Tag Archives: Cancer survivor

Food Exploration: Vegan Food, Fighting Fatigue with Chef Jason Wyrick

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In the effort to broaden my horizons, as well as up the ante on my health and wellness, I attended a cooking class this afternoon.

This happened to be out of the ordinary for me, as I am rubbish at cooking or anything having to do with the kitchen. But, it’s a new year and a new me (maybe).  The class was offered by the Cancer Support Community- Arizona and was led by Chef, NY Times Bestselling Author and vegan genius, Jason Wyrick.

Over the years I have been an on and off again vegitarian and have always had an interesting and psychological relationship with food.  Nowadays, I often lack much of an appetite and when I do, it’s usually all of the terrible foods as opposed to the proper, nutritious meals that my stomach can handle due to my colon cancer.

Prior to today, I had zero knowledge of Chef Jason, or the benefits that a vegan diet can bring.  This class was specifically built around fighting fatigue and understanding on a high level how to retrain your palette to the different compounds within organic foods, as well as the antioxidants and super foods that are best to boost your energy.  Seemingly, all of the things that I am clueless about, yet happened to find incredibly interesting and eye opening after today’s course and the three recipes that Chef Jason shared.  Delectable and mouthwatering seems like a cheap shot, considering just how appetizing and healthy his recipes were.

Here are the vegan soup recipes that Chef Jason shared.  I hope you enjoy as much as I did!

Green Tea and Shiitake Noodles

  • IMG_56752 to 3 cups of brewed green tea
  • Salt to taste
  • A sprinkle of five spice (Cinnamon, Black Pepper, Fennel, Cloves and Sichuan Peppercorn)
  • 8 to 10 small shiitakes, sliced
  • 1 small package of ramen, udon noodles, or thick rice noodles
  • Cubed extra firm tofu
  • Keep brewed tea warm and add the slat, five spice, and sliced shiitakes
  • Bring to gentle simmer and add noodles, cubed tofu and cook noodles al dente.

Chilmole with Sweet Potatoes and Beans

  • IMG_56764 to 6 guajillo chiles, toasted and rehydrated
  • 3 cups of water
  • Pinch of cinnamon
  • Salt
  • 1 sweet potato, cubed
  • 1/2 cup of masa harina
  • 1 and 1/2 cups of rinsed beans
  • 2 cups of spinach
  • Puree chiles and water, transferring to a pot
  • Add pinch of cinnamon and salt to taste
  • Bring to simmer then add sweet potato until al dente
  • Slowly whisk the masa in until the soup thickens
  • Add beans, spinach and serve

Avocado Roasted Garlic Soup

IMG_5673

  • 1/4 cup of roasted garlic cloves
  • 2 large avocados
  • Salt to taste
  • Pepper to taste
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • Juice of 1 orange
  • 1 and 1/2 cups of water
  • Puree all ingredients
  • Serve room temperature

Be sure to check out Chef Jason Wyrick and sign up for free recipes, videos and tips to a healthy vegan diet at www.thevegantaste.com!

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Love and yum,

Britt x

♲ Death and All His Friends ♲

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Biological aging is something that none of us can avoid, despite our culture’s attempt to keep youth alive.  To age is a privilege, a sign that you, as a living organism are alive with the glory of existence.  However, at some point death becomes all of us and our time here on this Earth must parish. Our awareness for our own mortality ceases to subsist, as we often don’t recognize that one-day our life will end.  Perhaps abruptly, perhaps not.  But when one is diagnosed with a disease such as cancer, the consideration of death becomes more evident.

Within my cancer diagnosis, my thoughts on dying have been rare, but my thoughts on death itself have been frequent.  I’ve tried considering what is worse, dying or being the one left behind.  For me, I presume that dying would be the simpler route, as everyone here would be left to mourn and grieve and in death, hopefully, it is bliss.

The distraction of death itself has become more repeated simply because of people.  Anything I watch on television reminds me that cancer is tantamount to expiry.  The persons whom are talked about in the cancer arena are often deceased.  But, with all do respect; what about the survivors?  It’s daunting to have every conversation start with, “so and so had X-type of cancer and fought a hard battle, but died…”  Every single program on television discusses cancer and then death.

The other pressing issue I have on death versus survivorship is also a sense of guilt.  People cannot pre-determine if they are going to be a survivor of life, or cancer, therefore how can we dub one against the other.  I feel that those who fought and died are just as much survivors as anyone who actually survived.  They survived the furrows of cancer, whether they cease to remain physically or not.

Death and all of his friends lurks around every corner, despite whether or not you are diseased or completely in good health.  It is possible at any point that our mortality in this transience life may be taken away.  The concept of death and dying are two different things, but then again so is the concept of life and living.  For now I am going to remind myself that death is real, no one is insusceptible of it.  But thinking about it constantly will not do me any good, it will drive me mad and as my brilliant husband said to me tonight as I was discussing death, “Once you start talking like that, your mindset changes.  Be strong, it’s not your time.”

I can’t help but think of death from time to time, but I can help how I chose to live.  I am going to live as though I am dying, take every breath with an appreciation; accept every Birthday with gratitude and welcome biological aging, for not everyone is able to do so.

Love,

Britt x