Thanks for stopping by. I hope you like what you see here. Feel free to leave a comment or to simply visit quietly. Either way, I recommend subscribing to this blog by entering your email into that box to the right so that you can easily get updates on my posts. I promise I'll never abuse your email address! If you're interested, I have a second blog, I [Heart] My Life in which I write about life with a six-year-old, as well as my current CancerSlayer role as a caregiver to my father who is battling metastatic pancreatic cancer. In addition, you can find my essays on parenting with cancer as well as my personal journey through breast cancer. Thanks! ~April
After posting this picture of this morning's Mineral Broth-makings on Facebook & Instagram, I got a few requests for the recipe. I can't take credit for it. It comes from Rebecca Katz's The Cancer Fighting Kitchen. Both the book and the broth are life-savers!
This is my Rosetta stone of soup, a broth that can be transformed to meet a myriad of nutritional needs, serving as everything from a delicious sipping tea to the powerful base for more hearty soups and stews. So no matter a person's appetite, it can provide a tremendous nutritional boost. Chemotherapy often saps your strength due to dehydration, which pulls vital nutrients out of your system. This rejuvenating liquid, chock-full of magnesium, potassium, and sodium, allows the body to refresh and restore itself. I think of it as a tonic, designed to keep you in top-top shape. ~ Rebecca Katz
Magic Mineral Broth, makes 6 quarts
Note: This broth gets better with simmer time. You can cut the recipe in half and make it in a slow cooker if you like.
6 unpeeled carrots, cut into thirds
2 unpeeled yellow onions, cut into chunks
1 leek, white and green parts, cut into thirds
1 bunch celery, including the heart, cut into thirds
4 unpeeled red potatoes, quartered
2 unpeeled Japanese or regular sweet potatoes, quartered
1 unpeeled garnet yam, quartered
5 unpeeled cloves garlic, halved
1/2 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 8-inch strip of kombu
12 black peppercorns
4 whole allspice or juniperberries
2 bayleaves
8 quarts (32 cups) cold, filtered water
1 tsp salt
Rinse all the vegetables well, including the kombu. In a 12-quart or larger stockpot, combine all the ingredients. Fill the pot with the water, ensuring at least 2 inches space is left. Cover, bring to a boil.
Remove the lid, decrease the heat to low, and simmer, uncovered for at least 2 hours. If you have 4 hours, let it go that long. As the broth simmers, some of the water will evaporate; add more if the vegetables begin to peek out. Simmer until the full richness of the vegetables can be tasted.
Strain the broth through a large, course-mesh sieve, then add more salt to taste. Let cool to room temperature before refrigerating or freezing.
Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days, or in the freezer for 4 months.
Rebecca's note on kombu (which is a seaweed): Kombu contains a full range of trace minerals, which are often deficient in people with compromised immune systems, and is high in potassium, iodine, calcium, and vitamins A and C. It is also rich in a type of polysaccharide known as fucoidans, which may inhibit cancer cells.
What does that mean exactly? That means I kept my first New Year's Resolution. Ever.
It started off as a 30-day challenge and then I was hooked. A "green smoothie," by the way, is a smoothie containing some sort of dark, leafy green (kale, spinach, chard, bok choy, etc.). The idea is to drink your veggies (though there is plenty of debate between the juice versus smoothie camps -- a debate I won't get into today).
Back to the challenge: One green smoothie for breakfast every day since the weekend following Christmas -- and sometimes one for dinner or a late afternoon pick-me-up. It has helped that Joe's on the bandwagon, too -- and that we splurged and spent the Christmas bonus check on a Vitamix (which is like having two horses on your counter ready to spring into some serious action at any moment).
The challenge, hosted by Simple Green Smoothies, provided great support, inspirational recipes, and tips (like, to avoid gross-out start with Beginner's Luck).
And then I started experimenting on my own, tossing this and that into my blender. But not totally at random. I learned from SGS that you almost always have smoothie success if you keep these "rules" in mind:
~ Make one of your cups of fruit a frozen fruit and you don't need ice
~ Blend the greens with the liquid first, then add the rest of the fruit to avoid leafy clumps
~ A banana can save a smoothie that needs a little something to improve it
~ Throw a couple of dates in to sweeten a smoothie
And this is just me, but I also add a couple tsps of matcha green tea powder and a sprinkle of chia seeds to my smoothies for cancer-fighting super powers!
Some of our family-invented favorites:
Lime-tastic!
2 cups baby kale (ribs removed)
1 cup coconut water
1/2 an English (seedless) cucumber
1/2 a lime (peel and all)
1 banana
1 cup frozen pineapple
Blueberry Ginger Cooler
2 cups baby spinach
2 cups coconut milk
1 banana
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 pear
1 inch chunk of fresh ginger
Lime Vitell (named by Nia, and given 3 stars by Nia!)
When I was going through chemo for breast cancer two years ago, I ate these bars a lot. Little protein punches designed to satisfy whenever food actually sounded good -- hence, "anytime." Oddly, food sounded most good when I was in the Chemo Lounge, receiving an infusion of medicine! But whatever the reason, I was prepared with my Anytime Bars and bone broth (but that's another story). My mother-in-law kept me well-supplied with both.
And now it is my turn to get someone else through chemo: My dad. He'll start chemo next Monday for metastatic pancreatic cancer. Already he's experiencing loss of appetite and weight-loss from the cancer itself. Chemo will add another complication to this.
So the Anytime Bars are perfect to have on hand for when he needs a healthy, tasty, satisfying bite. Plus, flaxseeds have been known to slow the growth of estrogen-receptive breast cancer tumors! Almonds are good for reducing inflammation, and blueberries are an antioxidant. Win, win, win!
But people who aren't dealing with cancer like these bars, too, since they are so tasty. They are great for kids, grabbing on the go, or after a work-out.
Almond Blueberry Anytime Bars, adapted from Rebecca Katz's The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen; makes 20-25 bars
2 cups raw almonds*
2 TBSP spelt or whole wheat flour
2 TBSP unbleached all-purpose flour
2 TBSP finely ground flaxseeds
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups dried blueberries*
1 egg
5 TBSP maple syrup
1 tsp almond extract*
*You can substitute other nuts and other dried fruit to suit your taste buds. If you decide not to use almonds, substitute vanilla extract for the almond extract.
Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 9-inch square pan (I use coconut oil).
Spread the almonds in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and toast for 7-10 minutes, until aromatic and slightly browned. Watch them carefully, as they can burn easily. Turn the oven down to 325 degrees.
Combine the flours, flax seeds, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir to combine.
In a food processor, chop the nuts and fruit. Or chop by hand. Add the nuts and fruit to the flour mixture. Add the oats and stir to combine.
In a large bowl, whisk the egg, maple syrup, and almond extract together until thoroughly combined. Add the fruit and nut mixture and use your hands to mix thoroughly, being sure to separate any clumps of fruit.
Spread the mixture in the oiled baking pan in an even layer and bake for 25-30 minutes, until set and golden brown; don't over-bake or the bards will be too dry. Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then cut into 20 or 25 squares. Leave the bars in the pan until completely cool so they'll hold together when you remove them.
STORAGE: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 5-7 days, or in the freezer for 2 months.
The smell alone is heavenly, but the taste... Picture this: a halved summer-ripe cherry tomato with a pinch of crunchy salt and a basil leaf draped over the top -- yep. If you need me, I'll be in the garden with the salt shaker...
This summer my garden plot is 4' x 4', and squeezed in between 3 tomato plants, a cucumber, some sunflowers, an eggplant and more, I have 6 basil plants.
I recently discovered that basil not only adds a terrific punch of flavor to a dish, but it is also extremely healthy in terms of fighting cancer.
As you may know, chemotherapy medicines act by poisoning cancer cells, and this often leaves the person receiving the medicine feeling poisoned, too. There are now new drugs coming to market that work by blocking the cellular mechanisms that day after day enable cancers to grow. These drugs, like Herceptin for breast cancer and Gleevac for leukemia and intestinal cancer, can contain cancer growth (as in, control the growth), often ceasing them to be dangerous. Judah Folkman, who discovered angiogenesis (cell death), said that with the arrival of drugs like these we had reached the stage of "cancer without disease."*
It so happens that many herbs and spices act along the same lines as these drugs -- blocking the cellular mechanisms that day after day enable cancers to grow. Cue the labiate family of herbs: mint, thyme, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, and -- you guessed it -- basil.
These herbs are rich in fatty acids of the terpene family, which makes them particularly fragrant. Terpenes have been shown to act on a wide variety of tumors by reducing the spread of cancer cells or by provoking their death.
All of this combines to mean when I see pesto on a menu, it usually means I will be ordering it. However, I made a wonderful discovery recently: homemade pesto is 10x more tasty than store/restaurant bought -- and it is so easy!
I recently boosted a family favorite (recipe below) by making the cancer-fighting, taste-bud pleasing pesto sauce from scratch. It blew my socks off -- and then I went to the store and bought 3 more basil plants.
Zucchini Noodles with Pesto adapted from A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg; serves 4
This recipe calls for a mandoline slicer for the zucchini, and for this recipe alone, it is worth the investment. There are many different brands to choose from, and many are on the expensive side. However, Molly Wizenberg suggests this reasonably priced one. I happen to have this one and it works well, too.
For the pesto:
2 cups moderately packed basil leaves, washed and dried well
1/2 c. olive oil
3 TBSP pine nuts
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. Parmigiano-Reggiano
For the noodles:
2-3 medium zucchini, trimmed
1 TBSP olive oil
8 oz. dried thick noodles, fettuccine or tagliatelle
Salt
Directions:
First, make the pesto. Put the basil leaves in a large heavy-duty ziplock plastic bag. Press all the air from the bag, and seal it carefully. Put the bag on the countertop or floor and, using a rolling pin, roll the bag until the leaves are bruised. This helps release their flavor.
Put the pounded basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Process to a smooth, creamy consistency, stopping once or twice to scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl, and stir in the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Set aside.
Boil a large pot of salted water and make the pasta according to the package.
Meanwhile, prepare the zucchini. Using a mandoline slicer fitted with the julienne blade, carefully (watch those fingers!) slice the zucchini into long, skinny noodles, each the width of a strand of spaghetti.
Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the zucchini "noodles" and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but not mushy. Five to 8 minutes will do.
When the pasta is cooked, using long-handled tongs, scoop the pasta directly from the pot into the skillet of cooked zucchini. Doing it this way, rather than draining the spaghetti into a colander, means that each strand brings with it a little bit of its cooking water, which will loosen up the pesto and help it form a nice sauce. It also keeps the cooked pasta from clumping together.
Add the pesto and toss the mixture well to ensure that each noodle -- zucchini and pasta alike -- has a thin, even coat of sauce. If you are having trouble mixing it all together, add a little of the pasta cooking water.
Serve immediately with additional salt and a wedge of Parmigiano-Reggiano at the table for grating.
*From Anticancer by David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD
My latest lunch craze is avocado toasts -- simply avocado spread on toast and seasoned. Delicious! And I feel great when I eat them. Maybe because avocados are bursting with 25 essential nutrients, including vitamins A, B, C, E, & K, copper, iron, phosporus, magnesium, and potassium. Avocados also contain fiber, protein,
and several beneficial phytochemicals such as beta-sitosterol,
glutathione and lutein, which may protect against various disease and
illness.
Yes, avocados are high in fat, but it is monounsaturated fat which is a healthy fat variety.
I started eating avocados when I was pregnant. I'd read that avocados were helpful for fetal brain development. And now I eat them for their other healthful properties: regulating blood sugar levels, promoting anti-inflammatory properties, controlling blood pressure, curing bad breath, fighting cancer & free radicals, and skin nourishing.
On the cancer fighting note, the oleic acid in avocado has been shown effective in preventing breast cancer and inhibiting the growth of prostate cancer.
There are many more reasons to eat avocados -- these are just mine. Well, and they are delicious!
Recipe to follow.
Avocado Toast
Toast 2 slices of bread (my favorite for this is a Multi Grain One Bun or the One Bun sliders). Cut an avocado in half and scope out half the avocado, dividing it between the two slices of bread. Mash with a fork. Squeeze some lime juice over both slices (to taste). Next, sprinkle with red pepper flakes, add a twist of fresh cracked pepper, and a pinch of crunchy salt, like Fleur de Sel.
And enjoy... at home... in the office... in the garden...
Here is my suggestion for a de-stressing your weekend (we had enough of that ole ball and chain this week, didn't we?):
Turn off the TV. Go outside. Eat a salad.
This week I have been literally craving the salad I'm going to tell you about today. I woke up wanting it first thing in the morning, and thinking about it late at night. At one point, I had to get up and walk away from my computer and simply chop vegetables.
Ribbons of purple radicchio, paper-thin moons of red & pink radishes, feathery bits of cilantro...
It's the season for bitter greens. In addition to calcium and magnesium for bone health, bitter greens are full of cancer-fighting antioxidants like vitamin E, and beta-carotene. In Chinese medicine,
bitter foods help stimulate liver chi, making it a detox-assisting food.
And with a little mustard, vinegar & olive oil, they are simply delicious!
Sliced Spring Salad with Avocado and Fetaadapted from Molly Wisenberg's A Homemade Life; serves 6
8 red radishes, sliced very thickly thinly into translucent wafers
1 medium radicchio, quartered and then sliced crosswise into ribbons
4 Belgian endive, sliced croswise into 1/4" strips (discard the root end)
A handful of cilantro leaves, about 20 sprigs, chopped
1 medium avocado, cut into strips
4 oz crumbled feta (here I like Organic Valley's Feta Crumbles made from cow's milk)
1 TBSP Dijon-style mustard
3 TBSP red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
5 TBSP olive oil + 2 tsp
Directions:
In a small bowl, combine the mustard, vinegar and salt. Whisk to blend well. Add the olive oil and whisk vigorously to emulsify. Taste, add more oil as needed to calm the vinegar.
Combine all the chopped vegetables in a large bowl, including the cilantro. Toss with the vinaigrette to taste (you may not use all the dressing).
Distribute the avocado over the salad and top with the feta.
I was recently eavesdropping on a conversation between two friends via Facebook (like we all do now, right?). They were talking about popcorn. One mentioned trying coconut oil & nutritional yeast to flavor her popcorn. My ears pricked up.
Coconut oil talk seems to be everywhere these days -- and my grocery store shelves are brimming with the stuff. Even Trader Joe's has coconut oil now!
So I hopped on the bandwagon and now I'm all about substituting coconut oil for butter. Although it is a saturated fat & moderation is urged, as with all things, it does have some surprising benefits: Coconut oil lowers cholesterol, boosts immunity, and increases metabolism -- not to mention it smells heavenly & feels great as a moisturizer.* What's not to like??
About once a week, I use coconut oil in my Dutch Baby or Almond Waffles. Recently, my husband used it in our favorite chocolate cake recipe and it only made it better!
Ready to worship at the alter of coconut oil now, too?
OK, back to the popcorn.
After "hearing" my friends talking about it, I had to try it with coconut oil; I was not disappointed. You won't be either. Below is my "recipe" for coconut oil popcorn.
Popcorn For Lunch
1 TBSP grapeseed oil (best for high temperatures)
1/4 cup non-GMO, organic popcorn kernels
2 heaping spoonfuls of organic coconut oil
1 heaping spoonful of nutritional/Brewers yeast (if nutritional yeast isn't your thing, experiment with other toppings, like cinnamon sugar, or garlic powder and Italian Seasonings -- whatever you're craving!)
salt to taste
Directions:
In a heavy pot with a secure-fitting lid, heat the grapeseed oil on medium-high heat. Toss in a few popcorn kernels and replace the lid. When you hear the kernels beginning to pop, add the rest of the kernels and replace the lid. Give it all a good shake to coat the kernels in oil.
When the popping gets going fast, turn the heat down a little to medium.
Meanwhile, heat the coconut oil in a sauce pan or cast iron skillet on medium-low heat. Get out a big mixing bowl. Occasionally shake the popcorn around.
Once the popping slows to only one pop every few seconds, remove the pan from the heat. Keep the lid on for another 30 seconds or so to finish off the last of the kernels, then dump the popcorn into your mixing bowl.
Add the melted coconut oil and using two big spoons, toss to coat.
Shake the nutritional yeast over the popcorn and add a few shakes of salt. Again, toss to coat.
Broccolini, or "Broccoli Baby," is the new in-season darling in our house.
We've eaten it several times in the last week, straight off the platter with our fingers, like these little spears are crispy, salty, green French Fries. In my opinion, they are way tastier than French Fries!
What follows is my basic recipe for preparing it. It is really more of a method than a recipe since it is simply olive oil, salt, and the broccolini. The trick to this scrumptious side dish that even children will adore is in the oven temp, the rack position, and the cooking time.
The best part is that the whole thing takes 20 minutes, from cutting board to serving platter.
Roasted Broccolini; serves 2
1 bunch broccolini (resembles broccoli but with a long stem & small floret)
extra virgin olive oil
salt
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees with the racks in the top third of the oven.
Meanwhile, slice off the ends of the broccolini (just a quarter inch).
Spread the broccolini on a roasting pan, giving space between each stem. If you are doubling the recipe, spread among more than one roasting pan. If the broccolini are stacked, they will steam more than roast.
Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. I tend to be generous.
Roast the broccolini for 15 - 18 minutes, checking toward the end for your own preference in crispiness. I like mine a little scorched. If using more than one roasting pan, switch their positions half way through to ensure even cooking.
One thing I was looking forward to this weekend was curling up with Nigel Slater.
I was looking forward to going through Tender with a Post-It pad, marking off recipes to try, specifically ones for winter/spring veggies. Asparagus, broccoli, carrots...
This is a regular thing for me, curling up with cookbooks.
I do it for three reasons. First, I love this sort of thing.
Cookbooks are right up there on my favorite reading lists. That's just
me. Secondly, I'm always looking for new, simple recipes. And third,
reading recipes inspires my menus for the coming week.
Yep, I'm that person: The woman who plans dinner menus.
And you should be, too. Hear me out...
When I'm really on it, I plan my dinners on Sunday for the whole week
ahead. Sometimes getting started is awfully intimidating, like homework
(in way it is quite literally homework, isn't it?) but as I
get into it, it flows together & the best part is that it is a huge
burden off my shoulders during the week because I already know what I'm
cooking each day. I hate trying to figure out what to make moments
before I need to start making it. Also, planning ahead means I can
grocery shop for a few (or all!) the meals at once and be done with it.
I've discovered a few tricks that make the meal planning process easier.
1) Planning ahead to have a dinner out (either at a restaurant or at a
friend's house or simply taking burritos to the park/beach) breaks up
the cooking (and planning). (Look, that's one day done!)
2) If I know a particular day of the week is going to be hectic, I
can plan to have enough left-overs the night before to make that night
easy -- or if you already know you tend to have left-overs that will
need to be eaten, plan in a left-over-eating day. (There, that's two
days done -- only 5 to go!)
3) Looking through the fridge in advance of planning can turn up some
ingredients that need to get used up -- and thus inspire a meal or a
side dish. For example, I have half a jar of tomato sauce from making
chilli last week, which I'll use it up in a pizza this week.
Alternatively, if you don't want to use up a particular ingredient, move
it to the freezer to preserve it. Also, check the freezer for items to
utilize (which will keep the grocery bill happily a little slimmer this
week!).
4) Assigning certain food categories to days of the week can make
planning less mind-boggling. For example: Monday/Pasta, Tuesday/Fish,
Wednesday/Soup, etc.
5) Set up a Pinterest to keep track of recipes you come across during
the week -- aren't all those food photos so inspiring?! My favorite
online sources for recipes are Eating Well, 101 Cookbooks, Cozy Kitchen, Smitten Kitchen, and Sunset.
6) Curl up with a cookbook & a pad of Post-Its (preferably when
you are not specifically looking for something to make in the next few
minutes for dinner) and browse. Mark pages and then later, when you need
inspiration for the week's menu, you need only pick up a cookbook and
flip open to one of your Post-Its.
Another reason I plan my meals out is to ensure that over the week
I'm eating as many anticancer foods as possible. For example, I know I
should eat items from the cabbage family three times during the week,10g
of mushrooms a day, plus aliums, herbs, red & orange fruits and
vegetables, green tea, etc. Talk about mind-boggling!
So, to keep it all simple(r), as I choose recipes for the week, I
read the recipe and add ingredients to my shopping list and I also check
off the anticancer foods. Then, when my menus are set, I can go back
through and sprinkle in anticancer-specific side dishes to cover any
foods I still need.
I keep this list in my cupboard for quick reference. My kiddo loves me to read it to her for some reason!
I love asparagus season. It always comes right around my birthday so I feel a special bond with the little plant. We've been cooking it up a lot around here lately, so I thought I'd share our favorite asparagus recipe of the moment -- fast, easy, delicious. (Though you can't go wrong keeping it simple & merely boiling the asparagus for a few minutes and serving it along side your breakfast, lunch or dinner).
Asparagus Gribiche, adapted from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Everyday
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees with two racks in the top and middle of the oven.
If the potatoes aren't tiny, slice them into pieces no larger than your thumb. Use your hands to toss the potatoes with 1 TBSP of olive oil, sprinkle with a big pinch of salt, and turn out onto a baking sheet. Roast until they are cooked through and starting to brown, about 30 minutes.
About 15 minutes before the potatoes should be done, toss the asparagus with 1 TBSP of the olive oil, sprinkle with salt, arrange in a single layer on a second baking sheet and place in the oven as well. You are aiming to have the potatoes and asparagus finish cooking at roughly the same time.
To make the dressing, mash just the yolk of one of the hard boiled eggs in a medium bowl. Very slowly add the remaining 1/2 cup of olive oil, beating constantly; the dressing should look smooth and glossy. Whisk in the vinegar, then the mustard. Stir in the shallots, herbs, and 1/4 tsp. salt.
Coarsely chop the remaining eggs and egg white, and fold them into the dressing.
Put the arugula in a large bowl. On top, put the warm potatoes and asparagus and gently toss with the dressing.
Enjoy!
(Note, Heidi Swanson's original recipe called for broccoli instead of asparagus, which is equally as delicious. Follow the same recipe, substituting 12 ounces of broccoli florets. If you can't get your hands on such a wide variety of fresh herbs, just use and equivalent amount of the ones you can find. If you don't like arugula, simply leave it out.)
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