Fighting Cabin Fever with Good Food and Fun Activities

I heard it, too. The whispers that we would get hit with another storm beginning last night. Cabin fever is setting in, so I thought today, we’d try to battle it by recommending a few good activities you can do inside and out.

To keep you warm on another cold day, I’m also including a good recipe from allrecipes.com.  I figure if Mother Nature’s going to keep us cooped up anyway, we may as well fight back with good food!

Stay warm this weekend and let us know if you liked the recipe and if the activities helped keep cabin fever at bay for another day.

Indoor Activities:

• Build a fort – grab some blankets and get to building. Heat up some marshmallows and chocolate in the microwave and make indoor s’mores. They may not have the magic of the fire, but your kids will still smile when they take a bite.
• Cook – kids love to get their hands into new activities. Have them help plan the menu, as well as make the food. It will definitely be messy, but it should help keep them entertained for another hour.  And, we know how precious 60 minutes can be!

Outdoor Activities:

• Snow Painting – take a few water bottles with squirt tops and pour food coloring into the bottle. That’s all it takes. Let the kids go out and paint the snow!
• Sledding – a classic, and it’s great for getting the kids (and parents) a little exercise during the winter months.

Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients

3 bacon strips, diced

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon pepper

3 cups chicken broth

2 large baked potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 cup half-and-half cream

1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Shredded Cheddar cheese

Minced fresh parsley

Preparation Instructions

1. In a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp. Drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings. Set bacon aside. Saute onion and garlic in the drippings until tender. Stir in flour, salt, basil and pepper; mix well. Gradually add broth. Bring to boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes, cream and hot pepper sauce; heat through but do not boil. Garnish with bacon, cheese and parsley.