Drinking Cold Water When You're Cold

Since I initially lost weight, I find myself constantly cold. Or extremely hot. Yes, I know that also has to do with age. But, its MAY, and I'm FREEZING! Drinking over 64 ounces of cold water a day doesn't help. Mother Nature has decided to visit, which makes it worse.

I've been really good with eating the last two weeks. We still haven't done our grocery shopping. I think its been three weeks, and we usually do it every two. So, I'm really trying to make the best choices from almost-bare cabinets.

So, as I'm sitting here finishing off the first 32 ounces, and thinking about making tea, I'm getting hungry for lunch. Digging through the cabinets, I came across some Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup. Since starting WW two years ago, I've made soup a regular. Taco Soup, chicken vegetable soup, heck even vegetable soup. But, the only time I eat canned soup is when I'm sick. But, that's what was there, and I wasn't up to cooking for lunch.

I put the soup on to heat, threw some frozen broccoli and corn in, found some leftover barbecue chicken breasts (halved), and threw one of those in too.

I'm no longer hungry AND warm. I think I'll put some water on for tea to get the rest of my water in. I feel like an idiot drinking cold water, then complaining that I'm cold.

QUESTION OF THE DAY:
What are your quick throw together meals?

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Monday's Top 10 - Staple Foods

One of the questions I always see asked in weight loss forums is, "Name your top 10 staple foods." Foods that are always on my shopping list. I thought I'd list it here to help others. I'm going to leave out the "fruits and vegetables," as those are givens.

My Top 10 Staple Foods

1. Boneless, skinless chicken breast. So many things you can do with chicken. Its not just for baking or grilling. Though, I love my George Foreman Grill.
   
   
2. Center cut pork chops. Hubby likes to get the thick ones. I eat them and count the points for it.
   
   
3. Lean ground turkey (or beef). Try to get 93% lean. To get rid of extra fat, after frying it up, you can put it in a colander and rinse the extra fat off. Yes, I know that sounds yucky, but it does work. You can continue cooking it afterwards.
   
   
4. 1% milk. My family won't drink skim at all. If I'm out, I'll get skim.
   
   
5. Fat Free (or low fat) cheese. All kinds of cheeses. Slices and shredded.
   
   
6. Quick oats. Not instant packets. Those little things never fill me up. I need two. I can make 1/2 cup of quick oats, drown it in cinnamon (which gets your metabolism going). Flavor it with fruit (preferably fresh), and splenda if necessary, and you're good to go.
   
   
7. Raisins. I put 1/4 cup in my oatmeal. They're good for a quick snack also.
   
   
8. Peanut Butter. OMG, I am a peanut butter addict. I can eat it everyday. I use 1 tablespoon in my oatmeal, or on my pb&j sandwiches. I realized that reduced-fat and regular peanut butter are the same amount of points, so I get whichever is cheaper.
   
   
9. Jelly
   
   
10. Light (reduced-calorie) bread. Two slices = 1 serving.
    

There are quite a few more. But, I'm limiting myself to 10.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: What are your top 10 healthy foods?

Spring is the beginning of salad season

Spring is the time of year I start wanting to eat more fruits and salads. Winter is usually about comfort foods and keeping warm. Yes, I try to eat healthy during winter, but it seem so much easier to eat fruits and salads, and just plain lighter, in spring and summer. Salads sprinkled with fresh lemon juice, or a teaspoon of olive oil, and there you have a quick, easy meal. Salads aren't a requirement. Many of these can be cooked. I just find it easier to eat healthy salads in the spring.

So I did some research to find out what fruits and vegetables are at their peak this time of year. I'm sure I've left some off this list, and there are some I don't even know what they are (Fiddlehead Fern sounds like something my black thumb would kill). But, what a great way to find some new foods to try.

Apricots
Artichoke
Argula
Asparagus
Avocado
Beets
Blueberries
Boysenberries
Broccoli
Broccoli Raab
Cardoons
Carrots
Chard
Cherries
Celeriac
Chives
Corn
Fava Beans
Fennel
Fiddlehead Ferns
Garlic
Grapefruit
Greens (Mustard, Collard, Baby Lettuce Mixes, Dandelion, Spinach)
Lemons
Loganberries
Mangos
Morels
New Potatoes
Peas
Pineapple
Plums
Radishes
Raspberries
Rhubarb
Sorrel
Spinach
Strawberries
Turnips
Vidalia Onions
Watercress
Watermelon
Zucchini

You can lose some of the fat in Chocolate Dipped Strawberries by using fat free milk and omit the butter. Just remember, moderation. Eating a few is a delicious treat. Eat a pound, and you will regret it and hate yourself after they're gone.

Many of the foods can be found in supermarkets. However, farmers markets are a wonderful way to support your local merchants and buy fresh and flavorful foods. Find a farmer's market in your hometown, by checking out Local Harvest.

Eating fresh produce gets me away from prepared foods. There is so much sodium in prepared foods. I can't begin to say how important reading the nutritional labels are. According to the FDA, we should stay under 2400 mg of sodium a day. Even when I'm eating what I consider the healthy, and losing weight, I have many days where I'm over the 2400.

Which is why drinking water is very important. On a good day, I can drink 160 oz. of water while at work. And, at least another 64 oz when I get home. Water is good for flushing out the toxins in your body. So, if I'm having a few days over that 2400 mark, I don't sweat it.

Its definitely something to pay attention to.