Thoughts
This post is sponsored by GSK Flonase.
Our noses are running constantly and tiny tears drip out of our eyes, evidence that the early spring pollen has struck again. Tis the season for itchy eyes, runny noses, and scratchy throats.
The pollen may have caught us by surprise yet again this year, but that doesn’t mean we’re giving in that easily. Allergies are no fun and I refuse to let them get the best of us and drag us down when the weather is finally turning gorgeous, so we’re doing everything we can to keep them at bay.
Super clean
Seriously boring, but makes a huge difference. We change all the air filters, vacuum approximately a million times, and wash all our sheets, pillowcases, and blankets in steaming hot water. For once I remember to change the sheets consistently so there’s no time for extra pollen to accumulate. Showers, baths, and hand-washing all the time for everyone, too.
Shoes at the front door.
There’s no way I’m banning going outside, even if that’s where all the pollen is, so shoes are relegated to the front door so pollen isn’t tracked all over the house. Same goes for any jackets or blankets or toys that go outside. The less pollen trekked all over, the better.
Exercise outside based on pollen count.
It’s seriously the best time of year to exercise outside – except for your lungs. Morning walks or runs happen early in the morning and if the pollen count is too high, it doesn’t happen – it’s not worth it. Continuing to exercise, however, is important too, so inside it is.
What do you do to help with allergies?
Flonase® Allergy Relief (fluticasone propionate 50 mcg spray), now available over-the-counter, is changing the way allergies are treated by delivering original prescription strength treatment without a prescription. Click here to learn how you can #BeGreater than your allergies.
Disclosure: GSK compensated me in connection with the statements in this post. Compensation was provided by GSK Flonase via Mode Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of GSK Flonase.
Thoughts
This allergy post is sponsored by GSK Flonase.
Allergies may not sound like a big deal, but if you’re an allergy sufferer you know how annoying and disruptive they can be. It can be hard to face the sunshine, as beautiful as it is after a long, dreary winter, knowing that what comes with it are blooming flowers, pollinating trees, and growing grass – all contributors to seasonal allergies.
I used to hide inside waiting for the season to pass, but here in NC that season doesn’t seem to ever want to end. I’d wait for the pollen to stop collecting on the cars and pooling in the sidewalk after a rain. I’d wait until the rain was pouring down to venture outside, hoping it’d keep some of the pollen at bay, instead of in my nose. But with an allergy season that seems to drag on and on here, that just isn’t possible.
So I make the best of it and don’t let allergies stop me from doing what I love – being outside, running in the fresh air, and playing in the grass with my son. The trick is to avoid peak pollen times, and treat daily when symptoms start.
To prepare our family for fighting allergy season, we keep our sheets, towels, and rugs extra clean, leave our shoes close to the door so we don’t track pollen in, and make sure we keep up our intake of fruits and veggies so we stay as healthy as possible.
To make sure we can fit in our outside time without paying the consequence for too much pollen, I check the pollen count on my weather app before heading outside. We usually stick to early mornings (especially if it’s for a run) when pollen count tends to be lower around here. If it’s an extremely high pollen day, we opt for an indoor activity or something that doesn’t keep us outside for too long. As soon as we come inside, we rinse off – washing hands and faces to help keep the pollen at bay.
Flonase® Allergy Relief (fluticasone propionate 50 mcg per spray), now available over-the-counter, is changing the way allergies are treated by delivering original prescription strength treatment without a prescription. Click here to learn how you can #BeGreater than your allergies.
Disclosure: GSK compensated me in connection with the statements in this post. Compensation was provided by GSK Flonase via Mode Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of GSK Flonase.
Recipe
These beautiful, perfect-temperature spring days are limited- they come and go before you can even acknowledge it’s really spring.
The last thing I want to do on those beautiful days is spend hours cooped up in the kitchen. {Ok, that’s the last thing I want to do any day.} It’s easy to forget delicious meals don’t have to take a lot of work. Here’s the perfect example of an easy healthy meal that tastes like it took a long time, but really all you have to do is boil water.
Spring Fresh Pasta
{choose ingredient amounts based on number of servings desired and to taste- you can’t mess it up}
Whole wheat spaghetti
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Garlic, minced
Thyme
Asparagus
Sliced almonds
Salt/pepper
Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain water and set pasta aside. Lower temperature. In the same pan, heat olive oil. Add garlic and saute for just a few minutes. Add lemon juice and thyme, and return pasta to pot. Mix and add more oil/lemon juice as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
For asparagus, chop rough ends off. Place on baking sheet and toss in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, then top with a handful of sliced almonds. Roast asparagus at 450 for 10 minutes, turning half way through.
Slice asparagus and place on top of hot pasta. Top with almonds.
Done and done!
You can recreate the same dish with any spring veggies for variety.
What’s your favorite easy-prep meal? Mine’s pasta and rice & beans!
Recipe
To me, the day time changes is much more indicative of spring than the actual first day of spring. It didn’t hurt that it attempted to hit 80 degrees here yesterday.
We celebrated with burgers- traditional cookout fare.
Only we also spent the weekend knocking down our deck, so our grill isn’t exactly available for use.
So the burgers were baked. And they weren’t really burgers- they were bean burgers.
{But they were good enough for the husband to say he’d gotten his burger fix… so that counts, right?}
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by with a Side of Sneakers
- 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans
- 2 chipotle peppers (canned in adobo sauce)
- 1 small onion (1/2 a normal sized onion)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/3 cup oatmeal
- roasted cumin + paprika; to taste
Chop onion and garlic in food processor.
Add beans and peppers and pulse, but don’t completely pulverize- you want to still be able to see some beans.
Stir in oatmeal and seasonings.
Divide mixture into four; form patties and place on greased baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes at 450, flipping half way through.
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I had a teeny tiny baby onion, so you might not want to use the whole thing if yours is bigger.
Add beans and peppers and pulse, but don’t completely pulverize- you want to still be able to see some beans.
Stir in oatmeal and seasonings.
Divide mixture into four; form patties and place on greased baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes at 450, flipping half way through.
Since bean burgers tend to be a little doughy and starchy in texture, I served them with toasted sandwich thins to cut down on the squishiness. {And with baked potato wedges tossed in olive oil and rosemary.}
Later smothered with ketchup, Dijon mustard, and lettuce.
I can now say I’m officially obsessed with chipotle peppers in adobo. I usually ignore that ingredient in a recipe because it seemed like too much work to buy a can for just one pepper. But I had some on hand and tried them- it was totally worth it.
What’s your favorite thing about spring?
