Day 67 – 3 Kill or Cure Cold Remedies
Day 3 of the sore throat, day 2 of the sneezing, day 1 of the runny nose….. I look so attractive, in fact I have spent the day very close to a toilet roll, and look like Rudolph. My son was so shocked by my appearance when I picked him up after school, that he asked what was wrong! So for today’s post I’m investigating cold remedies and listing my Top 3 ….
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1. Eat Chicken soup
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– now this is one of my favourites. We had a nanny who made this all the time for my kids and swore by it. I have to say today, it would definitely hit the spot. I found the following recipe on the internet
Ingredients
- One large Soup Pot
- 8 chicken pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 stalks celery – diced (reserve one stalk)
- 2 chillies – diced (or more)
- 2 medium sized onions – diced
- 3 large carrots – diced (reserve one carrot)
- 1/2+ teaspoon fresh cracked black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon+ red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 4 tablespoons of FRESH rosemary, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 4-6 whole ‘cloves’ of garlic
- 2 large bay leaves – fresh or dried
- 6-8 cups of water
- 2 cubes if good quality chicken stock
- 4 stalks of spring onions – diced and added at the end into your serving bowls.
- 2 cups dried noodles (optional & cooked separately near the end)
- chopped fresh parsley or coriander added at end or to the bowls when serving.
How to make it
The cooking process is rather simple, you will be adding the ingredients along with the chicken and water and allowing it all to boil then simmer for at least 90 minutes until the chicken is done. Then removing the chicken allowing it to cool so that you can remove the meat from the bones. Then cooking your noodles separately if you want to add them to your soup, then adding the last of the reserved veggies to your soup and returning the now-deboned chicken along with the noodles to the soup and serving it up to you and your family.
Here are the step by step directions:
- Add olive oil to your stock pot
- Remember to reserve one celery stalk, one carrot and all the spring onions – you will be adding those last to the soup pot once your chicken has cooked and you have removed the meat from the bones and replaced it back into the soup – this keeps them slightly crunchy and adds color)
- Add diced onions, celery and carrots to the mix and turn the heat under pot.
- Allow the vegetables to sweat for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While vegetables are cooking, remove skin off chicken and separate legs from thighs.
- Add chicken to pot, add all remaining ingredients: garlic, spices, salt and pepper, chillies, etc. (except for one carrot, one celery stalk, spring onions)
- Add water to pot enough to bring the water level to about one inch from the top (I filled the pot to the 5 litre mark).
- Allow to come to a boil, then lower heat and allow the soup to simmer for at least 90 minutes.
- Scoop out chicken. Let cool slightly so it is easier to remove meat from bones.
- While noodles are cooking (see next step) and chicken is cooling, add the reserved diced carrot, celery and spring onions to the soup.
- Remove chicken from bones and add.
- Cook noodles separately and when done drain and rinse noodles before adding to soup.
- Serve up in bowls to feed your cold and starve your fever!
Variations & Tips:
- Adding additional chillies or red pepper flakes at the end will bring up the ‘heat factor’ opening up the most stubborn of stuffed noses.
- Adding a squeeze of lemon juice to the bowl will also up the vitamin C content.
- ****LASTLY – the spices selected are specifically selected to help your body heal (cayenne pepper – gets blood flowing, ups metabolism)(rosemary aids in lung functioning properly)(spring onions thin mucous secretions & help sweat out cold)(chillies & red chili flakes help open up nasal passages)(onions and garlic – have antibiotic properties plus help again with thinning out mucous secretions)
adapted from Best Chicken Soup For Colds And Flu Recipe.
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2. Drink lots of tea, and liquids
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I have no problems following this as I love tea, and when you have a cold it’s great to fall back on a cupboard of herbal tea bags. I particularly like;
Green Tea with Echinecea, -A study published in the journal Antiviral Research in 1995 showed that two of the catechins in green tea, EGCG and ECG are strong inhibitors of the influenza virus.
Fennel -Fennel tea can fight catarrh of the upper respiratory tract, and has been shown to possess diuretic, choleretic, pain-reducing, fever-reducing, and antimicrobial actions.
Camomile -A study conducted at London’s Imperial College and published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry showed that drinking chamomile tea may be effective in fighting the common cold. Not only did it show the ability to reduce generalized inflammation but the essential oils found in the tea also had antimicrobial properties
And of course my favourite Albert Heijn Sleepy Tea!
The tea below sounds just yummy too, I think I will have one before bed……
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Cinnamon Ginger Tea
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh ginger
6 cups water
2 cinnamon sticks
2 tablespoons honey or brown sugar
lemon wedges for garnish if desired
In a saucepan, simmer ginger, cinnamon, and water 20 minutes, or more for stronger tea. Add honey or sugar and strain tea through a sieve.
via Chicken Soup and Ginger Tea Recipes to Ease Cold Symptoms. check this site out as it has lots of yummy fennel food dishes too, to help you fight against colds and flu.
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Hot toddy
No list would be complete without the recipe for the perfect Hot Toddy, the only good thing about a smelly cold!!
Ingredients
* 50ml/2 fl oz./3.5 tablespoons of strong alcohol such as:
Whisky – You don’t need to blow your best single malt on this, and you probably wouldn’t be able to appreciate it anyway. A supermarket blend will do just fine (or the stuff I have hanging round in the drinks cupboard from my Dad’s visits!)
Bourbon
Dark rum
Brandy
* 50ml/2fl oz./3.5 tablespoons boiling water
* Half a teaspoon of honey
* A dash of lemon and a couple of cloves (both optional)
Method
1. Give this recipe to somebody else. If you have a partner, flatmate, parent, sibling or responsible offspring present – get them to go to the kitchen while you curl up under a blanket – you’re poorly, remember? (VERY IMPORTANT QUOTE!)
2. Place the alcohol in a container and stir the honey into the whisky.
3. Add the boiling water (pouring it over the teaspoon to clean off the last of the honey).
4. At this stage you may wish to pop it into a microwave to make sure it’s really piping hot. Make sure the toddy is in a microwavable container and cook for no more than a minute or until it’s fizzing and you can smell alcohol.
5. Add lemon and cloves to taste.
A hot toddy should be sipped very slowly allowing it to soothe your sore throat, clear your nose and relax your aching muscles. Clutching a thick whisky tumbler of steaming liquid looks and feels great, but, perhaps because of the volatile nature of the alcohol, it goes cold really quickly, and a cold hot toddy is pretty nasty. A pottery mug holds the heat better, but not by much. Best of all is one of those insulated mugs, preferably with a lid, which keeps it warm down to the last sip.
There are no grand medical claims attached to this recipe. Nobody says that it will cure your cold, and indeed alcohol can deplete your immune system, but a hot toddy may well make you feel a little better.
via BBC – h2g2 – A Hot Toddy Cold Remedy.
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3. Crawl under the Duvet
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Preferably with Little Servants or Big Daddy to satisfy your every whim, for tea, toilet rolls and a supply of good magazines. Die quietly, and sleep til it all blows over………
Night Night!
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Life with Lizzi 