Cleaning it Up

I think it's time to shake up the blog a bit. My posts have been pretty heavy lately. Life isn't so serious. I make time for fun and yummies, too. In fact laughter and clean healthy whole foods are great for healing processes. But you already knew that, right? 

Last Sunday I took inventory of my freezer and pantry then sat down with my Clean Eating, Oxygen and Eating Well magazines and came up with a plan. I need quick dishes that are rich in protein and veggies because life is wonderfully full but I still want to eat healthy. I like lots of nutritional bang from the time I put into the kitchen.

I made the following 3 recipes in about 2 hours. Seriously, just 2 little hours. You have 2 hours to devote to eating healthier, don't you? 

Burger Mix (from Oxygen's Collector's Issue Summer 2005) (I quad'ed the org recipe for the week)

 16oz extra lean ground beef (I use grass fed)

2 cups brown rice (already had it cooked and frozen so it was super easy)

1 c chopped onion

15 oz can of no salt added diced tomatoes

I added a little big of Greek seasoning and ketchip too. Yum! 

My mom wanted me to try replicate a Garbanzo bean Salad she had at catered event last week.

2 cans organic Garbanzo beans

1/4 c unsweetened dried cherries

1 big can of artichoke hearts

1/2 red onion, diced

1/2 bunch of parsley, chopped

1 clove of garlic 

4 oz goat cheese

1/3 c chopped walnuts

Then I whisked together organic oilive oil and organic apple cider vinegar to hold it together. Mom said I nailed it! Woot!! 

The last thing I 'cooked' today came from Eating Well's June 2010 issue:

Broccoli, Ham and Pasta Salad

6 ounces of dry whole wheat noodles

4 cups broccoli (I steamed a bag of frozen, because raw brocc doesn't work well at my house)

6 ounces nitrate free ham and turkey lunch meat (instead of diced ham)

large red pepper, diced

1/3 c red onion, finely diced

1/3 c raisins

Creamy Herb Dressing

1/2 c low fat mayo

1/3 c nonfat plain yogurt (I used Greek, and therefore could have easily halved or eliminated the mayo)

1/4 c lowfat sour cream

3 T rice vinegar (could sub white wine vin)

1 T Dijon mustard

1 T honey

1/2 T dried chives (or fresh)

1.5 tsp tarragon or dillweed

1/2 tsp onion and/or celery salt (I just used onion powder)

white pepper to taste

Mix it all up! 

I've got a little of the Burger Mix and Garbanzo Bean salad left to get me through the weekend. Which reminds me, I'll need to make a plan for next week soon. 

What's your clean eating plan for next week?

I finished Cathe Friedrich's STS (Shock Training System) yesterday. I'm so proud of myself! I made fantastic strength gains on a few different levels, but that's the next post. 

Don't miss it! 

Clean Cool Eats

The road of clean eating has smoothed out. My mind and body feel so much better after a few days of veggie-rich meals! I sat down the other night with 4 issues of Clean Eating magazine and made meal plans for the following 10 days or so. I totally love meal planning time! I'll be eating mostly cold foods because my sister will be recovering from surgery here and based on my many past surgery experiences I'm empathetic to food smell sensitivity. The goal at my house is to not cook anything next week. It will work out well for me because it's going to be warming up outside this week- finally! I'm so thankful the rain has stopped, but the flooding is crazy around the mid-south. The Mississippi River has reached Beale Street, that's just insane! But I digress...

I took my grocery list to Costco last night and bought the store. If you live around Memphis don't even bother going to the North store. They have some awesome healthy and even organic food! I got a huge multi-pack of organic chicken, 3 pounds of grass fed beef, ginormous box of organic salad greens, whole grain flatbread wraps, a mega-box of Ancient Grains Granola with Almonds, beautiful big bag of wild blueberries, 3 half-gallons of 1% organic milk, the score of the store had to be 12 individual cartons of cottage cheese and fruit for only $3 (seriously!!) and I managed to pass up the extra large bags of chips. I'm not really a fan of cottage cheese since it's dairy and fairly high in sodium, but I got it because it's a small portion, was a phenomenal price and will be a decent source of protein during this week of cold foods. I should have snapped a picture of this beautiful healthy food, but I didn't even think about it. I need a blogger's boot camp, I think.

I do wish Costco had MORE organic produce, but that gives me a good reason to go to the grocery store with my sister tomorrow. We have a very special errand to run for this special Mother's Day weekend, but shhhhh don't tell anyone.

What's on the menu? Tuna and Green Olive Crostini, Curried Chicken (or tuna- to be decided later) salad with apples, Cobb Salad with White Fish, maybe a half recipe of Kale and Bean salad, and Veggie Soup with veggie pasta per my sister's request.

What's on YOUR clean menu for next week?

I'll also have my usual oatmeal (I'll soak it overnight in the fridge to avoid any cooking) with blueberries and flax seeds, Ancient Grains Granola with blueberries, and organic Greek yogurt with, yes, blueberries for breakfasts and snacks. Blueberries are such a great anti-cancer fruit! Eat more blueberries, people!!

I'm all set for a clean week of cool eats and care giving. It feels nifty! But first, we'll celebrate Mother's Day weekend. I haven't been home for Mother's Day in 3 years. I'm so thankful to get to share the weekend with my Mom. How are you celebrating Mother's Day this year?

Surviving Rough Roads

Hey there, remember me? My blog has been pretty quiet lately. I've been writing and re-writing this post in my head for the past several days, but I kept chickening out. Since Easter Sunday I have allowed myself too many un-clean eats. I had planned on eating for fun and celebration ON Easter. The problem was that I didn't make a clean plan for Monday, or Tuesday or, well you get the idea.

One of my goals for this blog is to be honest about my life as a Survivor. There are times when I don't want live from a Survivor's perspective, though. Sometimes I just want to enjoy the moment. I want to get down on the floor with my toddler nieces and nephews and let them playfully and joyfully crawl on me and not worry about hurting my knees or anything else. I want to eat fast food and drink beer with my sister and just talk about random stuff without having to wonder if what I just ate and drank would be the start to a third recurrence.

This way of living- short or long term- isn't good for weight loss, of course. How will these food choices affect my weight loss?, has been the loudest question in my mind for years. Yes, I should think of this question before I eat. Yes, I should do this more often. It's something that I, an emotional eater, have been working on and improving for years.

However, the more potent and relevant question to myself should be- How will this food choice affect my risk of a third cancer recurrence? Asking myself this question before I eat something is critically important. Taking the focus off weight loss is also critically important, because losing weight is just one part of the preventing a third go-round. Yes, losing weight is important but it's not my ultimate goal. Losing weight is the wonderful side effect of clean plant based eating for me. If I thought, ate and planned from this greater perspective it would eliminate that pesky weight loss question mark. Crazy cool, huh?

Surviving cancer twice has been the catalyst to eating cleaner, yes, but also to exercising smarter, enjoying my family and friends in a deeper way, sharing this journey of Survivorship with honesty so that other Survivors and Prevent-ers may find inspiration, and finding peace with my food and body issues.

But how do I reconcile those days of unclean food choices once they are over? As I Survivor I wonder if that half a cheeseburger and cheese curds I shared with my mom and sister while on a mini-vacation last weekend will be the meal that starts that third recurrence on a cellular level. Living in fear isn't the answer, I realize, but for me an ounce of fear for another recurrence can sometimes act as a good motivator and reminder. It's difficult to find the balance between healthy fear, planning and everyday living for me as a Survivor.

Yesterday's gone and I can't go back. So, I'm moving forward with a refreshed attitude and approach, cravings satisfied, a few new fitness friends, and a clean eating plan. This Survivor's journey travels some rough roads at times, but I keep moving forward!

Easter 2011 vs 2010

My life is dramatically-and wonderfully- different this Easter than last Easter.

Last Easter I was almost halfway through my external radiation treatments. 

This Easter I've been in remission for 7 months.

Last Easter I worked a 8 hour shift by myself in a beautiful resort on Marco Island, Florida.

This year I got to spend the holiday with Mom, one of my sisters and her Peeps. I missed my other sister and her Peeps very much.

Nana and 'Lily'

My sister Heidi and her daughter (aka 'my' Lily)  

The baby of the whole family

Last Easter I was dealing with a terrible allergy flare up in addition to the unpleasant side effects of radiation.

This Easter I have essential oils to relieve my allergies in a gentle and all natural way.

Last Easter weekend my sister Heidi cut off her long curly hair and donated it to Locks of Love in my honor. Today most people would never know I was bald a few short months ago.

Last Easter was my other sister's, Sally's, birthday. 

This year Easter is late. I still don't understand why.

Sally and 2 of her Peeps (I call them Georgie Boy and  Cupcake.)

Last Easter I was just beginning to read the Anti-Cancer Book. 

This Easter it's my new normal way of eating.

Last Easter I was dating a man, but it didn't work out. 

This Easter a man I've loved for a long time, and who is serving his country overseas, sent me flowers to celebrate Easter and my Remission. The note included this quote by Emily Bronte~ 

There is not room for Death, Nor atom that his might could render void: Thou - Thou art Being and Breath, And what Thou art may never be destroyed. 

Last Easter my body wasn't able to work out as hard as my mind wished.

This Easter I started Week 3 of Cathe Friedrich's Shocking Training System.

This is me pre-cancer #2, October 2009, on the back porch of my old Florida home.

I am thankful that I have so much to be thankful for this Easter. 2011 Easter wins, definitely.

Vegas Vacay Day 3, Part 2

The third day of my Vegas vacation was my favorite day. The highlight of my favorite day was eating at Tom Colicchio's Craftsteak restaurant with my Mom.

This was the finest, most delectable meal of my life. The restaurant is simply and elegantly decorated with rich woods, beautiful and creatively used flowers and whimsical paintings of cows. We had 2, count 'em 2, waiters. That is such an insufficient term, though. They treated us like a combination of royalty and family. The warmth and friendliness of these gentlemen was genuine and sincere. One of them even offered to take the above picture for us. 

There are numerous fine restaurants to choose from in Las Vegas, and choosing wasn't easy for me. I choose Craftsteak because it serves grass-fed beef and farm fresh produce. And because I'm a long time fan of Tom Colicchio, if you can be a fan of a Chef before trying his food. I honestly never thought I'd have the opportunity to dine at any of his restaurants. As a cancer Survivor, I truly appreciate the grass-fed beef options and rich vegetable choices. I thought it was so cool when I saw a list of farms and food artisans on the menu! I was nearly giddy from the moment we walked in! 

In the spirit of celebrating my Remission and improving health, we splurged and ordered the Chef's Beef Selction 3 Course Meal and a glass of red wine. The wine list was a really big book, it was really nifty.  I choose the Pascual Toso Reserve Malbec of Barancas Vineyards. It was THE best Malbec I've ever tasted! Well-balanced with just a hint of sweetness, and it had the most amazing purplish red color.

Each of the 3 courses has many components which was a very pleasant surprise. We couldn't believe how much high quality food was in each course, especially compared to the previous night's small yet very expensive appetizers at Stacked. 

This First Course

 Italian Buffalo Mozzarella with Red Pepper coulis and hazelnuts, perfectly Grilled Shrimp....

and Frisee, Poached Egg and Smoked Bacon salad (my first experience with eating a poached egg on a salad, it was to.die.for.).... 

and Roasted Beets with Clementines  (heavenly, and also a great cancer fighter).

Most amazing first course of my life! I would have been thrilled just to have eaten that course by itself. Thankfully, I didn't have to. 

The Main Course

Yukon Gold Potato Puree (silky smooth, perfectly seasoned divineness) served in a hot copper pot, Asparagus with Lemon Zest (incredibly fresh!), Assorted Sauteed Mushrooms, New York Strip steak medium rare served in a hot copper pan and....

Filet Mignon cooked to perfect medium in another copper pan. 

I'll never be able to eat steak anywhere else again. These steaks were melt in your mouth, superbly yet simply seasoned and roasted majestically.  

The Third Course

 These were the kind of desserts you see on Top Chef. It was thrilling to eat such well crafted food!! 

First came the coffee- in a coffee press just for our table! And little pieces of sugar, not cubes, pieces of sugar. I found those pieces of sugar immensely delightful. I'm not a big fan of coffee, but this coffee was special. Smooth, rich, and remarkably fresh. 

The desserts filled the table! We gleefully yet somehow gracefully indulged in Chocolate Ganache Cake with Creme Fraiche (chocolate perfection!), Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with Strawberry sauce (insanely delicious)...

and Grapefruit Sorbet (interesting and unique), Hazelnut Cocoa Chip Ice Cream,  fresh Dates, Kiwi and Oranges. I haven't eaten many dates in my life, but I would joyfully eat these everyday.

Dining at Craftsteak was by far the culinary highlight of my life. I am thankful to be alive and healthy to have enjoyed it with my Mom. Thank you, Tom Colcchio,  Matt Seeber, and all of the Craftsteak crafters. Most of all, thank you Mom for this once in my lifetime vacation and incredibly marvelous and memorable meal. 

A Year Ago Today...

Today is one of those weird cancer anniversaries for me. A year ago today I found out from my radiation doctor that I could start radiation treatment on the next Monday. It took over a month to get to that point. An exhausting, scary, frustrating month not only for me but for my family, too. Although it may not seem like a big deal to you, a year ago today it was HUGE scary step forward.

Today my medical life is in a different holding pattern. My latest PAP smear results are 'within normal limits'. Relief! I'm still waiting for a callback from my oncologist's nurse with my blood lab results. I'm assuming, perhaps foolishly, that no news is good news. that's how the medical world works in America, unfortunately. There just has to be a study about how stressful it is to wait for test results that never come... But I digress.

A couple days ago my breast center called me and said they needed to schedule a breast ultrasound. No, they didn't find any masses or anything else suspicious. The ultrasound is necessary because of my cancer history. So, it's preventative. Cautious. And scary and unsettling, too. Maybe that's why the anniversary stuck out in my head today.

Here's my 3/18/10 journal entry: (if you'd like to read my journals leading up to radiation and through radiation click here and here)

March 18, 2010
Greetings all! Late yesterday afternoon the radiation doctor finally called me back with news. The original simulation is going to work, yay!! So, my appointment for the final set-up Friday afternoon is a go. Yay for progress!! I will be able to, finally, start treatment on Monday. 
This cancer journey is tough. These are self-centered days for me. I am so grateful for all of your strong shoulders and Spirits that carry me through each day and each battle. Thank you for allowing me to do what's best for me and my healing journey, and loving me through this selfishness each in your own ways. Your strength and love is God's Love in action. 


March 18, 2010 (very late at night)
I should be asleep right now, but sleep and peace are escaping me. This is totally crazy, because I love to sleep and some people would say that I EXCEL in sleep. I know from my readings, my own spiritual journey and hearing about other people's spiritual journeys that God's peace is there for the taking and in fact surrounds all of us all the time. We've just got tap into it.  I've tried to tap into it tonight, but I just can't seem to allow it all the way in. Self Reiki was good...I hadn't made the time for it in months, literally. It was soothing and peaceful, but for some reason the peace didn't settle in for the night. I am out of balance with myself, and am trying desperately to quiet my mind down enough so that I can find that balance, that peace within myself. 
I am afraid. I'm afraid of being afraid, because I know fear is a negative emotion and I know that the last thing I need right now is to draw negative energy to myself. Yet the fear is there lurking in the back of soul. Will it hurt, even though the doctor says it won't? Will cause embarrassing side effects? I have this crazy visions of soiling myself at work- which is totally crazy, right? What if I can't maintain my weight? The technician made a really big deal out of telling me how important it is that I don't gain or lose weight during these 6 weeks of treatment. Usually that's not a problem for me at all, but you know how Murphy's Law works it's way in at the most inopportune times. 
I feel as if tomorrow's final set up appointment is like senior finals in school. It's the end, and the beginning. So much has gone into this final appointment...almost a month's worth of questions, waiting,  changes, then more questions, wondering and waiting. And now it's here and I have to face it. I can't push it out of my mind and pretend it's not happening or dream that it doesn't need to happen. 
The treatment phase begins tomorrow. I feel less ready than I did earlier today, but it doesn't matter how ready I am emotionally or mentally. I know that when the time comes I will face this square in the eye and I will stand tall and strong when it matters. I learned this from my mother, who learned it from her mother.  I need this treatment to heal my body. Somehow, even through my fear and unfortunate insomnia tonight,  I have hope. I hope of being declared CURED. I have the hope of living in balance again. Meanwhile I will trust that this hope will bring me to the people and places that I need to find to return me to a peaceful balance.

Can you beet it?

My beet blue cheese and red quinoa invention. See if you can beet it! bwahahaha! (I'm such a dork sometimes! But isn't everyone a dork at least sometimes?)

I started with these ingredients, but decided later not to use the lemon.

You must rinse quinoa very thoroughly before cooking it. It's an absolute must. I won't tell you what will happen if you skip this step. 

Boil the water. These sauce pans were my Nana's. I adore using them!

In goes the rinsed quinoa for about 15-20 minutes or until the water gets absorbed.

Meanwhile I cut up the beautiful beets (I used 1 bunch) so they would take less time to cook. No need to peel now. The peel will come off much easier after they are cooked, I promise!

Aren't they pretty?

The rest of the ingredients. I mixed up a balsamic vinaigrette with 2 tablespoons of balsamic, a spoonful of minced garlic, and 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Delicious! I added the blue cheese to the quinoa and onions. There wasn't much left, unfortunately. More blue cheese would been great in this salad. 

Steamy hot!!

The beets are steamy hot, too! It took about 45 minutes for the beets to get fork tender. 

Remember my beet peel promise earlier? Here's the proof! I could easily peel it off with my fingers. Well, it would have been even easier if I would have waited for them to cool down some more. 

Ta-da!! Lots of red, purple and some pink in this salad. Very pretty, and yummy too! The salad has nice earthy flavor with a touch of sweetness from the beets and onions, and tang from the blue cheese. I deem this a successful invention! Enjoy!

Self-Intervention

Long time, no post. I know. I kept meaning to write and even took some food pics, but for this reason and that reason I didn't make time for posting. For some totally illogical reason and on some deep semi-subconscious level I reached the foolish conclusion that since I had lost 10 pounds I could ease off a bit. Duh. Guess what happened? I didn't seriously plan out meals or restock my veggies. I haven't kept a food journal in over a week. While I was in east Tennessee on business last weekend I allowed myself to eat junky foods even though it didn't feed me in any positive or pleasing way. It was just what I had always done when I travel. The number on the scale reflected all these less than good decisions. Most of it is probably water weight from all the salty foods, but still it was a real bummer to see the natural consequence number. 

I can learn from this downward slope, though. There are issues in my life that I could easily use an excuse to eat emotionally right now. Here's a big thing I've learned over the years- there will always be an excuse of some validity to not follow through with my health goals. Or any goal, really. There's always a semi-reasonable reason to not eat my veggies, keep up with my food journal, or drink enough water. I know I'm entering the danger zone when those reasons seems really reasonable. 

I need an intervention. And God provided, as always. Is it time for an intervention? blog by Strong is the New Skinny's (aka SINS) Adam was on my Facebook wall this morning. It was the right message at the exact right time. 

Now is a good time to remember my goals and why I made them. Let's review:

Lose 10 pounds by April 23. I've already lost 3 of those pounds. Losing weight is a goal because it lowers my risk of cancer recurrence, type 2 diabetes (and lots of other diseases), reduces the pressure on my joints (especially my chemo-ed out knees), and makes me feel more comfortable in my own skin.

Increase my lean muscle. This will increase my bone density, raise my metabolism (not very much, but every little bit counts!), and give me the curvy strong shape I want for my body. I'm going to use a new method to help me reach this goal, but that's a coming-soon post. 

Increase my daily vegetable intake. The more anti-cancer foods aka plant foods aka vegetables the healthier I am on the inside and that will reflect on my outside. It's also, obviously, a big part of raging the war against a third cancer recurrence. This goal requires daily planning!! I don't accidentally or incidentally eat 6 servings of veggies a day. I need a daily plan to reach this goal. It's definitely one worth reaching to me, so therefore it's worth the little time it takes to plan and prep.

Stay within my calorie range of 1550- 1800 per day, and my carb range of 164- 195 grams per day.This goal is really a sub-goal for losing weight. I honestly don't think I've been THAT far off from this one the past week or so, but the problem is that I just don't know. I've got to know which means I have to take the time to track. 

Time to get back on track for success! My life is good, fulfilling and exciting in so many ways. Reaching these goals will make it even better! 

12 Days of SINS

The SINS challenge has been a wonderful push of motivation and inspiration for me. All these bloggers are so incredible!! I'm doing really well and sticking to my daily goals which is, of course, getting me closer to my short and long term goals. Yesss!! Love how I'm feeling, thinking and living these days! 


I've lost 3 pounds in the past 12 days! Whoohooo!! That makes a total of 9.8 pounds since January. How joyfully awesome is THAT number?!? My reward today was fitting comfortably into a pair of very cute capris in a size smaller than I've been wearing. Yay!! Of course, there are lots of other rewards too. I feel generally better, less pressure on my sore post-chemo knees, I'm stronger (and strong IS the new skinny, in case you haven't heard), I'm making better food and portion size choices without feeling deprived, less emotional eating, and all these powerful anti-cancer foods are working their magic to help keep me in remission. That's just to name a few. 


One of my original goals for the SINS blogger challenge was to lose an additional 7 pounds by April 23. I am very sure that I can reach that goal, so I'm bumping it up. My new goal is to lose 12 more pounds by April 23. That would bring me down to pre-cancer #2 treatment weight. That will totally rock! 


I am becoming more gracious and loving towards my body, and learning to accept it as it is right now. My body has been through soooo much the past 2 years. I've had 2 major surgeries, 2 minor out-patient surgeries, several CT scans, a few PET scans, 6 weeks of radiation, and 6 chemo treatments. And this body is still goin' strong! I am deeply thankful for my health and the ability and opportunity to improve it. 


I shared my very honest, though not very self-kind, feelings about my body and the role it may have played in my cancers in this post.  Ironically, as I lose weight I am realizing that there is just no place for that kind of negative thinking or energy. One of my dearest friends, Christine wrote me an email after reading that post. She graciously gave me permission to share part of it here. She wisely said,  "That is such an honest feeling. And these are things that people feel all the time, but are afraid to say it out loud. I'm glad you were able to share and maybe help someone. And really? Say your weight DID partially cause the cancer. It's not like you CHOSE to be overweight. You didn't. First of all, you do have some genetics that factor into your body type. And then , you never ate purposefully to GET cancer. You ate for different reasons. For stress, for enjoyment (celebrations), and your eating habits were formed psychologically as well , over many years. I just don't think either way you are to blame. Ever. I hope that kind of makes sense. I'm sorry you have to go through these emotions, but it is good you got them out there!"


I've read these words over and over, and they always makes me feel better. I am sharing this here so Survivors, Fighters and Preventers out there can benefit from my experience and feelings, and Christine's wise and lovingly words. It's so hard to make sense of out of having cancer, and making peace with (usually) not having a definitive answer to the question- Why me? It's tough to not blame our bodies at some point during the cancer journey, but I truly hope that each Survivor reaches a new and deeper peace, respect and love toward their body. 


I am connected to 3 people who are in cancer treatment right now. Please send your positive energy and prayers to Jessica, Nancy, and my friend Heidi's sister. My daily prayer continues to be for peace, love and a cure for all of us. 

Celebrate. Remember. Fight Back. Part 1

Being a cancer Survivor inducted me into a new family. A family of Survivors. No matter what differences I have with another Survivor, we share a bond. It's often a silently understood bond. Perfect strangers who are Survivors are part of my family now, a part of me. We care for each other, pray for each other, and celebrate each victory no matter how small. We, also, hurt and cry together. As a result, many Survivors participate in Relay for Life. We Celebrate. We Remember. We Fight Back. We HOPE for a CURE. 

This is me at the Marco Island, Florida RFL in March of 2009. 

On Monday my friend, and Survivor-sister, found out that the breast cancer she beat over a year ago has returned in her lungs. Please send her and her husband your prayers and positive thoughts as they devise a treatment plan. Also, if you have any connection to MD Anderson that could help her get started with very quickly with treatment please email me. Fight like a girl, my beautiful friend!!

This is me in October of 2010.

Today I heard that one of my friend's Aunts just passed away due to cancer. 

Sadly, most of us have a connection to cancer. My hope is that these connections will uplift us, strengthen us, console us and bring us all to a cure very soon. We all go through cancer together in spirit. The tears, the waiting, the hopes, the fears, and the laughter. My heart hurts for my friends this week. 

Tomorrow is my 6 month post-chemo check up. I am hoping- and believing- that it will go very well, so I can shine hope onto my Survivor family and our large circle of loved ones. 

Entering SINS

I can't believe I'm doing this, but here I go!! 


I'm joining the Strong is the New Skinny's Body Transformation Blog Challenge! I want to make the best fitness progress of my life. I feel like I've been building up to this for a loooong time. Chemo is long since over, and my body is ready to get fitter. Losing weight and gaining muscle is a powerful way for me to squash out a third cancer recurrence, and this challenge will keep me motivated. I've got some very tough competition, but ultimately this competition is with myself. 


My Goals:
I'm starting today, Feb 23. 


Lose 10 pounds by April 23. That's 60 days away. (No, I'm not going to share how much I weigh right now. ha!)


Increase my lean muscle. My awesome and always effective Cathe Friedrich strength DVDs will surely help me! The only way I'll have to judge this, I think, is by how much I can increase my weight load. As I am able to increase my weight load in specific exercise, I'll let you know.


Increase my daily vegetable intake. I want to average at least 6 servings of veggies a day. I'm following an anti-cancer diet that focuses on plant based foods so that shouldn't be too difficult. 


Stay within my calorie range of 1550- 1800 per day, and my carb range of 164- 195 grams per day.


I'm excited, focused and glad to be in such good and fit company! Thanks for challenge, SINS!

Amazing & Delicious Kale

This is what I'm drinking, besides beloved filtered water, these days. I add just 1 packet of Sun Crystals and enjoy the refreshing anti-cancer slightly sweet tea the rest of the day. It's been a wonderful substitute for soda! Did you notice the tea kettle? It's one of my Ikea finds from trip to Texas. It's microwave-able and dishwasher-able. My life is better now.

 I made Diana Dyer's Kale-Bean Salad. It is absolutely divine. It's one of those recipes that taste so good that it's hard to believe it's a healthy anti-cancer food. 

Gather all veggies that need chopping. Grab the rest of the ingredients, too, as long as you're organizing.

These dressing ingredients = awesome. 

Cut the stalks off the kale. I used the standard supermarket variety of kale. I wish Whole Foods was closer so I could have gotten organic kale. I'll make a point to do that next time I make this salad. I assure you that it WILL be soon.

Ta-da!!

One bunch is LOT of chopped kale. The roses are my Valentine's Day gift from a special man. They smell wonderful and are oh so pretty. 

What, did you think I was going to elaborate on the special man? Ha! 

Back to the salad....

I followed the recipe's instructions and used the blender for the dressing. I don't think it was really necessary though. Next time I'll just use a whisk and a medium bowl and burn off a few calories.

Here is the finished salad. When I tossed it most of the beans and veggies went to the bottom. Luckily, I have a long spoon. A truly amazingly delicious and pretty easy to make anti-cancer salad.

What makes kale such an important anti-cancer food? It's rich in organosulfur compounds which are also known as glucosinolates. These compounds are broken down into potent anti-cancer compounds called isothiocyanates. These bad boys are powerful inducers of cancer destroying enzymes. Scientists have found that sulforaphane (which is a glucoisnolate formed when kale is chewed or chopped) works by altering gene expression which helps to clear carcinogenic substances from the body. 

That's a lot of long words to say that eating kale helps clean out cancer and other toxic cells out of your body. That excites, motivates and inspires me!! How about you!If you'd like to read even more long words and in depth info about kale kicking cancer's booty click here. Or you can watch 2 short clips of the Dr. Oz show. He recently talked about glutathiones and their power and importance.  http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/superhero-antioxidants-pt-1 

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/superhero-antioxidants-pt-2

Post a comment and tell me if you're inspired to eat more kale! 

Remembered what I Forgot and then Some

I remembered the post I partially wrote in my head this morning. Chemo-brain is such a weird thing! I'm ready for my pre-chemo brain to come back- just for the record.

This past week I've had a cold. Why is this post-worthy? Because it's my first cold since chemo and it didn't put me in the hospital. Chemo tanks your immune system and messes with your mind in the process. During chemo my family and I were extra clean. I didn't kiss anyone, and no one was allowed to kiss me. Everyone washed theirs hands a lot. The house was Lysol-ed often. I did my very best not to touch other people, or touch any thing on the rare occasions I left home. That level of protectiveness was necessary because even catching even a little cold or infection could have easily put me in the hospital with a much bigger problem. My body just couldn't fight any infections or colds off. A hard way to live, but eventually I grew accustomed to it.

I've been done with chemo for 5 months and I'm slowly learning that it's okay to let go of that level of protectiveness. Getting a kiss from one of my nieces or nephews is extra sweet now and so is holding their adorable tiny hands. I still wash my hands a lot. I still instinctively avoid touching people and things when I'm not home. My hands look a lot older now thanks to all that washing.

 I survived my first post-chemo cold! When I first started getting sick I panicked a little, I'll admit it. Thankfully, it seems that my immune system is up and running nice and strong again. That's a victory to me!

One of the main ways I help my immune system to stay strong is by eating cleanly and healthfully. Honestly, I've been short on veggies the past couple weeks. I didn't plan to include veggies in my week, so they didn't make much an appearance. Veggies are funny that way. So I made a veggie packed meal plan for the next several days. Many thanks to Holly Clegg and her Trim and Terrific cookbook! Lunches will be either Deluxe Tuna Salad or Diana Dyer's Kale-Bean salad. (I am in love with this blog!) Dinners will be Black Bean and Spinach Enchiladas, Cheesy Shrimp Rice Casserole and South Indian Curried Chicken.

You may be wondering what's for breakfast? I either have 1 whole Eggland's best egg plus 2 egg whites with a slice or two of reduced-carb whole grain no HFCS added bread with 1/2- 1 cup of fruit and green tea, or oatmeal with 1/2 cup of fruit, whey and greens protein powder, ground up flax seeds, sometimes a tablespoon of chia seeds and green tea. Yum!

Pictures and recipes coming over the next few days.... No drooling on your keyboards!

How do you welcome veggies into your meals?