100 Perks of Having Cancer: Plus 100 Health Tips for Surviving It (50 page)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup low-fat coconut milk (or almond or rice milk)

1/2 cup melted Earth Balance coconut spread or coconut oil

Chocolate No-Butter Buttercream Frosting:

11 Medjool dates (I’ve tried to use regular,

but they just don’t compare; go with the Medjool)

1 ripe avocado

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tablespoon coconut milk

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Perk #51: Hundreds of Dollars Saved in Hair Care

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Directions

1. Cut off greens and bottom “tail” of beets. Scrub beets under running water

with a vegetable brush. Lightly peel any rough skin with a carrot peeler. Cut

into small quarters or cubes and set in a steamer or place in a metal colander

on top of saucepot filled with about 5 inches of water. Beets should not touch

the water. Cover and boil water on medium-high heat. Steam beets for about

30 to 45 minutes. (Be careful that you don’t steam all your water away!) Pieces

should be very soft when pierced with a fork. Set aside to cool completely.

This step can be done the day before. Store cooked beets in the fridge.

2. Place cooked beets, syrup, and vanilla in food processor and pulse to mix,

then process on high for 3 to 5 minutes until very smooth (so pretty . . .)

3. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in

a mixing bowl. Add processed beets and coconut milk to dry mixture and stir

to combine.

4. Melt coconut oil in a small pot over low heat for a minute or two until liq-

uid. Add melted coconut oil to batter and stir well with a spoon.

5. Line cupcake tin with paper cups or with cooking oil spray and fill 3/4 of

the way full with batter. (It’s okay to lick the bowl; there’s no raw egg in there,

and no one is watching.)

6. Bake at 350°F for 16 to 18 minutes (11 minutes for mini-cupcakes). Top

should be firm to touch. Let cool for 15 minutes.

Frosting directions

1. Remove pits and skin from dates. This is a pain in the rump, but it affects

the creaminess of the frosting. The skin of the date messes with the texture of

the frosting. You can soak them overnight to make removing the peel easier,

but you lose some of the sweetness that way. I place all

11 dates in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes, and

peel them one by one using a pairing knife to start. Try

to find dates whose skin is already loose to make it easy.

2. Wash and cut the avocado. Always wash fruits and veg-

gies even if you don’t eat the skin. When you drag your

knife through to cut, you’re dragging everything on the

surface through the food.

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100 Perks of Having Cancer

3. Place everything in the food processor and process the bejeezus out of it

on high until it’s creamy smooth.

4. Frost cupcakes when they have cooled. Store frosted cupcakes in the refrig-

erator and eat within 3 days. I don’t think you’ll have them long enough for

that to be a problem.

You can have your cake . . . and eat veggies while you do! Enjoy!

NUTRITION PER FROSTED REGULAR-SIZED CUPCAKE:

Calories: 300; protein: 4.1 grams; carbs: 33 grams; fat: 13.6 grams;

fiber: 3.1 grams; iron: 15% of the RDA; calcium: 4.4% of the RDA;

cholesterol: 0. (All nutrition is plant-based.)

A word about maple syrup: You might be wondering why I didn’t suggest

using “organic” maple syrup. Many brands of maple syrup come from maple

trees that grow in the forest. It’s pretty safe to say that trees

Eat your veggies as

in the forest aren’t sprayed with pesticides. Because of the

dessert and your mind

strict labeling, though, the syrup can’t be labeled “organic”

will explode with endless

if it wasn’t grown by the standards of organic farming.

other possibilities!

Check with the manufacturer to see where they harvest their

syrup. Chances are, it’s deep in a forest somewhere.

If your maple syrup does say “organic,” that means they grew huge

maple trees organically and that’s pretty impressive.

Perk #52

Rockin’ the Bandana

U
ntil recently I thought that the right to wear

hats and other headwear belonged to British

royalty and certain ethnic groups. With the

exception of my woolen toque, hats made me

feel “pretentious,” like I was trying to pull off a

Kate Middleton. After losing my hair, however, I

discovered a whole new line of accessories: hats,

wigs, turbans, scarves, and my personal favorite,

bandanas. I could coordinate my headdress to

match any outfit, without feeling the least bit

pretentious. In fact, I felt so confident with my

new style that I continued to rock the bandana

even after my hair returned.

If you lose your hair due to chemo, try

experimenting with different styles and

varieties of headwear. You don’t have

to sacrifice comfort for style.

Flo rockin’ the bandana

with her sister, Lynette.

HEALTH TIP #52

Rock Out with a Different Kind of Exercise

N
obody puts Baby in the corner.
Because that would keep her from getting

her forty-five minutes of exercise for the day. And she does it by dirty

dancing.

Dancing for fitness makes all the sense in the world. Everyone wants

to dance, and, let’s face it, sometimes the same old exercise routine can be

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boring. So why not dance your way to good health? (How does that saying

go? Dance like no one is watching. . . .)

With so many forms of fitness dancing, there has to be one style that

fits your personality.

Do you like drama? Try ballroom dancing. Not only will you get your

heart rate up and stretch your muscles, but you can dress like a sparkly

movie star and no one will say a word. Check the phone directory or the

Internet for your nearest local dance studio. They will often have an open

dance night where you can pay one price and learn a new step; no experience

necessary! Ballroom dancing keeps your feet moving and

also can include strengthening moves depending on the

style of dance.

Do you own cowboy boots and know all the songs

from the hit musical
Oklahoma?
Then square dancing

might be your thing. Besides getting a great workout

from the nonstop beat of the fiddle, you’ll get to learn

the meaning of terms like
promenade
and
star by the