Cold Remedies

My daughter came down with a cold last week. After all the preventative measures I took, I still ended up getting it. I needed to be better very, very fast for an event I have coming up this weekend. So, I asked around and got home remedy tips from people and tried them ALL. Although I felt like a medicine woman or a drug addict, everything I've tried has helped. This is the third day and I feel tons better. So, I thought I'd share my tips with you.

•Lots of rest. I was in bed by 9 every single night.
•Hot, HOT baths. Don't scald yourself, obviously, but I took two hot baths on the first day and one last night. I sat in there until I started sweating profusely. I was told that sweating is what helps your body get rid of toxins and infections. It worked!
•Over the counter pseudoephedrine. You have to get it from the pharmacist because it's a controlled substance but it's cheap and works wonders! I took a twelve hour pill day and night.
•Vitamin C and D3 tablets.
•Lots and lots of orange juice.
•I drank echinacea tea 4 times a day. I used two bags. One brand contained more vitamin C and zinc and the other one didn't. So I used both. I also added some honey in with the tea.
•My neighbor gave me some essential oils that helped relieve symptoms for a short period but that was about it.
•We had a Vicks Vapor humidifier going day and night. I put it by our bed while I slept. We also added the inhalant on the top to help put menthol in the air.
•Eating healthy. I ate lots of fruits and protein and things to help rejuvenate my body to keep it going and give it energy.

I'm amazed how much better I feel already. I'm not 100% yet, but I'm starting to have more hope that I'll be alive and kickin this weekend.

Chicken Lasagna

We tried another phenomenal recipe tonight.

Chicken Lasagna

2 cups shredded, cooked chicken
1 can artichoke hearts
1 8oz pkg Kraft mozzarella cheese with a touch of Philadelphia
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
2 pkgs cream cheese, softened
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup basil
Box of lasagna noodles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions.

In a large bowl, combine chicken, artichokes, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, and tomatoes.

In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese, milk, and garlic powder. Stir in 2 Tbsp of basil. Pour half of the cream cheese mixture into the chicken mixture and stir until coated.

Spread half of the remaining cream cheese mixture along the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Cover the bottom with noodles, and top with 1/3 of the chicken mixture. Repeat twice. Place one final layer of noodles on top. Place remaining cream cheese mixture and mozzarella cheese on top, cover dish, and bake for 30-40 minutes. When it's done baking, sprinkle with remaining basil.

Dinner Recipe

Garlic Pesto Chicken with Tomato Cream Penne

There have been many really bad recipes that I've tried on Pinterest but this one was really, really good so I wanted to share.

Chicken Ingredients:
1/2 bottle Lawry's Herb and Garlic Marinade
2 large spoonfuls of pesto
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1" strips.

Marinate chicken overnight

sauce ingredients:
8 oz penne pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 spoonfuls of pesto
1/2 cup chicken broth
8 oz of tomato sauce
1 cup half and half

Boil water and cook noodles.

Pour entire batch of chicken and marinade into a large skillet and cook until chicken is done. The Marinade will cook down.

In another skillet, heat olive oil and cook garlic until it is soft. Add the pesto. Add chicken broth and simmer until half has cooked down. Add the tomato sauce and milk. Simmer for 5 minutes or until hot. Add pasta and add flour if the sauce needs to be thickened.

Place pasta on a plate and top with the chicken.

Bacon Tip

I love hot, crispy bacon.

But I hate cooking it. It's greasy and messy and the splatters always end up on my skin or clothes.

But we found a tip a few years ago I thought I'd share:

Cook bacon on your George Foreman!

The slope obviously helps there be less grease, and there's a lid, so you won't get splattered :). Everybody wins! We've never looked back since trying this method. Love it!

Magnetic Letters

I may be the only one anal enough to try this idea, but in case I'm not, I'm sharing it.

This is my first original idea that wasn't inspired by someone from Pinterest or elsewhere. This is all me, baby! Granted, someone else may have already done it, but whatever.

I have a very busy 14 month old daughter and I am always looking for ways to keep her entertained. I wanted to buy those plastic letter refrigerator magnets to play with but I wasn't sure I wanted the bright, florescent colors radiating from my fridge every day.

So I had this idea in my sleep. Why not make my own letters? I can paint them any color I want and then they can match!

I headed to Michael's and found a bag of small, wood letters for $3.99. I also purchased a roll of magnetic strips. I believe that was $3.00? Not sure... I know it was cheap.

I picked out paint colors from my craft paints that matched my kitchen and living room, separated the letters into three piles, and started painting.

After they dried I glued the magnets on the back with wood glue. The magnetic rolls come with self-adhesive but it was not nearly strong enough to stay attached to the wood, so I glued mine.

I'm pretty pleased with the end result. It matches and keeps my child busy. Win, win, right?