Amy's Kitchen
Hubby here, about seven years ago I was well on my way to 300 pounds. I saw my elderly parents popping fifty prescription pills a day for who knows what, from far to many doctors. I decide I was not going down that route.
I learned that God's Little Garden, the health food store up the road, was going to have cooking classes. So I signed up. My always frugal wife was completely against this. I saw myself in my parents and did not want that to be me, so I went to the classes anyway. After I while I learned how to avoid doing things that lead to questions such as “How did you get tomato sauce up there?”.
Karen's main issue was with the cost of whole food organic ingredients. As I was doing all of the cooking, which meant opening a box of something most nights or an occasional steak on the grill, Karen ate what I made. I learned from my mother at Karen's funeral that Karen had told Mom when we got married: “I don't know how to cook. I'm not going to learn how to cook.” I did not know that for all of those years. There were a few things Karen did cook and cook well.
As we shifted more of life to organic Karen realized that health food, while costing more, was more filling so we ate less of it. So in the end it was cheaper to buy the higher quality food. We also started to fell better. I had long ago given up sugar due to its affect on my own health. Karen now went sugar free as well. When we got all of the artificial chemicals, like soaps and shampoos, Fluoride in toothpaste, etc. out of the house as well, then over time Karen's Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus symptoms went away, and did not return.
Food allergies can show up with very unexpected symptoms like migraines, elbow pain or back pain etc. For example allergies to the nightshade plants, that are very common in our diets, mimic the symptoms of Lupus and/or Rheumatoid Arthritis.
At some point along the way I learned of Amy's Kitchen prepared meals, that are made from organic ingredients. The kind of stuff I'd cook for Karen and I. The freezer is usually well stocked with something of Amy's.
When we where in hotels we usually got an Amy product from a store that I could walk to and heated them up in the microwave in the room, or the community microwave when we stayed in L.A. Target was across the street from the hotel in L.A. on our first trip to L.A, where I did our food shopping. On our second trip L.A., far sooner than expected, I introduced Joie and Family to Amy's.
Karen really loved the Broccoli and Cheese dinners. In her final few days I don't think she ate anything else, if she at anything at all. She had no appetite at all. This lack of appetite is one of those 'little things' that contributed to her demise. There is no way to have proper nutrition if you do not eat. You do not think clearly without proper nutrition.
Since Karen's death I have lost the ambition to cook. Karen always complained that I made “enough to feed an army” when I cooked anything. Now that she is gone I just can not find the ambition anymore to cook. As I still want to eat healthy the freezer is stuffed full of Amy's means. I too favor the Broccoli and Cheese, as well as the various pizzas. With time I hope to get back to cooking, and perhaps find a new love to cook for to motivate me. In the meantime Amy is keeping me feed.
When Karen died I was around ~180 pounds. Since Karen's death an other twenty pounds have come off. Grief is not a diet plan I recommend.