Thankful 30: A Cancer Survivor’s Healthy Crock Pot Recipes

16 Comments

1. Hi,
   Super excited to purchase the Thankful 30 Crockpot recipe book but it is listed on Amazon for $768. Is that correct? Please help, my Dad has cancer and I would love to utilize the crockpot book but it is cost-prohibitive. Thank you kindly, Tia

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   1. Oh my — no, that appears they are no longer printing her book. I did a little research and found she is now selling her book on her site — https://360yourlife.com/store/shop/thankful-30-the-crock-pot-edition-2/ click here, it’s only $16.99. 🙂
      Aimee

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2. Hi, I just found your site while doing research for healthy crockpot meals for my mom. She has been diagnosed with Lung cancer and I’m trying to stock her fridge with already prepared healthy meals that she can just microwave. Sorry for no caps, my keyboard is not working. Thank you!

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3. For 20+ years, I’ve battled kidney failure due to a polycystic kidney disease. I’ve watched the knowledge base of this disease grow over the years. Unfortunately, what was thought safe back then is known to be unsafe now. I got married in 2011 with kidney function of 25%. I moved from Ga to Tx, knowing only my husband in Texas. My hubby and daughter (from previous marriage) Have seen me through kidney failure, dialysis, kidney transplant, blood clot, hemorrhaging cysts, bi laterl nephrectomy and more. Transplant medications to reduce rejection issues have a side effect up increasing chances of cancer. I have fought to long and hard to let a side effect put me on the side lines of life again. I am making big changes in lifestyle and eating to keep my body as healthy as possible. Clean eating is great support of my healthy transplanted kidney and my overall health. 11 1/2 months after transplant, I went to the Transplant Games of America (Olymoic style Games for donors, donor families and recipients) I medaled I two events I’ve never even tried before! I can’t wait to see what I can do in the future with Clean eating on my side !

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4. Ivy,
   I am so glad that you had a friend to go through tough time with, someone you can support and someone to support you.
   I am truly thankful for my family. I am lucky to be in good health all my 55 yrs but I have let the extra pounds build up. Last August I made the commit to lose the extra weight by changing my life style. I started with your 8 week challenge but wasn’t very successful without the support of my family. This Christmas my family agreed to support me with my commitment. It makes all difference to have a the support of those closest to you when making big changes. The weight is naturally coming off as we follow your 8 week challenge. My husband and daughter have also lost weight.
   But the biggest surprise is in my two grandson ages 4 and 6. They lost their father a year and half ago and have been having behavior problems and nightmares ever since. Counseling had little effect and were considering medication. We cleaned up their diet about 5 weeks ago. The behavior problems are subsiding and the nightmares are gone. We are all so much happier,
   Thank-you

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5. Thank you girls! I love getting my Clean Cuisine newsletters and enjoyed the story of your friendship (my kids also went to TBS and still have friends from grade school) and as an active, relatively healthy family, we thought we were doing great! Then ten and a half years ago (July 2004), I was diagnosed with stage 3 brain cancer. My life as I knew it was changed forever. At first there was fear and uncertainty, particularly about how I would care for my children but I have an amazingly supportive and kind husband who took over. I got in to MD Anderson Cancer Center within a few days, had surgery scheduled and had my tumor removed. Gratefully, it was contained but I underwent chemotherapy for two years to ensure it was all gone. Every dose of chemo came with a larger dose of gratitude, thanks and prayer. I was superwoman and determined to do everything in my power to frighten off any trace of cancer in my body. I turned to nutrition and have been so healthy that I cannot even imagine my life without vegetables! My daughter also has severe nut allergies and is lactose intolerant so I welcome true earth-loving recipes that fit into our lifestyle (I invented THE BEST coconut blueberry pie last night and was actually thinking I should share my recipe with you). I also quit my design business when I got home from MDACC and started painting as therapy – it took my mind off the nausea. The colorful pieces of canvas eventually turned into clutch bags and a year later I started my company. I donate 10% of every bag ever sold to MDACC, my inspiration and life saver. Keep the recipes coming and thank you girls so much for all you do and for inspiring us all to be healthier. God bless!! Susan

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6. I am thankful to see that the friends that I’ve had in my past years, that have suffered some very serious medical conditions, have now found the way to cure themselves through nutrition and exercise. This would be you two, Ivy & Brooke.
   The information you both share and the lifestyle changes that you’ve made seem to inspire so many people across the globe. Knowing firsthand the lives and carefree teenage years you both lived makes me extremely thankful to see how you succeeded to become healthy and whole once again.
   I’m thankful you provide tools that many can share with those that suffer from some ailments clean cuisine helps to correct. Everyone in their lifetime will directly or indirectly be affected by disease. Thank you both, and your husband Andy, for providing us with nutritent based scientific ways to heal our bodies from the inside out.

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7. I am super thankful for the friendship I have with my bride, Jennie….and thankful for the health and healing we have experienced together over the years through pregnancies, loss, and keeping our family of 8 healthy and strong. 　

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8. This is a story of a mother and son miracle.
   In February of 2000, I was 7 1/2 months pregnant and had just had an appointment with my OB/GYN. Everything was going smoothly and I was told I was in excellent health. I was extremely happy with the report. I was told I could continue doing my daily walks and aerobics routines. I went home from my appointment feeling great! Little did I know that within the next several hours, I would succumb to excruciating pain along the right side of my body and that I would end up in the hospital.

   I had no idea what was going on but I sure knew I felt horrible! I couldn’t sit comfortably, stand comfortably nor could I lie down comfortably. I had no idea if my pain was related to my pregnancy or if something entirely different was going on. Immediately, upon my arrival at the hospital, blood tests were taken, a urinalysis was done, and ultrasounds were taken. Within a couple of hours, I learned the unbelievable truth. I had a pregnancy related syndrome called HELLP (Hemolysis Liver Low Platelets) Syndrome and it was literally attacking my body trying to kill me. What the Heck? My organs were all shutting down, some were ready to rupture, and my body was filling with edema. I’ll never forget the look of horror on my doctors face when she came into my room and had to tell me that she had under 1/2 hour to try to save my life! She said I was dying! I was dying because my body was rejecting my unborn child. I thought to myself, “What on earth is happening?” I had just seen my doctor earlier in the day and was told I was doing great! However, at that particular moment, my life was turning upside down.

   Usually, doctors have about 48 hours to determine what to do with a Hellp patient, and they can prepare the baby and mother for the early delivery. But, I was deteriorating quickly. Within a matter of 4 hours, I went from a serious condition into a critical condition. Before I could even process all of what I was being told, I was rushed in for an immediate C-Section. The Doctors had no time for surgical preparation and no time to administer the drugs to prep my son or myself for this early delivery. The “cure,” to save the mother’s life, is to deliver the baby. Once the baby is removed from the mother, the mother’s body has a chance to recover from the syndrome. Some mother’s live and several mother’s have died from this terribly scary condition. I happened to be one of the lucky one’s. As for the baby of a Hellp mother, one could only hope and pray that they would survive. A lot depends on how early the baby is delivered and as to whether or not the doctors administered any of the drugs to get the baby ready for the early birth.

   My son, as you might recall, was only 7 1/2 months in utero. You can only imagine the fear within me, that I was never going to meet my son or see my husband again. Two and a half months premature is early for a baby to survive. On top of that, we were told that premature boys have a higher rate of death than premature girls. (Just what we wanted to know.) My husband was all alone hearing all of this depressing news. We lived in Spokane,Wa. at the time, on a military base and all of our family was living on the East Coast. He was totally alone. Not only was he fearful that I would die, but his first child might not make it through the surgery either. He was told that I might not wake up from the anesthesia, that I could bleed to death, that I could fall into a coma, and that I might convulse. Trust me when I say these are not words you ever want to hear. I had heard what the doctors were telling my husband and it literally put the fear of death in me big time! I was scared sh–less going in for surgery! I was living out a nightmare! I was allowed to have my husband with me because of how critical my condition was so there was a little sense of relief, but not much. He was allowed in because it “might be the last time for him to see me.”

   Somehow, I managed to focus intensely on the power of the mind, to believe I would live another day and it worked! I chose to believe that I would make it through the surgery and I kept telling my husband over and over again that I wasn’t going to die. For some reason, I chose to believe that if I talked throughout the surgery, then there would be no possible way that I could die. So, according to my husband, I talked the entire time! (I was even told that I was telling the doctors what type of Cesarian I wanted.) The doctors gave me a spinal block because it was too risky to give me general anesthesia. (I might not be able to “come out” of the anesthetic). It was a rough road after the surgery, with a lot of nasty medications to take to keep from slipping into a coma, from hemorrhaging, or convulsing, and my liver was in the process of trying to heal itself. My liver had almost shut down because of the Hellp Syndrome. ( I had 2 years of follow-up work done for my liver to make sure ti was healing) My Gallbladder and appendix were near to rupturing ( they recovered while in the hospital, but in 2001 my gallbladder went and in 2003 my appendix went) My kidneys had almost shut down. My spleen was engorged. A lot of my organs now had to find a way to heal and recover so it was a touchy situation for the first 48 hours after the surgery. I ended up spending seven days in the hospital being carefully monitored. Tests were done daily to check my liver counts. All my insides were being checked by ultrasounds to make sure I was recovering and healing from the Hellp syndrome. I was relieved to be in the care of doctors and nurses that truly cared about my health! (15 yrs later, I have fibromyalgia, nerve damage and ptsd that I have been told are from the trauma of HELLP syndrome.)

   After my seven days stay in the hospital I was finally discharged to go home. It was bittersweet leaving the hospital because I had the convenience of being one floor away from my son. This had made it quite simple to get answers to my questions and for the nurses and doctors to tell us how our son was doing on a daily basis. It was hard for me to go home knowing that I was leaving my little boy behind at the hospital. I was going home to an empty “crib.” I just prayed that he would be joining me soon for his own homecoming! Each day, I slowly started getting my strength back. I started getting a healthier color back on my skin and I was able to move around better. My organs were finally healing too. I was determined to recover quickly because I wanted to be healthy enough to care for my son. Then, the unexpected happened. I thought, at 2 weeks post surgery, I was finally on the mend, when I realized I had some gooey, icky stuff coming from my incision. I called my OB/GYN and told her about it and I was instructed to come right down to her office. It was determined from a skin graft that I was now dealing with a staff infection. Once again, I found myself on some intense medications and I was told that if it didn’t clear up, I would have to go through another surgical procedure. Well, right then and there, I knew, in my mind, that this infection would not get the best of me. I took care of the infection to the exact details of the doctors instructions and I assured myself I would not miss any of my visitations to see my son nor was I going to go through another procedure! I was very relieved when I was able to have this crisis end and I never needed the second operation.

   In the meantime, I was trying to find the physical and emotional strength to be with my son who was going through the biggest battle of his life! He was born 3lbs, which we were told, at the time, that he was a “porker” for how early he was. This didn’t really mean a thing to us because, for our eyes, he was so frail and tiny. His lungs were thinner than tissue paper. He had a condition where my blood was being rejected from his body, even though I was 0+. It was a condition called A B O incompatibility. He was put onto Life support because he couldn’t breath or live without it. The first few days in the NICU were just torturous. His lungs were so fragile that he really struggled with his breathing. His arterial ductus was not closing, and even with his frailty, he was pulling his breathing tubes out of his chest. The Doctors had to re-incubate him several times. He dealt with numerous episodes of apnea and bradycardia. He developed numerous infections. He was on 100% oxygen and he was also receiving caffeine to try to stimulate his central nervous system into getting his body to functioning properly. He had hyperbilirubinemia, so he was under “billy lights,’ and he had retinopathy of prematurity. He also struggled for weeks with his feedings. It was an understatemnent to say I was overwhelmed by all of this terminology and these conditions that my son had.

   Each day was a roller coaster of emotions. Some days we were told he might not make it through the night and other days we were told that he was doing well or that he “had a good day.” It was just so hard to hear the good news and the bad news and at times, to think that we might be laying our son to rest. I struggled seeing him on life support with all the “bells and whistles” everywhere. On top of that, we could only visit with him twice a day. Initially, we were not even allowed to hold him or touch him. This was due to the fact that his nerves were still too close to the surface of his skin and because of that, touching him, would hurt him. That was some of the hardest times for me because I so desperately wanted to hold him in my arms and comfort him. He also had these patches over his eyes, so we didn’t see them for a while. The Doctors had to protect them from the lights and movements because they were not fully developed when he was delivered. I spent many nights crying and trying desperately to understand what had happened. I asked all the time “why us?” It was a very challenging emotional fight. I wanted to be strong for Daniel while we visited with him. I wanted to be calm. I wanted him to have a sense that both my husband and myself were confident about the situation. I would read to him, play music for him, tell him how proud I was of him for fighting through all these medical issues. I left stuffed animals in his little bed in hopes that he would feel security. But, once our visitations were over, I would be back at home crying again and praying for strength. His little, tiny body was truly being put through the biggest fight of its life. The fight for survival.

   After about 1 1/2 weeks in the NICU my husband and I were at home when we received a phone call from the doctors. It was disheartening news. Since our son was on 100% oxygen, he had developed a germinal matrix hemorrhage ( brain bleed). From the cat scans they had done, it was showing signs of a condition called hydrocephalus ( fluid on the brain ). They needed permission to do a spinal tap to remove the fluid from the brain. This was another devastating blow. Our son would now be monitored with daily cat scans to watch the growth of his head which would inform the doctors of the amount of pressure in his brain. Two more hemorrhages occurred in the following days and so his condition was getting worse. His fontanel was soft, which was were the fluid rests, so I started praying like crazy for his head to heal. When the doctors explained more about hydrocephalus and that he might need a shunt…oh me… that was about all I could handle and from that moment on, once we were allowed to hold and touch our son, I would “talk” to his head. I would tell it that it was doing a great job healing. I would tell our son that he was a “trooper” and could fight through anything! I would rub his head constantly telling it that it was healing. I promised that by rubbing his head, I would help him heal. I was not going to allow anyone to cut into his brain and place a shunt in there. This freaked me out! You can’t even imagine!! I knew about the infections that could occur, that the shunt would have to be replaced throughout his life and all of this was just too much for me to swallow, so I had to talk to our son and his head all the time and let them both know that they would heal. This practice, for me, went on for over a year. I would always rub his head and tell it that it was doing a great job healing and I constantly told my son how proud I was that he was not giving up!!! I was persistent with this thought process. I truly believed that if I rubbed his head at any chance that I got, and talked to his head and to him, the hydrocephalus would resolve!

   Now, going back a few steps, our son ended up living in the NICU for almost 60 days. He struggled being weaned off of the caffeine and he struggled getting off of the 100% oxygen. There were times when the Doctors thought he was going to be breathing on his own and there were moments when he was back on oxygen. After 11 days on life support, the oxygen in-take had finally come down to stable numbers, so the doctors finally felt comfortable moving him over to an oxygen bed. I was nervous at first, but with the reassurance of the doctors and the nurses, I realized that he was going to be fine in this bed. Eventually, with several attempts, they even got our son to “room air.” What an exciting time that was! Our son also had numerous tubes and wires in his body. There were ones for gavage (feeding), transfusions, heart monitors, blood pressure cuffs, his chest tubes etc… I’ll never forget the one day when they told us he needed a transfusion but because he had so many wires and tubes all over his body,( he was out of room), they had to put it through his scalp! Thank Goodness they warned us about that! But, the one thing that kept me going, was the fact that he was the one going through all of these complications and he just kept fighting and fighting through it all. He became known as “the little trooper.” His strength made me stronger. His fighting power in himself, made me believe even more that we would all find a way to bring him home! I prayed, churches everywhere were praying, I was receiving emails of hope and good wishes daily that would help me so much in lifting my spirits and I just had this undeniable belief, that it was not my son’s turn yet to leave this earth! I was not brought up with religion or the bible but one thing I must say, is that God heard everyone’s prayers; he recognized my strength and my son’s and saw our incredible desire to survive! I have become an enormous believer in the power of prayer and at the time, I used all the positive energy within my being to help keep my son on earth. I truly believed that he would come home and that he would be able to get through this NICU experience.

   Now, if you were wondering about the hydrocephalus, our son was watched by a pediatric neurosurgeon for over a year. My son had cat scans after cat scans that were all showing hydrocephalus. Our surgeon however, chose to be very conservative in the way that he would monitor our son and so he chose not to put a shunt in our son’s brain. This made me incredibly happy because I still wouldn’t believe that he needed one! It was almost about 15 months after our son’s birth, that we were following up on the results of yet another scan. Our Neurosurgeon called us in for an appointment to review the findings and let me tell you, I was TENSE! Our son’s primary care physician had noticed a large increase in our son’s ventricle size earlier in the week and had ordered this cat scan to be done. I was sure this was going to be the news we were dreading. I thought, “Ok. Prepare yourself. They are going to have to put a shunt in.” To my complete surprise, our Neurosurgeon showed us the cat scan and said, ” I don’t know how to explain this. But, we have a normal pediatric brain cat scan.” Both my husband and I had learned how to read the cat scans because they had done so many and we couldn’t believe what we were seeing and hearing. I just couldn’t believe it. I asked the doctor if they had the wrong child’s scan and he said “no”. I asked how it could be possible that it resolved and he said, “I don’t know.” I just stood there in the room shocked! I made him do another scan to prove to me that his scan was truly normal. Guess what? It came back normal again! No-one really knows how his hydrocephalus resolved, but I do know what I saw on the printed report from the scan. I saw a TRUE MIRACLE. Miracles really happen!

   My son, was born on Leap Year of 2000 and spent almost 60 days in the NICU. He came home from the hospital at the end of April, just in time for my husband’s Birthday!!! There were still many medical appointments and follow-up appointments to go to, but it didn’t matter because we finally had our son home!

   Pray, believe, have faith and never give up!

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9. Oops! Part two. I’m so grateful for my family’s support mainly my husband, Jason. For his support financially and emotionally through my health issues these last 8 years. Knowing we can fuel our bodies with healthy, alkalining foods is so encouraging. I’m grateful for people like yall who bring so much awareness, encouragement & hope to many including myself. Thanks!!!

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10. I will try and keep my story brief :). I’m a young mom who has battled an immune deficiency for the last 8 years since I was 24 years old. I was in the middle of a move in NC, while pregnant with my second child, a son and was constantly sick. I was on 8 courses of antibiotics and worried to death over my son’s state inside of my womb. The doctors said he would be fine. Come to find out after my pregnancy, I did have a run down system and was told my immunoglobulins were literally rock bottom. I’d need weekly shots in the stomach or monthly blood transfusions. I refused to take such drastic measures, sought after a naturopathic in CT and changed our way of eating to all organic foods, got on my a y holistic supplements in addition to having a major overgrowth if yeast and having parasites in my gut. It was utterly overwhelming but I was determined. For 6 years I did the best I could, but in the end I just needed the boost of monthly blood infusions. For how long, only God knows but I trust him wholly! It’s been 1 year of monthly transfusions and I’m feeling better overall which is a Blessing. If this issue never happened, who knows maybe I would have never changed my lifestyle and my family’s to whole foods, eating non-GMO foods but everything happens in life for a reason and we don’t know the why’s but we do have control with the how’s. How we are going to choose to live. Foods fuel or deplete our bodies of what they need. We are all on a journey, many different from each other’s but I’m very grateful for websites and books like this and look forward to implementing wonderful recipes like this in my home. I’d love to win a copy of this book! It would definitely be well used, loved and much appreciated. CF

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11. I am so thankful for my friend Sue. We have been friends for almost 50 years. Even though we don’t see each other as often as we used to, I know that she is always there for me and vice versa. I am trying to begin the clean cuisine because arthritis is starting to affect my hands, and I am determined to stop it in its tracks!

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12. About 10 years ago, my boyfriend and I were going to a New Years Eve party where I was going to meet his best friends girlfriend. I was hesitant as I was worried about her not liking me. It turned out that we clicked instantly. A few years later we became quite close and since we live a few hours away from each other, we talked on the phone for hours at a time.
    A few years into our friendship, she let me know that she has multiple sclerosis. To be honest, at that time I had no idea what to say or do.
    Little did I know…a few more years later, I would be in a hospital bed hearing doctors diagnose me with multiple sclerosis. Instantly I needed to call my friend Andrea.
    With such a devastating diagnosis, I knew and still know…we both have the best support in each other. We understand what it seems others don’t.
    We still talk for hours and hours every week.
    I know this will change as Andrea is now expecting her first child in April. I am so excited to watch her on this exciting journey!
    I am thankful everyday that we have become so close and that we have such a strong connection.
    Thank goodness we went to that New Years party!

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13. I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at age 32. I was a single mom of a 3 year old girl. My life was turned upside down and I was in a very dark place. Through the support of my wonderful friends and family, I was able to get through a very difficult time in my life. Most importantly, I was introduced to functional medicine, which lead to managing my MS through supplements and adopting a “clean” eating lifestyle (no medication). Within months, my symptoms began to improve. I found Clean Cuisine by searching the web, and I’ve been an avid fan and follower since. Ivy’s recipes are delicious and nutritious! I also have her book and workout video. She is an inspiration! It’s been over 3 years since my diagnosis and I’ve been symptom free since! I owe it all to clean eating and a healthy lifestyle!

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14. Steph and I have been blessed with the sweetest friendship, since we met when we were in 7th grade (12 years old). We like so many that have been friends as long as we have, 34 years, feel more like sisters than just friends. We endured the struggles of Jr High together, boys, social acceptance, family issues such as alcoholism and money issues and then the ups and downs of High School taking breaks from each other as we gave one another the space to grow into who we needed/wanted to be, enjoying proms together and the heartaches of boyfriend issues. College brought a entirely new set of life experiences that although heart breaking and life altering solidified our relationship. We both went through our first loves dying Freshman (for me) and Sophomore (for her) years and all of the emotional and physical challenges that came with that. After college we lived together as roommates for 3 years, having a blast in our early 20’s, until the heart break of Steph moving away with her soon to be husband. Steph and I were each married 4 months apart from each other and we bought our first houses across the street from each other. It felt like a dream come true having your best friend from 7th grade living in her house across the street from yours as newly married women. We each have moved from that neighborhood, but our lives continue to parallel to this day with a variety of circumstances (health, kids, parents). Although we do not talk daily our relationship is stronger than ever and we rely heavily on one another along with our Faith to get us through all of life’s difficult times. My relationship with Steph is partially responsible for making me who I am today and I am blessed daily to have had and still have the honor of her being my best friend.

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15. I am thankful for a group of mom friends I have known for over 18 years. We have all been through a lot together. I would love this book.

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