Tiny Laundry tip - spinning bulky items in a top-loading washing machine...

 Late last year, I purchased a "Muddy Mat" bed for my dog. It is made from microfiber chenille fabric and when I wash the cover, it becomes very very heavy and nearly impossible to balance in my top-loading washing machine so that it can spin and not go "clunk...clunk...clunk..." I washed it last night and when I got up this morning, it was completely waterlogged and extremely heavy. What to do... what to do.... It suddently came to me! Here is a picture of the kind we have.  That is not my dog.

Most of you that have an automatic washing machine probably have a "front-loader" but I do not. Mine is a top-loading machine.  I took the soggy mass and carefully (as carefully as I could manage) draped it OVER the agitator in the middle of the machine. I closed the lid and set it to "drain and spin." It worked perfectly!

By the way, if you have been following me, you might wonder how I am doing. I am doing well. I miss my husband terribly, but I'm okay and looking forward, when it's my turn to go, to be with him again. God bless all of you!

My boy, "Loki."

 Now that I live alone, I have one dog, and two kitties. This one is called Loki. He is roughly 4 years old and came from a shelter. He's such a sweet boy, AND an excellent mouser

Tiny Tip - threading a sewing machine needle...

 

The older I get, the harder it is for me to see well enough to easily thread the needle on my sewing machine. I have found something that truly helps. I just take a tiny piece of white paper and hold it behind the eye of the needle and then it is MUCH easier to see.  

Re-post - Button Lamps in case your power goes out in the coming storm!

 

A Button Lamp

I just ran across this picture... and wondered if you have ever heard of a "button lamp." Many years ago, we got this idea from one of Laura Ingalls Wilder's books called The Long Hard Winter. These are easy and fun to make and if you ever find yourself with no electricity, no candles... nothing to make light with, please remember this! All you need is a small glass dish or saucer, a button - not a plastic button, but one made of shell, glass or wood, a small square of cotton fabric, a piece of string and a match to light it with! The reason you don't use plastic is that if the flame contacts the button, you will have a cloud of toxic and not very nice smelling fumes coming off of it.

Cut your cotton fabric large enough to wrap tightly around the button and use the string or thread to tie it on, leaving the little pointy ends sticking up. Then, put some sort of oil or fat (Ma Ingalls used axle grease I think!) into your dish... don't use very much. You don't want to drown the flame. Put the wrapped button into the fat and get a little bit of it on the "wick" and then light it! This makes a very satisfactory light in an emergency.

One time, many years ago, the power went out. The children got busy making button lamps. We had several of them (more than we needed!) lit and happily giving light to our home, and then of course the power came back on! We were sincerely disappointed!

Surprisingly good healthy cookies....

 

Not the best picture, but all I had... :)

Here is a recipe for some really good cookies that are healthy. They do have maple syrup, so certainly are not "sugar free" so don't overdo it, but these are really good and very wholesome. It's funny how you can start to eat one and think maybe that it's not that exciting, but then you can't stop eating them. :)

PUMPKIN OATMEAL COOKIES

2 1/2 cups rolled oats - using a blender, turn half of them into oat flour

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 cup canned pumpkin or cooked fresh pumpkin

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/3 cup chocolate chips (I use white chocolate chips because I can't eat the regular chocolate)

2 Tablespoons peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt. 

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl, combine the oat flour, rolled oats, maple syrup, pumpkin and pumkin pie spice.

Add the chocolate chips, peanut butter, vanilla and salt and mix it all well with a spoon.

Using a large cookie scoop, put the dough onto your lined baking pan with a space in between them. They should all fit on a half-sheet pan.

Put a little oil on the palm of your hand and slightly press the cookies down to make them more flat.

I bake mine for 17 minutes, but do it from 15 - 20 minutes until they are dry on top and starting to turn golden brown.

Remove from pan and cool on a rack.

I love chocolate, but....

 

Yes, I do love chocolate, but the older I have gotten, the more sensitive I have become to caffeine and the theobromine in chocolate.  Just before the Covid pandemic hit us, I had made an appointent with a cardiologist because I was having pre-ventricular contractions in my heart. I knew what it was, because I had experienced it some years before.  Well, we were "locked down" in March of 2020, I believe.  Right after that I was scheduled to see the cardiologist, and I had to cancel the appointment.  But Lo and Behold, the PVC's went away!  I figured out what was causing them. At Relief Society (Church women's group) meetings each Sunday,  the woman who was our teacher would pass around a basket of chocolate candy. I would take one piece each Sunday and eat it. Once we were locked down, I was cut off from my supply. I can eat it once in a while, but not on a regular basis at all, so for the most part, I avoid it altogether.  

So, here is the recipe for my Sweet Potato Carob pudding. When I made it for Jim, I would use cocoa, but when I make it for me, I use carob powder.

Sweet Potato Carob Pudding

In a high speed blender, combine the following:

2 cups cooked orange sweet potato

1 1/4 cup soymilk

8 Deglet Noor dates (or more if you prefer)

1 teaspoon almond extract (if I make it with cocoa, I use vanilla extract)

1/4 cup carob powder

Blend thoroughly, pour into a bowl and chill.  It's really very good, and it's completely healthy.

I want to tell you about something...

 After this, I'll get back to posting about homemaking, but I want to share this with you... After my husband passed away in February, I had a mighty struggle with my mental health for a while. I tried counseling and medications, but I am extremely sensitive and the medications were a disaster to put it mildly. 

Then, I found out about TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation.) It is FDA approved, non-invasive , with no side effects, and statistically helps 87% of patients who try it which is much much better than the medications available. The clinic where I had my treatments has been offering them for about 2 years and they have NEVER had a patient it did not help. It is used for anxiety, depression and OCD. It also has benefits for certain symptoms that can come on with Parkinson's Disease. Generally, here in the United States, if one or two medications have failed you, your health insurance will help pay for it. Mine did. It involved a series of 36 five - minute treatments. Very simple. And, it worked for me. 

I think it must be one of the best kept secrets. It is amazing. Two months ago I was still a mess. Now I am fine.  Of course, I still deal with the grief, but that is a separate issue. I am attending a GriefShare group and that is very helpful.

I just couldn't not tell you about this in case it might help someone else who is struggling. God bless you all. 

Just to let you know...

 My sweet Jim, the love of my life and husband of 53 years, passed away suddenly on February 18th. He died of heart failure in his sleep. There was no suffering. He was 78 years old. All 6 of our children gathered and we had several days together. The outpouring of love and support has been so wonderful. I really had no idea how many lives he had touched until the funeral. There were at least 200 people in attendance. Oh how I miss him. I know he is watching over me and when I am finished here on this earth, I will be with him eternally. He was the best man, the best husband, the best friend. I love him so. As one person said, "If Jim didn't go to heaven, there is no heaven." He will be greatly missed by many.

 

The Kindness of Strangers....

 

I have heard before, the phrase, "The Kindness of Strangers."  Well, I truly experienced it today. My husband and I drove to town to run some errands. After those were completed, he dropped me off at the Goodwill store to look around and he drove about a mile away to a farm supply store called Bomgaars in our town. It was cold and rainy and a bit windy and he didn't want to come into Goodwill with me, so he went to the other store to window shop. I was supposed to call him on his cell phone when I got done and he would come pick me up.

Well, I ended up not buying anything, and was going to call him to come and get me, but I had left my cell phone in my library bag IN THE CAR. So, I couldn't call him.  And since my phone is way smarter than I am, I couldn't even remember anyone's phone number to come and help me. 

What to do... what to do... I decided to walk to Bomgaar's. Not long after I set off, a very kind woman opened her car window and called out, "Do you want a ride?"  I replied, "Yes!", and she drove me to Bomgaar's I went in and walked the whole store and my husband was not there. I went out into the parking lot and our car was not there either!

What to do... what to do... I decided he probably had gone back to Goodwill to wait for me. Once again, I took off walking and this time was walking down a rather dangerous highway. There are no accomodations for pedestrians there. At one point, I carefully ran across the highway to the other side, and shortly a very kind man came across and asked, "Are you okay?"  So I told him what was going on.  He asked "Can I walk with you?"  and I gratefully agreed. He walked with me all the way back to Goodwill. It was cold, It was windy and misting hard. But I was not alone! He wanted to make sure I got back there safely. Fortunately, my husband was there waiting in the car. He had no idea this had happened and was very sorry. The man who walked with me said I looked "Scared" and I was, a little.  I am 75 years old.

It was not the most pleasant experience, but I will always treasure it because of the two angels who came to my rescue. God bless them, please.

I have heard before, the phrase, "The kindness of I sI have heard before, the phrase, "The kindness of strangers...." Well, I truly experienced it today. My husband and I drove to North Vernon to run some errands. The last thing we were going to do - he dropped me off at the Goodwill store and he was going to go to Bomgaars and I was supposed to call him when I was done. It was cold and rainy outside, and he didn't want to come into Goodwill, so he went to Bomgaars to window shop. I looked around and didn't end up buying anything, so I was going to call him. Oops. I had left my phone in my library bag, IN THE CAR. So, I couldn't call him. What to do... what to do... since my phone is way smarter than I am, I couldn't even remember anyone else's phone number to call to help me. I decided I'd have to walk to Bomgaars, so I started out from Goodwill on foot. Shortly, a very nice woman named Nancy opened her car window and called out, "Do you want a ride?" "Yes!" I said, so she took me to Bomgaars. I walked the whole store and my husband wasn't there, so I went out to the parking lot and our car was not there either. Oh... great... I guess he drove back to Goodwill to wait for me. So... I decided I'd have to walk back to Goodwill. The highway is not exactly pedestrian friendly, but I had no choice. Fortunately, it wasn't raining hard, just misting hard and a bit windy. After a bit I crossed over to the other side of the road and a man came across the road and asked, "Are you okay?" I told him what was going on and he said "Can I walk with you?" And I gratefully accepted his offer. His name was Michael. He walked me all the way back to Goodwill and my husband was there waiting in our car. I am 75 years old. Michael said I looked scared, which I was, a little. It wasn't the most fun experience, but I will always treasure it because of the two angels that helped me today.

trangers...." Well, I truly experienced it today. My husband and I drove to North Vernon to run some errands. The last thing we were going to do - he dropped me off at the Goodwill store and he was going to go to Bomgaars and I was supposed to call him when I was done. It was cold and rainy outside, and he didn't want to come into Goodwill, so he went to Bomgaars to window shop. I looked around and didn't end up buying anything, so I was going to call him. Oops. I had left my phone in my library bag, IN THE CAR. So, I couldn't call him. What to do... what to do... since my phone is way smarter than I am, I couldn't even remember anyone else's phone number to call to help me. I decided I'd have to walk to Bomgaars, so I started out from Goodwill on foot. Shortly, a very nice woman named Nancy opened her car window and called out, "Do you want a ride?" "Yes!" I said, so she took me to Bomgaars. I walked the whole store and my husband wasn't there, so I went out to the parking lot and our car was not there either. Oh... great... I guess he drove back to Goodwill to wait for me. So... I decided I'd have to walk back to Goodwill. The highway is not exactly pedestrian friendly, but I had no choice. Fortunately, it wasn't raining hard, just misting hard and a bit windy. After a bit I crossed over to the other side of the road and a man came across the road and asked, "Are you okay?" I told him what was going on and he said "Can I walk with you?" And I gratefully accepted his offer. His name was Michael. He walked me all the way back to Goodwill and my husband was there waiting in our car. I am 75 years old. Michael said I looked scared, which I was, a little. It wasn't the most fun experience, but I will always treasure it because of the two angels that helped me today.

Do you ever "tweak" recipes?

I bought this Fannie Farmer Cookbook in 1969 in Spokane, Washington.  I was 20 years old and had a summer job working for the United States Forest Service in Sandpoint, Idaho. My co-worker and I visited Spokane and went into a book store and I spied this book. I had never had one before. I wish I could remember what I paid for it. My mom used it for a year or two and then when my husband and I got married, she gave it back to me. By that time she had used it so much that the binding was failing and she put duct tape on it. I have added to that over the years.

Our daughters and I referred to this wonderful, basic, cookbook constantly. In fact, this book is how I learned to cook. My mom had taught me how to bake when I was growing up, and so I knew how to follow a recipe, but I didn't really know how to cook

This morning I had some bananas that were hopelessly ripe.  I didn't want to throw them away, so decided to make banana nut bread. The best recipe I've ever had for that is the one in this cookbook because it does not call for any oil.  Here it is. (Notice how dirty the page is!)

In order to use the recipe, I needed to "tweak" it because I no longer can eat wheat, and don't use eggs. Here is what I came up with:

BANANA NUT BREAD

3 ripe bananas, well mashed

6 Tablespoons aqua faba (the liquid from cooking chickpeas)

2 cups whole grain spelt flour

1/2 cup honey

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup finely chopped English walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 F

Using an electric mixer, mash the bananas well.  Use the mixer to also beat the aqua faba until it is foamy and add that to the bananas. Add the honey and mix well.

In a separate bowl, combine the spelt flour, salt and baking soda.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until everything is combined well.

Stir in the walnuts.

I used olive oil spray on my loaf pan and poured the batter in and smoothed it out. Bake for about 50 - 60 minutes until the loaf tests done with a toothpick.

It's delicious and nicely soft and moist!

Do you like Rice Pudding?

         I have tried, many times, through the years I've been married (52) to make "Rice Pudding."  It has NEVER turned out very nicely and I have used several different recipes. But now, I finally have a way to make it that is EASY and it WORKS!!! 

SLOW COOKER RICE PUDDING

I made this in a small slow cooker (a.k.a. "Crockpot"). 

Combine in the slow cooker:

1 cup rinsed white rice

2.5 cups milk (I used homemade soymilk)

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup rasins

Stir that together, put on the lid and cook on "high" for about 3 hours. 

Stir, and taste and see if the rice is nice and soft.

Add 3/4 cup of additional milk and

1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract

Stir well

This is wonderful warm, but also really yummy cold.

I am so pleased. I'm only 75 and finally learned how to make good rice pudding.  :)

A button lamp - posting again!

 This is the time of year that we start into the season when it's not unusual where we live to have power outages.  Here is a way to have some light, even if you don't have even a candle!

I just ran across this picture... and wondered if you have ever heard of a "button lamp." Many years ago, we got this idea from one of Laura Ingalls Wilder's books called The Long Hard Winter. These are easy and fun to make and if you ever find yourself with no electricity, no candles... nothing to make light with, please remember this! All you need is a small glass dish or saucer, a button - not a plastic button, but one made of shell, glass or wood, a small square of cotton fabric, a piece of string and a match to light it with! The reason you don't use plastic is that if the flame contacts the button, you will have a cloud of toxic and not very nice smelling fumes coming off of it.

Cut your cotton fabric large enough to wrap tightly around the button and use the string or thread to tie it on, leaving the little pointy ends sticking up. Then, put some sort of oil or fat (Ma Ingalls used axle grease I think!) into your dish... don't use very much. You don't want to drown the flame. Put the wrapped button into the fat and get a little bit of it on the "wick" and then light it! This makes a very satisfactory light in an emergency.

One time, many years ago, the power went out. The children got busy making button lamps. We had several of them (more than we needed!) lit and happily giving light to our home, and then of course the power came back on! We were sincerely disappointed!

"Gluten Free" - chapter 2 - Not really.... Spelt bread

 

    The most dissapointing thing about going "gluten free" for me was not having "real" bread. I've been making our bread, almost exclusively, since 1972. Yes, I'm that old. At one time, when all of our children (6) were still at home, and we had another boy living with us, we would make 15 loaves of whole wheat bread all at one time, once a week. I have an enormous stainless steel bowl we used for that.

    I had read that some ancient grains, such as Spelt, could often be tolerated by people who are sensitive to wheat. I ordered a bag of organic whole grain Spelt flour from www.Azure.com, and so for the last week, I've been using it. I am very happy to tell you that it is not giving mw any trouble! Spelt DOES have gluten, but it is different, in some way, than the gluten in our modern wheat. Spelt is technically wheat. It's just thousands of years old. 

    The bread is very simple to make and is delicious. It is more tender than typical wheat bread. This bread rises in the bowl and then in the pan, but does not rise any more when you bake it. It makes very nice toast and sandwiches. I do not know how long it would "keep" because I sliced it, put small pieces of parchment baking paper between the slices so they won't stick together, put it in a freezer bag and into the freezer. That way I can take out just what we need and either let it thaw or make toast. 

    I found the recipe and instructions on YouTube and here it is: https://suemareep.com/how-to-make-spelt-flour-wholegrain-bread/

    I did not use the stand mixer like she did. I just worked the dough for maybe 2 minutes with my hands. I used 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in the dough, but I did not grease the bowl or my hands like she did. When I formed the loaf, I just put a little water on the counter so the dough would not stick. Also, I ended up using just a little more water than she did so the dough seemed right. Like any other flour, I imagine spelt flour can vary in the amount of water needed.

    I've also been usinng the spelt flour in other things that call for flour, like my cornbread. I'm very pleased. Thank you, Sue Maree P. !!!

   

    

"Gluten Free" - I thought it was silly, until.... Chapter 1

 

 

I don't know when the current "gluten free" craze began, but for the longest time, I thought it was just another trend that would fizzle out.  Now... I've had to repent of that attitude. I have no idea what portion of the population might be sensitive to gluten. It may be that it's being overdone. Nevertheless, I discovered not long ago, that I am gluten sensitive. For a few years, off and on, I had been having episodes of extreme achiness in my body. It was not sore muscles. It didn't seem to be connected to anything I was or was not doing. It "came to a head" a couple of months ago. I was riding with my husband in his pick-up truck one evening. The pain was exquisite and intense and I was thinking "What is this???  I eat a very clean diet. I go to the gym 3 times a week. My bloodwork came back perfect. I really try hard to take care of myself, so WHAT in the WORLD is going on?"  Then it came to me. "Gluten."  Aha.  Yes.  Perhaps... so I went home and eliminated gluten from my diet. Within 2 days, all of that pain was gone. And it has stayed gone. I have been experimenting with making long fermented sourdough bread, and the jury is still out on that. 

I'd like to share with you some of the things that I've been cooking and eating instead of the grains that have gluten in them.  The first chapter is - 

CORNBREAD MUFFINS

1 cup cornmeal (I use the freshly ground from what we grow in our garden)

1 cup almond flour

3/4  teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon sugar

5 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder

1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed (I grind mine fresh and keep it in the fridge. I use a little electric coffee grinder) - this is the egg substiture

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce (oil substitute)

1 cup soy milk 

Mix the dry ingredients

Mix the wet ingredients

Combine well

This will make 12 muffins. Bake at 425 F. for about 15 minutes.  Check to see if they are done by tapping the top to make sure there's no liquidy stuff in the middle. I use pan spray on my muffin tin. This is one of two times I ever use oil  in cooking anymore!  The other is when I make Belgian waffles.  I spray a little on the waffle iron. If you have the little paper liners, you could use those.

My favorite way to eat these is with Navy Bean soup. OH... that's heavenly!  Sometimes I put a little honey on a muffin. These keep well in the refrigerator for a few days. My husband likes to break the muffins up into his soup. 

Tiny laundry tip....

 

I ran across this idea online and can't remember where. For some time now, I've been using just "Dawn Platinum" dish detergent to do my laundry. I add only 1 or 2 teaspoons of the liquid to a load of laundry, depending on the size of the load. I am very happy with the results. My clothing is getting cleaner than I think it ever has and also is softer. I don't use fabric softener. I have 4 wool dryer balls. Now, I do need to mention that I have a water softener, so I don't know how well this would work with hard water. I try to buy my Dawn when it's on sale and so each load only costs 2 cents or 4 cents. It's amazing. I do hang my laundry to dry part of the time, but not always. In the wintertime, I use a drying rack near the woodstove. In the warmer months, I have clotheslines outside that I use a lot. However, if there is a streak of rainy weather or I'm very tired or in a hurry, I use the dryer. After all these years of buying and sometimes making my own laundry soap/detergent, I am so happy that I've discovered this.

A tiny tip about bar soap....

Here is a bar of my homemade soap (sitting on a slice of luffa gourd so it can drain.)  This is what I almost always use to wash my hands and face at the bathroom sink.  Now here is an extremely tiny tip. This time of year where we live it gets very warm and humid and the soap absorbs water and can become so soft it will fall apart. When it gets a little soft, all you have to do is just take the bar up in your dry hands and rub it on your skin a little.  THEN add water and lather up. It saves the soap!

 

Using up last year's harvest...

One thing we always grow in our garden is sweet potatoes.  This time of year they are starting to sprout and I am trying hard to use them up so they won't go to waste!

Here is a nice recipe for a lovely pudding that I make with them.  The original recipe calls for cocoa and vanilla extract, but I cannot eat very much chocolate because I am sensitive to the caffeine and theobromine in it, so I use carob powder and almond extract, instead of cocoa and vanilla extract. Carob, of course, does not taste like chocolate, but it is very good in its own right and is also a very healthy food.  

SWEET POTATO PUDDING

In a high-speed blender, combine the following:

2 cups cooked sweet potato, boiled, peeled and mashed

1 1/4 cups plain plant milk (I use homemade soy milk)

8 pitted deglet noir dates (or maybe 4 or 5 medjool dates)

1 teaspoon pure almond extract

1/4 cup carob powder

Blend until very smooth and then refrigerate until cold, covered.

Winter bits from the garden...

We recently had a fairly severe cold snap with below zero temperatures that lasted for several days. When I went outside this morning I went to the garden to see if there was anything at all that could be salvaged.  I actually found some kale and pulled up a clump of onions. I used some of the onions in potato salad today and will be using the rest of them and the kale in some vegetable soup soon. I know there are lots of Jerusalem artichokes out there that could be harvested. It is so nice to realize that even though winter is upon us, there are still fresh things to enjoy.

 

A simple needle book...

 

I have a daughter-in-law whose name is "Elizabeth."  Everyone I know calls her "Beth." The other day I was watching a show where a little girl was called "Betty."  It sounded like such a pretty name.  I asked my daughter-in-law if she had ever been called "Betty" and she replied that someone had long ago. I asked her if I could call her "Betty".  She replied, "I would love that!"

I wanted to do something to celebrate this interaction, and after contemplating it, decided to make her a little needle book.  Do you know what a needle book is? It's a small fabric book where you can store your hand sewing needles. Then, they are easy to keep with your hand sewing project.

So, you see there, above, what I came up with.  She loves "Forget me nots" and so I embroidered a few of those on there and added her name. She said, when it came in the mail, "I absolutely love it!" She appreciates hand made things... it's so nice.

Here are a couple of pictures of the inside of the little book.

More on our plant based lifestyle...

 Dietary advice is one of those things that often causes people's eyes to "glaze over."  Of course diet is not the only subject that will cause us to harden our hearts, but it's certainly one of them. My husband and I have been eating the Whole Food Plant Based (no oil) way of eating for nearly 4 years now. As I mentioned before, his angina is gone. My eyesight has been restored. I have so much more energy. 

In April of last year (2023) I ended up spending two nights in the hospital. I was experiencing some dizziness and my daughters were all concerned that I might have had a stroke.  As it turned out, it was caused by those little crystals that can form in your inner ear and sometimes get lodged in the wrong place.  Anyway... I had, I think, about every scan and test known to man!  I joked that they took enough blood to sell. After all of that, I found out I am in excellent health. My cholesterol, which used to be 280, is now 140. My heart output, measured by an echocardiogram, which is considered normal at 50%, was 65 - 70%. 

I am now 75 years old.  I take no medications at all. I weigh less now than I did when we got married in 1971. (In case you're curious, I am 5' 4" tall and weigh 122 pounds.) This is without going hungry. I never have to go hungry. I never have to "diet". I do go out and walk for about 45 minutes in the woods up and down hills most days, with our two dogs. I do a little weight lifting, as at my age, it surely is true that if you don't use it you lose it!

Please... I urge you to look into it. Be curious. Do what is the very best for your own health.  When I began this, I told my husband, "I am going to do this for ME.  There is no pressure for you to join me. I will cook for both of us.  And so, that's what I did for about 3 weeks and then he said he'd join me. I think he saw what it was doing for me and also he didn't want me to have to work so hard.  He's so good to me. 

Read The Starch Solution by Dr. John McDougall.  Also, go over to YouTube and watch "Forks over Knives." You can watch that for free. 

It's simple, it's easy to do if you want to do it, and it will  SAVE YOU LOTS OF MONEY.  Honestly, for the two of us, I spend less than $60 a week on food.  Truly. The food can be simple and be perfectly healthy. If you want to, you can cook fancy also, but the health results are the same. For my recent birthday, one of our daughters bought me a copy of Be a Plant Based Woman Warrior   by Jane and Ann Esselstyn.  It is great!  There is a whole world of cookbooks out there for plant based eating.  Just be sure you don't eat added oils. Don't eat processed foods.  Eat whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and if your weight is normal, you can have some nuts and seeds, but avoid those if you need to trim down. Same with avocados.  They are good for you, but avoid them if you need to lose weight.

If you have any questions, you know where to find me.