Fall has arrived in the Midwest, which means it is time to cram all of the fall activities one can possibly fit in before winter arrives. I fully embrace fall and all of its “Spooky Season” glory. I love all things scary, haunted and mysterious, so I say bring on the spooky season vibes. Let me help you get into the spirit of the season if you are missing summer already. Allow me to set the scene. The sun has set, it is dark outside, a chill is in the air and a light rain is tapping on your windows. Your cozy pajamas are on, curled up on the coach ready to press play on a murder mystery, and on your lap sits a big bowl of popcorn. You cannot tell me that isn’t a perfect way to spend a fall evening! I am already queuing up my list of “must watch” movies and series. What is on your list, any recommendations for me?

This is also a beautiful time of the year to travel and explore.  Years ago, my husband and I visited Salem, Massachusetts in the summer and I fell in love with that area, so much so that I professed I would live there one day. As soon as I said that, our host family told us the coast gets terrible winters and recommended visiting instead of moving. So I have added to my ever growing bucket list, visiting Salem in the early fall where I plan to rent a cabin surrounded by an autumnal foliage of falling leaves. I will mosey about the city with endless flows of hot beverages in one hand and a baked good in the other and naturally, I will be doing every tourist trap activity including ghost tours and other haunted happenings.  Also included on my fall bucket list, is to attend the yearly Halloween Town festivities in St. Helens, Oregon. The festivities are based off the classic Disney movie, Halloween Town. To this day, I make a point of at least having that movie on in the background during the week of Halloween. I had such a crush on the character, Luke (yes, he was a goblin) and I am not even ashamed to admit that fun fact about myself. Please feel free to share what your fall looks like in your part of the world, I would love to hear what other people do for their fall festivities!

Luckily, we live in an area where there are constant fall and Halloween events going on and I certainly plan to join in on all of the sweater weather merriment.

On my fall to do list:

• Center Grove Orchard in Cambridge, IA (This is a MUST if you are in the Midwest!)
• Tent camping
• Watching all of the spooky, mysterious, scary movies and series
• Diving into books with creepy, spine tingling undertones mixed with plot twists
• Fall outdoor meet ups with friends
• Trick or Treating and attending special events around the area
• Gathering with all of the grandparents and having the littles in the family trick or treat with them
• Pumpkin Carving

Also, on my To Do list is packing a hospital bag because I am…PREGNANT!

I feel like I owe all of you an apology for not having written anything in a while and slacking on posting any social media content but I am going to go ahead and use the pregnancy card on this one. I am blaming this future child and all of these pregnancy symptoms for having zero desire to show up and be present on my platforms. However, my hiatus is over, and my plan is to be a little more consistent with providing recipes, information and all things health and wellness related.

When I do create social media content, blogs or really anything that will be visually and mentally digested by others, I try to not only provide information but also support and encourage others to be mindful of their own health. We are all so unique, each of experiencing health in our own ways and I strive to be a person who discusses this topic with complete openness.

The health topic closest to my heart currently is one that I struggled with in my first pregnancy and I am also dealing with now, in this pregnancy. It sounds totally and completely insane, but it is a real issue that can significantly affect individuals mentally and physically. Have you ever heard of having an Aversion to Liquids? I certainly had not, but when I experienced it myself, I understood the mental and physical toll it can take.

During my first pregnancy, I recall one night while my spouse was asleep, I went into the bathroom and allowed myself to have a nice little therapeutic cry because I was so dehydrated and mentally taxed from not being able to drink fluids. In the midst of my cry session, I searched on the internet for others who had potentially experienced this symptom and to my amazement, I actually did find a few forums where people had shared their stories. I remember feeling slightly comforted knowing I was not the only person dealing with such a bizarre symptom that truly leaves you feeling isolated, as well as emotionally and physically drained. Even though, I found that odd little corner of the internet where some women could relate with such an unusual symptom, I still felt somewhat alone during my pregnancy. It was hard to explain to others that even though I was so thirsty and I knew I needed more liquids, I could physically not drink anything without creating more undesirable symptoms for myself such as increased nausea.

In this pregnancy, I began having the aversion to liquids at about week seven or eight (right as my husband and I were leaving for Scotland…perfect timing…). This time around if I drank anything, I would become very nauseous, my stomach would feel distended, I would feel extremely full and I would even become gassy (I am totally okay talking about bodily functions, can you tell?).  Much like my first pregnancy, I began the quest of trying to find drinks that I could tolerate. Every day is still challenging physically and mentally. I know I am nowhere near full hydration status, but I want to share some of the tactics I have been using to help manage this issue because thankfully, I have been able to drink more than I did in my first pregnancy!

Try these helpful tactics to manage an Aversion to Liquids:

• Try to keep your drinks as cold as possible. I keep whatever I think I can drink that day in the freezer until I am ready to try to drink it. Sometimes I allow the drink to almost fully freeze, then I’ll squeeze the bottle and the drink will be a slushy consistency and I have found that to be one of the best ways to intake my liquids.
• Drinking regular tap water or even purified water would make me very gassy so I have been strictly using ph balanced 9.5 or higher with electrolytes. An added benefit to this type of water is that it is more hydrating and replenishing than water without added electrolytes and minerals. I mix this water into my oatmeal (check out the recipe below!). I will also mix this type of water with other drinks to dilute them. Any way I can add this water to something, I certainly try.
• Prior to being pregnant, I would typically only have 1 or 2 fruit servings a day. Now I am leaning on juicy fruits to help with liquid intake. Keep in mind, I am not leaning on just juice, I am eating the entire whole fruit. So now, I may have 3 servings of fruit a day. For me this means one peach, one mango and maybe strawberries or a different fruit that sounds good.
• Start making broth-based soups! We eat soup year round in my household. Find a few recipes that look good or make a classic and start making some soup! Broth-based soups are a great way to intake liquid.
• There are so many drinks on the market, if something sounds good just try it! Here are a few drinks that I have been able to tolerate:
• Bai. I was having one of these a day throughout my pregnancy and I changed up flavors depending on what sounded good. I have not been having any Bai drinks recently but it is still one of the few things I can still drink. Also, these freeze into a nice slushy consistency.
• Organic TREO. The peach mango is my favorite. I like to dilute the TREO with my “special” ph balanced water throughout the day or keep it in the freezer until super cold. I will freeze the whole bottle until it is almost frozen, then squeeze the bottle so it takes on that slushy consistency.
• BUBBL’R.  I despise sparkling water. I have tried many times over the years to be get into the sparkling water craze and I cannot do it, however, I will vouch for this brand because this beverage is actually flavorful!
• Friendly reminder…ALWAYS check the nutrition label and ingredient list on everything you purchase! Some beverages may be marketed has a “healthy” drink but contains very high sugar amounts along with food dyes and other ingredients you may be avoiding.  

I sincerely hope this is helpful for others who are dealing with this symptom on a daily basis. I whole-heartedly empathize with you and I do not want you to feel alone.  Please share this blog so other mamas can feel seen, heard and supported.

The other half of my reasoning for creating the blog this month is because I was having a strong hankering for peaches and cream oatmeal, which led me to successfully create this Healthy Vegan Peaches and Cream Oatmeal! Growing up, when our household had the peaches and cream or the variety pack of instant oatmeal, I remember being absolutely overjoyed. Sometimes, it truly is the simple things in life…and in my case, that has always included food. I could not wait to open that packet, mix it with too much water and pop it into the microwave for too many minutes (and inevitably overflow the bowl). It was so delicious, and immediately gave me all the warm fuzzies. There were five of us under one roof so sadly, that box of instant oatmeal only lasted about twenty-four hours. Fast forward several decades, into present day when I am seven months pregnant and for some reason this baby cannot get enough of peaches. I actually considered the middle name being, Peach, but I was immediately vetoed. One day, my body simply needed peaches and cream oatmeal. I head off to the store, pick up a box of instant oatmeal and as always, I checked the ingredients. I may have mentioned this already but ALWAYS check the ingredient label of everything you consume. You do not need to eat a diet of kale and water to be healthy (in fact, that would not be healthy anyway), but being aware of what is in the foods and drinks you consume makes you more mindful of your dietary choices.

When I saw the ingredients on that box of instant oatmeal, the wheels in my brain immediately got to work on creating a recipe that would taste like childhood but without the extra chemicals and processed what not that go into instant oatmeal packets. When I was work shopping this recipe I wanted to keep it simple, something that anyone could throw together even on a busy morning and of course, I wanted it to taste exactly like a packet of store bought peaches and cream instant oatmeal. This recipe is for you if are:

1.  wanting to try a new quick and easy recipe
2. decreasing your intake of heavily processed foods
3.  you simply enjoy foods that make you feel all warm and cozy

I have included ratios in the recipe but I have never been a proponent of counting calories so although the ratios are listed, feel free to change them according to your preferred portion size and taste preferences.

I am not joking with you when I say it turned out perfect! I have tried this recipe using various varieties of peaches and in my humble opinion, white peaches are the best and give a subtle peach flavor with natural sweetness. If you try the recipe, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!