Sicky McSickerson

My husband was so generous as to share his icky cold with me. Boo! I woke up with a sore throat, plugged up head and a little headache. The list of drugs I can take is pretty limited so it’s just been one extra-strength Tylenol every 4 hours to help with the headache.

I had a bowl of Cascadian Farm multigrain squares and organic skim milk for breakfast which is when I discovered that I couldn’t taste.

I got hungry again at my desk later in the morning and had a peach and a packet of Quaker Simple Harvest vanilla, honey & almond oatmeal. It was pretty good and kept me full for more than an hour. I don’t ever use as much water as the package called for. I like my pre-packaged oats a little thicker than when I make them myself.

I still miss my “real” oats. Making a big batch this weekend is going to be one of my priorities.

My salon is right across the street from my office which makes lunchtime appointments very convenient. The same lady has cut my hair since I was 4. She’s pretty much like family so appointments are part beautifying, part social hour. I went waaaaay too long between appointments this time and she ended up taking 2 inches off the length. It looks so much more polished and healthy. I feel like a new woman!

Afterwards I walked to the deli and took my lunch back to the office to eat at my desk. I ordered my usual there, the Loaded Perk salad, minus turkey because of my “no lunch meat unless it’s steaming hot” order from the doctor. I was uncomfortably full after I finished eating all of this:

Mid-afternoon is the roughest time of day. That’s when I just feel drained of all energy and start to get sleepy. The last few days I’ve been doing these office stretches from body+soul magazine and they seem to really help me refocus & regroup. Plus, they’re a good excuse to get up out of my desk chair and move around.

I thought I’d be full the rest of the day from my salad, but it wasn’t to be. About an hour before quittin’ time I snacked on some water crackers and a wedge of Laughing Cow Light Swiss cheese. I also had a plum which made it into my tummy before I could get my camera out.

Dinner was the definition of “convenience foods.” We had light cheese ravioli topped with meatballs (from frozen) and Muir Glen Organic pasta sauce. The variety we had was a sausage flavor, but I can’t find that one on their website. It tasted almost more like pizza sauce than pasta sauce. We both really liked it and would buy it again. We also had a repeat side dish of cottage cheese.

Sorry for the horrible picture. My camera battery was losing steam and the picture quality seems to suffer. No worries, though. It’s all charged and ready to go for today. Aren’t you excited?

What’s the most comforting (non-drug) thing to you when you’re sick?

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A Fruitful Day

The day started off a little cloudy and rainy. By 10AM the sun was shining and it was up in the high 70s. In Ohio! In MARCH! Unfortunately I didn’t even get to go outside and enjoy it until after work.

I guess I’ll start from the beginning. Breakfast at home was a toasted Weight Watchers bagel with peanut butter. My camera was already in my purse in the car so I skipped the picture. Trust me, though. It was ooey gooey goodness at its finest.

As I said, the commute was pretty rainy. I didn’t see any lightening, but I did hear some rumblings. The time change means it’s back to driving in the dark in the morning. It’s a fair trade off for having an hour of daylight when I get home.

I got settled in at my desk and had an organic banana around 8:30.

I was hungry again at 10:30 and wanted something hot. I went ahead and microwaved my can of Progresso Light Vegetable & Barley soup. I had a “side” of string cheese.

Another Tuesday. Another workout at work day. Yesterday was pretty heavy on the lower body. We did a few new things that were really tough including grass diggers, various squats, BOSU trainer weighted step ups and opposite extensions on our toes rather than our knees. Hurt so good! I’m afraid this might be our last month. Some of the ladies seem to be getting burned out on the time commitment and others are questioning the intensity. We pay a set rate per session divided by the number of people participating. If they drop out, the cost might skyrocket and others might leave based on the expense. I hope this isn’t the case.

The workout left me pretty hungry. Mini-meal #4 of the day was Sabra hummus, baby carrots and a delicious plum.

This is the first time I’ve tried Sabra (thanks to all the mention in bloggie land) and it was wonderful! I liked the texture a lot better than the brand I normally buy. I bought the original flavor, but the “Insanely Hot” variety was tempting. Anyone tried it? What are your thoughts?

I spent the rest of the afternoon working away while sipping on decaf hot tea. Late in the afternoon my stomach was growling and I treated it to a Pumpkin Pie Spice Clif bar. Dear Clif, PLEASE make this flavor and the Iced Gingerbread flavor available year round. They’re just too dang good to be seasonal!

I was shocked when I finally hit the doors at 5:00PM. It was still in the 70s with glorious sunshine. The pooch loved hanging her head out the window on the way home and got a little upset when I rolled it up to get on the highway.

My husband was already home when I got there. He had every door of his “man cave” (our large garage/outbuilding) open and he was working away on some random projects. I sat and chatted with him while he worked before deciding that I wanted to take advantage of the weather and MOVE! I walked to the village municipal building to drop off the water bill, then around the corner to mail a letter at the post office. Once my hands were free, I broke into a jog and took the long way home. It felt SO amazingly good to exercise outside again. It put me in a great mood for the rest of the evening and it was like a shot of instant energy.

When I got back I washed up and started dinner. The original recipe came from a friend, but I’ve tweaked it over time to suit our tastes a little. Here’s my version:

Chicken Baseballs

2 cups chicken breasts, cooked & chopped
4 oz. cream cheese (I use reduced fat.) or 4 wedges of Laughing Cow Swiss cheese
2 tsp. butter or margarine, melted
1/4 of a small onion, chopped
1 glove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
2 tsp. hot pepper sauce (increase/decrease to your taste)
1 tube refrigerated crescent rolls

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Combine all ingredients (except the crescent rolls) until well blended. You can put it all in the food processor or just stir it together in a bowl.

3. Divide crescent rolls into 4 equal pieces (2 triangles per piece) and seal the seams together to form 4 squarish rectangles.

4. Place 1/4 of the chicken mixture (about 1/2 cup) onto each piece of crescent roll.

5. Fold corners or each crescent roll over the top of the mixture to form a pouch.

6. Place “baseballs” on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray and bake until the crescent rolls are done, about 20 minutes.

Here’s a closer look at the inside:

They’re really tasty, almost like individual chicken pot pies. You can add whatever other seasonings you like. They’re also good with extra veggies (like carrots and celery) added to the mixture.

No real need for a starchy side because of the crescent rolls. We had ours last night with corn and cottage cheese. I had one baseball, my husband had 2 and then he swiped the last one to pack in his lunch.

After dinner we settled in the living room to finish watching The Biggest Loser before heading to bed. This season is so much different than last year. The people this time seem to genuinely care about and like one another while the last go round was full of pettiness and mean spiritedness.

What’s your favorite outdoor activity?

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