100 Perks of Having Cancer: Plus 100 Health Tips for Surviving It (89 page)

Perk #88: Cancer Gave Me the Courage to Step Outside My Comfort Zone

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veggies like carrots. Butternut squash, for example, has an incredible 457

percent of the recommended daily allowance for vitamin A—over 22,000

IUs! Vitamin A is one of the antioxidant vitamins that reduce your risk of

illness and disease of all kinds by preventing cell damage and death. (The

others are vitamin C and vitamin E.)

I have to admit, it’s the winter varieties that get me excited (it doesn’t

take much, obviously). I am simply intrigued by these dense, heavy veggies

with such interesting shapes and names like carnival, cheese wheel, eight

ball, gold ball, fairy tale, spaghetti, buttercup, and boo-boo.

No complicated recipes here, just my two favorite ways to prepare sum-

mer and winter squashes of all types. For me, this is also the most flavorful

and healthy way too.

Summer Squash

Wash and then slice any amount of summer squash into half-inch disks

(skin on) and place in a mixing bowl. Drizzle enough organic extra virgin

olive oil over the sliced pieces to

coat and then mix with a spoon

to coat all pieces.

Prepare a cast-iron or similar

skillet by heating over medium-

high heat. Place slices flat in the

skillet and arrange so they are

all flat. Season the tops with

sea salt and pepper. Cook for

about 5 to 7 minutes or until the

pieces start to look soft and the

underside is speckled with golden

brown. Flip over and cook about

4 minutes more. Remove from heat and enjoy! This is the best way of getting

the true, sweet, delicious flavor of the squash.

These are crazy good. I love these as a side, but I’ve also been known to

throw them in brown rice or quinoa with other cooked veggies as you can’t

beat their sweet taste.

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100 Perks of Having Cancer

Winter Squash

Wash squash and pierce the skin with a fork several times (to make sure

it’s completely dead). Place on a foil or parchment-lined cookie sheet

or baking pan and place in an oven set at 350°F. Place in the center of

the oven and cook for 60 to 90 minutes depending on how big the squash

is. A 4 to 5 pound squash will take about one hour. Make sure it’s done

by pushing a long knife straight

through in several places. It should

be soft all the way through. Avoid

overbrowning of the skin, as this

will sometimes cause dryness.

Let it cool a bit, then cut open

and remove seeds (carefully as it

will be very hot). Cut the flesh

from the skin. In most cases you

can just easily scoop out the flesh

from the skin. Place the flesh in a

bowl and add a bit of almond or

coconut milk, a dash of sea salt,

and a drizzle of pure maple syrup.

(I mean real maple syrup, not maple-flavored syrup.) Mix well. No exact

measurements here, as every squash is a different size. Just experiment . . .

it’s more fun that way.

With this easy recipe, you’ll have a great sub for unhealthy mashed white

potatoes.

Did I squelch your fear of squash?

Perk #89

Bonus Reward Points

I
n my work as an educational psychologist, I

would often devise behavior management plans

for students, using rewards to improve their behav-

iors. Many teachers would object to implementing

these plans saying, “Why should he be rewarded

for doing something he should be doing anyway?

That’s not how it works in the REAL world.” Mean-

while, said teacher has so many reward point

collector cards in her purse, she practically needs

a crane to lift it to her shoulder.

So, I would have to say, yes, that is exactly how

it works in the REAL world. I buy my groceries at

a certain store and I get rewarded with points that

Flo in Times Square

with Kaitlyn and Donovan

can be used toward my next purchase of gas. I buy

gas and get rewarded with points that can be redeemed to buy merchandise.

I love these points! In fact, the main reason I even drink wine is because

of the Air Miles plan (well, maybe not the
main
reason).

I am going to be upfront with you here. Cancer is not a cheap disease

to have. If you are one to pinch pennies, you may want to consider getting

yourself another, less expensive disease. I would like to recommend one,

but that is more Susan’s department. While cancer put a dent in my bank

account, my reward points skyrocketed! In fact, at the end of my cancer jour-

ney, I had collected enough points to take myself on another type of journey.

New York, here I come!

Cancer will put a dent in your bank account. However,

the more you spend, the more bonus reward points

you can rack up, so get yourself a collector’s card!

I 377 J

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100 Perks of Having Cancer

HEALTH TIP #89

You Get Points for Buying Food, Too,

but Should You Always Buy Organic?

F
ood is expensive. And I’m not just talking about lobster and caviar. You

could go shopping, spend $100, and come home with nothing but

empty calories that satisfy your sweet tooth. (The kid side of you thinks this

is just fine, but the adult side of you knows better.)

So you head to the produce aisle of the market (smart) and take a walk

along the beautiful rows of shiny colorful apples, plums, cucumbers, and

kale (yes, kale!). You reach for a sweet juicy red apple . . . but wait! That

apple can contain more poison than the one that nearly killed Snow White!

Pesticides are chemical agents sprayed on growing produce to discourage