Do you happen to have any of those hummus balls you made earlier in the week? If so, use them for this salad! If not, you know they were super easy to make so whip up a batch and then throw them into the salad. Even though there is no meat on this salad, there is still plenty of protein and fiber to keep you satisfied. This salad is clean, vegetarian, and low carb. We’re also going to go over a few points about Melanoma while were at it.
Skin cancer is a hot topic. Now that the weather is heating up and the sun is shining strong, I think it’s a good time to briefly discuss some skin cancer topics. This post is going to focus on melanoma, which is a type of skin cancer. This is not an extensive overview, but just a few basic points to consider.
The scary thing about melanoma is a few fold.
- The depth, is more important than the size.
- Melanoma can metastasize (or “go/show up” other places than where it was originally found)
- It can be YEARS before it metastasizes somewhere else.
- It can hit younger people, too. Unfortunately, I’ve taken care of people right around my age with end stage (months to live) metastatic melanoma
You may have heard of people getting their moles checked out, maybe biopsied (taken off to be analyzed for cancer) sometimes on a regular basis. I myself have had moles taken off to be checked. I recommend you be diligent in noting your moles and looking for aspects that may look suspicious. These are some of the things to look for and ask your doctor about if you think anything is amiss. It’s better to be safer than sorry.
Asymmetry. If your mole does not look the same on one side versus the other side of it.
Border. If the outside of your mole does not have a smooth border.
Color. If the color is not the same within the mole.
All of your moles may not be the same color, but if your mole has a bunch of colors in it (particularly if you notice the colors of it change over time) then you should get it looked at.
Diameter. Particularly if your mole is greater than about the size of a pencil eraser
Evolution. Pay attention to this in particular.
If your mole starts changing, whether its with its coloration, size, etc. That is when you should really pay close attention to it. Take a picture of your suspicious moles so that you have something to compare them with if you watch them on a regular basis.
Remember, not all moles are bad, or scary. There are some large moles that may look sort of scary, but are benign. Look for the aspects noted above. Your doctor, or dermatologist should be able to tell them apart. If there is any question, a biopsy can be done to determine if they are indeed cancerous.
Take responsibility for your skin. Remember to check yourself out regularly, and have someone look on your back for you. It is important to remember your sunscreen (It will help prevent the other types of skin cancer, too)! Like I have mentioned before, prevention is the best method.
As for the salad, like all salads, feel free to adjust amounts to your preference. Here is the link to the hummus balls if you need it!
Have you ever checked your mole situation out before?
- few cups mixed greens (your choice!)
- broccoli
- tomatoes (cherry, or any type diced)
- ~6 hummus bites (see link above if you need the recipe)
- bell pepper
- 1 egg hard boiled
- Make your hummus balls if you need to
- Dice all your veggies and egg up
- Throw all ingredients together and top with dressing of choice!
- Feel free to add or remove ingredients if you want based on preference
I link up with Deborah and Sarah’s meatless monday, running on happy’s/the fit foodie mama’s meatless monday, glutenfreefridays,#healthyveganfridays,#recipeoftheweek, Homestead Blog Hop, What’s for Dinner, Sunday Fitness and Food
Thanks for sharing on the What’s for Dinner link up!
Thanks for having me!
Love the idea of using the hummus balls in a salad! And I get checked every year- so important!
Yay! I’m so glad to hear you get checked out! Good work 🙂
Yikes to the moles. I’m always checking mine out but maybe I should have them checked by the dermatologist to be safe.
I’m glad to hear that you are checking yours regularly. That’s a great first step. It never hurts to be safe rather than sorry if there are ones that you are worried about in particular (especially if you have any concerning features like the ones I mentioned then yeah it’s probably a good idea to at least get it checked to make sure.) If you have any questions in particular feel free to ask!
ooh great high protein snack! Thanks for linking up today
Thanks for having me!
This looks delicious and so healthy. The moles are scary! Haha. But thank you for the much-needed info.
It’s a scary disease so I suppose it’s appropriate for the moles to be scary maybe? Hahaha I don’t know, but yes I agree!
That salad looks delicious. That mole – NOT so much! haha
Hahahaha I will def have to agree with you on that one!
Love that you paired a recipe with some important health info! This was a great refresher about moles and warning signs- thank you!
You’re very welcome! Thanks for reading it!
Living in the sunny south I go twice a year to get checked. This is great information and I hope everyone takes it seriously.
I’m am so glad to hear that! I hope people do, too. Thanks for your comment!