Scavenger hunt to the rescue! Do your kids have a lot of time on their hands? Are your tweens feeling dumpy and bored? I have a fun low-cost solution for you! My scavenger hunt takes at least three hours to complete. Can you hear the angels sing? This adventure keeps the kids busy and the tweens having fun! This isn’t your average scavenger hunt. You may find yourself and even your teenager wanting to participate.
Download it today! Click the picture or head to Freebies.
Not your typical scavenger hunt!
This hunt is like no other. First off, it’s not just a list of things to find. It involves reading, drawing, exercise, strategy, skill, teamwork, creativity, and cognitive thinking. Seriously the kids loved it. They were outside and having fun. And strangely they got along! As a parent, it was gratifying to watch how much joy was happening to the kids. A memory for sure!
Larry’s shelter and flying vessel!
Another fun difference from other scavenger hunts is that it tells a little story. The story starts out with Larry who is lost and needs to find his way home. He has to go through the first three challenges to unlock his map, materials, and list. Then the rest of the challenges help him find his way home. He gets hungry on the way, wants to find presents to bring home, and needs to spend the night. And the most exciting part of all is that he needs to create a flying vessel to get home!
Larry is one of my son’s stuffed animals. I just grabbed a small one that would be suitable for flight. You can use an egg…this would be interesting…or a water balloon for that matter, or a cardboard cutout. Essentially, Larry can be anything you want. However, with the stuffed animal, I found it made the hunt more personal and “real”. They really had fun with it.
Who is this scavenger hunt for?
This challenge is for 8 – 13-year-olds. Yes, an activity for tweens too! Younger kids can be helpers on some of the challenges that are too hard, obviously, that is up to you. You could make adjustments to cater to younger kids. This is a definite fun tween activity when they’re bored.
Download it today! Head to Freebies.
Materials and Set-up
As for materials, use items you already have in-house. No need to run to the store. This is what can make the scavenger hunt more challenging…after all, it is a scavenger hunt! For instance, for Larry’s flying vessel I just found some yarn, balloons, a plastic cup, a piece of fabric, foil, and threw in some other things from my junk drawer. Who knows what kids will come up with?
All you need to do is draw a map and set up the course. This usually takes about 30 minutes. I had a lot of fun doing this. It brought me back to my childhood fun. To make it more interesting, I allowed a phone to be present for the kids to shoot videos and for taking pictures. They enjoyed this part, especially making the trick shot video. I simply downloaded an app called Clips. My son had to show me how to work it, in other words, it’s easy to figure out.
Here’s a video summary of this scavenger hunt we did the other day:
Larry is waiting for you!
Ready to have some fun and watch your kiddos have a blast? To download and print Larry’s Scavenger Hunt Challenge head over to Freebies. OH! One last thing, it’s a lot of fun as a family to do too! Not to mention at a campground when on vacation. Enjoy!
Nachos no more? If you have to be dairy-free I bet you said goodbye to nachos. I sure did. I also said goodbye to cheese pizza and many other things, but nothing can replace a good plate of nachos. Thanks to some amazing people who feel for us dairy-free folk they have created some amazing dairy-free alternatives.
But let’s talk nachos. There is nothing like watching a game or coming in from a fun-filled day of summer than popping in a tray of chips and cheese or stacked nachos. Making chips and cheese is one of my fond summer snacks as a kid…when I could eat dairy. The tips of burnt chips with melted cheese and the right amount of taco sauce hit the spot in my taste history.
But where did they come from? According to Wikipedia, nachos were created in 1940 by Ignacio “El Nacho” Anaya. He served up a batch in his restaurant to a few women that wanted a different kind of snack. It was on that day that nachos were born! And yes, the dish is named after its founder.
No more nachos…
After summer fun snacks, I went to college…and the bars. A plate of nachos was to satisfy any bar babe. My friends and I would order up a dish, gobble it down, then…well…it was in college where I learned I was lactose intolerant, whey intolerant too! Needless to say, if I had nachos, you wanted to stay far from me!
Along came parenthood, and I was jonesing for nachos after a day filled with Lego building and football. Because of my intolerances, I completely avoided any dairy-filled product. I ate pizza with no cheese…which isn’t that bad. And nachos was a big no-no. It had been 23 years without this delicious snack. That’s right folks, I was nacho-free for 23 whole years!
Thanks to many food manufacturers we now have many dairy-free options. I have tried a lot of them and they all have their perks, but my absolute favorite is the Violife brand. They don’t use pea protein, which can cause a number on people if you know what number I’m talking about.
With this newfound dairy-free cheese, I immediately had ‘cheese’ back in my life. I seriously didn’t realize how much I missed it until I had it. Joy reentered my being! Granted I can’t order nachos at a restaurant (because they don’t have the fake cheese), but I can make them at home!
Wrap up before the recipe
My fake-cheese nachos are so delicious you can’t even tell they have dairy-free cheese on them…ask my husband who can eat dairy. We make this favorite dish for main meals at least once a week. On camping trips, this glorified chips and cheese snack makes the menu all the time. It’s SO easy and filling! This recipe checks all my boxes: gluten-free, dairy-free, quick, delicious, easy to make, and little cleanup.
Plus you can build this plate up as much as you want! Add whatever suits your fancy. This is sure to please anyone.
Microwave, Air-Fryer, Oven, or Toaster Oven. Any will work!
Ingredients
2handfulsYour favorite plain tortillia chipAny tortilla chip works, I persoanlly like restuarant style.
1/2cupDairy-free cheddar cheeseMy favorite brand is Violife.
3 tbspTaco sauceAgain, use your favorite. I like Ortega Original.
3/4cupPulled porkWe get the premade pulled pork from Costco or Del Real Slow-cooked Pork Carnitas. We have also used left-over pulled pork that we smoked. Do not use the saucy pulled pork.
1/2cupAvocado Make sure the avocado is ripe but not too ripe. It should have a medium firmness when you lightly touch it.
1/2cupTomato choppedAny kind of tomato will do.
Instructions
Warm up the pulled pork in the microwave. If you got store bought follow their instructions on the package. We like Del Real Slow-Cooked Pork Carnitas. At the current time, you can get this at Costco. Any NON-SAUCY pulled pork will work.
Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees. You can use a microwave or air-fryer too. When I'm in a hurry I just do the microwave.
Depending on your cooking tool, spread your chips either on a paper plate (microwave only) or a cookie sheet with foil. I put parchment paper ontop of the foil…it's a bit healthier than on foil.
On top of the chips, sprinkle as much cheese as you like. For you dairy eaters, my family prefers the thick cut shredded cheese. For non-dairy I prefer Violife cheddar shreds over other brands.
Drizzle the taco sauce over the cheese.
Spread on as much pulled pork as you would like.
Bake or put in the microwave. For Baking, keep an eye on it. It's usually done in 5 minutes. For microwaving, start out with 45 seconds, then check it, and add another 30-40 seconds for cheese to melt.
Chop up the tomoto and avocado, then sprinkle on top!
Feel free to add any of your favorite toppings such as peppers, salsa, onions, cilantro. Enjoy!
Notes
The calories are a guesstimate. Based on a medium-size paper plate with 1/2 an avocado. Remember avocado may be high in calories, but it is super good for you! Don’t be afraid of it.
Enjoy your dairy-free nachos! Be sure to look in your specialty grocery for dairy-free cheese. And, yes, I did make nachos after I wrote this post. So good!
Be sure to check out my other great recipes!
All recipes are gluten-free and dairy-free recipes.
There are massive loads of information about how to manage money, how to budget, how to save money, and how to live a debt-free life. It can be overwhelming and paralyzing! I’ll reveal to you the #1 cause of our money management problems and give you a quick review of four different tools for how to manage money better. You’ll also get a free downloadable cash flow worksheet to get you started! Let’s keep it simple because it is simple.
What’s the #1 Mistake in Managing Money?
When we leave the house, we make one big mistake. I’m going to make this simple for you. The very first step to doing anything with your money is to know what to do with it before you leave home or get online.
When it comes to keeping track of our money you either love it, hate it, or are half-*ssed about it. And for most Americans, this can be a real pain in the butt. It’s not the task at hand, but it’s the mind that messes with us. We know we need to do a budget, but we just don’t want to. Hence, we find ourselves in a hole deeper than we want to be.
A survey,
conducted by Slickdeals.com asked 2,000 adults last August about their money
habits. Topping the list of categories
where respondents overspend is online shopping, followed by grocery shopping
and subscription services. Take a look at their list, you may find some
things surprising.
Trusting your brain with all the figures is not a good idea. We get distracted; we cheat and lie to ourselves. Then we hear the forbidden word “Budget”. Whether you make $30,000/year to $1,000,000/year everyone needs a budget, no one is excluded, not even a homeless person.
To make this more fun I’m not going to use the word ‘budget’, it sounds super boring. Instead, I’m going to use “harmony”…that’s sounds kind of corny but when there is harmony in our finances, everything works together. And gosh, when we get jammin’, financial freedom will be a #1 hit for years! Isn’t that what we’re all aiming for? On a side note, no pun intended, when you go off-key you’ll TRY to believe the harmony still sounds nice, but in reality it stink-ith. Stop lying to yourself. Developing a routine saves us a lot of hard-earned cash.
How do we fine-tune our money?
First and foremost, I want
to make this clear, a ‘harmonic wallet’ (B-word) isn’t created to punish us and
hold us captive; it’s here to simplify
life and set us free.
Money management has a few different layers. One layer is keeping a record of every single expense. This may sound tedious, but it’s the most important step to understanding where the cash flow holes are and where the money mountains prevail. However, keeping track is where most people fall.
WARNING! People will manage money for a few days and then stop. Just like a diet. Listen up friend, you’re not a quitter. If you want this bad enough, you’ll make it happen. I believe in you. Keep up the good work, it will pay off. This is the difference between living debt-free and frugal living. There is nothing wrong with frugal living, but when you depend on it to live every day it can be an exhausting life.
The know-how in a harmonic budget
This leads me to the know-how. Over the years my husband and I have used a few techniques that have helped us manage our money. Most importantly money management helps us understand what’s going on. Our money management techniques kind of mimic our camping life. We started with a tent, then we moved to a small camper, yet got a travel trailer, and now we have a 5th Wheel. We’ve learned something in every phase until we found our jam. In which our jam got us a 5th Wheel! Below are the four tools we’ve benefited from over the years.
Tracking Tool #1: Old School
The Tent
Good old pencil & paper. There are LOADS of downloadable printables online; finding one that fits your needs is the hard part. It’s overwhelming. My rule of thumb: Keep It Simple. Think of your finances like a business treat it like a business. All businesses start with pen and paper. Grab the old college-ruled notebook and a No. 2 pencil to get started. You can also get a Budget Planner which brings a little ‘pretty’ to the party.
5 Steps with Old School
Step 1: Dust off the old notebook; rip out your old psychology notes, sharpen your pencil, and jot down all the categories that take your money. For instance: groceries, autogas, utilities, insurance, phone, memberships, or subscriptions. This is the first step. Just list the categories in one column.
Step 2: Start saving receipts and keeping track of what is EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer every month). Even if you’re putting these things on a credit card, keep the receipt. Remember this is a gradual approach to finding harmony.
Step 3: Pick a regular time once a week to go through the receipts and bills that were collected. Maybe Sunday afternoon or Thursday night. Write alongside the category of how much you spent that week. Keep the list going for the whole month.
Below is an example of what your paper might look like…this is for one month. Note the tallies for coffee.
Find it on Amazon!
Step 4: Don’t forget your income! You can put your income on the top or bottom of your sheet. List all your paychecks for the month.
Step 5: It’s math time! Add up all the amounts from each category (row) and write in the total for that specific category. Then the scary part happens; add all the expenses together (column), then subtract that from your income.
PRO: Anyone can do it. All you need is a calculator.
CON: This method takes a bit of time. Generating a report would take forever and require a lot of math.
Tracking Tool #2: graduate to desktop
The Small Camper
After we mastered the pencil & paper method, my husband and I decided to move up to a computer accounting program. I’m not talking Google Docs, which is a great way to keep track; many of my friends use Excel these days. Do what fits your lifestyle. If you like Excel I have a free spreadsheet download below!
PRO: If you want to print a report or reconcile your account, an accounting program makes it so much easier…, especially for taxes. Essentially it’s a glorified check register with the ability to print reports. Another feature I like is that you can have multiple accounts. For instance, we have our personal checking, savings, health savings, and our son’s account all in one program. And they are from all different banks! We use Quicken. It’s a simple way to start. Unfortunately, you do have to pay for it, but they have a 30-day free trial.
In our household, I’m the one who updates “the books”. I pay the bills, I keep the receipts, and I reconcile the account. My husband analyzes the reports and strategizes. We have our roles figured out…SUPER IMPORTANT!
CON: It doesn’t automatically update your account in real time. So if you go to Taco Bob’s for lunch, Quicken doesn’t know that right away. Plus you have to pay for it but it’s not that much for what it does.
Tracking Tool #3: now to an app
The Little Bit Bigger Camper
We then experimented with Mint. It’s an online-only app for managing your money. Mint is FREE! But it’s a bit more complicated. You can see all your transitions, but to itemize them, you need to wait until they clear. It’s great for budgeting, tracking, and bill reminders, but it doesn’t have the reconciliation feature and reports can be a bit tricky. Again, do what fits your lifestyle, but please keep it simple. Other Apps to checkout are YNAB (You Need A Budget), nerdwallet, and mvelopes.
PRO: It’s free and on your phone.
CON: It’s free and on your phone. No reconciliation option or easy access to reports.
Tracking Tool #4: The best of both
The 5th Wheel
We’ve now moved up to Quickbooks Online. If you’re looking for the best of both worlds, do it the simple way with this program. It’s an online check register, with reports, and account reconciliation. My husband and I have been using it and are loving it! I can’t believe how much fun he has with this program. The downside of this program is that you have to pay for it. But, don’t look at that as an expense because the program and its capabilities can save you a lot of money. Worth it.
Click on the picture for more details.
PRO: You got it all here. You can access it from your phone or computer. Reconciles on its own. Captures expenses. Has budgeting tools…oops…I meant ‘harmony’ tools. And it’s easy to use. Many businesses use this program.
CON: You have to pay for it. You can only use accounts from one bank. It can be kind of confusing.
The bottom line is how to manage money easily
To create harmony is to understand where your money is going and how you will process that information. What needs to change? And how are you going to do that? David Bach says, “The solution to your money problems isn’t more money; it’s new habits.”
Make harmony with your money by looking at your habits and experimenting with new ways how to change them without losing your lifestyle. This is the most effective way how to manage money easily.
Here’s a free Excel cash flow worksheet to help you get started. Simply click on the link and it will download automatically. Then in the lower-left corner, click the up arrow and click ‘Open’. You can then save it on your computer and start plugging away! Har-Money Worksheet.
Avocado got your taste buds? There are many things you can do with this amazing fruit. Due to my IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) I have had to simplify my diet. So, when I make a meal I keep things as simple as possible. With avocados, I usually just put a shake of salt on them and add them to my meal, but lately, I’ve been more adventurous and have been making guacamole and now pesto!
This is actually my new favorite find. With normal pesto, there are ingredients in there that are hard for me to digest, like dairy, nuts, and various spices. Yet, my recipe only has six ingredients without dairy or nuts. Honestly, I can’t tell the difference. And it’s healthy for you!
Avocado is easy to digest, so if you have IBD, colitis, or Crohn’s disease, avocado is your friend. It’s a great source of potassium (more than a banana), folate, magnesium, B Vitamins which include: B2, B3, B5, B6, and it has Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and Vitamin K. This fruit also is a great source of healthy fat. The fat avocados have isn’t going to make you fat, so don’t be afraid to eat it. They have monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats; these are good fats.
They also are high in fiber which is also good for us IBD people. Many fiber foods are extremely taxing on our intestinal tract.
Overall avocados help people get healthier! They help your eyes, assist in weight loss, help make you feel satisfied, ease arthritis symptoms, prevent cancer, and help your body absorb nutrients…which is hard for people with Crohn’s or colitis.
How to eat them
If there is one thing that turns my son off about avocados it’s how slimy they are. Yeah, it’s kind of gross. This is where we can be creative. Avocados are great in smoothies if you’re a smoothie person. Yet, guacamole is probably the most popular way to eat them, especially around Super Bowl and Cinco de Mayo. However, avocado pesto is on the rise. Move over guac, here comes the pesto!
Why not make a sauce that is super good for you? Combine all these awesome benefits of avocado and mix them with garlic, basil, lemon, olive oil, and salt. That’s all there is, people. Six ingredients to play with and to make it your own.
Hold up there friends. This isn’t just for gluten-free or keto pasta, you can use it as a sandwich spread! The longer you blend this recipe the more creamer it will get. Oh my goodness, it’s such a great substitute for mayo or ‘dressing’ as some people say. Heck, you could probably add more oil and make it a salad dressing! Endless ideas with avocado.
Nut-free, Dairy-free, Gluten-free Avocado Pesto Sauce is my new favorite find. Only 6 fresh ingredients! Easy to make, tastes amazing, and shines in every dish. Healthy for you too!
2clovesgarlicLarge cloves. If you like a lot of garlic add more or less if you don't.
4leavesbasilLarge leaves.
2tbsplemon juice
2tbspolive oil
Instructions
Gather all your ingredients so they're ready to go.
Chop your avocado. You want to make sure the avocado is ripe. They should not be rock hard. You want them to have a bit of give. Look for darker skins, not the green skins.
Place in the food processor and put your 2 pinches of salt in.
Give your galic cloves a rough chop, remove the skin first! Add you lemon juice, chop your basil leaves, and add your olive oil. Put them in the processor.
Process all the ingredients. For a chunker pesto, only blend for a short while. For a creamier version blend longer, like I did for this one. All done!
Eat it as the main meal or serve as a side…like with a piece of smoked chicken thighs and fresh chopped tomatoes. YUM!
Notes
The serving size is about 2-3 tablespoons. The calories are based on serving size. The entire calorie count for the whole recipe is estimated to be 589 calories. This recipe will keep for 24 hours. If there are leftovers, store it in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. If the pesto turns brown, discard it. Totally makes the sandwich. Enjoy!
Hope you enjoy this amazing recipe. I know your body will love you for it.
Be sure to check out my other simple and delicious recipes that accent this avocado dish!
Planting a tree is a simple act that has a big impact. However, before you get dirty, there are some tree planting tips you’re going to want to know! Whether it be Earth Day, Arbor Day, National Tree Day, or an ordinary day there is always a reason to plant a tree. Let’s learn some must-do tree planting tips along with some tree terminology you must know!
With global warming on the rise, there IS something we can do about it. Plant more trees! Trees gobble up all those bad emissions, they actually filter the air. They also help clean our water and provide so much for us to survive and thrive. Did you know that trees can help reduce stress and bring happiness? Whaaat? Yes! This post is going to be a game-changer for you and your family. Learn some amazing tree facts, get wiser with tree terminology, and understand these 4 tips on planting trees that everyone else forgets!
More than just a tree
My childhood was surrounded by trees. That’s probably why I love them so much. They were my friends when I didn’t have anyone to play with, they were my listeners when no one else would listen, and they were my entertainment when I didn’t want to watch TV.
No, I’m not a major tree-hugger. But I do my part. In fact, on my vision board, I have a ‘tree farm’. About five years ago I started my little tree farm in our backyard. I bought pots, dirt, and saplings of Blue Spruce, Douglas Fir, White Pine, Sugar Maples, and Burr Oak. There has been so much joy in watching are caring for my tree babies. And I’m happy to say they are all now in their forever homes. Note: I did this on less than an acre, so if you have any kind of space, you can do this too!
A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.
Trees have many benefits, they reduce air pollution, enrich habitats, bring beauty to the eye, shelter us, provide food, provide material, and comfort us in many ways. The book, The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben, is a must-have! Did you know trees communicate with others through their root system? That they ‘scream’ when they need water? Even if you don’t have an interest in trees, you will after you read this book!
There are about 3 to 6 billion trees cut down globally per year. That’s a lot of trees! No wonder our atmosphere is so polluted. Mahatma Gandhi has a valid point, “What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another.” Again, if you asked me what would reverse global warming, let alone our well-being, I’d say to plant trees! This is such a simple task with huge rewards. And it’s incredibly EASY!
Nature heals us in many ways, not just by providing medicines, but by other means that are unexplainable. What is it about walking through a forest or a path lined with trees? Trees reduce stress and lift our spirits. It’s amazing how something so simple has so much power. Prepare yourself for the outdoors with these amazing nature quotes.
Tree terminology: Get to know the lingo
When talking about trees there are a few words you might want to familiarize yourself with. Here are the most common terms you’ll run into; ‘thank you, to the State of Maine’ for this reference.
Conifer: Cone-bearing trees; the “evergreens”. I get this messed up with Deciduous all the time!
Crown [of the tree]: Branches, twigs, buds, leaves, flowers, and fruit. This is the big part on top.
Deciduous [leaves]: All leaves drop in the autumn; not evergreen. Think of ‘dead’, as in dead leaves, to remember this one.
Fruit: The seed-bearing part of a tree
Habitat: The place where a plant usually grows, for example, dry, wet, rocky.
Hardwood: Term used to describe all broadleaved trees. These tree species are deciduous, retaining their leaves only one growing season.
Inner bark: Conducts usable food from the leaves to the cambium (tree cells) to nourish it or to storage areas in the wood.
Leaf: Stalk and blade of hardwoods: needles and scales of conifers.
Leaflets: Smaller leaf units or leaflets that together form a compound leaf.
Outer bark: The area of the tree trunk composed of dead cells. It insulates and protects inner tissues from disease infections and drying.
Photosynthesis: This is the process that occurs in the leaves. From energy produced by sunlight, the leaves combine carbon dioxide from the air and water from the soil to produce carbohydrates. Oxygen is released in the process. Carbohydrates plus fats and proteins are the plant foods necessary for the growth and respiration of the tree.
Roots: Root hairs absorb water and mineral salts from the soil. Larger roots anchor the tree and store nitrogen and carbohydrates.
Softwood: Term used to describe all needle-leaved trees. These species are typically evergreen, retaining their leaves through two or more growing seasons.
Plant a tree to represent an important time in your life. You’ll take better care of it knowing there is symbolism behind it. I’ve been known to give my trees a fun name, like Bruce the Spruce, my son named our freshly planted Sugar Maple, Kevin. When I had my tree farm, I named every tree…silly sounding, but people loved it!
When planting a tree in the ground, make sure to dig a wide hole and only as deep as the pot. Carefully remove the tree from the pot and spread out the roots. We want to try and save the dirt it is used to and gradually introduce the new dirt. Carefully fill in the hole with dirt and then put a 2-inch layer of mulch surrounding the tree. Water the tree every day for two weeks. And wrap the trunk in the cold winter months to protect it from sunscald and rodents. Do this until it’s big enough to thrive on its own, probably when the trunk is at a 4-5 inch diameter.
Don’t know where to get a tree? Try a local nursery and opt for native trees, trees that thrive in their environment. For instance, White Spruce is a native tree to Michigan, but Blue Spruce is native to Colorado. Your local conservation office should have trees to buy. You can also get a tree on Amazon! Seriously, you can get a Sugar Maple and many other types of trees.
4. Check out Arbor Day Foundation
Go to the Arbor Day Foundation for more facts and information about trees. If you need to purchase some trees, they can handle that too. You can donate and they’ll send you free trees as a thank you. They have loads of information in caring for your tree along with more planting tree tips.
Don’t have a place to plant? No problem. The Arbor Day Foundation is happy to accept donations, they will then plant trees where they are desperately needed. Please note, that I do not work for Arbor Day Foundation nor get monetary benefits from mentioning them, I simply am a supporter helping to spread the word. They are the experts.
Trees are the best monuments that a man can erect to his own memory. They speak his praises without flattery, and they are blessings to children yet unborn.
Lord Orrery, 1749
Wrapping up planting tree tips
Don’t be afraid to plant a tree. With too many forest fires to count, plant as many trees as you can either by donation or by getting your hands dirty. Let’s make the world a better place for ourselves and future generations. Make Earth Day every day in some way or form. Don’t forget to get your tree printable for your kids! It’s super fun and educational. Thank you!
