Bring on the Rain!
What a miserably hot past few days. And they say we're not done yet. There's a reason I live "way up north." It's cold, snowy and summer only lasts about 6 weeks. Okay, that's an exaggeration... it's more like 8 weeks, but our summer weather usually hovers in the 70s or 80s with the lurking idea that the lake would could come and steal the heat away at any moment and turn our 70s into 50s. I sleep great at night! :)
The past 5+ days we've had heat indexes into the 90s and even 100s with humidity being 100% most days. MISERABLE! You can't do anything. My house has consistently been 86 degreens INDOORS. And our poor ice maker could hardly keep up with the demand and everyone is pretty grumpy in my house. We called 3 Menards stores, 1 Home Depot, and 2 Targets to find out that everyone was sold out of every single air conditioner they carry. That's insane!!! So are we for not having one, but we need a special size and just moved in late last summer, so it wasn't high on the priority list until Mother Nature turned our house into an oven!
Speaking of oven, in this heat I don't dare even look at mine. The BBQ has been our main source for food, but in this heat even hot food doesn't seem all that appealing, so we've tried thinking up other options.
So, for those wondering how we beat the heat and still ate decently here are some of the ideas I went with...
1. Subway!! Yesterday after work I picked up the girls, stopped a Subway to pick up dinner, and then ran home to grab our suits. We were at the beach exactly an hour after I got off work and didn't leave until it was time to get everyone home for bed. I guess that's two ideas... Subway & the beach! :)
2. BBQ more than the average amount. We BBQ'd an entire bag of frozen chicken breasts, then we've been eating the leftovers out of the fridge and on salads. Cold chicken tastes good too!
3. Salads! It's fresh fruit season everyone. So, this week's salad is spinach, strawberry, & walnuts with reduced fat raspberry vinegarette. I even add a couple Craisins for fun and top it with grilled chicken for some extra protein. Poof! Full meal and no heat involved.
4. ICE!! Again, I tell you I feel bad for our poor ice maker. At one point I thought it was broken because it didn't seem to be making ice. Yeah, it was just because we were using it so fast that the ice maker couldn't get ahead of us! LOL So, our main drinks the past few days have been water and Crystal Light. When I didn't stay hydrated, I got a headache from the heat.
5. Protein Shakes. These aren't for everyone, but they're a big favorite in our house. The latest brand we're trying are the Body by Vi (or Visalus) shakes. It's a powdered shake mix that you can mix with just about anything to create any flavor. Abby like strawberries in her's blended with soy milk. Em likes the chocolate peanut butter (made with FF pudding mix & powdered peanut butter). I like the shake mix with OJ. And Jim likes them mixed with milk and any fruit. All of us welcomed them blended with lots of ice the past few days! And the best part is that they range from 150-250 calories!
So, those were my tricks to beat the heat and not kill my progress. Unfortunately, the scale did not agree as much as I'd liked this morning, so I am really hitting the water harder today and it's cooler in the house due to a nice storm, so we'll see if it was just plain ol water retention when I weigh in tomorrow.
I hope everyone is keeping cool and safe during this hot weather. It seems that no matter where you go you can't escape it. Just be safe, and remember to stay hydrated and check on pets, friends, and especially older relatives. Hopefully a break is in sight!!
The past 5+ days we've had heat indexes into the 90s and even 100s with humidity being 100% most days. MISERABLE! You can't do anything. My house has consistently been 86 degreens INDOORS. And our poor ice maker could hardly keep up with the demand and everyone is pretty grumpy in my house. We called 3 Menards stores, 1 Home Depot, and 2 Targets to find out that everyone was sold out of every single air conditioner they carry. That's insane!!! So are we for not having one, but we need a special size and just moved in late last summer, so it wasn't high on the priority list until Mother Nature turned our house into an oven!
Speaking of oven, in this heat I don't dare even look at mine. The BBQ has been our main source for food, but in this heat even hot food doesn't seem all that appealing, so we've tried thinking up other options.
So, for those wondering how we beat the heat and still ate decently here are some of the ideas I went with...
1. Subway!! Yesterday after work I picked up the girls, stopped a Subway to pick up dinner, and then ran home to grab our suits. We were at the beach exactly an hour after I got off work and didn't leave until it was time to get everyone home for bed. I guess that's two ideas... Subway & the beach! :)
2. BBQ more than the average amount. We BBQ'd an entire bag of frozen chicken breasts, then we've been eating the leftovers out of the fridge and on salads. Cold chicken tastes good too!
3. Salads! It's fresh fruit season everyone. So, this week's salad is spinach, strawberry, & walnuts with reduced fat raspberry vinegarette. I even add a couple Craisins for fun and top it with grilled chicken for some extra protein. Poof! Full meal and no heat involved.
4. ICE!! Again, I tell you I feel bad for our poor ice maker. At one point I thought it was broken because it didn't seem to be making ice. Yeah, it was just because we were using it so fast that the ice maker couldn't get ahead of us! LOL So, our main drinks the past few days have been water and Crystal Light. When I didn't stay hydrated, I got a headache from the heat.
5. Protein Shakes. These aren't for everyone, but they're a big favorite in our house. The latest brand we're trying are the Body by Vi (or Visalus) shakes. It's a powdered shake mix that you can mix with just about anything to create any flavor. Abby like strawberries in her's blended with soy milk. Em likes the chocolate peanut butter (made with FF pudding mix & powdered peanut butter). I like the shake mix with OJ. And Jim likes them mixed with milk and any fruit. All of us welcomed them blended with lots of ice the past few days! And the best part is that they range from 150-250 calories!
So, those were my tricks to beat the heat and not kill my progress. Unfortunately, the scale did not agree as much as I'd liked this morning, so I am really hitting the water harder today and it's cooler in the house due to a nice storm, so we'll see if it was just plain ol water retention when I weigh in tomorrow.
I hope everyone is keeping cool and safe during this hot weather. It seems that no matter where you go you can't escape it. Just be safe, and remember to stay hydrated and check on pets, friends, and especially older relatives. Hopefully a break is in sight!!
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