DON'T IGNORE STAGE IV, PART 1

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WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? STAGE IV DOESN'T HAVE TIME TO WAIT.

1. Visit MBCaware.org and Eisai will donate $1 to Metastatic Breast Cancer research.
2. Sign up for MBCaware emails, and Eisai will donate another $1.
3. "Like" the 'METAvivor' page on Facebook and another $1 will be donated.
4. Share an image on Facebook, Eisai will donate another $1.
5. Follow @METAvivor or Tweet with #MBCaware and another $1 is donated!
6. Watch this video to learn more about METAvivor's commitment to BC Mets research.

Some stats about the Stage IV Community:

SIX-WORD MEMOIR: PINKTOBER

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I'm bringing back the Six-Word Memoir® challenge! 

Last May, our six word challenge was about cancer in general (see that post here). Many in the blogosphere joined in. 

Now I'd like to focus on breast cancer and Pinktober. So I'm challenging you to use just six words to help educate and enlighten the world about the dangers of pinkwashing breast cancer.

I'll be posting more soon, but here are two six-word memoirs I've come up with. Looking forward to seeing what others come up with too! PS: Feel free to share. 

Power Balls

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Power Balls
This is a quick recipe that will keep you energized during your workout or race.
Ingredients:½ cup peanut butter½ cup oats¼ cup honey2 scoops protein powder¼ cup craisins or raisins, chocolate chips, or crushed almonds, optional
Mix each of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Using your hands, form mixture into small balls. Enjoy before an intense workout or endurance race


Stephanie Bailey - Dietetic Intern - University of Memphis

BIOMechaniks: Train the mind and the body will follow

Sugary Beverages

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Sugary beverages – soda, sweetened coffees and teas, energy drinks, vitamin waters – are increasing in popularity. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), over one half of Americans consume a sugary beverage daily, particularly teens and young adults. These sugary beverages provide no nutritional value and are loaded with calories.
Look at this daily scenario of beverage consumption and see how the calories really add up:

Occasion	Instead of…	Calories	Try this…	Calories
Morning coffee run	Medium latte with whole milk	265	Small latte with non-fat milk	125
Lunch break	20 oz. soda	220	Water	0
Afternoon break	Sweet tea	180	Unsweetened tea flavored with lemon	0
Dinner	12 oz. soda	140	Water	0
Total		805		125

As you can see, if you consume a sugary beverage at each mealtime, you could be drinking nearly half of your calories needed for that day. Water, unsweetened tea, and black coffee are all zero calories. It may take time to get used to drinking unsweetened tea or black coffee, so make small changes. Start by ordering tea half sweet/halfunsweet until you can drink it unsweet. When it comes to drinking coffee, small changes such as switching to non-fat milk and leaving the whip off can save nearly 100 calories. Soda also contains around 100 calories per 8 oz – that’s not even a whole can! And, to burn off those 100 calories, you would have to run 1 mile or walk up 33 flights of stairs.
So, think twice before you consume a sugary beverage loaded with calories. You don’t want to “drink” you calories for the day!


Stephanie Bailey - Dietetic Intern - University of Memphis


BIOMechaniks: Train the mind and the body will follow

The Farmer's Market is Open!

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Freshly washed butter crunch lettuce. Photo by Angela Tague.

Have you ever shopped in a store where every display seemed to call your name?

Handcrafted beeswax lip balm? Yes, please!
Spinach speckled with local soil? Bring it on!
Glistening jars of crimson berry jams. Yum!

Our local farmer's market opened this morning, which means I can barely get this written between taking bites of my locally grown lunch. Heck, my editors are lucky the market isn't open all day, or I may have missed a few deadlines today!

Since it's early in the season, our local market was plentiful with fresh spring greens, radishes, rhubarb and asparagus.

But, the true find of the day was a head of butter crunch lettuce. The velvety texture, mild flavor and pale color truly means summer is just around the corner. Since this is one of the first lettuces of the season to grow in the midwest, it's always an early garden-season treat.

Is your farmer's market open for business? What local whole foods are you enjoying?

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living

Getting Buff with Alton Brown

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The hubby and I try to be a little adventuresome in the kitchen. Last week we embarked on a new journey: Alton Brown's Buff Smoothie.

Strawberries! Photo Credit: Morguefile

The infamous Food Network food guru claims he lost 50 lbs. by enjoying this berry-filled smoothie for breakfast and making healthier eating decisions.

Since I love everything about smoothies, and the hubby thinks losing a few pounds would be fun, we've been mixing up these smoothies in the old blender. So far, so good. The purple concoction is sweet, filling and a pretty shade of purple. I'm hooked. I'm still amazed these smoothies stick with me until lunchtime.

Has anyone else tried Alton Brown's Buff Smoothie? (Get the recipe HERE!) I'd love to hear if it has helped you shed a few pounds. Of course I know drinking a smoothie for breakfast isn't going to make pounds melt away. But, when combined with exercise, watching portions and making healthier eating decisions, I wonder if this smoothie really has some magical powers. It seems like a lot of (natural) sugars to me!

Thoughts?

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living

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Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins that Actually Rise!

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It doesn't matter if you're avoiding gluten or not. These pumpkin muffins are definitely worth making the kitchen a mess.

I cobbled together a few recipes and my own personal gluten-free baking instincts to create this spicy, moist, fluffy, gluten-free muffin. My wheat-eating hubby gobbled these down without hesitation. The texture is so amazing you won't believe they are gluten-free.

Ok, preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and give this recipe a whirl!
 
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins

In a bowl cream together:

• 3/4 cup canned pumpkin or fresh pumpkin puree
• 1 banana, mashed
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup raw honey

In another bowl, stir together these dry ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted almonds, pulverized in a food processor
• 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/8 tsp sea salt

Now, slowly mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. I filled large, greased muffin tins 2/3 full with the batter to make 6 large muffins. Bake for 28 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit. We have a convection oven, so the muffins may take longer to bake in a traditional oven. Use a toothpick to test for doneness. After letting the muffins cool, top them with a simple cream cheese frosting.

Look at that texture! Photos by Angela Tague

My only regret was not doubling this recipe!

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living

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