January 24, 2017 - National Peanut Butter Day & Upcoming Trips

Elisa's Daily Scoop
NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: 79 DAYS

What's the Deal with Peanut Butter?

GOOD DAY!!
Well, Tanya and I have a great deal of ground to cover today!

As you know, it's Travelin' Tuesday here and so we want to give you an update on one of our cousins' upcoming travel adventures: Cousins Chicago Road Trip.

It also happens to be National Peanut Day - which is one of the all-time greatest foods for vegan and non-vegan alike, so we've got lots to tell you on that front.

But, first, let me catch you up on yesterday...

There is a nasty stomach bug going around lately.  Everyone I know has had it. Well, Kelsey woke up with a bad belly ache, which is not usual for her. So, I immediately kept her home thinking "uh oh."  ​

She went back to bed for four hours and seemed better.  I was so relieved!  I hated her missing school, but thrilled that whatever made her have a cramps stomach, was not a bug, since it did not escalate.  Whew!  Catching up on homework is much preferred to...well, the stuff that goes along with a stomach bug.

Me and my snuggle puppy. (c)travelincousins.com

The "girls" eating before leaving for school (Kelsey looks thrilled to be going back!) (c)travelincousins.com

I also had some time to hang with my doggie last night!! And this morning, she was hanging with the girls before we left for school.
​

If you are like me, you love PEANUT BUTTER!!
It is one of those foods that is just so versatile - by itself, for breakfast, lunch or dinner; in sweet and savory recipes and always oh, so healthy!

Well, today, we celebrate this creamy, versatile food with National Peanut Butter Day!!

There are so many health benefits to peanut butter and maybe that's why Americans eat 3 pounds of peanut butter per person every year!

That's about 700 million pounds, or enough to coat the floor of the Grand Canyon!

The average American child will eat 1,500 peanut butter sandwiches by the time he or she graduates from high school.

(credit: eatthis.com)

So what about those health benefits...

​Did you know...
Peanut butter is a good source of vitamin E, B6, niacin, calcium, potassium and iron, is packed with protein and is rich in healthy monounsaturated fat.

SO MANY HEALTHY WAYS TO ENJOY PEANUT BUTTER (credit; amazon)

Peanut butter acts as an excellent source of potassium, and potassium can go a long way towards countering the dangers of sodium.

Peanut butter contains more unsaturated fat than saturated fat. So, it is actually a great source of “healthy fats”, making it a "healthy" fast food.

Peanut Butter is a great source of energy because it contains plenty of calories making it perfect for a morning meal to start the day.

One serving of peanut butter will give you at least 3 mg of the antioxidant Vitamin E. Additionally, you will also get magnesium (about 49g) which is excellent for bone building and muscle recovery. 

Are you curious when and where peanut butter first came upon the eating scene for us humans?

(credit: pinterest)

According to the National Peanut Board, "The earliest reference to peanut butter can be traced back to the Ancient Incas and the Aztecs who ground roasted peanuts into a paste."

Modern peanut butter, and the process by which it is made is attributed to at least three inventors.

* In 1884 Marcellus Gilmore Edson of Canada patented peanut paste, the finished product from milling roasted peanuts between two heated surfaces.

* In 1895 Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (the creator of Kellogg's cereal) patented a process for creating peanut butter from raw peanuts. He marketed it as a healthy protein substitute for patients without teeth.

* In 1903, Dr. Ambrose Straub of St. Louis, Missouri, patented a peanut-butter-making machine.

There are also some slang terms for peanut butter, depending on where you find yourself:

* During World War II, peanut butter was "monkey butter".
* In the Netherlands peanut butter is called pindakaas (literally "peanut cheese") rather than pindaboter ("peanut butter") because the word butter was a legally protected term for products that contain actual butter, prompting Calvé, the company which first marketed it in the country in 1948, to use kaas instead.

* In the US, food regulations require that "peanut butter" must contain at least 90% peanuts, otherwise it must be called "peanut spread"

If you are a traveler and LOVE peanut butter, you might be disappointed when traveling to the following countries, as they do not share the love of peanut butter, according to The Huffington Post.

* France

* Italy

* London

* Spain

* Russia

* China

* Sweden

* Czech Republic

* Argentina 

* Denmark

We are chomping at the bit to tell you about  a few trips on the calendar.  

It's no secret that Tanya has more on her's than I have on mine (insert sad face), but home schooling does have it's benefits including creating a more flexible schedule!

Anyhoo, It feels like ages since we cousins traveled together!

In fact, our last trip together was in July of 2015 when we ventured up to Niagara Falls and Toronto

NIAGARA FALLS (JULY 2015) (c)travelincousins.com

CN TOWER, TORONTO (JULY 2015) (c)travelincousins.com

This year, I'm happy to report - we will be heading out on a cousins road trip in late June.

Yes!!!!!! This trip will be from New York to Chicago or better known as our Cousins Chicago Road Trip.

TORONTO (JULY 2015) (c)travelincousins.com

ON THE FERRY TO CENTRE ISLAND (c)travelincousins.com

AT ST. LAWRENCE MARKET (c)travelincousins.com

Tanya and I are still finalizing a number of the details, but, what I can tell you about today are some of the highlights from this trip.

And the best news of all, is that not only will it be a "Girl Cousins" trip, but, instead of caravanning like we usually do, we will all depart together from New York in the SAME CAR!!! What fun!!
Hopefully, we don't kill each other!!

YELLOWSTONE ROAD TRIP (APRIL 2015) (c)travelincousins.com

​COUSINS CHICAGO ROAD TRIP - JUNE 2017

Sites & Attractions on the Itinerary:

​Penns Caverns, Spring Mills, Pennsylvania

​Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, Ohio

(credit: themusiccourt.com)

Notre Dame Universary, South Bend, Indiana

(credit: notredamenews.com)

​Museum Campus, Chicago, Illinois

(credit: theydrawandtravel.com)

Willis Tower, Chicago, Illinois

(credit: skyscrapercenter.com)

A Christmas Story House, Cleveland, Ohio

(credit:www.achristmasstoryhousefoundation.org)

Bushkill Falls, Bushkill, Pennsylvania

(credit:tripadvisor.com)

We are super psyched!! More as we get closer to this trip and move forward with bookings and reservations!!

That's it for today!  Hope it's a great one for you!!

-E
xoxo

Tanya's Daily Scoop
NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: 13 DAYS

How to choose the right Peanut Butter..

Well HOWDY!

Do ya know what I love about Tuesdays? 

It's that here on Travelin' Cousins we like to celebrate all things both big and small and on Tuesdays it is our weekly themed Travelin' Tuesday!

I know, you're probably wonderin' why do they have a themed day for travel with it's a travel blog and travel is even in the name?

Well folks, it is simply because we are addicted and there is just too much that we do on the daily that we can't possible fit it all in and report it to you in the Daily Scoop, so instead we use Travelin' Tuesdays to share updates with you, go over new trips, new additions to trip that have already been on the calendar and more.  

And that is why I love Tuesdays!

So without much further adieu, let's talk about TRAVEL.

Each and every year gives me so much travel to look forward to and this year isn't going to be any different. 
While I love visiting new locations - be it countries, cities, towns, and villages. I also love returning to the countries, cities, towns and villages that have already won my heart over.

As we all know, the first trip of 2017 for us was returning to Lake Tahoe. Well, it didn't quite go as planned, it is always such a beautiful place to be!

Lake Tahoe (c)travelincousins.com

Now our second trip is going to be on a much grander scale - in distance and in length.
The cities and villages are our up and coming Euro Ski Circuit Trip are as follows:

Montreal, Quebec - 

Montreal (c)travelincousins.com

This will be our 3rd annual return visit and my 4th time to this French speaking city in Canada!
Montréal is the largest city in Canada's Québec province. It’s set on an island in the Saint Lawrence River and named after Mt. Royal, the triple-peaked hill at its heart.

Geneva, Switzerland - 

Geneva (credit: gcsp.ch)

This will be a first time visit to this very cosmopolitan city!
Geneva is a city in Switzerland that lies at the southern tip of expansive Lac Léman (Lake Geneva). Surrounded by the Alps and Jura mountains, the city has views of dramatic Mont Blanc. 

Chamonix, France - ​

Chamonix (c)travelincousins.com

This will be a return visit for Dave and I,and a first time visit for the kids to this lovely village that won me over and home to the first ever Winter Olympics!
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (usually shortened to Chamonix) is a resort area near the junction of France, Switzerland and Italy. At the base of Mont Blanc, the highest summit in the Alps, it's renowned for its skiing. 

Val d'Isere, France -

Val d'Isere (credit:skibonjour.com)

This will be a first time visit for all of us to this french alpine village.
Val d'Isère is a commune of the Tarentaise Valley, in the Savoie department in southeastern France. It lies 5 km from the border with Italy. It is on the border of the Vanoise National Park created in 1963.

Wengen, Switzerland -

Wengen (c)travelincousins.com

This is a return visit for all of us. I was easy to fall in love with this quaint car-free village.
Wengen is a mountain village in Europe, in the Bernese Oberland of central Switzerland. Located in the canton of Bern at an elevation of 1,274 m (4,180 ft) above sea level, it is part of the Jungfrauregion and has approximately 1,300 year-round residents.

Related reading - 
When in Wengen 

Zermatt, Switzerland - 

Zermatt (c)travelincousins.com

Another return visit and another car-free and ever so charming village!
Zermatt, in southern Switzerland’s Valais canton, is a mountain resort renowned for skiing, climbing and hiking. The town, at an elevation of around 1,600m, lies below the iconic, pyramid-shaped Matterhorn peak. 

St. Moritz, Switzerland - 

St. Moritz (credit: telegraph.uk.co)

A return visit and the town that started it all!
The FIS Alpine World Championships have our attention and we'll be there to watch it LIVE!
St. Moritz is the oldest winter resort in the world, it lies on the southern slopes of the Albula Alps below the Piz Nair 3,056 m (10,026 ft) overlooking the flat and wide glaciated valley of the Upper Engadine and eponymous lake: Lej da San Murezzan (Romansh for Lake of St. Moritz). 

Kitzbuhel, Austria -

Kitzbuhel (credit: kitzbuhel.com)

This will be a first time visit to this small medieval town, we better start brushing up on our German!
Kitzbuhel is one of the oldest and most exclusive resort towns in Austrian alps.
The village developed thanks to silver and copper mining and its position along a trade route from Venice to Munich.

Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy -

Cortina (credit: skibums.org)

This will be a first time visit for us to this ski town surrounded by Dolomites! 
Cortina d'Ampezzo, commonly referred to as Cortina, is a town and comune in the heart of the southern Alps in the Veneto region of Northern Italy.

Venice, Italy - 

Venice (c)travelincousins.com

This will be a return visit for both Dave and I (although we visited separately in the past) and a first time visit for the kids. What better time to go than during Carnival!
Venice, the capital of northern Italy’s Veneto region, is built on more than 100 small islands in a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea. It has no roads, just canals – including the Grand Canal thoroughfare – lined with Renaissance and Gothic palaces. 

And The City of San Marino, San Marino 

San Marino (credit: planetware.com)

This will be a first time visit for all of us and yet another micro-country to check off of our list!
San Marino is a mountainous microstate surrounded by north-central Italy. Among the world’s oldest republics, it retains much of its historic architecture. 

Bologna, Italy - 

Bologna (credit: blog.eurail.com

This will be a first time visit for all of us. Our visit here won't be very long, but will this city win us over?
Bologna is the lively, historic capital of the Emilia-Romagna region, in northern Italy. Its Piazza Maggiore is a sprawling plaza lined with arched colonnades, cafes and medieval and Renaissance structures such as City Hall, the Fountain of Neptune and the Basilica di San Petronio.


13 days to go and our Hotels, Inns, Resorts, Villas and Homes have all been reserved. Car hires will be waiting for us with winterization in tact. Restaurant menus carefully looked over and reservations have been made.
The daily itinerary carefully planned out and while we'll hope to get plenty of skiing in (and I only say hope based on what happen to us in Lake Tahoe)  just know that whatever we do I will guarantee you one thing - it's gonna be great! 

And of course this is only the next trip on the calendar. Lots more on the calendar and even more in the hopper! You can bet that I've been working on all of them and that I'll be sharing them with you one trip at a time. 
But for just a quick glace at one of our June trips please take a look over at Elisa's column to see what we have in store for our Cousins Road Trip to Chicago!

Elisa also shared a number of interesting FACTS all about today's National Peanut Butter Day.

One that I particularly found comical was:
"The average American child will eat 1,500 peanut butter sandwiches by the time he or she graduates from high school."
​
Well we are definitely not your average Americans. I actually didn't even like Peanut Butter until I was in my 20's!    
But these days I certainly do enjoy a yummy PB & J sandwich (as long as it's on GOOD bread).  
And while my kids are home-schooled and don't have to pack lunches - they too will be far from average on the Peanut Butter scale.

Funny thing is that for the past few days that I've actually been the the mood for a good old fashioned PB & J!  

While you may think Peanut Butter is just Peanut Butter I'm here to bust your bubble and let you know that all peanut butters are not created equal...
​
How To Buy The Right Peanut Butter
Of course all peanut butters aren’t made alike so you should shop with care. Don’t just go by the percentage of fat. This will be fairly similar across most brands and is not the best indication of whether a peanut butter is good for you. Here are some quick little tips to help you make a decision.

• All natural peanut butter is a good choice if you want to minimize your intake of unhealthy fats. Natural nut butters usually have peanuts as their main ingredient while others (non-natural) can sometimes contain other artificial ingredients to enhance the taste.

• The sugar content on the peanut butter should be a decisive factor. Commercial peanut butter brands can sometimes have up to 250 mg (per tablespoon) more sugar than natural brands. The sugar however contributes greatly to flavor so if you’re using the peanut butter to cook with, then a little more sugar can be better.

• Look out for the sodium content on the ingredients list at the back of your jar of peanut butter. Again, natural brands usually have less sodium. Too much sodium can also mask the nutty flavor.
*According to Healthambition.com

Well folks, I've got plenty plenty to do and a great Izhak Perlman concert to go to, so I'm gonna be on my way.

We'll be back with plenty more for you tomorrow!

Have a Peanutty Day,
​-T