Sunday, December 8, 2013

Healthy Baking Date Night with Kaite and Trip To Philadelphia

Hello FitForME followers!

Kaite and I wanted to tell you all about our baking night! I wanted to make a few treats for my trip to Philadelphia with my dad and invited Kaite over to help! We made Blueberry coconut-almond muffins, "Skinny Snickerdoodles", chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, and granola!! This is Kaite in the Italic writing! I can't wait to have a baking night at my place! And Definitely making healthy meals to put in the freezer to help when times get busy!

We will definitely be planning one of these nights again in the future for a few reasons.
1. It is always fun to bake with another person. Especially someone like Kaite! And Someone as awesome as Kendra ;)

2. We got to try 4 new recipes and each took home half of the goodies! But- we only did half the work because we each tackled two recipes. Even taking home "half" of a recipe was a lot of goodies!

3. It is a great way to stock pile baked goodies for a trip or the next few weeks. My dad and I were going to be away for a few days so I wanted to make sure we had enough snacks and breakfast items! I have been sharing the yummy treats with my family, and I froze some so I have healthy treats when I need a pick me up :)

My personal favorites were the Snickerdoole cookies that we found on Chocolate Covered Kaite's blog. You can find her recipe here: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/11/08/skinny-snickerdoodles/

We made these cookies even healthier by using almond milk instead of regular milk and made sure to use whole wheat flour.

My only suggestion for improving this recipe is to multiply it by 4! I doubled the recipe but only ended up with 10 or so small cookies.

My Personal favorite was the granola! We did half honey-oat with spices, raisins, and dried cranberries. The other half is my favorite.... Chocolate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Need I say more? ;)

If you are making cookies for the holidays-grab a friend to share some of the work! You both end up with a bigger variety with half of the work! And twice the fun <3




Granola was so amazing!

And I loved loved these cookies!!!

All of the goodies!



Philadelphia Cancer Center of Amercia

It is called the "Center" to patients and caregivers and it is where my dad and I went when we visited Philadelphia this past week.

I want to share the experience we have had at the Center and maybe shed some light on a wonderful option if anyone finds themselves in a similar circumstance.

My dad was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2011. He received surgery to remove the tumors in his colon in September but eventually the cancer spread to his liver and most recently his lungs. While I was at college my dad met with countless doctors and over three different medical facilities to find the answer. At one point his doctor told him that he only had 5-10 years to live and that he should start getting his paperwork in order.

I can't even imagine what was going through his head at this moment. I do remember the night when he told me this news and we both just sat and cried together.

Since then he has sought other medical opinions and even switched chemotherapy treatment to another hospital in the area. Although the oncologist was kind and intelligent- him nor his team of nurses had the time or the energy to invest in my father. He was definitely cared for but not as the "whole person" as I would have preferred. In my opinion, health involves more than physical symptoms. Health involves a patient's physical needs, diet, sleep cycle, mind, spirit, emotional well-being, and more. My dad was only being treated for the tumors and wasn't ever told what to eat, what supplements to take, or how to treat his insomnia.

That all changed when he called Cancer Centers of America this summer.

After spending three weeks in the hospital my dad wanted to seek yet another opinion about his treatment options. They flew my dad and I to the center completely free. There was a limo to pick us up at the airport (as there is every time). They brought us back to the hotel and gave us a "patient binder". It contained everything we needed for the initial meetings with the team of doctors.

When we arrived at the Center we were immediately greeted by the smiling faces in the lobby. To be honest, I was a little surprised at how happy all of the patients and caregivers appeared. After all, they were here because they have one of the most feared diseases-cancer.

The center offers many accommodations to the patients and caregivers including free massages and sight seeing tours around the city.Each time my dad is flown into Pennsylvania for free and receives a decreased rate at the hotel near by.

My dad met with an entire team of professionals including his oncologist, nutritionist, naturopathic doctor, and nurse (and even more!). Each team member communicates and they often meet to speak about each patient.

My dad chose to receive treatment at the center, despite the traveling. Fortunately he was able to receive chemo in Maine.  Every 3 weeks or so he travels down for various scans and follow up appointments. Recently, the treatment for his liver has not been working as the doctors would like. So the logical next step? Try something new. One of the reasons I feel comfortable at the center is because they are constantly trying new treatments. They don't give up and throw in the towel as others might.

My reason for writing this blog is not to advertise for this company. I just wanted to share my family's story and perhaps shed light on an option that exists for Maine residents who are diagnosed with this devastating disease. I encourage anyone affected by cancer to be an advocate for yourself and your loved one. Take health into your own hands. Chose fitness. Chose a healthy lifestyle. We are given one body and we need to take care of it. Don't wait until you're sitting in the doctor's office and talking about MRI results and chemotherapy. Don't wait until you're sitting in the infusion chair waiting for your chemo drugs. Don't wait until you think you have time, or energy, or resources. Make it happen. Chose fit. Chose family. Chose Maine. Love Kendra :)