Recovery, Irresistable Smoked Salmon Recipe & Flowers Galore!

Dear friends and family members,

It is hard to believe that it has already been over 75 days since my last radiation treatment.  In some ways it seems like a lifetime, in other ways only a short while ago.  Regardless, I feel that I have recovered much faster than I'd anticipated.  I also continue to feel that all your positive energy and prayer has been responsible for much of the improvement.  Most of my stamina and strength are back and, perhaps best of all, I don't have to be within 5 minutes of the nearest facility.  Is it possible to put that kind of a constraint to normal activity out of one's mind?  I feel so good now, that I need to remind myself that I was very sick with side effects for a good part of my treatment. I don't want to lose sight of all those who cared for me and about me during that time.  I feel that part of my obligation is to attempt to continue to live an anti-cancer lifestyle worthy of all of that effort.

Lop the Loop - Erika and Brad Ran

Other signs of life returning to normal are that our boat is in the water, cleaned up and ready to go (even though we haven't gone anywhere because of the weather), and I'm back to walking several miles on most days.  My walking time for the local festival "Lop the Loop" walk/run on May 19, while not a blistering pace, was only 9 minutes slower than my best ever time for that 7K course.  Today I walked my favorite morning hike, which includes considerable elevation, in just over an hour, which is right on my long-time average for that course.  On alternate days we work out in a local fitness center.  One of my most pleasant surprises is that I no longer feel the mid-afternoon slump I have been dealing with for several years.  We are not sure if that is a sign that our healthier diet and regular exercise are helping to maintain a more consistent blood sugar level or that the progressing disease was having more of a negative effect on my health than I realized.  Except for the continued nagging side effects of the hormone therapy, on most days I feel good enough that I can almost entirely forget about our winter ordeal. 

Up on the roof

In previous posts I have talked a lot about the importance of those elements in our life that we can control, such as diet, exercise, and stress management.  Since then others have reminded me that there are other positive factors we can strive for to improve our overall health and well-being.  One of these is getting adequate sleep.  And, we can't underestimate attitude, which is a huge factor!!  As I was getting down the ladder from finishing pressure washing my shed roof the other day, it occurred to me that being a victim of cancer is not a given.  You can be a person with cancer, a cancer patient, or a cancer survivor all without being a cancer victim.  Being a victim is a choice, not a condition and I'm convinced that it is an individual's attitude that makes that difference. Will I still feel this way if I have a relapse?  I don't know, but in the meanwhile I plan to continue to live as normal and healthy a life as possible.   

After all we have posted about healthy eating, I can't write a blog post without at least a small section on diet.  We continue to explore  and look for individual foods and recipes that are available locally and work for us.  The latest on our list of super foods is kale.  Like many of its cousins, the greatest nutritional benefit comes out when it is lightly steamed.  It is also good in moderation in a tossed green salad or added to soups.

Below is an incredible recipe for smoked salmon that we came across some time ago mentioned on someone's FaceBook page.  It was described anecdotally rather than listed as a specific recipe.  We have experimented with it, modified it slightly, and it has become one of our favorites.  We both agree it can be considered healthy and it fits into the gourmet flavor category without requiring any fancy ingredients or special preparation.  

Gourmet Smoked Salmon Pizza

You can either make your own healthy wheat crust using the recipe below or we have used the pre-made whole wheat Boboli crusts which are available at most stores.  

Thinly slice and caramelize one red onion in olive oil (this makes the onion oh so sweet and yummy).
Coat the pizza crust with your favorite white Alfredo sauce.  

Liberally place thin slices of fresh garlic over the sauce. (We nearly cover the top)

Spread the caramelized onion evenly over the garlic.  

Add a liberal amount of flaked smoked salmon over the entire pizza.

Top it off with a healthy sprinkling of feta cheese.

Bake in a preheated oven according to either the directions on the crust package or the recipe below.
The smell of this pizza baking is almost irresistible.  Serve it hot.  It is even better at the table!

Easy Pizza Crust    

Soften 1 package or 2 1/4 tsp yeast in 1 cup warm water with a pinch of sugar

Let set until just bubbly.

Combine 3 1/2 cups (1 1/2 cups whole wheat, 2 cups white) & 1 tsp salt in a mixing bowl.

Make a depression and mix in 1/2 of yeast mixture.

Mix well.

Add other half of yeast mixture and 2+T olive oil

Mix well, knead, and cover for about 20 min.

Knead again and roll out to fit pizza pan.

Top with ingredients and bake at 425 for 20 minutes. 

That is about enough for one post, except to remind every one to enjoy each day to the fullest.  For those of you who live on our island, the wildflowers are spectacular this year, despite the rain.  The wild iris were budding last Sunday at Ohmer Creek and should be blooming by this weekend.  For me there are few things that relieve stress as much as a slow stroll through nature's garden in full bloom with camera in hand.  I like to look closely at each flower to observe the many small inhabitants as I pass by.  It is very easy for me to completely lose all track of time.  Most of all, just get out to enjoy the spectacle.  Rain or shine, you will be very glad you did.

Shalom,

      Barry and Kathy