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.

I'm sharing seven bits of wisdom this Sunday that are not my own. I am borrowing them from Pat McRee who has collected all sorts of survivor stories, affirmations, quotations, poetry, lyrics, and resources, has wrapped them with a bunch of hope and humor, and has packaged them in a box she calls Support to Go, The Unbook for the Journey through Breast Cancer.

McRee's colorful, lively box contains 80 cards. And on each card is some type of tip, idea, recipe, myth, truth, and essay that makes the breast cancer road easier to travel.

Live it. Learn it. Pass it on. That's what McRee says -- and exactly what she did when she stacked her deck of cards with such meaningful and magical material.

There is no way I could easily choose seven cards from my own box of support -- there's just too much good stuff, and it all deserves equal attention. So I drew seven random cards from the pile that sits before me, and this is what I got.

Queasy Made Easy
This card lists menu items targeted for the chemo tummy. A registered oncology nurse for 20 years, Betty Dozier shares what she has learned about what to eat -- clear, cool drinks, fruit juice, plain baked potatoes, Cold canned or fresh fruit, saltines, rice, toast, clear broths, sherbet, Popsicles -- and what not to eat -- gravy, sauces, potato chips, sour cream, heavy creamed soups.

Safety in Numbers
McRee doesn't put much stock in statistics and numbers generated by calculators that have nothing to do with real people. But she does believe in numbers when it comes to survival. On this card, she lists the names of genuine survivors with real numbers. She lists Shirley Weinman, a 20-year-survivor, Janice Johnston, an eight-year survivor, Linda Beebe, a 15-year survivor -- and so on.

No Smile Left Behind
McRee offers a prescription for play, an invitation to smile and laugh and rejoice in the face of cancer. "Cut eye holes in a paper bag and wear it to treatment," she says. "Tell 'em you just couldn't face another day." Another idea -- "Pass the word that everyone who enters the waiting room will get a Standing Ovation. They all deserve 'em just for showing up."

Fuzzy Logic
Check out this oh-so-true poem:

Too gray, too wavy, too doggone thick,
Smack in the front ... a big 'ol cowlick!
Split-ends and frizzies whenever it rained,
Now it's hard to believe I ever complained;
So, Lord, let's grow something! I'll nevermore whine ...
Gray, thick and wavy will suit me just fine.

Postcards
McRee provides a few postcards intended for mailing to surviving friends. One says, I hear you're patched, retreaded and approved for the road. Another says, U are not alone.

Hair Tomorrow
McRee offers a souvenir keeper for a lock of pre-chemo hair. Why not save it, says McRee, who shares that what grows back might be as different as your new life will be.

Buttoned-Up
Make your own buttons -- and wear them proudly. This card gives button wording ideas -- like Symmetry is so yesterday, Cancer: Been There, Beat That, and Stamp Out False Hopelessness.

Seven down -- 73 to go. I can't wait to read more.

Caregivers are quiet heroes, helping and caring without asking for anything in return. Caregivers step in when there is a need and they bring with them a sense of hope and comfort during the challenges facing a loved one diagnosed with cancer. In the selflessness of love, they sometimes forget to take time to care for themselves. To avoid caregiver depression, frustration, resentment, illness and burnout, here are six ways a cancer caregiver can care for themselves while caring for someone else:

Take a daily walk. Exercise is a great stress reducer. Taking the time to stroll through the neighborhood or local park is like a deep calming breath for the body and emotions. If you are a jogger, go jogging. The point is to get away for a moment, get the body moving, and enjoy a change of scenery as you go.

Keep a journal. Daily journaling is a way to outwardly express your thoughts and emotions and can act as a relief value for emotions that are building up inside. It can also give you a better perspective. Sometimes we need to see what we are thinking and feeling to sort it all out.

Pursue personal interests. If you have a hobby or activity -- like writing poetry, photography, crafts, painting, knitting, reading, gardening, or listening to music, that has always been fun and brought you a sense of joy and contentment -- make time each day for your personal pleasurable pursuits.

Maintain friendships. We need our connection to others for the enjoyment of company and for comfort and support. Make regular weekly dates with friends and meet for coffee. Join a book club or start a book club. If there is a caregiver support group in your area, or a support group for families affected by cancer, consider joining.

Learn ways to relax. Try breathing exercises and muscle relaxation exercises. Schedule a massage. Take a weekly yoga or tai chi class. Cannot get away? Pop in a yoga or tai chi video and follow along.

Make your health a priority. Eat well-balanced meals, get plenty of rest, drink plenty of fluids. Find inspirational quotes that lift your spirits and display them where you can read them each day. Remember to laugh each day. Hug and be hugged.

To offer the very best care for your loved one, you must take care of yourself too. It's not selfish, it's wise.

If you are a caregiver that has found unique fun ways to take a moment to take care of yourself while taking care of someone you love, please share your ideas with other caregivers in the comment area following this post. If you are a reader with fun tips or ideas on ways a caregiver can take care of themselves while caring for someone else, please share in the comment area. We are all in this together, and we will get through the challenges and struggles of cancer much better with each other's support and encouragement.

Chris Rosenbloom, Georgia State nutrition professor and former American Dietetic Association spokeswoman, is marking the milestone of her 100th published health column in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution with a collection of 100 simple and easy health tips that can lead to better health.

The following are educational online resources Rosenbloom suggests for learning to eat healthy.

With a commitment to helping people enjoy healthy lives, the American Dietetic Association's key areas of interest include: obesity and overweight, with a focus on children; healthy aging; safe, sustainable and nutritious food supply; nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics; and integrative medicine, including supplements and alternative medicine. While some of the areas of the website are restricted to members only, they make a wealth of diet and nutrition information accessible to all visitors.

The MyPyramid Plan helps create a personalized eating plan based on individual needs. By entering in your age, sex, and activity level, the program can provide suggestions on the best diet to follow in making smart choices from every food group; finding the balance between food and physical activity, and in getting the most nutrition out of your calories. The website provides weekly tips and resources.

Provided by the US Food and Drug Administration Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food Labeling and Nutrition has everything you have ever wanted or needed to know about food labels. Learn how to understand, read and use a food label to your health benefit.

Rosenbloom recommends visiting the bookstores at the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society for cookbooks and reference books.

In reading through Rosenbloom's column, 100 ways to look and feel better, I really did discover creative and unique ideas and tips for making small changes that can make a big difference in developing a healthy lifestyle. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has published her special anniversary column here.

AOL Diet & Fitness is featuring Prevention's 100 Smartest Diet Tips Ever, and it is by far one of the most creative and common sense approaches to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight -- and in hedging your bets with good nutrition against being diagnosed with diseases like cancer. The tips are from registered dietitians in private practice and respected in their field as heads of specialty practice groups for the American Dietetic Association.

Whether you are someone who can only make a small practical change -- or -- looking for ideas on how to get more veggie-goodness into your day -- or -- easy tricks to cut calories -- or -- healthy low-cal dinner ideas if you don't feel like cooking -- there is something for everyone in the list of 100 smartest diet tips ever.

Some of the creative tips include:

• Use a salad plate instead of a dinner plate.
• Keep a food journal. The experts swear this really works wonders.
• Mix three different cans of beans and some diet Italian dressing. Eat this three-bean salad all week.
• Dance to music with your family in your home.
  

Some common sense tips include:

• Fat-free isn't always your best bet. The experts explain why.
• Skipping breakfast will leave you tired and craving naughty foods by midmorning. They give you a quick nutritious breakfast recipe.
• Make vegetables more attractive by avoiding mushy limp vegetables in the refrigerator crisper drawer with ready-to-go bags of frozen vegetables.
• Exercise. It curbs your appetite.
• Drink water frequently. They say it is not how much water you drink but how often. Dehydration slows your metabolism.
  

The last 15 tips are myth busters that take you from fiction to fact and the pitfalls to avoid when it comes to getting the most in diet health benefit. To find out more, go to 100 Smartest Diet Tips Ever for the complete list.

Oh my goodness! Hats off to Sandy Thorn Clark who has published a feature, The power of pink, that is uber-pink. If your mother likes pink, and you want to celebrate Mother's Day in all-things-pink, you will find plentiful pointers on how to go pink. Many events and activities have been creatively planned pink to celebrate Mother's Day and raise awareness for breast cancer at the same time. Even hunky baseball players will be swinging baby pink baseball bats for the day. Other than the obvious pink decorations, pink clothing, pink hats, pink wristbands, pink flowers and pink nail polish -- here are a few of Clark's pink suggestions to celebrate your mother:

• Easy to blend vitamin-rich pink smoothies with strawberries, pineapple, peaches, pears and vanilla yogurt. Or you could try a mix of strawberries, bananas, and apple-strawberry juice -- or raspberry, orange juice, strawberries and bananas. A pink milkshake can be made blending 2 cups milk, 1/2 cup raspberry jam and 3 to 4 scoops vanilla ice cream, garnished with fresh berries.
• Create pink cream puffs by mixing a small amount of raspberry puree or preserves into the whipped cream filling for cream puffs.
• A pink punch can be made for a group by mixing two 12-ounce cans pink lemonade concentrate and 6 cups water in a punch bowl. Add four 12-ounce cans lemon-lime soda. Just before serving, add scoops of strawberry sorbet or raspberry sherbet.
• Listen to the music of Pink and watch movies with pink titles such as Pretty in Pink or The Pink Panther. You get the idea.
  

But wait! There's more. These are not all the suggestions for going pink on Mother's Day. For more ideas or to be inspired by pink ideas of your own, go here.
 

The Lance Armstrong Foundation, LAF, is launching a campaign to raise awareness of cancer issues and advocate for supportive positive change in the lives of cancer survivors by making May 17 LIVESTRONG Day. Armstrong is asking everyone who is interested to take part in the day's events to bring a sharp focus and attention to cancer. According to the LIVESTRONG webpage regarding observance of the day, two participants from each state have been selected to go to Washington, D.C. where they will meet with their elected officials, participate in interactive advocacy presentations and listen to guest speakers discuss how to make an impact on Capitol Hill and in their own communities.

For local activities, LAF has published a list of event ideas, and welcomes you to submit an event idea of your own. "It's time for our nation to address our issues. Together, we can help change things for the better.  As a team, we can make a difference for survivors," states Lance Armstrong. Check it out.