:-D Well, with all four blood types in your family, my opinion is that if your husband and kids get up in the morning, get dressed, get fed and go about their daily business, you're doing a spectacular job! You've got the basics down cold, and what can I say? Whew! Have a seat for a moment or two, and let's put our heads together on making that job a bit easier.

There are a few basic meals that work for everyone. I compiled these originally for dinner party menu planning, since I don't always know everyone's blood type ~ that situation rarely continues past the appetizer course (:-D) but if I don't get the chance to sneak up behind the "unknown types," yell "SURPRISE!!" and prick their finger, at least I know I haven't fed them avoids. tee hee!

I. Fish/green veg or salad/rice. Bullhead, carp, chub, cod, croaker, cusk, drum, halfmoon fish, mackerel, mahi-mahi, monkfish, mullet, perch of all kinds, pickerel, pike, porgy, red snapper, rosefish, sailfish, salmon, sardines, scrod, shark, smelt, sturgeon, sucker, sunfish, swordfish, tilapia, tuna, weakfish and whitefish are all OK for all types. Many of them are cheap and readily available in most seasons. Cod, mullet, snapper, salmon and others do well with a touch of lemon, butter and salt and a quick jaunt under the broiler. Your daughter & husband will appreciate a bit of OK cheese sprinkled on their half of the filet. Canned Alaskan salmon and sardines are amazingly inexpensive and beneficial for nearly all of us. A "fishloaf" made from mashed canned salmon (with the bones and skin), dried Ezekiel bread crumbs, egg, sea salt and minced onions & green herbs is simple and fast to make. Try the www.foodtv.com site for Mario Batali's recipes for oily fish like sardines and mackerel. The kids will like them, trust me!

II. Turkey/green or orange veg (and/or salad)/rice. Good quality organically-fed birds are more and more commonly found in large supermarkets these days, and year-round. If you buy a 15-pound bird, it can be roasted (unstuffed) very simply on a bed of carrots, celery and onions, and will provide a meat course for 4 for a few days. We carve the turkey immediately after roasting, and make stock from the bones and roasted vegetables. Frozen in pint containers, this is a great base for a quick soup of any kind later on. There's a vast number of veggies which work for all types. Also: ask your butcher for ground dark meat turkey. It makes great burgers for everyone.

III. OSTRICH in a rich stew with vegetables (carrots, celery, turnips or parsnips, cremini or portobello mushrooms, onions, parsley, garlic, kale sauteed separately with onions & salt, and some warm sweet spices like ginger and clove -- you can really stuff the veggies into them this way!!) with some red wine or marsala for richness (the alcohol boils away). If you live in an area of the world where ostrich is inexpensive, by all means make use of it. Just sear the chunked meat in a bit of oil, add the veg and broth, wine if desired, and sea salt, pepper & spices to taste. Cook until the ostrich begins to show a "looser" texture, but not so long that it begins to shred. It does have a flavor reminiscent of venison (a touch liver-y) which virtually disappears after storing the stew in the fridge for a day. At that point it will fool everyone into thinking it's beef. Reassure your son & husband that it's OK!

IV. Two-Pot Stir-Fry: A little olive oil and water in each pan. Onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms, curly kale, broccoli, summer or winter squash, ~ asparagus & spinach in the spring ~ In the type O & B pot, put slices of the beef, lamb, liver, venison, turkey, or others, and in the A & AB pot, sizzle up some sliced tofu or tempeh... or turkey.

V. The Spanish Tortilla: It's a huge, thick omelette, primarily made up of vegetables -- onions, garlic, greens, shredded squashes, you name it. Saute it all in a heavy pan with olive oild, cover with beaten egg salted & peppered & herbed (if desired). Scatter some ground meat on one half, some diced tofu or tempeh on the other. Bake it until toasty-gold on top and cooked through. This can be sliced pizza-style and eaten hot, room temperature or cold. Grated cheese is a nice touch for the cheese-eaters. Tomato & sweet or hot pepper fans can have their portions sprinkled accordingly. A fresh salad goes superbly with it.

VI. Little Green Mystery Bundles: Boil a pot of salted water and add whole kale or collard leaves, with the stems snipped off. Leave them for a minute then plunge them into ice water, drain and set out on a pan. For the stuffing, some steamed rice for the hubby & kids, some tofu seasoned with tamari for hubby & son, sliced leftover meat for you & daughter, and any leftover cooked veggies for everyone. A little grated horseradish in each packet, roll up the leaves over the stuffing, secure with a toothpick, pour a cup of broth over the whole thing and bake for 30 minutes at 350 or so. Mark each one with a piece of veg, or different-colored toothpicks, so you'll know which is which! :-)

I know Denise isn't the only head cook of a four-type family out there. Got strategies of your own? Send them in, and we'll publish them for the benefit of all the readers. Denise, I hope these offerings stimulate your creativity and reduce your workload!! You are already doing a superb job of feeding your family. We'll do our best to support you!! My sincerest admiration goes out to you, and congratulations on your devotion to your family's health and well-being. Prosper, my dear!