Endurance, and Brown Rice

Fighting cancer requires a ton of endurance. Maybe I shouldn't be measuring in tons...it requires cells & cells, days and days, hope upon hope of endurance. It requires endurance from your beloved patient, and of you.

I ask you today to come up with 3 things that can give you, the cancer caretaker, more endurance.  You are conditioned to think about everyone else, but I want you to think about YOU! What will it be that might give you a bit more strength to get you through your week?

- A brisk walk before your family awakes?
- A green smoothie?
- A hug from your patient or a friend?
- Yoga?
- Meditation?
- Journaling?
- Brown rice for breakfast?

Come up with 3 things that you think will make you stronger, and try to fit them into your week. Even if you fit each one in only once, that's a start.

This is a recipe for what I call Brown Rice Goodness. It is my breakfast every day, and it gives me endurance to do all the things that are asked of me: being a mother, a daughter, a wife, a cancer caretaker, an employee, a homeowner, a cook, a friend. This is both a for-me thing, AND a for-your-patient thing. Take care of you both.

Brown Rice Goodness

Start off by making a batch (or a double batch!) of brown rice in the evening. You can use it all week! I love short-grain brown rice. Always use organic!

One trick with brown rice is to soak it overnight, if possible. This neutralizes the phytic acid in the grain, and makes it easier to digest. (And therefore increases your body's absorption of minerals, iron, and calcium, among other things.)

In a bowl place:
scoop of cooked brown rice
chopped cashews
raisins
blueberries (or a handful of whatever delicious fruit is in season, peaches, strawberries)
a sprinkle of cinnamon
a sprinkle of powdered ginger
pour (unsweetened) almond milk over

This is pure heaven. It is better than oatmeal, or cereal, and gives me strength all morning long. It is delicious, and has no sugar in it whatsoever.

I have my dear friend (since I was six-months old friend) Liza to thank for the next recipe. She told me that fresh, homemade almond milk was the best, and she is absolutely right. It is SO easy to make and so worth the rewards. All you have to do to make it really easy is order a nut bag (hold off on the jokes, ladies) from Amazon.  Here is the link.  You can also use cheesecloth in a strainer, but it can be a little frustrating. Try that first and if you like the taste, spend the $7 on the nut bag. You'll use it again and again!

Fresh Almond Milk
1 cup raw organic almonds
1tsp raw honey
2 cups water

-Soak your almonds in water (do not use plastic!) overnight
-In the morning, drain the almonds, rinse them, and put them in a blender
-Add 2 cups fresh water, and 1 tsp raw honey
-Blend. Walk away from the blender. It will take awhile.
-When it is as smooth as possible, get out a large bowl (preferably with a pouring lip) and put your nut bag in it. Pour the almond milk through the nut bag. And squeeze the heck out of it until you have a lot of liquid.
-Store your almond milk in the fridge in a large mason jar. It is fresh for about 4 days.
-You can save the almond pulp to use for cookies or other such delights....let me know if you have good ideas!

A future blog will cover why these recipes avoid sugar and dairy, and will explain why this great breakfast is a perfect alternative to cereal with milk.