Of EO's...part 2

As I promised you, here's another oil post for Oily Tuesday. :) I do not know if I'll be able to do this every week, but I'm going to start out at least trying to regularly share with you how oils have helped me, my family and friends.

Today's oil to focus on is: CLOVES. Tho I should be sharing with you about frankinscense since Doterra has such an awesome promotion going on that this month that involves a free bottle of Frankincense valued about about $93. If you are interested in that, please contact me before the end of the month so that you can take advantage of it while the promotion is running!

Back to CLOVES. I do not know all that cloves is good for, but I'll post some things that I've found about cloves at the end of this blog post. Here's what I have personally experienced.

When I read my friend's report that cloves does more for him than a cup of coffee in the mornings, I was astounded and tho I believed him, I was a bit dubious. Tho not a coffee drinker myself, I am no stranger to feeling a need for a cup of coffee on occasion in the afternoons when I go to rest. I am a firm believer in an afternoon siesta, just as my Blue Zoning friends have done for generations, but I also like to be productive in my siesta, not always wanting to really sleep but sometimes blogging, reading, or writing instead. SO last month when Cloves was the free product of the month for those who bought 125 pv worth of Doterra products, I thot why not give this thing a whirl and put it to the test?

What I did:

I took the cloves oil bottle, dropped about 2 drops onto my hand and rubbed it into my foot, repeating the process for the other foot. Then I put on a pair of comfy, warm socks and I went to rest in my bed. An hour later, I could not stay in bed. I had to get up and work. Energy like I was told would happen but that I had to experience for myself like a 'doubting Thomas' to know it to be so. :)

How often I did it to be convinced and blog about it:

I did it three days in a row, with the same results, then I got busy and forgot about it until today when I felt a bit draggy after lunch. I could have slept. I probably should have had some shut-eye but I wanted to blog, and I wanted to catch up on correspondence, and I wanted to work at pushing the laundry thru my machines. Plus we have an appointment in town at 5 this evening, so I didn't want to sleep and then have to be rushing about to get supper ready and in the crockpot to serve when we get home cold and hungry from our excursion. SO...this time it was Cloves and DDR Prime (an excellent oil blend to aid in cell repair. I used DDR prime for that plus I like smell better than cloves, so I thot maybe that would help me be inspired to use cloves). I settled onto the couch after applying the oils to my feet and putting on a pair of warm socks. Feeling drowsy, wrapped in a nice fleece throw, by the crackling fire, I worked at some correspondence. Half an hour later, I suddenly thot about it that I AM NOT TIRED. Not in the least. I feel great and I feel like actually doing things!

I'm sold! Not only have I 

Been told this, I have

Also experienced it. 

This morning, I thot I was

Going to have to leave the

House early to meet with one

Of my "clients" about a 

Disease-reversal plan for her,

So cloves came to my rescue yet

Again. Perked me up nicely, 

Much earlier than I'm 

Used to getting perked 💓💓💓

That's my oil post for you today. 

Cloves is under $20 for around

300 drops if you buy it

Wholesale. Cost effective way 

To get that steady energy 

Plus use it for many other reasons 

As well. 

In closing, I have to tell you this story. My friend has often felt draggy and tired as her body goes thru a major healing process from a disease she is treating with a whole food, plant based diet. I encouraged her to try cloves with the same results I got.  That made me so happy.

I'd love to talk to you about clove, oils in general and/or plant based eating for health. If you want to have a conversation, contact me on Facebook, Instagram or email me: 7.01.acleanheart@gmail.com

Of EO's...part 1

As you readers here all know, I promote a consistent diet of at least 85% whole plant foods (fruit, veggies, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes). I promote eating maybe half of those veggies and fruits raw to get a good volume of raw nutrition in each day.

But I've decided to also open up my blog for talking about what else I use in my home as an aid to good health. I will try to devote Tuesdays, maybe not each week but maybe twice a month, to essential oils.

Essential oils are almost as ancient as Genesis in the Bible. People have used them all thru Biblical times and beyond for preventing illness and in giving aid to people who's health was/is compromised. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration, or as my friend Charlotte Gerson of The Gerson Therapy is known to have called them the Food and Death Administration) will not allow me to diagnose and treat illness using herbs or herbal remedies. Therefore, I can only tell you on my blog how essential oils, herbs etc have helped me and my family and friends. I will do that, to the best of my ability.

Essential oils are pressed from plants. This makes them highly concentrated and to be used carefully and knowledgeably, sourced from a place of good repute. I chose Doterra, after using good quality oils since 2001 because:

1. I really like the friend who got me interested in the company :) and wanted to be on her team. It's proven to be even 'way more fun than I ever expected it to be.
2. I really like that Doterra is a fair trade company, something that is really important to me. I like how they treat their farmers.
3. They produce a very good quality oil and have a purchasing program that is beyond amazing, better than any other essential oil program I've seen so far.

Having said all that, let's talk about the oil I want to share with you today: ONGUARD

I cannot imagine being without Onguard. This is one of the blends that I have in my oil case at all times, if I can help it. Why?

1. The combination of herbs in this oil work over time to fight nasty flu bugs and other immunity-compromising germs. Tho I promote a healthy diet all the time, my daughter was just gone from home 4 weeks and compromised her immune system big time with food choices that were not always the best. Being around lots of youth in the beginning of flu season, and being away from home where she usually comes down with a stomach flu or cold, she sailed thru without so much as a sniffle. One night she had a stomach ache, but that was short lived. I was impressed. Before she left home, I instructed her to use Onguard morning and evening. She faithfully used it at least once a day for the first two weeks, and then sporadically the next two. Onguard for the win.

2. My friend, a pregnant mama, was coming down with a bad cold. Gunky tonsils and sore throat. She was considering going to the doctor. I asked her if she'd consider using Onguard for a day or two to see if things turn around for her. With the first try, things began to turn around. About 10 drops, $1.40 worth of Onguard, instead of at least a $75 doctor visit plus a prescription, and she was well on the mend.

3. I recently was on a trip with my family. Everywhere you go on road trips there are door handles and things you touch that have been touched by all kinds of hands that were in contact with germs/bacteria that now affects your immune system. I had us always use Onguard after rest area visits, plus used it each  night before we went to bed. I came home with a slight cold that was wanting to go somewhere bad, but I kept faithfully using Onguard and it really stopped it in its tracks.

Need I say more? Onguard is amazing stuff. I have an unscented foaming hand wash at the bathroom and laundry sinks. In it, I add 20 drops Onguard to each container when I refill it. The scent is great, plus I like knowing we are coming into contact with Onguard every time we wash our hands.

If you are interested in knowing how to put this product into your home, I'd love to help you. You can find it and other oils here.

Doterra has a promotion going on this month that if you buy 200 pv worth of oils and /or other products (such as toothpaste. Love the toothpaste!), and you get a frankincense free. Frankincense is s sometimes called the king of oils, another one that I do not like to run out of, if I can help it. That is an amazing deal! If you would like to know know about 200 pv etc, and about making good use of this deal, let me know! It's open til Dec 31.

A Diet for All Reasons...

After hearing of yet another friend who had a heart attack 

at a young age, 

I feel disturbed...

compelled to share again 

with all of you, 

my lovely friends, 

that we have information that has been effectively applied 

to patients of certain doctors for over 40 years, 

with SUPERB results.

In going thru my stash of good explanations on this, I found this video that I share with you all:

Michael Klaper

A Diet for All Reasons...

Michael Klaper is a medical doctor. He, along with other of his colleagues (John McDougall, Caldwell Esselstyn, Scott Stoll, T. Colin Campbell and sons, and others) have been very effective in healing thousands of patients 

(some of them very diseased at the time of their first visit,

 having been told by their previous doctor that there is nothing left to do for them 

but to die)

 over the past 40-50 years.

I am not saying that we should never eat meat. I am well aware that we have been granted 'permission' by God to do so, but I share these informational videos and articles with you because a plantstrong diet has been proven over and over again to be very effective in both healing and preventing disease. People who have historically eaten 85% or more of their diet from the whole plant-food world and 15% or less from the animal food world have been very healthy long into their old age. I don't know about you, but that tells me where I want to be eating. 

We do not need different diets for different things. 

A whole foods, plant based diet heals and prevents many diseases alike:

heart disease

osteoporosis

diabetes

cancer

autoimmune disorders

Crohn's disease

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

obesity

dementia

alzheimer's disease

parkinson's disease

and many many other diseases not mentioned here.

Please do not let the 'evolutionist' slant in this video stumble you.

 If you want a Christian view of things, it's right there in your Bible,

 agreeing with the science of things.

The first diet given to mankind: Genesis 1:29

Daniel and his friends were plant strong eaters,

 and they were healthier and wiser than their counterparts

God tells us not to be gluttons and not be running to the 

same excesses of riot as the world does.

I write this blog post, not to condemn us, but I honestly share because I truly care about you and your family. I find it very interesting that as the world has gotten steeped in the 'diets of kings and queens', so have the diseases of kings and queens followed. Science is now revealing what the Bible already shows us.

There are claims out there that we NEED eggs, meat, milk products for certain nutrients. That is a myth. I am joining the ranks of those who rise up to dispel that myth. If you want to eat them for flavoring your foods, or to enjoy them on occasion, go ahead, but please do not spread the myth that you NEED them for your health. There is no nutrient value or fiber in them.

My encouragement to us all is to pay attention to what is truly working. I have not seen anything else work so well as the plant-based diet. It is a diet that has stood the test of time since the beginning of time.

Want a challenge? See how many meals you can make that involve all plants, or 1 oz of meat or less per person. It's not a hard as you think. Here's a recipe to give you an idea of what that looks like:

Broccoli Cheez Soup

For the Cheez Sauce:

3 diced large potatoes

2 large carrots, sliced

Cover with water and boil until soft.

Save the water. Place veggies into a vitamix blender

along with:

1 c raw cashew pieces

1 T salt

1 T mustard

1 T reduced sodium soy sauce, optional

2 T dried onions

1 t black pepper

The water from boiling

Blend smooth. Set aside.

In a large pot saute in a bit of broth or olive oil:

2 large onions, chopped

 2 c bella mushrooms, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

Add:

1 medium bunch celery, chopped

4 medium carrots, diced

Saute a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add:

4 c broth of choice

4 c water

Cook til veggies are soft.

While veggies are cooking, steam 6 c broccoli

(I do this in my colander over boiling water 7-8 min)

Add to veggies in the pot.

Add 1 cup finely shredded and chopped ham, optional 

(I shred cooked ham from the bone and freeze it in small portions

then when I use it, I take a kitchen scissors and chop it really

finely. This makes the meat go thru the dish evenly, and you

can use much less meat. Of course, I use grass fed, humanely raised

meat of whatever kinds I am cooking with) 

Stir in cheez sauce and 2 c yogurt of choice

(I use homemade soy  yogurt)

Heat thru and serve.

Why I Post So Much About Food...

I post alot on Instagram and Facebook about food. I've gotten more positive than negative feedback from it. Sometimes people I never expected would, share with me how my food  pictures make them want to eat my food and cause them to ponder their food choices and the future of their health. Sometimes on occasion I will have a dissenter who pops up to inform me that there are many ways to be healthy and that it doesn't matter what you eat, or that they love their food-like substances too much to give them up, even tho they are causing them pain and discomfort. My heart aches for them to try going without the loves of their life just for 10 days and see what a difference it makes, but I know that it's a personal choice and I respectfully choose not to get into heated discussions or divisions over food.

Why do I post what I do? Why do I blog about it? I'll tell you a series of stories to answer those questions.

There is a woman in southern PA who I met about 2 years ago. Shortly after meeting her, I discovered her struggles and fears over diabetes. She had been on meds for 7 years, and they were not working well for her. Having come thru several years of mostly being mocked and rebuffed for plantstrong eating, I was cautious about opening my mouth about it, but the Lord tapped me on the shoulder and confirmed his commission for me to go tell her several times. So I told her. She is a wife and a mother of young children. My heart was compelled to at least tell her that she could find a way to be well. She took me up on it and today is med free, still recovering but she has the tools she needs to eat well and choose freedom.

My father was diagnosed with aggressive, fairly advanced prostate cancer about 2 years ago. I shared with him the power of plants to heal, and so did his doctor, who also performed a non-surgical procedure to burn the cancer cells. My dad chose plantstrong eating, and today is cancer free and well.

A friend's father was diagnosed about a year ago with colon cancer. My heart went out to him in compassion, knowing that there is hope. I emailed my friend this hope, stating that I will love and respect them no matter what they choose, but that I felt constrained to share. I was asked for more info and if his father could meet my plant-based doctor friend, who told me that he is swamped with work and that I can share what he knows with this man and he can follow the information I give them. So I shared literature and information and heard no more. Until recently, I asked my friend how his father is doing. He replied that he took up the diet choice and is no longer bothered by the cancer.

A young woman came to live with my family for awhile. At age 25, she had high blood pressure and was overweight. Within 6 months of eating like my family eats, she had lost over 45 lb and her blood pressure was well within the normal range.

A friend of my friend from southern PA (who is off her diabetes meds) heard of this way of healing and asked this friend about it, who referred her to me. When I went to see her, my eyes filled with tears. She was blind, in a wheelchair, and had her leg amputated, all due to diabetes. She wondered if I could help her and I said we sure can try! A year later, she could see the colors of the balloons launched at her church's summer Bible school. She is still on her road to healing, but it is helping!

There is a man, the father of a friend of mine, (and he is my friend too) who struggled with obesity and blood pressure issues for years. He decided to give plantstrong eating try, and is daily spoiled with yummy food by his lovely wife. His blood pressure is returning to its rightful place, and he is losing weight.

THIS, my friends is why I share. I may seem obnoxious or annoying to you, and I apologize if that is the vibes you get from my posting. I certainly do not mean to come across that way. I love sharing because (altho I didn't share it in this post) I have my own story of healing and my husband has a story, too. I can't be quiet. I know what I know and I need to share because I feel constrained to do so. Our country is facing a serious health crisis, and the plain people (who are my people) are not exempt. I sit at funerals and weddings and other social functions, shocked at the obesity and the disease, all the while knowing that I know the answer to the problem. I know that they can be healed. I know that their children can be taught how to eat for health so that they will never need to know (in large droves of people like is happening now) the horrors of the diseases that are affecting our people.

There are people who won't listen. That's ok. I love them anyway. No disrespect or superior attitude from me. I only wish that they could give it a try with an open heart for a bit so that they could know the beautiful healing that comes from eating foods from the Garden. I continue to hope that they will now this one day and be brave and give it a try.

Lady Doc. That is the nickname given to me by one of my 'patients' who is also my friend. It has stuck and I accept the name with grace, knowing in my heart that this is who I am. I thank God for healing, and I share the good news of healing for body, (and for the soul and spirit, too) with people, in the hopes that many more can enjoy the good health (and the freedom) that God creates.

So if you are tired of seeing my posts about food, let me just encourage you to scroll right on by. It takes a second to do that. If you enjoy the posts, I'm happy to tell you that I will be continuing them as long as the Lord allows it. :)

I am in the process of writing a book about The Plant Strong Way, complete with stories, recipes, and some teaching on this way of eating for health. Stay tuned for more info. It is being actively typed up currently, but I don't have a time table for when it will be published. I am hoping by the end of the year, but I am not sure yet how it will all work out. Many of my friends are asking for recipes, so I decided to get a book printed. That's the exciting project going on right now.

Here's to good health for all...
Love God and love others.
Eat lots of plant foods.

Love and blessings,
Marcia

PS
I realize that not everyone will heal from an aggressive disease that is known to be preventable and often reversible, but I still encourage people to give it a try, knowing that most times, healing will occur, and if not, at least a better quality of life can be known before they pass on to eternity.  I recognize God as the healer of healers. It is He who made this 'idea' in the first place, so I simply share on His behalf :)

The Food We Were Born to Eat...

I've been thinking about updating this blog for a long, long time

so today, I'm doing just that!

My life has been handed some deep, heavy stuff to walk through

in the past 8 months, and I've not had time to update blogs much

or even relate to others much beyond my 'little circle',

but some very good things have happened.

Years ago, when I would sit to rock my babies,

I read gardening books. I taught myself the names

of many perennials, learned how to plant gardens

so that something would be blooming throughout much 

of the summer, learned about different zones and what

plants work for that, etc.

Well now, I don't have little babies to rock.

But I do believe in 'downshifting', as they call it

in the Blue Zones Project. 

So, I have been taking my 'siesta' in the afternoons

watching many, many health related documentaries

and using it as part of my training in helping 

others to find wellness.

Here is a video I watched this week. 

John McDougall has successfully brought

thousands of people from epic disease

to wholeness in the 45 + years that he has

been practicing medicine in USA.

The Food We Were Born to Eat

I love how John McDougall speaks simply but
passionately about what people in many cultures
already knew and still know today as their
diet that has kept them well and long-lived
with a fraction of the diseases Americans know.

It makes simple profound sense to me
that a diet high in whole plant foods,
the diet started by God and known by Daniel
in the Bible is the one that is good for ALL
humankind.

Variety? Oh my, yes. Depending where you lived
in days gone by, rice was your main staple energy food,
or potatoes in other parts of the country.
Most cultures ate beans in some form every day.
All of these people I speak of used
herbs and vegetables in their seasons, too.

America is a conglomeration of many
cultures, so we can use it all :) because we have
so many cultures to learn from who would
have known of this way of eating in their
old country.

This year, as I said, has been a really, really intense year
for my family and I. The unavoidable stress,
(yes, even a person wholly trusting God can have their
physical body stressed!) was starting to wear away
at the weaker points of my body.
In desperation, I chose to go on a
"Daniel fast" of sorts,
eating 95% plant only foods in their
whole food form as much as is possible.
One moderate cheat day a week
is what I was including in that other 5%.

The results were amazing, and are still amazing,
as I'm still doing it.
ALL the health issues I was struggling with disappeared
in the 2 months since I have been doing this.
(Keep in mind, my diet is very clean and I eat
about 85% plant based on a normal basis).
I lost and kept off 8 lb to date, something
almost unheard of for me, with the
particular disease I struggle with
(PCOS).

My energy levels are beyond what I
have known for most of my
teen and adult years.

What I try to do is eat about half my food raw.
There are living enzymes in those foods that
feed cells and cause healing to happen.

I have enjoyed so much delicious food,
I do NOT miss the animal based foods.
I like a good burger once in a while, but
I don't miss them when I am not eating them.

Speaking of the Blue Zones, I am so fascinated
with their project. Here is a video that shares
what they do and what they've learned.

Blue Zones

If you have any questions or comments about how
to transition to this way of eating,
or about where I get my protein,
(one of the most common questions
people get asked if they stop eating animals),

or anything, please contact me here or
on facebook. I'll be happy to interact.
I have friends I've helped to eat this way who
are healing from diabetes, weight issues,
high blood pressure, etc. It never gets old to me to watch
their lives being transformed!

While I'm not looking to 'live to 100',
I am certainly very much interested in
living a productive life while I live here
on the Earth, tending with care the
Temple of my God, and appreciating
the gift that He gave me in good health
by eating foods that maintain good health
and reverse disease many times, too.
I am grateful.

The 2016 Adventure...A Summary

So for anyone that remembers my grand adventure when I turned 40 last January...here's a recap. I've been trying to do this post for a few weeks, since I turned 41, but life has been wild and crazy and so...here I am to try this!

So how did I do last year with my grand schemes to be vegan the whole entire year? Well...I got 6 months in and made an exception for a very special wedding and ahem...never went back. :) I would say that I am 80% vegan still. I use meat to flavor some of my dishes but I still do very little. I've allowed dairy a few times, but on rarest of occasions. It works for me.

You sort of have to find your balance in it all. Some people who are really addicted or seriously ill likely need a complete vegan diet for a time of healing. I personally found that place that works for me in the whole sugar, oil, dairy, meat, egg thing. Most of these items are almost nonexistent in my life. The rest are minimal for flavoring. Dr. Joel Fuhrman has helped many people to heal from American diseases that are reversible (sometimes) and preventable. He says keep your animal sourced foods to a maximum of 10% of your caloric intake, if you eat them at all. I would say that my intake is less than that most days (just for a frame of reference.)

While I was doing my adventure, you will remember that I went thru a serious illness that, to this day, remains a mystery as to its source. Doctors do not agree on what it was. I am so very thankful that altho it took nearly a year for me to say that I am 99% back to restored health, I am well and can walk and be active and do stuff with my family and in my community.

So...I wrap up my little blog post here by saying...eat lots of plant foods. Focus your meals on them. Keep the processed nonsense to a minimum or entirely out (depending on what it is!). Here's a sampling of what I've been eating:

almost dairy free mac and cheese with steamed broccoli
soy yogurt did the trick here in making it feel more like dairy

potato soup with lots of added celery, peppers and onions
flavored with sausage and finished with soy yogurt and some
cashew cream

a wrap with kale salad, chopped tomatoes and
Greek-flavored chicken, peppers and onions

zucchini muffin with tofu-based vanilla cream and
raspberry sauce

zucchini muffins in heart shapes

kale salad with with yummy oranges, dried cranberries,
pistachios and sunflower seeds.

more kale salad

raw zucchini slices and sourdough bread with
fruit-sweetened apricot preserves

I started doing cubed oven-baked fries, then my friend
Kristina got me into topping them with my southwest
'chip dip' and salad sprouts

the creamy tuscan kale soup from the the picture below
poured over steamed broccoli

creamy tuscan kale soup. SOO good
(make creamy by blended cashews and yogurt)

Pad Thai from P.F. Changs, made possible by a gift card
from a dear friend at Christmas, and enjoyed during a recent
honeymoon get-away with my darling husband

I just love the colors of the food from the Garden!

a tofu and tomato sandwich on sprouted flourless bread

this recipe for pineapple whip was floating around Facebook
the family LOVED it! No added sugar!

a lovely Italian salad paired with 'plant strong only cheezy'
cauliflower and broccoli

a delicious sald topped with strawberries, pine nuts
and honey mustard dressing

cubed fries and steamed broccoli
I love simplicity so much

potato and corn chowder topped with a bit of bacon

this was not my plate but I don't have a picture of mine.
A chopped salad paired with spaghetti squash that was topped
with a fabulous beef-flavored sauce that was loaded with
peppers, onions, mushrooms and zucchini

these bowls were fabulous!
quinoa, cabbage, carrots, chopped greens, and
bbq tofu

It's not hard to eat lots of plant foods. We have a wide variety available.
The hardest part for me when I made the switch was my will.
I wanted all the foods I was addicted to. But I am blessed now
to know healing and how good it makes my body feel when I treat it kindly.

To LIFE!
~Marcia

REALLY, REALLY Easy Meals...

For my friend, Dave, at your request for

"REALLY, REALLY easy healthy meals to make relatively fast..."

I cook simply. Very rarely do I make anything that's complicated or takes a long time to make or involves very many steps. So your request is an easy one to fill. I think you have to cook for yourself, don't you? So I'm going to try to make this as EASY as possible for you. :)

The main tip I have for you in creating a balanced meal is to always serve a healthy starch (potatoes, rice, etc) on about half of your plate (this is your energy food) and then steamed veggies or beans and a raw salad/assorted veggies with hummus or another healthy dip on the other half of your plate. You can fill a container with assorted veggies (carrots, cuke slices, cauliflower, broccoli, pepper strips, snap peas, celery) and put in your fridge for a few days' worth of eating.

There are some soups that you can buy if you want to have quick meals after a hard day of work. They typically have more sodium than we should probably eat but brands to look for that are MSG free (that I know of) are Amy's and some Pacific brand soups such as their split pea, which is delicious by the way.

1. Fill a crockpot with scrubbed potatoes (it can be helpful to have a crockpot that has a timer on it so that it can go to a 'warm' setting if you are not home or around when it completes it's cook time). Set the crockpot for 3 hours on high. When they are finished cooking, cool them and place in the fridge. Now you have a healthy starch to work with. Here are some ideas on how to eat said potatoes:

A. Break open a potato or two. Add some black or red beans. Heat. Then add a chopped tomato, some red onion (you can even buy onions chopped already in the grocery store if you want), some quacamole (you can buy this at the grocery store too) and some salsa and chopped lettuce.

 B. Place diced onions, celery, peppers and mushrooms in a skillet with about 1 T olive oil or water. (some of those veggies you can buy already diced from the grocery store). Add about 1 or 2 T precooked sausage (of course I prefer organic and humanely raised without antibiotics, etc) and let it all cook til veggies are soft and sausage is heated thru. Then shred 2-3 potatoes into this and sprinkle with some Adobo seasoning or just salt and pepper. Turn and cook a few minutes til the potatoes are heated thru. We eat this with ketchup or bbq sauce.

C. Make a gravy: 2 c chicken broth, 1/4 c flour, 1 T Adobo seasoning, 1 T dried onions, 1 t. black pepper. Stir until thickened. Heat as many potatoes as you like and smash them slightly with a fork. Pour gravy over your potatoes.

2. Steamed broccoli is SIMPLE to make. Take a kettle in the which a colander fits over it. Place about 3 cups water in the bottom of kettle, place the lid on it and put it on the stove over high heat. While the water is boiling, cut as much broccoli as you will be eating. (For me, this is 2-3 cups) Put chopped broccoli right into a colander and when water is boiling, place the colander on the kettle and put the lid from the kettle on the colander. Set timer for 7 minutes, still on high heat. Immediately remove and season as you like. Eat with a sweet potato and if you really feel fancy, carmelize some chopped onions and mushrooms and serve with the broccoli and sweet tater. (You can do sweet potatoes in the crockpot just like the potatoes I suggested above. They can be eaten in many different ways and last a week or two in the fridge cooked)

3. Place 2 cups brown rice in a crockpot. Add 4 cups hot water, 1 t salt, 1/2 t black pepper and 1 T butter. Set on high for 2 hours. Use rice in myriads of ways including the following suggestions:

A. Exactly as the 'taco' potato suggestion above, only replace the tater with the rice.

B. Buy a stir fry veggie blend that looks good to you. In a skillet, heat some broth or water (just a few T will do), add the stir fry blend. Cook til desired tenderness, adding about 1-2 T soy sauce. Serve over heated rice. We like to buy Asian sesame garlic sauce to serve over this meal but watch out for MSG in it.

C. Buy a premixed frozen pepper and onion "fajita" blend in the grocery store. Saute it in a bit of water on the stove. Sprinkle it with taco seasoning (no msg!). Heat some rice, place in a 'low oil' whole grain wrap along with guacamole, the peppers and onions, some heated beans, salsa and lettuce and tomato. Wrap and enjoy.

D. Add 1/2 c diced, cooked chicken, 1 T parsley flakes, 2 T dried onions to the rice before you cook it in the crockpot. Use chicken broth for the water. Cook as instructed above. Eat along side a big garden salad.

E. Tomato sandwiches are the bomb! Get a jar of sweet pickle relish or bread and butter pickles that are not colored with yellow food coloring. Keep it in your fridge along with a loaf of good bread (Aldi has sprouted grain breads now I saw). When ready to assemble a sandwich, pop two slices of bread in your toaster. Thinly slice tomatoes, cukes and onions. Pile them on  your sandwich with a little mayo and even  honey mustard if you like. Add lettuce if you wish, too. And pickles :) Enjoy. If you are really adventurous, try batch baking some bbq tofu. Add a few slices to a sandwich. It's awesome. (If anyone reading this is interested, I can teach you how to bake tofu slices. They are also delish cut into strips for stir fries, etc)

F. Buy some cubed butternut squash in your grocery store. Put in a crockpot along with 1 T browned butter and salt to taste. Cook on high for 1 hour. Mash with a fork or puree in a blender. Serve with steamed broccoli and even bbq tofu strips. This is very yummy.



Salad and raw veggie ideas:

Buy prechopped romaine. Add pre shredded purple cabbage, preshredded carrots, and any other chopped veggie you desire (broccoli, cauliflower, onions, peppers, tomato), sprinkle on add-ins like raw sunflower seeds, cooked beans, dried cranberries or cherries, pine nuts, whatever you think sounds yummy. Use salsa or a salad dressing you buy but watch out for those oils that are high in empty calories.

A simple salad dressing recipe, called "3-2-1" dressing:

In a pint jar (i prefer wide mouth for ease of stirring), place:
3 T balsamic vinegar
2 T maple syrup
1 T spicy brown mustard

Stir and enjoy on salad.

The assorted veggie box idea from above is something we do every week at our house. We serve this at one of the meals and a salad at the other meal. Hummus is a fast and convenient way to dip veggies and usually fairly healthy. (some hummus companies load their hummus with oil, altho I can't figure out why!)

Tomato Cuke Salad

chop 1 large tomato, add some diced red onion, and a shredded or chopped English cuke (probably a half as they are pretty long). Sprinkle with Italian or Greek seasoning (depends on the flavor you're after), stir in a T mayo and 1 t mustard and a t sugar. Sprinkle with salt. Enjoy over a smashed potato or beside your entree of choice.

Snacks:

a ripe, yummy apple with natural peanut butter consisting only of peanuts and/or salt
a bowl of 'raw' oats mixed with some brown rice krispies and a sliced banana
grapes
celery sticks with peanut butter (you can buy celery already cut in the grocery store)
raw veggies and hummus or dip
brown rice cakes with peanut butter and fruit juice sweetened jam (I buy mine from Mennonite bulk food stores) or apple butter

Breakfast idea:

Make overnite oats. 2 c rolled oats, 2 cups almond or soy milk, 3 T flax meal, 3 T maple syrup, 1 t vanilla. Mix together and refrigerate overnite or for a few days. My husband eats this nearly every morning for breakfast with sliced bananas, strawberries, blueberries or whatever fruit may be in season. He sprinkles other cereal on at times too such as Ezekiel brand cereal, or brown rice krispies (Barbara's brand is sweetened with fruit juice), etc.

I have had some 'housewives' saying they're eagerly awaiting these ideas as well. This post was designed for Dave, a man cooking for one. Obviously some of those 'convenience' foods that I suggested he buy from the store can be done at home less expensively for a family of more than one. But I compiled some of those 'convenience' ideas for him here so that hopefully he can feed himself healthy foods that won't require alot of work after a hard day's work.

Dave if you have time on Saturday or Sunday to throw a crockpot of potatoes or sweet potatoes together, or at night before you go to bed, etc that's a good time to do it.

I hope this was helpful. I have crockpot soup ideas too, if anyone is interested.