I thought I'd pop in to say Hi before we head out to Cannon Beach in Oregon for some camping at Nehalem Bay State Park this weekend. This will be the second camping trip of the year for us. Two weeks ago, we spent 4 days camping on San Juan Island, just a few hours drive and an hour ferry from Seattle. We camped at Lakedale Resort, which is a favorite of ours. We've been camping at Lakedale for the past 7 years, every summer making at least a trip or two. Before Sebastian, we used to leave our car in Anacortes and take our bikes on the ferry. We would spend the weekend biking around the Island, doing ridiculous things that I'm glad we got out of our system before having kids. This year was a bit different, toddler in tow.

Our car was filled to the brim with every possible thing we could imagine. Although, I will admit that 20% was taken up by my giant air mattress. I was a little nervous about this trip, camping with a toddler, but Sebastian was surprisingly chill and low key. When we weren't out and about being active, he spends his time at the campsite collecting rocks and rolling in the dirt. He would occasionally start to drift away from the campsite, but then one of us would use trickery and lure him back with something ridiculous. It turns out that a good ratio for adults to toddlers is roughly 4:1.

The first trip was more of an experiment. We jammed a whole bunch of stuff into the car and figured that we'd quickly find out what was necessary and what we could do without. I feel a bit more prepared for this trip. I have organized our cooking equipment into tubs. Realized that we probably don't need 5 blankets, but that our king size pillows are a must. I am going out to purchase a queen size blow-up mattress and fancy new earplugs, because trying to sleep in a tent with a husband, a child, and a dog who all snore is a bit torturous for me. I'm going to do a bit more meal prep from home because toddlers go from being not hungry to hungry in approximately one minute.

Speaking of meals that are quick and easy to make! This ginger miso noodle bowl is so easy and so dang delicious. It's something that I prepare often, and because Sebastian loves avocado, it's one of his favorites. I hope you guys are having a great summer. We are definitely enjoying these long and warm days! I'd love to hear your thoughts on camping with a toddler. Do you guys have any tips or tricks? and favorite places on the West Coast?

print recipe

GINGER MISO 

NOODLES WITH 

AVOCADO AND CUCUMBER 

serves 2

prep time: 20 minutes

cooking time: 5 minutes

dressing ingredients

1 tbsp miso paste

1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp sesame oil

4 tbsp canola oil

1 tbsp maple syrup

dash of pepper

2 servings of soba, wheat, or rice noodles

1 avocado, chopped

1/4 English cucumber, sliced

1 scallion, sliced

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1 tbsp sesame seeds

optional

salt

hot sauce

Place the dressing ingredients into a mason jar and shake to combine. Set to the side.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Once boiling, add the noodles and cook per package directions. Remove from the boiling water and run under cold water. Let cool.

Divide the noodles in half and place into 2 dinner bowls.

Top with the avocado, cucumber, scallions, almonds, and sesame seeds. Drizzle with the dressing. Serve cold.