Another week down. Keep it up! What the collective “we” are doing to help flatten the curve is supporting our friends in health care as well as our friends in high risk categories. It’s not easy being alone, but it is helpful to know that we are #AloneTogether.
This week go bird watching and enjoy the wonders of nature watching the majestic bald eagle raise two young chicks. Enjoy a night at the theatre from the comfort of your living room. And spice up your next video chat with some colorectal cancer awareness backgrounds!
Don’t forget to turn in your favorite books, podcasts, relaxation techniques or other things that others may find beneficial. Your pick could be featured in an upcoming installment of this series.
And from everyone at the Colon Cancer Coalition, please take care.
Mind
Meditation | Mindful Meditation with Cecily
Mindful Meditation with Cecily is put on by The Cancer Support Center, a grantee of Get Your Rear in Gear – Tinley Park. Cecily demonstrates the “mindful meditation” technique that can help relieve the stress while surviving cancer or coping with a stressful time like COVID-19 and staying safer at home.
Mindful Meditation with Cecily
Virtual Bird Watching | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Eagle Cam
Watch a pair of eagles as they grow into adulthood and not only grow their wings, but learn to fly. Pay close attention to eagle behavior (like how they take care of their business over the edge of the nest), to what they bring back to feed their growing chicks from the river they live beside. With a nest right on the Mississippi River – it’s easy to guess there’s lots of fish for dinner.
Documentary | Jim Allison Breakthrough
“Jim Allison: Breakthrough is the astounding, true story of one warm-hearted, stubborn man’s visionary quest to find a cure for cancer.
Today, Jim Allison is a name to be reckoned with throughout the scientific world — a 2018 Nobel Prize winner for discovering the immune system’s role in defeating cancer — but for decades he waged a lonely struggle against the skepticism of the medical establishment and the resistance of Big Pharma.
Jim Allison: Breakthrough takes us into the inspiring and dramatic world of cutting-edge medicine, and into the heart of a true American pioneer, in a film that is both emotionally compelling and deeply entertaining.”
Currently available for streaming on the PBS App or PBS.com.
Virtual Theater | Park Square Theater virtual production of The Diary of Anne Frank
While Park Square Theatre in St. Paul, MN is not able to put on a live show, the cast and company have recorded a zoom reading of The Diary of Anne Frank to share its extraordinary message.
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!
Virtual Meetings | Zoom Backgrounds
Are all those Zoom meetings starting to feel monotonous? Change it up with a Zoom background! Raise colorectal cancer awareness or be the talk of the virtual water cooler by taking meetings from inside a giant inflatable colon! We have a variety of backgrounds to pick from, just click the button below.
Community Connections
Imerman Angels
The Coalition partners with Imerman Angels as a resource for patients, survivors, and caregivers to connect with a peer on a one-on-on basis. If you’re looking to connect with someone who has truly been there, reach out to Imerman Angels for more information about being matched with a Mentor Angel.
Body
Cancer Wellness for Life | Summer Strength Challenge Week 5
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
Girl Gone Gourmet | Mango Avocado Salsa with Grilled Chipotle Chicken
Recommended by Tessa Rittburg, Graphic Designer
Tessa recommends a side of coconut rice. To make coconut rice, cook rice as normal, substituting half the water with coconut milk and adding a pinch of salt.
Editor’s note: After Tessa shared this recipe as a “Staff Pick” our communications director made it for her family. It was devoured and is now in the dinner rotation at her home as well. So you could say it’s a Staff Pick x2.
INGREDIENTS
For the Chipotle Chicken
1 chipotle pepper, finely chopped
2 tablespoons adobo sauce
1 clove of garlic, smashed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 boneless skinless breasts, about 1 1/2 pounds (see note)
Desired toppings: lime wedges, chopped cilantro, diced avocado, sour cream, etc.
For the Mango Avocado Salsa
1 mango, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
Juice from 1 lime
1 small avocado, diced
1 teaspoon salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Marinate the Chicken: Place all the marinade ingredients for the chipotle chicken in a large resealable bag. Place the chicken in the bag, seal it, and sort of mush it around with your hands to coat the chicken in the marinade. Place in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours.
Make the Salsa: Mix all of the ingredients for the salsa together in a medium bowl. Cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Grill the Chicken: Heat the grill to medium high heat. Grill the chicken for five minutes or so on each side, flipping once. Chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Let the chicken rest a few minutes before serving. To serve, spoon some salsa over the top of the chicken.
