Crossroads

I feel like I'm at a crossroads in life.  Or, maybe I'm just bored.  Either way, I need...something.  For those of you who don't know (and that's most all of you), I work as a Resident Services for an apartment complex.  Overall, I love my job and it truly is a dream come true.  I have been in this position for over 4 years and it was a blessing that it happened at all.  But, after doing the same job now for almost half a decade, I feel restless.  I don't know if it's the job or my environment.  Do I want a new job?  Do I want to move to a new work location?  Do I want to move altogether: new city, new home, etc?  I don't know!

I've been looking online at real estate - but not thrilled with what's out there.  So now, I'm looking at schools or credential programs that can enhance my current field at work.  It's not cheap and will make a little dent in my pocket book, but maybe on the grand scheme of life it will seem like nothing.  I mean, what is the price of happiness...or a bit more knowledge in my noggin?

You see...crossroads!

I mean, honestly!

Have you ever been at a crossroads?  What did you do?  What made you decide to go in one particular direction?  Or, are you still lost...like me?

Melissa's Spaghetti w/ Parmesan Zucchini

Alrighty, I'm at it again.  I mean, I've cooked since we've last "spoken," but it always takes a little more effort and conscience thought to take pictures from start to finish.  But, I'm back! This time I bring you "my" spaghetti. Yum!!

Monkey and I are frugal folks. We were once in a really tight spot where we were not only living paycheck to paycheck, but we were down to dollars and cents each day.  It was rough. What we learned early on was that the eating out had to stop, and the eating in had to begin. But even though we were eating in, I found that in the beginning I was having to cook different meals every night...which when you are living dollars to the day (budget wise), even this wasn't working for us. So, I learned to buckle down even further.  

There is only two of us in the house (minus a feline), and this meal always lasts us an entire work week (5 days).  We got used to this way of eating, but I realize it's not for everyone. If this is "too much" food, feel free to scale down on whatever you wish.  

"Melissa's Spaghetti" 

The Ingredients

Step One (1) - Chop peppers into tiny pieces.

Teeny tiny pieces.

Step Two (2) - Slice mushrooms - even more.

(I like thinly sliced mushrooms)

Step Three (3)

I love my onion chopper!!

Step Four (4) - Heat pot with Olive Oil and Garlic

I use garlic oil and garlic cubes from Trader Joe's

Step Five (5) - Sauté onions, garlic and oil

Inhale aroma. Smile deeply.

Step Six (6) - Add turkey meat and seasonings (salt, garlic pepper, "Mrs. Dash", Italian seasoning and a few flakes of chili flakes.)

Add so much seasonings you can barely see meat. ;)

Step Seven (7) - Once meat is cooked through, add chopped bell peppers.

Colorful!

Step Eight (8) - Stir together, add sauce. (I like to use one "cheesy" sauce + one marinara type sauce.)  Simmer on stove on lowest setting. (No picture)

Step Nine (9) - While the sauce simmers, Sauté mushrooms. Get pan and heat oil.

Fancy pan.

Step Ten (10) - Add mushrooms.

Mushroom-y!

Step Eleven (11) - Once the mushrooms start to get really watery, add butter. (I use garlic and herb butter from Trader Joe's.)

Mmmmmm....garlic herb butter.....

Step Twelve (12) - Let cook until water evaporates on its own. Here, add salt and pepper.

Patience is a virtue here and reward of deliciousness is guaranteed.

Step Thirteen (13) - Like this!  Now, add my secret ingredient: 1 tsp. sugar. (shhhhhh!!)

Yummy!!

Step Fourteen (14) - Place sautéed mushrooms in sauce, stir, simmer.

The perfect sauce!  Proof at the end.

Step Fifteen (15) - Cook noodles, simmer sauce, drink wine!  

The perfect tri-fecta!!

Parmesan Zucchini

The Ingredients.

Directions: (1) Clean zucchini. (2) Slice in half length-wise. (3) Drizzle olive oil on top. (4) Season with salt and pepper. (5) Lay parmesan cheese on top. (6) Set to broil on low for 15 minutes. (7) Set to broil on high for 5-10 minutes to toast cheese.

Like this!

Final Presentation

Ta-dah!!

And as promised...

Good to the last lick.  (Photo-bombed by Mittens.)

That's my stuff. Lemme know if you have any questions! :)  

Enjoy and Bon Appétit!!   

The Inevitable Seasonal Cold

A little back story: It was a little over two years ago when Monkey (my husband) and I were starting to brainstorm on our New Year’s Eve plans.  As Monkey works the graveyard shift at a job that runs consistent for 365 days, it is incredibly rare for us to have this holiday off.  How excited I was!  As luck would have it, I was struck with a HORRIBLE case of the flu ON New Year’s Eve. All our plans came to a halt while I dealt with all the nastiness that is the flu. While on my death bed (I’m nothing if not dramatic), I vowed to do everything in my power to prevent this – I will wash my hands every 30 seconds, I swore! I will use hand sanitizer as if the stuff were going out of business tomorrow, I promised! I will eat an orange – no, two! – every day, I declared! And never will I again touch my face, so help me God! 

But of course, that isn’t how life works. 

I did manage, however, not to get sick again for the next two years.  (High five to me!) 

That's how I look when I high five.

  

In the end, it all struck again. Only this time, I got the flu in January and two months later I was gifted a cold.

You may be wondering why I’m writing this post. “Everyone gets sick, Melissa. You are not bringing anything new to the table.”  You are right. 

My reason for writing this post is mainly due in part because I wanted to share all the little remedies that eased me through the horribleness of being sick. As I lay on the bed, the floor, the couch, I was constantly on my phone Googling, “How to prevent [this]…” and “How to stop [that]”…and my favorite, “I’m hungry! What food can I eat that won’t make me feel more like a zombie.”

Every time.

I’m going to make a bold statement here, and say, I think I would prefer to catch the flu over the cold. I know, I know!! Before I explain, check out the table below…

	Cold	Flu
Known viruses that cause illness	Hundreds	3 Main Types
Symptoms	Neck up	Whole Body
Fever	101-	102+
Scratchy Throat	Yes	Sometimes
Runny Nose	Yes	Sometimes
Sneezing	Yes	Sometimes
Cough	Yes	Sometimes
Onset of Symptoms	Gradual	Sudden!
Medication	Over the Counter – Relieves symptoms	Prescription – Fights the virus. Must be taken w/in 48 hours of symptoms. Consult doctor.

*http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/cold-guide/flu-cold-symptoms?page=2
*http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57563394/cold-or-flu-how-to-tell-the-difference/
*http://www.tamiflu.com/tamiflu-for-adults;jsessionid=C40211F3B87DEE87AA5F6913818AC461.gxeTam-m2

So, the reasoning for my bold statement is that when I got the flu in January, I caught it quick (because it caught me quick) and I bolted to the doctors within hours of symptoms. I will spare you the gory details, but it was a rough few hours before the doc could see me.  I was prescribed Tamiflu (a common flu medication that fights the virus instead of hiding the symptoms) and within 3 days, I was back at work.  Now, I realize that every body is different and everyone will respond differently to the medication, but for me at that time, it worked very successfully.

In contrast, my cold knocked me out of work for 5 days (maybe one day too long, but I had the work coverage, the time available, and hell, I wanted to stay in my jammies as long as possible, damnit!), I'm still dealing with the mucus and the cough (albeit a far littler amount than I'm used to [keep reading]), and I have yet to sleep without my trustworthy Nyquil.

This next portion may be too T.M.I. for some readers, and now would be a good time to stop reading if you have a weak stomach, but this is everything I researched while sick and the things that helped me get through some of the ugly rough patches of the cold.  

There are two things that suck the absolute most while sick: the cough and the mucus. Both can take you hostage and make you their bitch anytime they wish. And if you should, ya know, speak at all in your job, these two villains can render you almost useless when trying to work. For when the mucus builds up to an unholy state of thickness and amount, it will cause you to cough (nasal drip) into such a fit that you may start throwing up the mucus. This is not pretty when you are on a call with a client or trying to speak with someone in person.  Numerous times these guys have ganged up on me while I'm driving on the freeway at 75mpg which forced me to pull over and upheave the globbery mess. (Once, in a rain storm. That was awesome! :sarcasm:)

This time I decided to be the domain of my own body! I researched early to find out the causes of mucus build up, if there was anything I could do to lessen the amount/thickness, and to see if I was alone in this matter.

Good news: I'm not alone!

Bad news: While there are things that can be done to help the build up and thickness of mucus, doing everything is rough and takes a lot of dedication. 

OK To Eat	Best to Stay Away From	Notes
Celery	Dairy
Broccoli	White Flour
Lean Proteins	Meat
Green Leafy Veggies	Eggs
Whole Wheat Bread	Potatoes
Bran	Beans
Avacados	Rice
Fresh Berries	Grains
	Fish
	Peanuts
	Oils and Fats
	Citrus Fruits	Vitamin C should not be consumed in this form. Can get from over-the-counter vitamins and leafy veggies.
	Coffee!	Coffee is a diuretic which makes you keep peeing and losing water.

http://www.ehow.com/way_5304592_mucus-cleansing-diet.html

 http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080317013841AAQlmqg

Let me me state that I am not a doctor, nor am I suggesting that these things mentioned are true for everyone.  This is the research that I did while sick and the guidelines I used to help me.  As I've said everyone is different and will react to things different. Mainly I have posted this so that all my research is in one place and readily available for me to glance back again when I get sick.  If you feel that these things help you, or you would like to utilize anything mentioned, by all means!

I hope you feel better soon and get lots of rest!!