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.

Of Steaming Broccoli...

 "I wouldn't think there's a secret to steaming broccoli" was a comment posted on my Facebook post the other day when I said that I learned how to steam broccoli and someone asked if I'm going to share the secret. Melanie, maybe Italians just automatically steam perfect broccoli, but for this German Mennonite girl, I sure have struggled with steaming broccoli over the years!

I have often wondered why steakhouses seem to get their broccoli steamed to perfection. Not too crunchy, and definitely not mushy. Still bright green, not greenish yellow. But I didn't know how to steam it. Mine was anything but like the ones I was accustomed to ordering at steakhouses.

My sister taught me to order a sweet potato, steamed broccoli and grilled mushrooms and onions at a steakhouse restaurant when a restaurant was needed. Wise words from her. She has taught me alot in life and I am so glad she taught me this. So whenever I'm out and about and in need of a restaurant, I walk into places like Longhorn Steakhouse, Applebee's, or Chili's and know that I have something healthy to order.

SO...on to steaming broccoli like steakhouses do...The other day I was out on the road and I stopped at an Applebee's for lunch. I ordered my 'usual' and after it came out, I asked the clerk HOW they cook the broccoli so perfectly. She seemed amazed that I do not know how to cook broccoli properly but she graciously told me how.

First off, the broccoli at Applebee's is steamed in a bag with butter in a microwave. You can do that at your house if you would like, but I typically don't want the butter on it (at least not the amount they put on) and so I do my broccoli another way that the waitress told me how.

1. Start with RAW and not frozen broccoli. Wash it, cut it into the size pieces you want it and set it inside a metal colander or a steamer basket.

2. In a pot that fits your colander or steamer basket, place a small amount of water. Place the lid on the pot, and bring the water to a boil.

3. Place the colander or steamer basket into the kettle. Your broccoli should not be in water at all. Place the lid over the pot and steam for 5-7 minutes. Remove from  heat IMMEDIATELY and sprinkle with salt to serve.

4. I typically serve mine with 'grilled' mushrooms and onions. And a sweet potato on many occasions, too.

5. Enjoy!

The Adventure...up to week 25

The updates for this Adventure are probably going to go into a lull the next month as I am planning for an helping to prepare a wedding for my dear Marie. I am eating as on point as is possible while busy and so this means that I'm pretty much sticking to 95% vegan. Some things, such as the refried beans I make for our tacos, of which we are eating every week now in summer, have a bit of ground beef in to flavor them. But for the most part, it's been vegan.

Here's a sampling of foods I remembered to take pics of:

stopped for a picnic on our way to PA for my grandma's funeral

fresh blueberries are in. Trader Joe's O's make wonderful
replacements for junk when the sugar cravings kick in. 

a comfort food meal on a cooler summer day.
mashed taters, creamed corn, a pineapple/cuke salad that was awesome

taco salad...the stuff summer is made of

a salad from the grocery store buffet,
making it work on an early AM shopping and airport run

garden salad and a side of lightly fried taters
with a few different toppings

nectarines. Another staple of summer

spiraled zoodles with a little cauliflower on the side
and a chopped salad. I'm into the chopped salads these days

strawberry lemonade smoothie one morning
after working outside with my son

fresh strawberries, chocolate cookie crumbs and toffutti ice cream
definitely a treat not to be over used

lots of kombucha is enjoyed these days
in my house by a few of the adults

green smoothies while on a road trip
to Indiana. Thank you, Panera.

tomato basil/brown rice soup and sourdough bread from Zoup!, a restaurant
we found across from our hotel in OH on our trip home from IN.

this cute veggie train was served at the bridal shower. It's adorable!

Chik Fil A fries on our trip to IN

a harvest salad at Chik Fil A. I asked them to not put the meat on it and they
cheerfully complied. 

frenched beans with baked beans

polenta squares with stir fried veggies and bbq tofu

Trader Joe's British muffins with fruit-juice sweetened
raspberry jam

nectarines and kiwi. Delightful to both the tastebuds and
to the eyes.

a 'grain bowl' concept...quinoa, bbq tofu, mango, and
stir fried veggies

for fellowship lunch I took vegetable pizza.
The corn was something I found as an option on the buffet.

strawberry pizza I took for fellowship lunch dessert

'tis the season for watermelon!

broccoli 'cheez' soup was yummy. This pic was the
beginnings of it.

a tofu/tomato sandwich on Trader Joe's flourless sprouted grain bread

some sort of potatoes and raw veggies

the pic isn't the best but this meal was crazy good.
steamed broccoli, mushrooms and onions with a sweet potato
and a few slabs of bbq tofu

a delicious stir fry

apple bee's does their broccoli to perfection!

apple bee's sweet potato fries. Definitely a treat to be
enjoyed only on rarest of occasions

my friend Melanie blessed me with plant strong meals when
I visited her house in PA. Salad, stuffed peppers, sweet potatoes
and homemade bread

lentils and rice and a salad, thanks to Melanie

and on summer nights,
sometimes there's tofutti ice cream
and some newman's own cookies