Tosca Reno: Eating Bird Food

Protein Overnight Oats

Ingredients
1/2 cup rolled oats (old fashioned oatmeal)
2/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 scoop vanilla brown rice protein powder
1/2 T chia seeds
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 strawberries, sliced
1 teaspoon almond butter

Methods
Combine all ingredients in a small container, stir until the protein powder is completely mixed in, seal with a lid and place in the fridge overnight. You’ll notice that the protein powder, oats and chia seeds soak up a lot of the liquid so you may want to add a little more almond milk or water before serving. Top with an almond butter and strawberry slices. Enjoy!
Tosca Reno: Eating Bird Food

Here is a recipe that I'm going to try. I found it on a blog called www.eatingbirdfood.com. I'm excited to try it. Being Vegan for breakfast and lunch is easy, but supper is presenting challenges. For one by late afternoon I'm feeling tired and don't even feel like cooking, so out comes the chicken breasts or burgers and off Kevin goes to cook some hamburgers, which I really appreciate cause right now in the middle of cancer treatments I can use all the help I can get.
I started my second round yesterday and spent most of the day in the hospital getting the new drug infused, then came home with another drug that infuses over 48 hours. The side effects were fast in coming. My fingers are very sensitive to cold as well as my mouth. It's like I'm being burned. And when ever I start eating the nerves in my mouth go crazy and it really hurts for the first few bites. So for the next 4 months I won't be eating anything that comes from a fridge or freezer unless its sat on the counter to get to room temperature. BORING!!!! And this morning as I was reading my scriptures an overwhelming feeling of nausea came over me. It only lasted a few minutes though and hasn't come back. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
On Monday I went to my first Yoga class at the Canadian Yoga Institute and it was great. I'm taking a gentle yoga class, with 3 other ladies who are suffering from various chronic illnesses. And even though the whole class is done in a chair, I felt it when I got home. So either Yoga is amazing or I'm just pathetic. I think Yoga is amazing. My brother has Gout and about 15 years ago he started yoga and it has saved his life. One of the best things about this Yoga class is that my instructor is a Vegetarian and has been for 15 years. She looks amazing. I will be getting more info from her in the near future. If you would like to know more about the Canadian Yoga Institute go to www.yogacanada.org/
Today I am so appreciative of extended family, who make this journey so much easier. I am grateful for many things.

Tonight; July 20th, 2012 @ 8:36 pm I am starting the "Engine 2 diet- 28 day challenge". For the next 28 days I will be a vegan. I've been wanting to do this for a long time. I have done lots of reading from doctors, medical papers, and others. The book "Engine 2 diet" is written by Rip Esselstyn whose father and grandfather are world renowned cardiologists. Rip himself is a firefighter and tri-athlete. Right now I'm just curious to see if I can do it, especially living with a "carnivore extremist". I hope you will follow along as I give this a try. I will post experiences and emotions everyday. So here we go!!!!! I am not a missionary for being vegan. This is just something I want to do for my health and future well being. I'm also starting a yoga class on Monday, at the Canadian Yoga Institute in Lethbridge. It's a class that is specifically for those with a chronic illness or injury. It was advertised at the Cancer Center in Lethbridge.
I start my 2nd round of Chemo on Wednesday the 25th of July. When I saw my Oncologist this passed Monday he gave me a prescription for 2 anti-nausea drugs, one which I have to take 1 hour before I go. I also have to take an anti-inflammatory 1 hour before I go. The first drug will be infused there in the hospital and will take about 80 minutes, I then get hooked up to another drug that I will take-(oops, the power went out just for a second, so glad I didn't lose any of this post), that will infuse over the next 48 hours at home. I then go back to the hospital to get unhooked and don't have to go back for a week and a half. I will get 8 treatments in total that will come to an end sometime towards the end of November. Hopefully I will do as well with this 2nd go round as I did with the first.
Even after all the treatments are done I still have a 30-35 % chance of the cancer returning either again in the colon, or to my lungs or liver. I certainly don't want that to happen. Medical research is starting to show astounding results in the benefits of regular exercise and the recurrence of Cancer. Also the nutritional benefits of eating plant strong. What have I got to lose? Maybe everything by not making any changes, but could gain a clean bill of health for a very long time yet by changing. So again; here I go!!!!

Finished Phase One, enjoying a break.

It's been awhile since I have posted anything, mostly because one day was just a duplicate of the previous. As of last Friday the 29th I finished my Radiation Treatments and my 7 day Chemo Bottle. It has felt so good to be free of that bottle hanging off of me. I now am getting a little break. I don't start the 2nd phase until the 16th of July.
My biggest challenge during the 1st phase was sleeping. I just couldn't seem to get myself to go to sleep. So I finally gave in a started taking a half a sleeping pill. My oncologist told me that not sleeping was not an option. With my white count already compromised I couldn't compromise myself further with not sleeping. Fortunately I got a bit of a cold so I switched from the sleeping pill to Benadryl, and slept like a baby. Now I seem to be over this hump and am sleeping fine again without anything. Hope this lasts.
My next biggest challenge has been the radiation burns on my bottom end. Not really bad, but just enough to annoy me sometimes, especially now as it is healing, it is really itchy. Thank goodness for Glaxal Lotion, keeps me from scratching.
Still dragging a bit physically, not a tremendous amount of energy returning, but all in all I've done amazing so far.
Had my first GREEN DRINK this morning; not bad, not bad. Here's the recipe.
1 banana
1/2 Cup berries
1/2 pineapple
1 Cup spinach
1 Cup Kale
1 Cup greek yogurt/ or 2 scoops protein powder
20 Ounces of water
Blend
This makes alot, and can be divided into 2 servings, but it was easy to get down and tasted good.