Summer Colds Are Evil

Yep, it's almost August, which means I'm due for a cold. I typically get a cold around my birthday/at the end of summer and around the winter holidays. Well, it's July 31 and last night the evil summer cold hit me like a Mac Truck!

Since I'm going to Chicago on Thursday for 4 days and won't have a gym that I can go to, I knew I had to get to the gym today. However, nasal congestion doesn't really motivate one to hop on the treadmill. I remember hearing once that exercising even while you're sick, can help you get better. So I went to the gym, did a 40 minute walk on the treadmill at a much slower pace than I usually do, but for longer and on an incline. I survived and I feel good that I did it. Any workout is better than no workout in my mind.

Once I got home I looked up articles about exercising while sick, here's what I found:

Prevention Magazine: "The rule I like to use is called the "neck check." If your symptoms are all above the neck, like a runny nose or a sore throat, then you're okay to exercise. Of course you should always listen to your body and take the intensity of your workout down a bit if your regular pace feels too strenuous.

If you're suffering from congestion or low energy, exercise often helps you feel better. A brisk walk can unclog your sinuses better than an afternoon on the couch. And gentle exercise will rev up your circulation, to counteract that sluggish, rundown feeling. But this is definitely a personal decision. You're the best judge of how you feel and what your body can handle when you're sick.

However, if you have any symptoms below the neck, such as body aches, chills, stomach problems or diarrhea, then I advise you to take it easy until you're feeling better. And if you're running a fever, no matter where your symptoms are, put off exercising until your temperature returns to normal."

Mayo Clinic:

"Edward R. Laskowski, M.D.

As a general guide for exercise and illness, consider this:

Mild to moderate physical activity is usually OK if you have a garden-variety cold and no fever. Exercise may even help you feel better by opening your nasal passages and temporarily relieving nasal congestion.

• Exercise is usually OK if your signs and symptoms are all "above the neck" — symptoms you may have with a common cold, such as runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing or minor sore throat. Consider reducing the intensity and length of your workout, though, or you may feel worse. Instead of going for a run, take a walk, for example.
• Don't exercise if your signs and symptoms are "below the neck" — such as chest congestion, hacking cough or upset stomach.
• Don't exercise if you have a fever, fatigue or widespread muscle aches.

Let your body be your guide. If you have a cold and feel miserable, take a break. Scaling back or taking a few days off from exercise when you're sick shouldn't affect your performance. Resume your normal workout routine gradually as you begin to feel better. And check with your doctor if you aren't sure if it's OK to exercise.

Remember if you do choose to exercise when you're sick, reduce the intensity and length of your workout. If you attempt to exercise at your normal intensity when you have more than a simple cold, you could risk more serious injury or illness."

Here's hoping that I'm actually opening my nasal passages and helping my body to clear faster! Even though I did go to the gym while feeling less than stellar, I'm still going to feed into my need for comfort food and have some ice cream while lounging on the couch!

Reminded of a Fave

A friend of mine asked me for this recipe, and I was reminded of how much we love it.

Parmesan-Crusted Chicken in a Cream Sauce, again from Kraft.

It suggests serving it with asparagus, which is delicious, but any vegetable side will do. This was the first thing I ever cooked for my mother-in-law, who is an amazing cook, and she LOVED it. It's my husband's favorite meal that I make, it comes highly recommended.

Easy Stir Fry? Yes Please!

Another delicious recipe, courtesy of Kraft Food & Family magazine!

I love Lo Mein and I've never tried making it myself, until today! The recipe is technically called Speedy Chicken Stiry Fry but you use noodles, so it's similar to a Lo Mein. It was the easiest thing, took me exactly the amount of time on the recipe, 25 minutes.

I used frozen broccoli that I took out of the California Medley package, just enough for myself. Bobby doesn't like broccoli, so we end up wasting a lot of it, or I eat all broccoli and no meat. I love frozen vegetables, in case I haven't mentioned it before. You could probably use whatever meat you wanted. We used the chicken and it was super tasty!

Enjoy!

Hot Summer Meals

For those of you who read this that are not in Minnesota, we are experiencing really high temperatures. Heat indexes are in the 100's. We're under an excessive heat warning until Wednesday night. Often times, when it's super hot out, the last thing I want to do is fire up the stove and cook. However, now it's more important than ever to stay well fed and hydrated.

Tonight I made Caesar Pork Chops & Pasta from the Kraft Food & Family magazine, Spring 2011 edition. It was fantastic! The only vegetable that Bobby will eat is cooked spinach, and this recipe has that in it!

A few tips for this recipe:

*It doesn't say to use oil in the skillet with the pork chops, I didn't and all of the cheese breading stuck to the pan. I would suggest a minimal amount of oil just to prevent sticking, or at least a non-stick spray.

*I used garlic powder for the pasta because I didn't have fresh garlic, it tasted just as good.

*We didn't use tomatoes because we don't like them, it was still yummy.

*I used whole wheat penne, it was fabulous!

*The dressing I used was Newman's Caesar, it's my favorite caesar, but I'm sure any brand is fine.

I'm don't have a good habit of taking pictures of my dishes. My dish looked very similar to the photo on the Kraft website. Enjoy!

New foodie thing I love!

Thanks to my friend Ryan, I've discovered Philadelphia Cooking Cremes. They are my new favorite cooking accessory! There are several different flavors: Italian Cheese & Herb, Savory Garlic, Santa Fe Blend and original.

I used the Italian Cheese & Herb that I mixed with a three-cheese tortellini and it was yummy! Bobby thought it had a little bit of a sour taste and it was a bit thick, but I still enjoyed the diversion from our usual Alfredo sauce.

Today I made a yummy cheesy chicken enchilada recipe with the Santa Fe Blend. Sadly, the recipe was on the container and I threw it away! I tried looking it up online, but there was an error on the webpage. It was pretty simple. I just cooked and shredded 2 chicken breasts, added it to diced tomatoes and 3/4 cup of the cooking creme in a large skillet. The recipe calls for cooked onions but I don't like those, so I used onion salt. Then I poured the mixture into 8, 6" flour tortillas, put the rest of the sauce on top and baked it in a 9x13 baking dish at 350* for 20 minutes. It turned out yummy and we added medium salsa on top.

There are a few more recipes I plan on trying with the cremes. It really makes cooking very simple and they're very tasty.

Easy Lemon-Chicken Piccata

Now that I'm off for the summer, I've been trying to make bigger lunches before Bobby goes to work. That way he gets a freshly cooked meal and I don't lose motivation to cook as the day goes on.

In case you haven't figured it out, I'm a HUGE fan of Kraft Food & Family Magazine! I've been subscribing for years! They're usually pretty easy, sometimes healthy, and always yummy!

Today I made Easy Lemon-Chicken Piccata, courtesy of the Spring 2011 edition. The magazine recipe didn't have capers in it, so I didn't use those, but I'm sure that would be a nice addition. When I made it, the chicken didn't look quite as nice and golden brown as the photo (I burned the crumbs a bit), but it was just as tasty. I served the chicken over angel hair pasta, and it soaked up the sauce very nicely. I also used wheat Ritz crackers instead of the regular ones. It's a pretty light meal and refreshing for summer time!

Enjoy!

Happy July 4th (a day late)!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July and got to celebrate with people you love, or at least like a lot!

One thing that's difficult about any holiday is the delicious food that comes with it. For the most part, I allow myself small indulgences because otherwise I'd overeat, and that doesn't do me any good. I am a firm believer in just having that one brownie (or at least half of it) to satisfy the desire for it, instead of resisting and then having 2 or 3 in secret because you waited so long to eat it. I also think that taking a small handful of Doritos is completely ok, as long as I have a larger handful of fruit on the same plate.

Friday was a little bit more difficult as far as eating healthy goes. We picked up Little Ceasar's for dinner, but we definitely had leftovers.

Saturday was alright, I did pretty good during the day on my own, then we picked up Chipotle for dinner. I opted for the chicken burrito bowl instead of the burrito because it cuts out about 200 calories just by eliminating the tortilla. It's about 650-700 calories for the bowl depending on what you put in it. Yes, that's a lot for one meal, but if I know I'm having it, I cut back a little during the rest of the day.

Sunday we went to Stella's Fish Cafe for lunch with my in-laws. I had fish, of course, and it was yummy! For dinner, my mom and I had a BBQ with a family friend of ours. This meal proved to me that you can BBQ and still be healthy. I made a Crostini Spread from the Kraft Food & Family magazine. I used low fat cream cheese and light sour cream and it still tasted delicious. The moms ate almost the whole thing! Then we had turkey burgers with feta cheese, an orzo salad and a pea cream salad thing (not sure of the exact name). Then for dessert we had strawberry shortcakes with just the berries, no extra sauce. Yes, we used whipped cream, but it's kind of hard not to!

For the 4th, we had a BBQ with some of our close friends. We made Juicy Lucy's (or tried to), guacamole, cowboy salsa, potato salad, hummus and pita chips, and a variety of chips, dips and fruit. Oh, and don't forget the previously mentioned brownies :) I managed to eat to the point of satisfaction, not to the point of feeling like I'm going to explode.

I love holidays as much as the next person, and I especially love a good BBQ. However, the amazing food that comes from these events is very tough for a person like me, on the road to losing weight and having a healthy lifestyle. I have found a good balance that works for me and still allows me to enjoy every minute of fun!

Happy summer and happy BBQ-ing!