Betty Crocker Living with Cancer Cookbook

General Mills’ “Pink Together” initiative is a supportive online community that links 500,000 cancer survivors and their supporters, letting them share photos, personal stories, and recipes. Now, in partnership with Pink Together, this new edition of the Living with Cancer Cookbook has been updated and revised to include the inspirational stories of Pink Together community members. Like the first edition, this special edition includes 130 recipes that are specially designed for those undergoing cancer treatments and the loved ones who care for them, as well as:

- Bonus 32-page section on the Pink Together initiative, an online community to support women with breast cancer
- All-new photographs and uplifting quotes, anecdotes, and practical tips from cancer survivors
- Recipes flagged to show which ones can help mitigate the common side effects of cancer treatment
- A simple, 7-day menu plan that is perfect for anyone currently undergoing treatment, based on six small meals and snacks spread throughout the day
- A foreword by Nancy G. Brinker, the founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, the global leader of the breast cancer support movement

Nutrition is a critical factor in the fight against cancer. The Living with Cancer Pink Together Cookbook combines the nutritious recipes and health information that patients need with inspiring personal stories of survival.

What does cooking have to do with cancer? To answer that broader question, you may want to check out the new blog Eating Despite Cancer, written by Merry Jennifer Markham, MD (aka the merry gourmet), a guest cook for C&B&R and a practicing oncologist who cares for people in all phases of the cancer experience.

More specifically for this cookbook, when we were looking for a reviewer, our #1 choice was easy. Julie, from The Little Kitchen, has been very actively involved in the cause for a cure for breast cancer. Be sure to check out her website to find out about her volunteer activities, and her gorgeous cakes, and her exciting giveaways. (She’s also a pet lover, which is how we first connected.) In addition to being amazingly talented in the kitchen, Julie is genuinely giving — of her heart and her time. You’d be hard-pressed to find a more caring blogger in the cooking field.

Cooks&Books&Recipes Guest Cook:
Julie, The Little Kitchen

With over 150 recipes, the Betty Crocker Living with Cancer Cookbook (Pink Together Edition) is a wonderful resource. Not only does it have recipes, it has a section with many questions–along with answers–that breast cancer patients and their caregivers will have. I love the section that includes stories from breast cancer survivors, as well as their favorite recipes.

General Mills’ Pink Together program has contributed over $10 Million to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization. I love that this cookbook also represents this commitment to the breast cancer cause and National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This year’s edition of the Betty Crocker Living with Cancer Cookbook includes a special message from Komen for the Cure’s founder, Nancy G. Brinker. She shares the story of her sister, Susan G. Komen. She also shares two recipes from her family. I can’t wait to try those recipes, along with tons of others from the cookbook.

Featured Recipe: Chicken Soup with Homemade Noodles

Dr. Kris Ghosh notes:

Iron is an important mineral needed to help fight fatigue and is especially key during chemotherapy and radiation.

Guest Cook Julie:

For a weeknight meal, we tried the Chicken Soup with Homemade Noodles. It was a quick soup to make, and I loved how the chicken bouillon added a layer of flavor. As a result, this soup tasted like one that took a long time to make.

Photo credit: Julie Deily

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Chicken Soup with Homemade Noodles

Prep Time: 25 Hours | Start to Finish: 1 Hour 30 Minutes | 6 servings

CHICKEN

1 cut-up whole chicken (3 to 3 ½ lb)
4 ½ cups cold water
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 medium stalk celery with leaves, cut up
1 medium onion, cut up
1 medium carrot, cut up

SOUP

4 cups water
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1 cup frozen sweet peas
2 medium stalks celery, sliced (1 cup)
1 medium onion, sliced
2 medium carrots, sliced
(1 cup) or 1 bag (8 oz) ready-to-eat baby-cut carrots

NOODLES

2 eggs, beaten
¼ cup milk or water
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
Dash pepper

1. Remove excess fat from chicken. Place chicken in 4-quart Dutch oven. Add 4 ½ cups cold water and remaining chicken ingredients. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer about 45 minutes or until juice of chicken is clear when thickest pieces are cut to bone (at least 165°F).

2. Remove chicken from broth. Cool chicken about 10 minutes or just until cool enough to handle. Skim fat from broth. Strain broth; discard vegetables. Remove skin and bones from chicken. Cut chicken into ½-inch pieces.

3. Return chicken and broth to Dutch oven. Stir in 4 cups water and the bouillon. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; stir in peas and sliced celery, onion and carrots. Simmer uncovered 15 minutes.

4. In small bowl, mix noodle ingredients (batter will be thick). Press a few tablespoons of the batter at a time through colander (preferably one with large holes) into boiling soup. Stir soup once or twice to prevent sticking. Cook about 5 minutes or until noodles rise to surface and are tender.

To Make Ahead: Cook chicken and broth one day. Refrigerate separately. The next day, skim fat from broth, and continue with Step 2.

To freeze after preparing entire recipe, cool soup 30 minutes. Place in 2-quart airtight freezer container and label. Freeze no longer than 2 months.

“When I was growing up, my mother always served chicken soup when I was sick. It is still a comforting food for me today, and I make it often for my family. I made this a make-ahead recipe by cooking the chicken and stock one day, then finishing the rest the next day.”—Joan K. Shares Her Recipe

High in vitamin A; good source of fiber and iron

1 Serving: Calories 420 (Calories from Fat 120); Total Fat 13g (Saturated Fat 3.5g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 200mg; Sodium 850mg; Potassium 640mg; Total Carbohydrate 27g (Dietary Fiber 3g); Protein 48g % Daily Value: Vitamin A 120%; Vitamin C 6%; Calcium 8%; Iron 20%; Folic Acid 20%; Magnesium 15% Exchanges: 1 Starch, ½ Other Carbohydrate, 1 ½ Vegetable, 4 ½ Very Lean Meat, 1 ½ Lean Meat, 1 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 2

—From Betty Crocker Living with Cancer Cookbook, by Kris Ghosh and Linda Carson (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2011)

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