We know it's best not to miss breakfast. It's the meal that gives us energy for the day, increases metabolism, and helps our bodies burn fat faster and better. Since breakfast comes at the time of day when most of us are rushing and hustling to get going for the day, it becomes pretty easy to skip this power meal. In the spirit of putting breakfast back into your schedule, here are some simple Canyon Ranch ideas for getting the boost you need during the start of your busy days.

• Cottage cheese and fruit. Grab some low-fat cottage cheese and top with fresh fruit. Add your favorite nuts and seeds and some ground flax seed for a nutty flavor and a burst of omega-3. Add flax to any of the following ideas too.
  
• Scrambled egg or tofu with spinach and scallion in a whole wheat wrap.
• Whole grain bread with one tablespoon nut butter.
• Plain yogurt with fruit, cinnamon, or berries.
• Hot oat bran cereal or oatmeal (not instant) with cinnamon, dried figs or other fruit, and nuts.
  
• Smoked salmon with tomato and onion on whole grain bread.

If any of this sounds like too much to accomplish in the early morning, try preparing some items ahead of time so all you have to do is grab and go.

Thanks Canyon Ranch for the breakfast basics.

The folks at Canyon Ranch in Tucson, Arizona told me all about the merits of flax seed. They told me to sprinkle it here, sprinkle it there, sprinkle it everywhere. While at this desert destination, I did just that. I dipped into the bowls of flax scattered at all dining locations, and I topped my bagels, cereals, salads, and more with this powerful substance. As soon as I got home from this little slice of paradise, I bought my own personal container of flax. I promptly placed it in my refrigerator, have used it a few times, and just recently realized I'd forgotten why exactly it's so good for me.

I've done some research, and now I know a little more about this thing called flax -- and I remember why it must become a part of my everyday life.

Flax, also known as Common Flax or Linseed, is an annual plant that grows to 120 cm tall, with slender stems. Native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India, its leaves are green, its flowers blue, its fruit round and containing glossy brown seeds. Grown for both its seeds and its fibers, parts of this plant are used to make fabric, dye, paper, medicines, fishing nets, and soap. The seeds, like what sit in my refrigerator, come in two forms -- brown and yellow or golden. The yellow, golden variety is the one most often consumed.

It seems like every day we are touting a new cancer superfood--whether it's something that will help prevent it, help heal it, relieve the symptoms of it or all of the above. Today it's ginseng and flax seed, according to our sister site, That's Fit. Ginseng, which I've always heard was good for energy, is apparently great for relieving fatigue in cancer patients. This applies to all cancer patients, and is pretty hopeful since I know that fatigue is a very big issue for those undergoing treatment.

The other superfood is flaxseed, which has been shown to shrink tumors in men with prostate cancer.

Both are part of a healthy diet anyway, so why not try them out?

If it ain't broke, don't fix it, says conventional wisdom. But if it is broken, then by all means -- fix it.

Many of us have broken pantries. Pantries full of chips, cookies, candies, oils, sugars, and well, let's just name it: junk. Our pantries are broken because they don't work in a world where health and wellness and prevention should be on everyone's menu. They are ineffective, insufficient, and downright bad for us.

My pantry has been in disrepair for a long time. Now, however, thanks to a build-your-pantry cheat sheet I brought home from Canyon Ranch, it's on the mend. Yours can be too. Just borrow from this abbreviated list next time you're in the grocery store and in no time, your pantry will be lookin' good. So will you.

Getting enough grains in your diet is very essential in the prevention of colon cancer. Switching from a white bread to a multi grain bread is an easy step. Adding ground up flax seed to the daily diet is another. And to me Risotto is to rice what wheat is to pasta. It is comfort food, satisfying, and can be fixed a hundred ways with or without meat, by adding various vegetables or just mixed with cheese, but the creamy texture is like no other. Here is one of my favorite personal risotto recipes that adds an unlikely candidate in the food world to the famous Italian food. Nappa cabbage, a cruciferous vegetable that aids in reducing carcinogens in the body and gives you lots of vitamins and nutrients. This is my Italian meets Asian recipe that makes this comfort food especially healthy in the fight against cancer.

Chef Vicki's Creamy Nappa Risotto

1/2 white onion chopped (medium onion in size)
1 celery stalk finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons butter (you can substitute olive oil)
5 nappa cabbage leaves chopped.
5 cups vegetable broth
1 cup arborio rice

Note: If you don't buy boxed or canned vegetable broth you can use 5 vegetable bouillon cubes with 5 cups of water to make the broth.

Remember this is a slow cooking recipe that requires a lot of stirring and love watching over the pot. It takes approximately 30 minutes to cook this dish but it is well worth the wait.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat and add onions, celery, and garlic. Saute for 1 to 2 minutes. Add arborio rice and stir until it is all coated and the starch from the rice starts to release. Slowly start adding your vegetable broth one cup at a time and wait for it to be absorbed before adding the next. Continue stirring until you add the last cup of broth. Add the Nappa cabbage with the last cup of broth and continue stirring until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is creamy.

Most of the time we think of protein as meats, beans, and soy. We don't often think of seeds as protein but several seeds that keep the body alkalized are classified as proteins. Pumpkin seeds, squash seeds, sunflower seeds, and flax seeds are a great source of protein and make great snacks. Flax seed has been determined to be a cancer fighting agent. Be sure to grind them up for full nutritional value so your body does not pass them through undigested. A coffee grinder is great for this. I have two coffee grinders. One for coffee and one for flax seed.

Here are two things that I like to do with flax seeds to add to my daily regimen of cancer fighting foods. I sprinkle 1/4 cup of ground flax seed on my cereal or oatmeal giving it a natural nutty taste. I also like to add 2 tablespoons of ground flax seed to my ground coffee just before brewing. It gives the coffee a great nutty taste and the boiling water in the process will bring out the natural flax seed oil in my coffee making it an even healthier drink in the morning.

Fruit smoothies, loaded with cancer prevention nutrients, are a popular and good-for-you drink anytime of the year -- but as the weather warms, they make an especially cool treat. When it comes to fruit smoothies, the possibilities are only limited by your kitchen creativity. Almost always, a fruit smoothie will be high in fiber, and low in fat -- another cancer prevention benefit. Basically, you will need three ingredients: fresh fruit; yogurt or a frozen juice concentrate; and ice cubes. Vanilla and honey are optional, but do add a yummy taste to a smoothie. Depending on how many smoothies you want to make at one time, the ratio of ingredients is: one cup fresh fruit; one cup yogurt; one banana; half-a-tray of ice cubes. The ratio can be changed depending on how thick or thin you prefer your smoothie shake. If you have eliminated dairy from your diet, or are a vegetarian, you can use fruit juice -- like apple, orange or cranberry juice. Again, there are no hard and fast rules to the ingredients, or combination of ingredients, to a smoothie. If it sounds good,  then add it, and give it a try.

Here is the basic recipe we use:

• One banana.
• One cup fruit -- blueberries, or strawberries, peaches or mangos.
• One cup yogurt or frozen fruit concentrate.
• Ice cubes.
• A dash of honey, sometimes vanilla extract, and usually fresh ground flaxseed.
  

You can add water or fruit juice for a thinner texture, but we like a milkshake thickness to our smoothies. Put all the ingredients into a heavy-duty blender or electric smoothie maker. Blend. That's it. A terrific treat -- and cancer prevention good for you. What is your favorite smoothie recipe?