Weezy Wednesday! Whole30: Day 16

My body is playing host to a germ block party. Do you know how hard it is to stay on the Whole30 while feeling like death? All I want are saltines, ginger ale, and cough drops. Thank goodness for my Momma and her intuition. She didn't know I was sick, but her post gives tips and a recipe to help  anyone who feels like they've been run over by a truck stick it out while staying compliant.

Take care, everyone, and slather in sanitizer!

I’m sick!  Not really, but it seems everyone around me is.  I cannot walk thru a store without hearing someone trying to hack up a lung.  I can hear the coughs and sniffles down the hallway at work.  AHHH,  I want to run away!  Instead, I keep the antibacterial gel nearby and wipe down door knobs, computer keys and telephones with the disinfectant wipes.

Note:  No medical advice is being given here, I am just telling you what I do…..

Sunday morning, I woke up at 3:00 (what was that about deep sleep while following the W30?) with a sore throat.  Ouch, it was really sore.  So I rolled out of the bed, stumbled to the kitchen and gargled with warm salt water.  It brought enough relief that I was able to fall back asleep pretty quick.  However, the next morning, it was worse, and I had a pounding headache to go with it.  My standard remedy for the headache is 2 naproxen sodium tablets (store brand, definitely), an analgesic patch at the back of the neck, and a super cold icepack on the head.  I crawled back into bed and prayed it would pass quickly.  Sometimes it does, sometimes it does not.  By midday, I was up and moving.  Throat still scratchy, but tolerable. 

    The month of January is a bear for me.  January 1^st, I hit the ground running,   and I am already behind! Late nights; Saturdays; it will not let up until the 31^st. The first day of February, I can finally take a breath, but right now? Getting sick now is a big no-no.  So, last week I pulled out the slow cooker and made bone broth.  I used bones from a chicken I had cooked earlier in the week, and beef bones from the store, because I wanted the darker, richer broth.  I added 2 large onions, with skin, the tops of a bunch of celery, and garlic, lots and lots of garlic.  After this cooked on low for A DAY, I strained it through a colander and placed it in the fridge.  The next day I skimmed off the fat, of which there was very little, warmed up a cup and sipped away.  Hmmm, yummy.  Believe it or not, I have been drinking a cup of this broth in the mornings.  I used to drink 2 cups of coffee.  Now, I am drinking 1 cup of coffee and a cup of broth. 

Why am I telling you this?  Because it’s 10:30 on Tuesday night and I’m tired and I don’t know what I’m saying.  Also, because I think this has helped me to avoid the sickness that is rampant around me. 

On the same note, daughter #2 will often ask for my ‘hot soup’ when she is feeling a cold come on.  This is a concoction I put together a few years ago when we were battling the ick.   We call it ‘hot soup’ because it will burn the cold right out of you. 

HOT SOUP:

Ingredients:

• Chicken broth, boxed is fine, watch for msg . Homemade is better, you know what is in it.
• Chopped onions
• Jalapeno or other hot pepper, chopped  be generous (or cayenne pepper powder)
• Chopped garlic, (lots of garlic)
• Shredded Chicken (optional, it gives you something to bite into and chew)

Sauté the onions and chopped pepper in oil until golden.  Add garlic (lots of garlic). Cook and stir a couple of minutes, don’t let the garlic burn.   Add as much chicken broth as you want, heat it up.

Put on your jammies with the footies, ladle up a steamy mug, and snuggle under the covers on the couch.   You will feel better.