RV cooking part 2

     Two words: slow cooker. I have managed to cook some amazing meals and continue to be a health nut, but after purchasing a slow cooker there is no question on whether or not I can continue to get creative with our meals. 

     The stove that came with the RV has three burners that are extremely close together, so with some meals I would have to split the dish into two parts in order to get it done. The oven is hard to work with when baking dishes because the propane hose runs only in the center of the oven, and even though I set a temperature, I truly don't think it is ever accurate. I usually will have to rotate the baking dish several times in order to avoid over cooking the center and have the sides still not be done. Believe me when I say that it's been quite the production trying to make meals without burning everything every time. 

       The slow cooker has been an amazing addition to the kitchen. Also, it requires only electricity, so it helps saving on the propane since we have been using that a lot with the heater. Another change I will be making soon will be removing the microwave that came with the RV and replacing it with a toaster oven. Not only are microwaves extremely bad for you and banned in most other countries, it doesn't make your dish taste any better. The toaster oven will be a huge upgrade for me in the kitchen. 

        Some of the recipes I have made with the slow cooker are: the traditional beef pot roast, chicken fajitas, butternut squash soup, honey garlic chicken, chicken tikka masala, and Mongolian beef. All the ingredients are organic, and I'll modify the recipe to make it healthy and low calorie:). And it doesn't get any better than having Rich come home saying it smells better than any restaurant he has ever been to. 

To my fellow RVers or those who love to cook: your kitchen will never be the same after you get a slow cooker, you're welcome:) 

Glenwood Lake Park RV Campground

       After four months of living in this campground, we've had to say goodbye as winter approaches. This campground was open from April-November 1st, and we had the pleasure of living there from June 21st- October 31st. 

      The town of Glenwood has a population of 5,269, and they are all the nicest people I've met. As you enter the little town you are greeted with beautiful town signs and the undeniable love the town folk have for their local school team, the Rams. It seems as if you went back in time with the old school architecture and small town set up. They had to offer a few restaurants, a very small grocery store, a couple chiropractic offices, doctor offices, a couple banks, a nail salon, and a brewery, to our surprise. 

    The park itself had a very nice paved path around the "lake", walking trails behind the historic building, an amphitheater, a farmers market that happened every Wednesday, and the RV campground with only 12 spots. This secluded place we found was the most perfect place to start our full time RV journey. 

      We were extremely spoiled with this place to say the least. From the campground to town was a short mile, so it was easy to run errands. They offered many events right at the park including a great Fourth of July BBQ and blues festival which we had a great time at. I felt very safe at the park with the pups all day and loved being able to walk them around the lake. I'm sad to leave that campground, but so far we are already loving the new place. If you are ever driving through Iowa, I absolutely recommend a stop in Glenwood. It won't disappoint:) 

       

Preparing the RV for winter

       Even though our Fifth wheel has the "arctic package" that only really means that the underbelly of the RV is completely insulated allowing the heat from the furnace to keep the tanks and pipes somewhat warm. Our goal is to be able to be in any temperature and have the RV fully functioning. After doing a ton of research on the dos and don'ts during the winter, we are ready for winter!

     First thing you should do is buy heated tape to put on the faucet outside. The first night that the temperature went below freezing we woke up to no water coming from the RV. We immediately thought that our pipes had frozen and quickly rushed out to get all the materials to build our skirt. To our surprise the faucet outside was frozen and so nothing was passing through. After attaching the heated tape and covering it with insulated tape, the water began flowing again:)

      Second thing is how to keep water always flowing into the RV. You have two options; you can either go outside and hook up the hose every time the fresh water tank is empty and after filling it put the hose away, or you can buy a heated water hose. This costs about $120 for a 25" hose. It will never let the water freeze going into your RV, well, at least to below 40F. We went with the option of buying the hose just in case we needed continuous flowing water. 

     The most important thing is making a skirt for the bottom of the RV. I looked into many options and anything purchased professionally was over $1000 plus we would still need to install it. If you wanted to buy the same material from a craft store and make it yourself it would be about $500. After noticing that most of the people at the campground we are staying at are using foam boards with the support of wood to keep it secured, we decided to see how much that would cost. We ended up spending $150 which covered all the insulation, wood, extension cord, nails, and an electric heater. The skirt took about 5 hrs to piece it all together, but now that it's done it looks great and very efficient. Rich already has a plan to build something underneath so we can easily store it during the warmer months. 

       A couple extra things that are worth to have are electric heaters for the inside of the RV so it will help with the costs in the winter, antifreeze that you should put into every tank after emptying it to make sure nothing freezes in there, and a back up propane tank for the just in case scenario. Another tip that I read is that you should always keep all the holding tanks closed until they are completely full and ready to be emptied because any running water could freeze in the sewer hose and create major problems. 

     Since we have readied ourselves for winter we haven't run into any problems with the pipes. The only thing that is worth mentioning is how much you have plugged into the outlets outside. If you have too much plugged in and blow the circuit it will shut off all the heated hoses, tapes, and electric heater and you could wake up with a nightmare in your hands. 

Happy RV living!!:)

Noises We Hear in the RV

    Besides the wonderful sound of the rain hitting the roof top of the RV or the wicked loud thunder, there are many other noises that we have experienced during our time in the RV. 

    When we first got settled in the campground, while we were sleeping, we heard a loud noise which sounded like someone was opening our storage compartments outside. Even though we are in a safe area, being new to the RV life, it's hard to imagine what else could be causing that noise. Every time we heard it the boys went crazy barking, and Rich would get up and turn the scare lights on and go outside to check, but there was always nothing. This happened several times before we realized that the noise was coming from the awning. Haha! Every time it gets a bit windy, and if the awning is open, it shakes the struts making a loud popping sound just like as if we were opening the storage compartments. The awning is made to have a flexible strut so that the awning itself doesn't rip when a big gust of wind comes through. After living in here for three months both us and the dogs don't mind it at all and it's not even noticeable. 

       In this town we are in, the very first Saturday of every month, they test out the tornado alarm. The first time this happened we just about had a heart attack! It was so loud and it goes on for minutes. The second time it happened I realized that they must do this every month, and now it's normal. It makes you  think that if there were a tornado where would we go...

       While mentioning alarms, the RV is equipped with a carbon monoxide alarm, a fire alarm, and an RV propane and gas alarm. While Rich's mom was visiting we had the pleasure of experience the carbon monoxide and the gas propane alarm go off, and oh my goodness is it loud and annoying!!! The propane alarm is supposed to last 7 years, we didn't have a propane leak, and since ours still has 4 years left, we had to call someone to walk us through what was going on. We were about to cut the wires to shut this alarm that goes off every minute, and luckily it stopped and it hasn't happened again. The carbon monoxide is in the bedroom, and while we were all about to sleep, it goes off. This was easier to handle since you can just take it off the wall and replace the batteries. The fire alarm has gone off a few times when I cook bacon, and it's easy to shut it off, but the funniest part is how excited the boys get when it goes off. Jasper practically is trying to eat it trying to fix the problem. Too funny. 

    Another noise that we hear multiple times a day are the trains traveling by. There must be at least one going through every hour, but at least it's not too loud that it bothers us. 

    The last one worth mentioning is the water heater. After you use hot water, the water heater kicks back on to heat more water, but some times the pilot light has gone out, so you hear it ignite and then the flame comes on. That is all normal, however, ours decides to make a loud popping sound sometimes when it's relighting the pilot light that it sounds like it's about to explode!! Pretty sure something is off, but after watching a million videos on RV water heaters and checking ours thoroughly, it seems like everything looks good. 

Update

      We are almost at our 3 month mark in the RV, and we couldn't be happier. It has truly been a blast! We love our little town ( I will share more about this place once we are gone...safety first:) ), we've had our first visitor, I have fully mastered the RV kitchen, and life is so much better in the outdoors! 

      The pups are extremely spoiled, as they should be, but there have been some interesting habits being formed around the RV life, and some old habits that are hopefully behind us. One of our pups has a hard time being on his own, maybe separation anxiety or too spoiled, but whatever the reason, we have had to take our pups everywhere we go. Our biggest worry was that our RV would have been eaten from the inside out, if we left him alone in there. I absolutely love having our dogs with us at all times, but sometimes it's nice to go out on a doggyless date, or be able to run errands without having to worry about them every single second of everyday. This past weekend we had decided to attempt leaving them alone so we could enjoy a concert. We proofed the whole place, gave them bones, and prayed we would come back to an untouched RV. And guess what? It worked! There were a few things out of place, a treat bag was demolished, but nothing of value was damaged! Woohoo! We will definitely not push our luck all the time, but it's nice to know that it can be done! 

      The new habits that have been forming is protective aggressive behavior around the RV. I've been researching on the behavior and from what I read  I guess it's pretty common for dogs to do this in the new environment. For the sake of my heart and my neighbors this is something that needs to stop immediately...so dog training classes here we come!! This is also something that I had never heard about before when I was researching about being a full time RVer. I hope this really helps teach them and us how to properly handle our pups while on the road! Wish us luck:)

Dry Camping VS Full Hookup

        Each RV is obviously different and depending on the size of the RV it will have different tanks or battery needs. Our 5th wheel has a 50 amp hookup( but we did buy a 30amp adapter for the sites that don't offer 50amps), two 30lb propane tanks, 2 batteries, and we bought a generator. 

      The RV needs to be plugged in to a power source in order for any 110v lights or power outlets to work. So if you are dry camping you won't be able to charge your phone unless you are using the generator, which I'll talk more about that later:) Also, the moment you plug your RV to a power source the refrigerator automatically switches from using the propane to using the power. The a.c does not work unless you are plugged into a power source of 30amps or more. Being plugged in to a power source makes life in the RV very easy and extremely comfortable. 

      Don't get me wrong here, the RV is great whether you are dry camping or being hooked up, but it takes a lot more effort to make things work while not being hooked up to a power source. When dry camping the batteries make the lights work( the non 110v lights), and the furnace could run off of the batteries too, but we haven't tried that yet. The batteries would drain after a couple days of use without recharging it, and it would take about 72hrs for the batteries to be full again when plugged into a power source. That is why the generator comes in handy. The generator not only gives 30amp plus power to the RV, it also charges the batteries, so it is suggested that when dry camping use the generator a couple times a day for a few hours to keep the battery from draining completely  and to enjoy any 110v, air conditioner, or the microwave. We have a 5 gallon generator that when full it can power the RV for 12 hrs, so we always keep a gas container full for backup if we need it. 

     The propane tanks run the oven, water heater, and the refrigerator(only when you are dry camping). With both propane tanks full you would have enough propane to last you a little less than two months. That's if you don't leave the oven on all night because you forget to shut it off...oooppps!!:) Each propane costs a little less than $30 to fill depending on where you buy it from.

 

      All of this may sound extremely boring, but it was one of the things that you need to learn the fastest because when it storms it creates a whole new challenge. We've had a few times where the storms have been so bad we've lost power which involves a little process to get things running again. First off if the power gets shut off on the sites main breaker you have to go outside and turn the breaker back on, but before you do just make sure to turn the a.c. switch off, so you don't mess anything up with the air conditioner. After you turn the breaker on outside(if it was needed) double check that the breaker panel inside the RV didn't shut anything off automatically to protect the RV (our RV has this feature, but some don't). If everything is set you have to wait 5 mins before turning the air conditioner back on or it won't work. One of the storms we had was so severe the air conditioner didn't go back on after we did all these steps, and a lot more work was needed but that was because the ac switch was left on and it was running without enough power, so it is important to really know what to do in these situations so that a small problem doesn't turn into a big problem. 

      Another interesting fact about the air conditioner that no one told us before is that you can not refill the freeon, so when it's done, it's done. Also, when the temperature is extremely hot outside the ac it is not capable of keeping things cool like you would want it to, it will be able to stay about 20 degrees less than the outside temperature unless you have a second air conditioner, which some RVs aren't set up for a second unit. You also have to be plugged into a 50 amp power source if you have two air conditioners. So far we only have had a problem with extreme heat once, and when that happens just be ready to take a million cool showers:)

     When dry camping you may have enough propane to last you a couple of months, and with the generator you can keep things running smoothly in terms of power, but the fresh water tank lasts about two days, and the grey, black, and galley tanks need to be emptied about 1/week depending on how much water you are using to do dishes and take showers. So be prepared to have to move the RV all the time to fill water and empty the holding tanks. It is an extreme pain to set up the RV and break it down, so I suggest that when you can, find a place with full hookup because it is worth not having to deal with the hassle of moving the RV every other day. When you travel between destinations then dry camping is fine because you can fill up the fresh water stay a couple days, and then empty your tanks before traveling to a new destination. You never want to travel with the RV holding tanks full.

     With a full hook up site not only do you get power, you get water, and your own emptying station, so once you are set, you don't have to worry about anything else unless you lose power, but that's usually a quick fix, and then you are back to enjoying the RV life:)

RV life is truly the best!! YOU should try it!

      Things just feel so comfortable in our RV. It's neat to see how much happier, healthier, and rested we are by being surrounded by nature all the time. Living minimally has so many wonderful perks. It takes the stress out of so many issues I've dealt with in the past from apartment renting or city living. The RV life may not be for all, but it is perfect for us:)              

      Thunderstorms are 10x louder in the RV and it's quite the experience! The other day we had a storm that lasted for about 5 hours overnight. You could hear every drop of water on the roof and the thunder sounded incredible. Our power shut off a few times but came back on right away. I love thunderstorms so It's as if we were outside experiencing the sound, seeing the RV light up by every lightening, and not have to get wet. Brody didn't like it at all, but I was happy to stay up and make sure he was okay:)

      The weekends are the greatest because it's great to have Rich with me and the pups. One day this weekend we filled the pool for the pups, sun tanned, played corn whole, volleyball and frisbee(Brody and Jasper are always trying to steal the ball so it makes it much harder to play a game), and BBQ all day. To me that is by far the greatest way to spend your day. It didn't involve going anywhere, or eating out, it was filled with smiles and relaxation. This is how we've enjoyed our weekends since we've been in the RV, and I couldn't be happier. 

     I've always appreciated the small things in life, but being disconnected from the world makes it so much more rewarding how great it is to be here. Also I'm happy to announce that my weird neighbor with the crazy dog has officially left the campground, which makes this place perfect!!! The secret really works!:)

Our neighbors

    The RV life has introduced us to many new and interesting people. Most have been over 50, very nice, and full time RVers, but we have run into a few people that I would consider them total nuts. I mean we are all a bit nuts, but these people just take it overboard. 

    At the state parks most people were just vacationing and they use the RVs during the summer months to travel. At the RV campgrounds most people live full time, but there are the occasional people who just come for a holiday or the weekend with their families. Those people usually live in town and just do little getaways when they can. For the full time RVers that we've met in this campground, they are well over 65 and the RVs range from looking a million years old to some that look like a very nice stretched house. Everyone waves to each other and they are all intrigued to know their new neighbor. I welcome the company during the day, and by now everyone knows the pups, which helps when Jasper decides to wonder a bit far beyond our area:) On the 4th of July we were even invited to our neighbors family BBQ. 

       Amongst the very nice people, there are also the not so nice ones. So far I've encountered a couple in our journey, and let me tell you...it wasn't pleasant. When we first arrived to the campground there were many open spots, so we were lucky to find one that suited all our needs (grass for the boys, full hookup, and some space from the other RVs). We first found this spot that was perfect, but unfortunately the only RV in that area had two dogs barking their heads off, and the RV itself looked in rough shape. After finding our spot that we are currently in now, we walked the dogs around the lake path, and we could hear those dogs going crazy in there. I immediately felt bad about them being locked up in the very small RV all day long without having a chance to go outside. 

     A few days had passed and I decided to go for a run. Usually, I always take the boys with me, but Rich was home and Brody had injured his leg the day before, so I left them behind. As I started my run I noticed the two dogs from that RV, a huge German Shepherd and a black lab, were loose and the owner was trying to bring them back with his van by chasing them with it. Even though I thought it was odd, I continued running and headed for the lake. I had almost finished my first lap and I see the German Shepherd running straight towards me, no tail wagging, just coming straight for me. I immediately stopped and noticed how rough this dog was. It was missing spots of hair and it looked too thin.  I put my hand out by my side so the dog could smell my hands first, but he just circled me with no happy reaction at all. My heart was pounding, and this fisherman noticed and told me to stay calm as the dog circled me. The fisherman came over and got in the way of me and the dog, and I yelled to see if the owner could hear me and get his dog back. This old guy comes out of the RV with a gun and shoots it at the air twice and the dog runs back to him. I couldn't have been more grateful that our dogs weren't with me, and for the fisherman helping me out. 

     I'm a dog lover, but that dog, unfortunately, seemed to have been raised by this crazy guy. We contacted the superintendent of the campground and he told us that this isn't the first time he has had complaints and to call 911 and him again if this happens again. I usually avoid going for runs now when his van is there, and since the 4th there have been a few other RVs near his area, so he has kept the dogs locked up. After speaking to another neighbor he says those dogs are crazy and not supervised, so I've started running with my pepper spray just in case. 

     Aside from this crazy guy and his dogs, this park is extremely safe:) We have a weekly farmers market, people fishing or exercising on the lake all day, park employees, and police officers are constantly driving by throughout the day. Whether you are in an RV campground, a neighborhood, or a public location there is always someone out there who doesn't have the best intentions, which is why I wonder about protection. I'm not for guns or against them, it's just never been part of my life thus far, but it makes me wonder if in this journey is it worth to have a way to protect yourself against that one crazy person or animal?

Must haves for the RV so far...:)

     We have been officially living in the RV for a month now, and I have a list of things that are a must have. I'm sure I'll come up with more the more we live in it, but these have been crucial in making it a happy place to live:)

-All Stays camp and RV app. It's a $9.99 app but worth every penny! It tells you which roads to avoid in an RV for height purposes. It helps you narrow it down campsites based on what you need. The database of places is huge, and I didn't find this cute place we are staying now anywhere else but on this app! Very informative on RV overnight parking and places to fix your RV along the way in case something happens. 

-Small size everything! Baking sheets, dish drainers, pans. I thought I had the perfect tiny baking sheet for the RV and when I tried it, it didn't fit at all. So keep in mind that the space you think you have is probably still smaller. Also, counter space is so important that the normal sized dish drainers would take up the whole place. They sell the RV sized ones that are perfect for daily use:)

-The refrigerator bars are perfect for travel, and for the shower the suction holders are great to keep the shower things in their spot while traveling. For the cabinets we used bungee cords that kept the cabinets very closed so even if things moved around, it wouldn't come flying out of the cabinets. To keep appliances in place we bought Velcro and attached all the appliances to their spot. 

-Fly swatters!! As much as we try to keep the screen door closed, or just avoid leaving anything open for too long, flys still get through:(( we tried the tape but nothing happened, so the swatters are perfect for getting them all!  Jasper helps too which is great;) 

-A handy cordless vacuum cleaner that folds easily into nothing and can do carpet and tile. With the pups I find that the floors are always dirty, so this helps me keep the place very clean:) I also have a foldable broom and foldable mop, but for quick daily use this is the best!

-A stepping stool! Some of the cabinets are too high and I can't wait all day for Rich to be back to help me ( he can easily reach everything:) ), so the stepping stool is perfect for me. It also folds down so I can put it away and it won't take up space. I also love using it for my workouts! 

-Waterproof high cut boots. So far every place we have been to there is high grass that the boys love going into, or we've had some days that it rains so hard that some parts flood. I recommend Muck boots as that's what I grew up with my parents using. They are comfortable and will always keep you dry!:)

- For the dumping of the grey and black water I recommend a few things: gloves, sanitizing spray ( to pray the hose and connector after use), and  a sewer hose supporter 

- A water purifier attachment. You have to switch this every 3 mo, but it's worth to be safe about the water you are drinking and showering with. 

- A generator. This is more for dry camping, which we've only done when stopping at the rest areas overnight, but it is amazing to have! The a.c. and outlets only work when there is enough power, so the generator provides that power when we aren't plugged in to an energy source. We've also been looking at solar panels, which would be great to have for dry camping:) 

-For relaxing outside we have tiki torches and citronella candles and coils to keep bugs away, a table cloth for the picnic table they provide at the site, and zero gravity chairs( these are by far the best way to relax outside!!!!). For the pups we got them a plastic pool to keep them happy all summer long:)

RV Cooking

     I was extremely impressed with the size of the kitchen in the RV. Even tough it only fits one person it is able to get the job done (Rich tried being in there at the same time that I was cooking, and let's just say that the spaghetti with buffalo meat sauce I made ended up on the floor:). I've officially made it into Paula's kitchen and no one is allowed! Haha). The refrigerator is a bit small, so when we go to the grocery store you can only plan for a weeks worth of food. As I had mentioned in an earlier post there are these amazing little bars that protect the food from flying around during travel, but they are not great for daily use, it is better to remove them when you have found a spot to live in for a while.

      The oven is pretty handy. The top burners are very easy to use, but they are a bit small, so I try the best I can to cook multiple things at once with pans that would fit on top perfectly. If that doesn't work, I have to split the cooking into two parts to get the job done. The oven has to be lit when you want to use it, unless you choose to leave the pilot on the entire time( I don't so that way I'm not waisting the propane). The hardest part about using the oven is that there is no preheat setting or to know the exact temperature in there. It has been a lot of trial and error figuring it out, but after a month in here I think I've got it down. 

    Most of the blogs I read said it was very hard to make nice meals. I don't find that to be true. Just last night I cooked stuffed chicken with artichoke,sun dried tomatoes, VT cheddar cheese with brown rice on the side. Brown rice normally takes 40min, but in the RV it takes a bit over an hour. Something that is pretty hard to do is huge meal preps which I love doing. It is not because the oven can't handle it, but because the refrigerator doesn't have the space to hold it all. Hard boiled eggs are about the only thing I can prep for the week, and the rest I make daily. Happy healthy eating to all:) 

P.S. Paper plates are awesome to avoid having to do so many dishes by hand in the very small kitchen sink:)

Laundry

     When looking for an RV one of the things I asked for was that it had a washer and dryer. It may seem silly but washing clothes can become a huge pain when you don't have one. The dealerships sales guy explained that most of the residential RVs have a washer and dryer hook up. 

       After entering the Fifth wheel for the first time I absolutely loved it! It felt like a home inside, and it was super cozy. So after exploring the whole thing I asked about this hook up for the washer and dryer. He tells me it's in the shelved closet.  Huh? The closet space was already non existent for two people, and I had opened everything and didn't see anything or even the space for it. He goes up into the bedroom, opens up the closet, and shows me these little hoses hiding on the corner of the closet. 

     He then goes to explain a few things that I hadn't realized. If I wanted to have the washer and dryer I would have to take all the shelves out of this closet and it would become the "laundry" area, which to me seemed crazy since that was precious closet space that I intended to use it to it's full potential:) I was also thinking how one could fit a washer and a dryer inside this closet. He continued telling me that the machine is a washer and a dryer...in one machine...and that it would wash about 10 pieces of clothing per cycle. Not only would the process take forever( I'm already not the biggest fan of doing laundry), but it also takes up so much water, so if we weren't hooked up to a full hookup site, it would almost use half the water in our tank for one tiny load. 

      This made me think that I needed to find a better solution to doing the laundry. The first thing I thought of was to wash it by hand. I went and bought the clothes drying hangers, and was excited about the workout this would be to wash all the clothes. I started with one small gym shorts, and it took two hangers to hold up one short. Let's just say I stopped right there and tried to find a different solution for this week. I still like the idea of washing it by hand but I need a super heavy duty drying hanger that can hold a lot of heavy and wet clothes. 

       I was thankful that this cute little town we are in had a laundry facility, where I was able to drop off the laundry and pick it up a few hours later. It was a great idea especially when they said it was $1/1lb of clothes for them to wash, dry, and fold. Here I thought I was paying $10 at the most to get all my laundry done and folded! Hallelujah!!!  When I went to pick it up it was $32! I definitely won't be doing that again either. Hahaha. I would rather do it myself using the machines, and not paying for someone else to do the work, especially when I have the time. 

      After looking on Amazon, I have found several options for the drying hangers, and once I get it I will update on that option for doing laundry:)