OK, it's January...only a third of the way through winter ,and I'm coming down with CABIN FEVER. A trip to a spa, or a nice shopping spree or a gym membership would help, but those are definitely not in the budget for now. I'm a pretty good cook, and try to keep it interesting, but that's starting to be a challenge with variations on chicken breast, shrimp and flounder every day. I do have an indoor exercise routine, and get out for a walk every other day....But that's not too exciting either...it feel like the honeymoon may be over ! I'll be going to the city soon for a few days so that should be a break from the monotony, but the way I feel now, I need to be careful not to rebel (yes. I tend to do that) and ( if you'll pardon the expression) go whole hog....
OK,Chicks, I need ideas ...How would you go about adding a little spice ?

Go online for a hunt for interesting healthy recipes. You do not have to only eat chicken, flounder, and shrimp. I just had spaghetti and meatballs recently, it was made with ground turkey, homemade sauce, and lowcal/fiber enriched pasta and it was yummy. Even if you are wanting to stick to the very lean meats there is so much more variety out there. Get some salmon, scallops, turkey, shark, tilapia (baked tilapia with garlic and paprika is one of my favs right now). You can also go meatless with tofu, beans, etc. If you have an asian market near you, check it out - you'll find so many interesting things that are still healthy. I don't know what you are doing for workouts, but make sure you are switching it up sometimes. You mention the budget being an issue - you can find some really great workouts online for free on youtube, hulu, etc. If you have a netflix account, they also have workouts there. Set yourself little challenges to keep things interesting. Fitness and nutrition challenges. How many crunches you can do, pushups, minutes of jump rope, mile speed, etc. How many new/different veggies you can try in a week, a new recipe each week, a style of cooking you've never tried, how many new spices can you use this week, 1 meatless meal per week, etc.

If you want to add a little spice......add a little spice, literally. Play around with some flavors. Report back with some interesting combinations if you would like.

I'm in the mood for spicing things up, in more ways than one.

Thanks for your suggestions fit girly. I am a total veggie freak,(lol) and even eat some most people haven't heard of. I do whole grains, and legumes once a day also. The seafood around these parts isn't that great, but maybe I can pack a cooler and get down to chinatown when I'm in New York...lots of variety there, inexpensive , and very fresh too...I put together a resistance and light weight training work out from previous experience and some I found on line, but the "challenge" concept seems to have evaded me (more lol)...something to aspire to, though....

Yes, Nada, a point well taken....I was thinking Thai, or some something exotic like that...Thanks!

I try to mix it up by rotating my meats...I usually do a weekly rotation of chicken x 2, red meat x 1, seafood x 2, vegetarian x 1(love meatless chili!), turkey or pork x 1.

I am not very good at seasoning myself, so I love the grillmates packets (sold like taco seasoning) I've found several great flavors (baja citrus, tomato, basil, & garlic, italian) and I either use as a dry rub or just mix with water. They are about 60 cal for the packet, and I only use half for a meal for 3 people, so really good calorie wise.

I try to do different things with my veggies too...I've done honey ginger carrots, crushed red pepper, cumin & honey carrots (I like carrots lol), roasted veggies with kosher or sea salt, dry marinades, zesty italian dressing.

Fruit can make good sides too...peaches, applesauce, and slice apples are all really good sprinkled with cinnamon, pears poached in saffron (can get $, but good for a special occassion), strawberries drizzled w/ balsamic.

I also make a point to try one new produce item each week. Some are duds (grapples--freaked me out) and some are great (broccolini!), but it's kinda become a fun game that I look forward to!

I like to find ways to replace meat and or starch with veggies too...spaghetti w/ spaghetti squash, cucumber slices w/ tuna salad or laughing cow instead of crackers

That's how I try to keep it interesting, and it usually keeps me really satisfied!

HeidiNicole....actually I think you ARE very good at seasonings !
Strawberries and balsamic, pears and ginger....lions and tigers and bears yum yum !

You say you'd like a spa weekend, but can't afford it--how about a spa hour? Get a mani/pedi, or a facial, or a quick massage-refreshing at a fraction of the price!

Great idea...haven't spoiled myself in a while, Paris.

How about find a different place to take your outdoor walk? A nice neighborhood , or a public walking track. I enjoy a change of scenery when I exercise , having something different to look at helps pass the time and miles for me. I even called a friend one day and said this will sound odd but can I park in your driveway? She laughed, said of course and asked why. I told her I wanted to walk in her neighborhood , I was bored with mine.LOL ! And it was totally FREE.

That's a great idea, Nikki, I could take in some of the natural beauty around here instead of just walking to the post office or supermarket....Dugh !!

Yeah, I like changes of scenery or activity too. I am a little limited as to where I can drive in wintertime Alaska, but I still make it down to the beach (with spikies on my shoes) with the dogs; or map out a new walking route (i map mine out and drive them to determine distance); find a different video or new music; scrap a regular workout for a labor-intensive big job (we cleaned the garage last weekend...now THAT was a workout); or trying a completely different activity that I either haven't done for a long time or just had never tried before. That last is the one that is most likely to put some zap back into me - I get interested and focus when I'm trying to learn a new thing.

Thanks Calluna ! I just pictured you on the beach with your dogs...it looked beautiful !

Yeah...my dogs are Great Pyrenees...so picture a beach with snow/ice and very large, long-haired white dogs...

Have you looked into volunteer opportunities around you? You can do fun things that will get you out of the house but are free. In my hometown, we had a place where they needed people to pet puppies that were going to be service dogs so they had a ton of human contact. You just petted puppies for hours...so much fun. Hospitals sometimes have programs where you rock babies who are abandoned or vets' offices will let you walk dogs without homes. Not that you have to do any of those things, but at least it would get you out of the house AND do something postive.

If you're craving a spa day, how about giving yourself a mani-pedi? Bath oils, lotions, and polish are pretty cheap and doing the treatments on yourself kills some time. There are a lot of recipes online for home-made face masks or you can buy them for under $5. Put some easy music on, light a couple candles, turn your cell phone off...its almost like a spa