New Zealand Roadtrip - Part 3

I wrote a poem for Day 5, but for Day 6 I will let the photos do the talking.

In the morning woke up for an update at 10
Ate breakfast and got ready for our trip to begin

The road opened early at 9:30 we got through
We couldn't contain our excitement woohoo!

We stopped to see blue pools and waterfalls
The snow on the mountains the best part of all

I can think of no words to describe to you
All that we saw, the unbelievable views

Stopped in Wanaka for coffee and churros
Ran into our friends and played in the snow

Kyle and Mel found an apple tree
They each ate one and gave one to me

Headed to Queenstown through mountains we did
Had to turn around for without snow chains we slid

In Queenstown had fergburger, it was grand
The burgers were almost the size of my hand

Had a hard time finding a place to camp
Ended up in a parking lot under a street lamp

Mini Paleo Apple Pies

I made this recipe by Knit and Bake on Sunday night for Kyle's birthday because apple pie is his favorite. They were so good I decided to try my own paleo version. It didn't work out quite how I wanted, but it still tasted good.

Ingredients for dough:

1 cup almond meal (homemade recipe here)

6 tablespoons of coconut oil

2 tablespoons of ice water

1 tsp salt

1 tsp honey

Ingredients for filling:

2 to 3 apples

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp cinnamon

pinch of salt

1 tbsp almond meal

1 tsp vanilla

Instructions:

To make the dough mix the almond meal with the coconut oil using a fork or food processor, I used a food processor. Next add the salt and honey, then the ice water until it forms a dough. Wrap in saran wrap and leave in fridge for 30 mins.

Peel and chop apples, then add the honey, cinnamon, salt, almond meal, & vanilla and mix.

Ready to go in the oven

I attempted to use a cup to cut circles out of the dough for the base of the pies, but my almond meal dough wouldn't stick together so I just pressed it into a cupcake pan. I halved the recipe so it only made 6 pies. Next fill them with the apple mixture and try to "crumble" the rest of the almond meal dough over the top of the apples.

Don't look so pretty, but taste good.

Bake for 35 mins at 375 degrees F or about 190 C. When I attempted to take my pies out of the cupcake pan they crumbled everywhere, so maybe try using a cupcake liner. They did taste delicious even though they didn't look like the original picture. 

My version on left and Knit and Bake's original on right.

New Zealand Roadtrip - Part 2

We've been back from New Zealand for a few days now and are missing that amazing, beautiful, and peaceful country! These photos and poem pretty much sum up days 3 and 4 on our journey. I hope you enjoy!

Woke up on Day 3 to rain leaking in,
On a road by the ocean our journey to begin.

Went to a state park, with horses and all,
One horse was very friendly, we named him Jamal.

He stuck his head in the window of the van,
Before long he ate apple bits from my hand.

Waterfalls from mountain top to ocean flowed,
Then on to McDonald's for WiFi we rode.

Fog and rain as far as could see,
The mountains barely visible to me.

Along curvy, windy streets we wove,
And across one lane bridges drove.

A river we passed a light shade of gray,
The rain was finally stopping, Hooray!

We walked down a trail and that wind it was cold,
The view was sheer beauty, but low and behold.

The rain started again and nobody cared,
Because at huge glaciers and waterfalls we stared.

In the middle of a giant hail storm we sat,
Then watched a landslide, how crazy is that?

Walked to the van drenched, but had a great view,
I've never seen water so turquoisy blue.

Pale pink in the sky, the sun started to set,
On we drove to see just how far we could get.

We got to Haast and the road was closed,
The only road to get where we needed to go.

We decided to stay at a campervan site,
Until the 9 am update, oh what a night.

We did have a kitchen and shower to use,
Then woke up to rain and some terrible news.

The 9 am update pushed to 12 then to 2,
Wasted time at a visitor's center with a museum, who knew?

Met a nice old couple, we were instantly friends,
Ate lunch at a pub, started fish and chip trends.

By the fireplace in that pub we sat,
Finally able to take off our coats and hats.

Later, we made some dinner with our family clan,
Watched a movie, and relaxed in the van.

Then more news came and brought us all down,
One more night we were stuck in that little ol' town.

Photography once again by Kyle Grantham and Ally Younes and a few by me.