)
~1/2 teaspoon seafood seasoning (again we have had this for over 3 months so I consider it free).
1 cross cut slice of fresh onion. (it was wasting away in the fresh veggie drawer left over from another recipe (free))
So I fed my two daughters, and myself, not to mention there was enough for my wife (who was away on a business trip) too, for what $3.50! I know, I know, you're thinking, so, whats for desert? Well, 1 cup of thermos slow cooked rice... then add milk, cinnamon and sugar. Damn this may have taken dinner to a whopping $1.00 per person (maybe).
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