Sick Day Essentials

If you follow me on Twitter, then you know that yesterday I was feeling less than my best. With the help of Airborne, Advil, and juice, I made it through both of my classes last night which enabled me to get information on my finals next week. However, this also meant that I was feeling pretty crappy as I dumped myself in bed.

This morning I woke up and knew there was no way I would be able to drag myself into work. The energy just wasn't there. And, despite feeling okay, my voice would have led anyone to believe that I was recovering from a tonsillectomy. I had raspy, scratchy man voice. Instead, I worked from home today which I was grateful for and am feeling at 75 - 80% which is a drastic improvement from the morning.

Here are a few of my go-to comforts when I'm feeling sick. Some are food related and others are more for taking care of my overall health.

- Odwalla Citrus-C Juice. Whether it's a mental effect or it actually helps, I only drink juice when I'm sick.

- The comforts of my couch and sweatpants

- The View

- Mugs of tea and water. Today I drank 2 Brita pitchers plus tea, juice, and coffee!

- Good clean foods. Today alone I have eaten a pear, salad, almost half a batch of soup, and baked beans, amongst other things. Is it possible to OD on veggies?!

- A good comforting soup. Today I was craving broccoli soup (broccoli has lots of Vitamin C) so I threw together this quick and easy soup for lunch (and snack, ahem...)

Creamy Broccoli Soup

• 2 chopped carrots
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 3/4c frozen peas
• 1c frozen chopped spinach
• 4c frozen broccoli florets
• 1/4c uncooked brown rice (I used short grain)
• 4c vegetable broth

Chop your onion and carrots and add them to a non-stick sprayed pot.  Cook over medium-low heat for about 8 minutes or until onion has begun to soften. Add in the rest of your veggies, broth, and rice, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover your pot, and let simmer for 15 - 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove lid and allow soup to cool for a few minutes. Transfer to blender and blend until smooth.

This recipe made 6 servings (1 cup servings) that clock in at 100 calories, .3g fat, 4.72g fiber. I had ~2 servings for lunch and another one at dinner. My body wanted the warm comforts of soup! I added hot sauce and a couple of crushed tortilla chips to it for crunch which was delicious!

What are your sick day essentials? What do you crave when you're sick? Soup, veggies, carbs?