How are you? Another week of staying safer-at-home for out own health and the health of those around us. We are proud of you for doing what you can. It’s not easy. We know it. We can feel it. The strain of the same for walls. The worry and anxiety of this “new normal” is not new for a lot of the those of us in the cancer community, but there is added stress in the world of COVID-19.
This week we share Some Good News as well as a great book to escape. Eat some good food and get ready for summer with vegetable delivery right to your door.
If you have a favorite place to turn to in times of stress, a great book, podcast, relaxation technique that you think others would benefit from, please send them our way. Your pick could be featured in an upcoming installment of this series.
And from everyone at the Colon Cancer Coalition, please take care.
Mind
Music | Free Online Concerts
Each week National Public Radio (NPR) updates a list of live concerts in all musical genres that you can watch and enjoy for the comfort of home!
Documentary | Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies
“The story of the war on cancer spans centuries and continents. It is a scientific story, but also a deeply human one: of doctors, researchers, and especially patients who-through courage, suffering, and occasional hubris-pushed the boundaries of knowledge. Executive producer Ken Burns presents Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Siddhartha Mukherjee.”
Available on Amazon Prime for free.
Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies
Social Media | #SomeGoodNews with John Krasinski
John Krasinski of The Office and Amazon Prime’s Tom Claney’s Jack Ryan is using the this time at home to forage the internet and social media to share Some Good News with all of us staying safer-at-home. Krasinski uses humor and an lighthearted approach to bring smiles to his viewers. Watch for cameos and special favors from his friends, as well as special appearances from his wife, Emily Blunt. If you want to share some good news of your own, use the #somegoodnews on Twitter or Instagram, or tag him @SomeGoodNews. If you’re ever in need of something to lift your spirits, just search #somegoodnews on Twitter.
New SGN pisodes drop weekly on Monday mornings and it’s worth the 20 minutes per episode to get your Monday off on the right foot. Catch-up with the first four episodes on YouTube now.
Book | The Silent Patient, by Alex Michaelides
Recommended by: Chris Evans, CFO
Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.
“This book is in the genre of Gone Girl and Girl on the Train. I enjoy the character development of Alicia and of Theo. His desire to unravel Alicia’s refusal to speak is rooted in his own past. This is a book I could not put down. It was a great distraction from ‘stay at home.’”
Community Connections
Lacuna Loft
Lacuna Loft is a nonprofit organization providing online support programs to young adult cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers. The only organization offering diverse online programs regardless of diagnosis and regardless of where they live, Lacuna Loft is changing the way that age-appropriate support is provided to young adults facing cancer. Survival is insufficient and we are here to make sure that survivorship support is available, accessible, and specifically designed for young adults facing cancer.
Lacuna Loft offers so many ways for young adults facing cancer to connect and find a place where they belong, from book clubs, journaling groups, art classes, game night, hangouts, and writing groups, they provide help and connection on a virtual platform so that everyone can connect.
Body
Cancer Wellness for Life | Summer Strength Challenge Week 4
Last summer we partnered with Get Your Rear in Gear – Kansas City grant recipient Cancer Wellness for Life to create a workout program focused just on cancer patients and survivors working to build strength and stamina. Each week some simple yet effective exercises are introduced by trainer Sami and Jerry Mansfield that can be done in your home with stuff you already have on hand. Plus a delicious new recipe every week.
Nutrition
MNGI Digestive Health | Sheet Pan Steak Fajitas
Get Your Rear in Gear – Twin Cities presenting sponsor MNGI Digestive Health works with their register dietician on recipes that are both healthy and delicious for our gut! This week we’re recommending their sheet pan steak fajitas. If you’re in the greater Minnesota area and interested in scheduling a telehealth call with one of their dieticians, visit: https://www.mngi.com/mngi-telehealth-services
Sheet Pan Steak Fajitas
Ingredients
1 lb flank steak, sliced into 1⁄2 inch strips 2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
1⁄4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced
8 flour or corn tortillas
Desired toppings: lime wedges, chopped cilantro, diced avocado, sour cream, etc.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°F. In a small bowl, combine the 6 dried spices and stir well. In a large bowl, add steak, onions and bell peppers. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with minced garlic. Mix everything until it is evenly coated. Sprinkle seasoning mix over everything. Mix again until evenly coated. Line a large-sized sheet pan with foil. Lay all the vegetables and meat onto the lined sheet pan in a single layer. Cook for about 12-20 minutes or until steak reaches desired doneness and vegetables are cooked but still crisp. When there is about 5 minutes of cook time remaining, cover tortillas in aluminum foil and place on top of the baking pan to warm up. Serve with lime wedges, fresh cilantro and any other toppings you desire.
Yield: 8 servings
Cook time: 15-20 minutes
Locally Sourced Produce | Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs)
CSAs connect local farms to customers, providing customers a chance to taste from a variety of local produce grown in their community. This not only helps small business, it means customers are getting produce that doesn’t have to be harvested early to make it store shelves. It’s the freshest produce around, cultivated locally, and gives a unique sampling each week of what the area has to offer.
Watch a story from KARE11 News about the benefits of CSAs and how they work
Find a CSA in your area with the USDA CSA Directory
