I love it when the pressure of health conscious people forces retailers to carry more beneficial food. It’s fine with me if their motivation is profit. Profitable businesses create jobs, after all. I was happy when grocery stores started carrying whole grain products – I remember when they didn’t. I chuckled with delight when Wal-Mart began carrying organic produce. I’m not sold out on organic myself, but it shows that they are listening to their customers.

I was in the freezer section of my grocery store a week ago looking for frozen blueberries and cherries. On the top shelf, I saw a new product sticker. It was Acai!!! The package says it is pureed berries with a little cane juice extract, and it is labeled “smoothie pack”. The instructions tell how to quickly thaw the puree to make a smoothie.

I used some in my morning breakfast mix, and it was delicious. I haven’t tried it in a smoothie yet, but when DD gets home this summer she will come up with creative smoothie combinations.

If it’s available at my grocery store, then it means that the big suppliers are stocking it. Ask at your store for Sambazon brand Acai smoothie packs.

It’s time for church! I’m looking forward to worship this morning.

When we moved to our home in the Hill Country, we agreed we wanted a natural yard with native grasses and wildflowers, rather than a groomed suburban yard. However, there are limits, and I resolved to get rid of Johnson grass. It is a tall prolific grass that is impossible to walk through. It will quickly choke out all of the low growing pretty grasses. It took two years, but by cutting off all of the seed pods before they had a chance to open, I virtually eliminated Johnson grass from our acre.

This year the wild flowers have been beautiful. I have photographed 35 different flowers growing around my house. It is a joy to look out the windows or walk down the path to the trees. I have a lot of dandelions this year, and I may try harvesting the leaves after the flowers stop blooming.

I reached the conclusion that I don’t like thistles. The flowers are ugly, and the pointy leaves are not friendly. I decided to attack them in the same way that I attacked the Johnson grass, clipping off the buds before they have a chance to open into flowers and make seeds.

It takes me about an hour to cover 1/3 of our yard looking for thistle buds. I walk and bend and snip. Then I walk some more. It isn’t the type of intense exercise that is the most beneficial for Type Os, but is good for flexibility. It is really good for my soul to be outside in the spring air, away from the computer chair.

I’m not counting my thistle workout as my exercise for the day. I still need cardio and strength training. But I do like this time of year when yard work makes my lifestyle more active than it is in the winter.

Thistles remind me of sin. They may be ugly and unwanted, but they are also stubborn. They don’t give up easily. I can snip off buds one day, and three days later more buds are forming. I can never let down my guard.

I bought a hard to find GTD beneficial at the most unlikely place. Because I cook a lot, my kitchen towels look shabby all too soon. Long ago I gave up buying nice towels for the kitchen. I wipe my oily and food stained hands so often, that no matter how often I wash the towels, they are discolored. I’m lucky if they look presentable for a year.

The solution is to buy kitchen towels at one of the many dollar stores. One particular store in our area always has cute towels – cheap! The other day I was folding laundry and realized that my kitchen towels looked awful. Time to toss them in the rag bag and replace them. At the dollar store, I found cute towels that matched my dishes for almost nothing. There were even hot pads to match.

Because this is a deep discount, close out store, you never know what you’re going to find. I decided to wander around and see what was in stock. I never dreamed I would find real European currants.

Back when the GenoType Diet first came out, there was a controversy about American currants really being a variety of grape, and the truly beneficial currants being European currants. To get real currants in America they had to be mail ordered from specialty growers. Sorry, that’s not in my budget.

So I forgot about currants – until I saw “reduced sugar, black currant jam” in the dollar store. “Less sugar, more fruit” the label said. There were no artificial sweeteners. The expiration date was fine. The jam was imported from Denmark, making me confident that these are real currants. I bought several jars, for a ridiculously low price.

Black currants are delicious. I have used the jam as jam on Ezekiel bread. I have also used it as a dressing on grated raw vegetables.

There is no guarantee that I will ever find this kind of a deal again. But I will keep my eyes open for currants in unlikely places and beneficial bargains at the dollar store.

I love eggs, and I love breakfast, but I rarely put the two together. My fruit and nut mixture is perfect for breakfast – it gets me going quickly and keeps me energized all morning. I like to have my Type O red meat for lunch - beef or bison or lamb for lunch. The evening meal is when I enjoy eggs.

DD was home for a visit, and she had a craving for French toast, one of our Saturday morning traditions from when she was young. We decided to have a big breakfast for supper.

We modified the old French toast recipe, and it turned out delicious.

7 slices of Raisin Ezekiel Bread
3 eggs
¾ cup soy milk
½ tsp almond extract
Ghee
Cinnamon

Mix the eggs, soy milk and extract in a large bowl with a flat bottom. Dip the bread in the egg mixture. The bread needs to absorb some, but not too much of the eggs. You don’t want to dip it so quickly that the egg is just coating the outside of the bread. You also don’t want to leave the bread soaking for so long that it becomes soggy.

Cook it on a hot griddle or a skillet sprayed with cooking spray until it is golden brown. Top with ghee and cinnamon.

I think what made this French toast especially good was the combination of Raisin Ezekiel Bread and cinnamon.

We served the French toast with turkey bacon. This was the only BTD compromise of the meal. We found pork bacon without preservatives or nitrites at the health food store. We found turkey bacon with nitrites at the grocery store. Neither is the best, but we went with the turkey.

French toast, turkey bacon, and fresh fruit. It was a delicious supper.

I always smile when I am doing my Bible study and a verse jumps out with application for the BTD. That happened this week with Hebrews 13:9. I know that in context the verse is about legalistic food rituals, but it speaks to my heart about the relative importance of the love I have for Christ & my fellow human beings and the needs of my own body.

Here is the verse. “It is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them.” I see this as a reminder to me that while God wants me to take care of my body, I must never become so preoccupied with myself that I neglect grace.

A friend we have known for more than 30 years spent the weekend with us. On Saturday we took a long trail in the Hill Country. After the hike, we were all hungry. The two men wanted pizza. My initial plan was to eat a lot of salad and a slice or two of pizza. But an impulsive request led to perfect Type O alternative in a pizzeria.

The menu had a Greek salad that sounded good. We placed our order, then I went back to the waiter. It bothered me that there was no meat on the salad. I knew I would soon be hungry again unless I had more protein. I asked if he could put some of the beef that he used for the beef pizzas on my salad. He said sure, but it would cost me a dollar more. I happily paid the dollar.

The salad was delicious. It was made with Romaine not iceberg lettuce. The portion of feta cheese was generous, as was the added beef. I was barely half way through my salad, when the men finished their part of the pizza. Only my one slice was left. I encouraged them to cut it in half and enjoy it. The salad was filling, delicious, and a great option in an environment often hostile to us non-wheat eaters.

My Honorable Husband takes me out to eat almost every Sunday after church. He is sensitive to the fact that to have Sunday lunch ready to eat when we get home from church, I would have to be up at the crack of dawn cooking. The other alternative is to start cooking when we get home, when everyone is already hungry. We don’t go to fancy restaurants. We usually go for a buffet or barbeque.

There is some debate about whether Easter Sunday or Mothers Day is the most crowded day for Sunday lunch in a restaurant. Because we had eaten out twice while our friend was here, I suggested that today we avoid the crowds and eat at home. I had enough left overs in the refrigerator to quickly put together two bowls of meat and veggies. Mini casseroles, I called them. HH asked for a fruit plate to go with his casserole.

For myself, I tried something that DD often makes at school. I took the half apple left from the fruit plate, cut it into cubes and put it in the bottom of a clear Pyrex bowl. I generously sprinkled on cinnamon and ginger. Then I topped it with a thick layer of canned pumpkin. I popped it in the microwave until I could see the apples starting to bubble. I stirred it all together. Oh my, it was good - - and it was fast.

When DD makes it she also adds raisins and walnuts, but I kept mine simple. Dining in or dining out, it was a weekend of good BTD eating.

I used to find April Fools Day to be a humorous holiday. I got a good laugh at the pranks and funny e-mails that show up on that particular day. I’m not laughing this year, because the power of people making foolish decisions in my country is having a greater and greater impact on my life and my freedom.

If you ever want to do an interesting word study, look for the comparison of fool and wise man in the Bible. It seems to me that fools are in control politically and culturally not just on April 1, but the other 364 days of the year as well. I am restrained from a spirit of anger and viciousness by Jesus’ words, “Anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.” I usually temper my remarks, saying “We are ruled by a bunch of idiots!” I suppose that does sound a little better than fool.

Their decisions affect my health because they affect the culture. Marketers delight to turn the gullibility of the ignorant into profit. When fools fall for advertising that tells them alcohol, candy bars, and fries will make them happy, it affects my ability to find healthy food in a restaurant or store. The amazing thing is that after being duped on one end, the same fools fall for advertising about weight loss products.

Their decisions affect my health because they affect the government. My husband and I have tried to live wisely. We have worked hard, lived frugally, and saved our money. Now the lazy and foolish have united to rob us through high taxes and government regulations. I am losing my freedom because greedy dupes have political power over me.

It is interesting to me that this year April Fool’s Day is the day before Crucifixion Friday. The most profound thing that the Bible has to say about fools is found in Psalm 14:1. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”

On this April Fools day, ask God for wisdom. He promises that if you ask for wisdom he will give it to you. (James 1:5). Do not be a gluttonous fool, eating junk food. Do not be a greedy fool, pulling the economy down to the lowest common denominator. Above all, do not be one who God calls a fool, because you deny Him.