It was a cold one here this morning! 6 degrees, my friends!!

Somehow the addiction of running overruled the desire to stay inside and be warm, so outside I went for a 7 mile run this morning.

I was chilled to the bone the whole time though. I warmed up a little after about 15 minutes, but not enough to feel comfortable.

I am just naturally a cold person because (I think) I wore plenty of clothing:

- 2 pairs of pants

- sweat-wicking turtleneck

- long sleeve t-shirt

- windbreaker jacket

- neck warmer

- hat

- mittens

And as always, my thighs, cheeks (make that both sets), and stomach were bright red when I got back! Does this happen to anyone else?

After some light stretching, I took a hot shower to attempt to warm up. It didn’t work. I then put on two pair of pants, a long sleeve shirt, a sweatshirt, and a down vest to try and warm up. That didn’t work either!

This morning at school, I had to patrol the parent drop-off area outside, so that was another 20 minutes of standing outside. Brrr!! When I got in, I was fa-reezing!! I shivered through my first class, and then went and got hot tea to try and warm up. That still didn’t work. It took another mug of hot tea to finally warm up. Seriously? What is my problem?!?!

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After work today, Craig and I headed to the gym for a workout. Craig rode the stationary bike while I weight lifted for 45 minutes.

Since I knew we usually don’t get back home until close to 7 p.m., I planned ahead by making this Spicy Vegetable Chili yesterday. This meant, all I had to do was reheat it tonight! Score!

Spicy Vegetable Chili

(from Taste of Home Healthy Cooking Magazine, October/November 2009 issue)

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1/2 onion, diced

1 carrot, thinly sliced

1/2 green pepper, chopped

1/4 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced

1/2 zucchini, sliced

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained

1 can (15.5 oz.) pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce

1-1/2 Tablespoons chili powder

1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

dash crushed red pepper flakes

1-1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

Directions

1. In a large pot, saute the onion, carrot, pepper, mushrooms, and zucchini in oil until tender.

2. Add garlic, and cook 1 minute longer.

3. Add the tomatoes, beans, tomato sauce, and seasonings.

4. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally. (I did have to add water occasionally to keep it from sticking.)

5. Stir in vinegar.

What a wonderful, hearty chili this was–and spicy, too! I loved all the veggies, and neither Craig or I missed the meat.

I had a serving of Kashi crackers with my soup. I’ve had a variety of different Kashi’s flavors, but the good, old Original 7 Grain are my favorite!

Question

What do you do to warm-up when you are cold?