Augusta

I absolutely love the little town of Augusta! I would move there in a heartbeat if we could find the perfect house (and sell ours of course!). In August we took the boys blackberry picking at my favorite local farm, Centennial Farms. Bryan and I made the decision to spend our 10 year wedding anniversary at a bed & breakfast in Augusta complete with plans to hit up all the wineries and breweries as well as explore the stores and shops. Sadly we didn't get the opportunity to do this and we had to cancel the reservations at the B&B. I was so upset, but we had a family obligation that we just couldn't pass. We took the boys apple picking in mid-August at Eckert's. Due to the extreme weather we had this past winter, spring and summer, the apple crops were ready weeks ahead of schedule. When we went apple picking it was really hot so it didn't even feel like the traditional apple picking we usually do each season. The temps have finally cooled a bit and the later blooming apple varieties are still in season so I loaded everyone up and we headed back out to Centennial Farms for some more apple picking!

We pretty much had the farm to ourselves when we arrived. Our first stop was looking at the bee hive inside the old farmhouse. There must have been hundreds of bees hard at work to make honey. There is a little tube outside the house that allows the bees to travel in and out of their nest. We tried to find the queen but there were just too many bees!

Next we headed out to the tractor. We had to wait a few minutes for the tractor, but this neat little tree kept the boys occupied with questions. We found an old rotted apple in the grass next to the Johnny Appleseed tree so Bryan cut it open and Brennan collected the seeds in his pocket. We are going to plant the seed, keep it indoors over the winter and see about planting it in the backyard next to our apple tree.

 The tractor with the hay ride finally arrived so we boarded the wagon and headed off to the apple orchards. What a cute little bunch of apple pickers! Here's a rare shot of me with the boys! I hate having my picture taken, but this was just too fun of a day to stay hidden behind the camera.

The boys were crazy excited to get into the fields and start picking apples. Today we picked Empire, Golden Delicious and Jonathan varieties.

After we picked our apples we headed over to the play land. It was free this weekend, but in two weeks it will be transformed into a pumpkin land. Again, we had the whole play area pretty much to ourselves. The boys had fun going through the mazes, sliding down the slides and climbing the hay bales.

After the played we decided to take a stroll through the town of Augusta. I fell in love with this quaint little B&B! Look at how pretty this little place is! I want to see the inside of this home, I bet it is beautiful!

 The next few pictures are just some random houses around the town of Augusta. I think one of them is another B&B, but I am not positive. I just love how old and beautiful these homes look. This little town is so rich in history and beauty.

Look at this amazing church! It dates back to the 1800's! The structure still looked in great shape after all these years. Alex wanted his picture taken on the steps of the church.

After our little stroll through Augusta we headed back to the car and took a drive through the winding roads. I know many people who hear the word "Missouri" and they snottily turn up their noses at the idea of stepping foot in the state. Who could resist this serene country side view? I would love to live on this farm! These two pictures do not do the land justice! Thank you Augusta for yet another memorable time in your beautiful land! I cannot wait  to return in October when the air is crisper & cooler, the leaves are hues of red, yellow & orange and the pumpkins are ready for picking!

I know my family is awfully good looking, but please do not copy/reprint/reproduce our pictures! Thank you!

Sick

I subscribe to a newsletter from Dr. Mercola. I am not even sure how I landed on his web site, but I've been getting his almost daily newsletters for at least four years now. I do not always read them, but sometimes an article really sands out to me. The other morning I opened my newsletter and found an article about about European health versus American health. I am always a health nut, but I'm especially aware of illness this time of the year as it is the start of the cold & flu season. I opened the article expecting to read about colds and immunity and remedies, but instead I read about how the food we eat is potentially making us ill. It was quite interesting!

Obviously I cannot nor do I want to retype the entire article, but here are some key points from Dr. Mercola:

1. Americans get more sick more often than other industrialized nations in the world. Some researchers believe this increase in illness is linked to the consumption of Genetically Engineered (GE)/Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO).

2. The US government says GE/GMO foods are perfectly safe, however researchers are finding links with increased allergies, birth defects, increased cancer rates, infertility and mutations to name a few.

3. US livestock is now becoming infected with a mysterious ailment called "Sudden Death Syndrome".

4. GE/GMO foods are viewed as invaders in our bodies. This is leading to increased immune responses while is virtually attacking our bodies/immune systems.

Here are some very alarming stats from the article:

- According to the CDC, Autism is affects one in 88 children as opposed to one in 25,000 children (in the mid-1970's).

- Between 1980 and 2010, Type II Diabetes rose more than 176%.

- Celiac Disease is now four times more common as compared to 60 years ago.

- The rate of Amercians with Alzheimer's Disease have doubled since 1980. One in eight older Americans have AD.

What an alarming article!! Some people may argue that we see so many more cases of Autism because we know how to diagnose it better than we did in 1975. Some will say that more seniors are affected by Alzheimer's Disease because we live longer, fuller lives as compared to decades ago. I agree with that to a certain extent however I 100% believe our food plays a major part in our health and wellness outcome. GE/GMO are clearly labeled in Europe and most Europeans opt for the the "natural" food items. Sadly, our foods are being pumped full of hormones & antibiotics and their genetic makeup is being manipulated and modified yet not a single box or bag or label alerts the consumer of the modifications. We deserve to know what is being put into our foods.

Today we went apple picking and took a nice drive through the country. As the boys happily crunched away on their fresh apples I couldn't help but wonder what were they really putting into their tummies. Sure it looked and smelled and it certainly tasted like an apple, but how much pesticide residue was left on the skin? How different was that particular apple's composition as compared to say an apple that Johnny Appleseed planted in 1812? As we drove through the country my eyes fell upon corn and soybean crops as well as pigs and cows and chickens in the farmland. It made me so sad and extremely angry to know the animals were even mutated as compared to decades ago. When will this stop? What has to be done before someone somewhere puts a halt on this insanity? I told Bryan I wish we had enough money to build a farm and fill it full of organic, all natural foods, the way nature intended us to eat. A girl can dream....

If you do not already subscribe to Dr. Mercola, I strongly encourage you to do so! I visit the site every so often and I skim the daily newsletters for interesting articles. Some things I pass by, but a lot of the articles and videos are quite educational and interesting. Enjoy! http://www.mercola.com/

Recipe: High Protein Pancake Muffins

The boys and I are back to school and our regular school time schedule is back in full swing. I'm up every day at 5:45am to get ready. Brennan is up at 6:15am because it takes him so long to wake up each morning. While he tries to wake up, I start breakfast which is served about 6:30am. Alex gets up, we eat, the boys get dressed, brush their teeth and we are out the door at 7:15am. Alex goes to our cousin's house two days a week and attends preschool three days a week. I pack a load of food for Alex to take to our cousin's house so I don't really care if he eats breakfast at home because I know he will graze the whole time he is there! When Alex is at preschool he eats a healthy snack at 9:30am and he eats lunch at 11:00am so again, I know he will have access to good food to fill his tummy. Brennan and I are a different story. Brennan eats lunch at 11:10am; that is a 4.5 hour gap between breakfast and lunch. I walk into my own classroom and I don't stop until noon. I may be able to sneak a quick snack in while the children are at recess, but even then that is rare because I am cleaning, pulling in book bags, answering emails, etc. I know that eating breakfast is vital, but nothing is sticking with us to keep us satisfied until lunch! I started making protein drinks for Brennan and I to sip on the drive to school. He has his drink finished around 7:40am so I feel better knowing that not only does he have a full belly from breakfast, but he also has a tummy full of 20g of protein drink made with low-fat milk. Now he only has a 3.5 hour gap between meals. He tells me he feels full and isn't hungry in the mornings so it must be working! Alex refuses to drink the protein drinks so that just leaves more for us!

A few weeks ago I stumbled upon a recipe for a high protein pancake muffin. I was skeptical at first thinking it must be filled with sugar or some type of additive, but I was pleasantly surprised with the ingredients. The nice thing about this recipe is you can change up the type of breakfast meat. For the batch I made I used maple sausage links and veggie bacon, but you could easily used crumbled sausage, pork bacon, diced ham, etc. The boys tore these "muffins" up!! They freeze very well so I've been able to cook these up in the morning for a quick, hot, healthy breakfast that is full of protein to fill the tummy. Best of all, they are so easy and fast to make! According to my friend who created this recipe, it is high protein based on the fact the liquid is limited and the protein from the greek yogurt, extra eggs and meat bulk it up.

Ingredients:
3 cups oat pancake mix (I used Quaker brand, but regular mix would still work, not as much protein)
1/2 cup milk
1 cup greek yogurt (plain or vanilla)
4 eggs
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
breakfast meat of your choice

Directions:
1. Mix the first five ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
2. Line a mini-muffin pan (or regular sized muffin pan, your choice) with liners or spritz with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Fill the muffins 2/3 of a way full with pancake batter.
4. Place meat into each muffin tin.
5. Bake on 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until fully done.

Note on the meat: When I used the links, I sliced one link into fourths. I placed one piece in each mini-muffin and two pieces in each regular sized muffin. I pressed the links into the batter so the muffin would form around the meat, but you can just place the crumbed meat on top (some might sink into the batter, but some will stay on top).

A great big thank you to my friend Tonya for posting this recipe!! It is a new family favorite!