If you have heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke or have had a heart attack you have been blocking love and real communication for most of your life. Maybe you started off as a toddler trying, but then you didn’t feel safe so you shut down your heart and your words. Maybe you were punished for saying no. This can be healed like everything else. First, start being brave with yourself in writing. Go inside and discover why you can’t speak or love the way you need to. Dialogue about it with yourself. Then be braver and dialogue about it with someone that you know is safe. Emotional trauma leads to physical trauma and both can heal. You know what to do. Find your own unique way to do it in a community of people that want you to be well. We like to hear your voice. We love your song. Sing along, poetica. Your rhyme is strong.

If you are suffering from heart troubles you need grounding, not just communication. An excellent food for grounding is lasagna. I have about six kinds. Get out your lasagna pan. Put marinara, blush, alfredo, sun-dried tomato pesto, red pepper pesto, arugula pesto, basil pesto, vegetarian meat sauce, mushroom sauce or a combination of marinara and alfredo on the bottom of the pan. Layer in uncooked lasagna noodles long-ways. Dollop whole milk ricotta cheese in nine spoonfuls. Add mozzarella and shredded parmesan. You can add Italian vegetarian sausage, ground veggie meat, vegetarian chorizo for lasagna Bolognese. You can add spinach and sliced mushrooms or a variety of vegetables for vegetable lasagna. Or you can leave it plain. You could also make a vegetable lasagna with half and half as the sauce but it is a little tricky because you pour in about an inch of half and half and then you have to check it half way through to see if the noodles are cooking. After the bottom layer, add sauce again. Then layer noodles in the other direction and add other layers of cheese and noodles and sauce until pan is full. Layer cheese on top. Add one half inch of water from empty the jar of sauce that has been shaken with the lid on and then bake at 375 degrees for fifty minutes or until bubbly all through and tender. Let rest for ten minutes out of the oven before serving.

Another simple meal to make is baked ziti in a pot. You’d boil the noodles, drain them, add sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, shredded parmesan to the pot and stir. You could put spinach in and reheat. If you want veggie meat or mushrooms you’d have to cook them before adding. Top with grated parmesan cheese. Yum!

Eggplant Parmesan can be made by peeling and slicing eggplant, dipping in soymilk and breadcrumbs, then layering with sauce on bottom , then eggplant, then ricotta, mozzarella, shredded parmesan, more sauce and more layers. You could also use zucchini and yellow squash.

Clams casino is peppers, onions and mushrooms if desired cut small sautéed with parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs. Place a little soy sauce or Bragg’s on top of a slice of extra firm tofu, place pepper mixture on top, bake in oven and serve with cocktail sauce or tartar sauce.

A lovely meal that satisfies the belly like old-fashioned roast beef and potatoes and carrots used to is baked potatoes (russet or Idaho poked several times with a fork) with butter, sour cream, salt and pepper and shredded cheddar cheese. Sautéed mushrooms, which are sliced mushrooms with minced garlic in the jar and earth balance and a little salt. Steamed broccoli with butter and salt. Also make nutritional yeast tofu, which is sliced extra firm tofu in a baking dish with Bragg’s and nutritional yeast, baked at 375 degrees in the oven with the potatoes.

A falafel platter is falafel, which you can get frozen, steak fries or onion rings, tsaziki sauce, naan or pita and a Greek salad.

Perogies are good with peas, butter and parmesan cheese.

A delicious hearty crockpot meal is thymie potato stew. That’s potatoes, half and half, soy milk and heavy cream to cover, shredded cheddar cheese, thyme, basil, fresh cilantro, oregano, and red bell pepper. You could also add carrots, chickpeas, spinach and cauliflower.

Another crockpot meal is Terra Cotta Stew, which is sweet potatoes, chick peas, spinach, a little Bragg’s, a can of tomatoes and coconut milk.

Vegetarian meatballs and sausage are old-time crockpot staples with spaghetti or for subs. Meatballs can be found in the frozen section.

Vegetarian meatloaf uses veggie crumble with ketchup and breadcrumbs and grated parmesan cheese as the way to make it stick together. You can top with tomato sauce. Serve with succotash which is corn and lima beans and mashed potatoes with gravy.

Cheese ravioli and tortellini and gnocchi are good with all sauces , including pesto. Garlic bread can be made with rustic bread or sourdough bread, earth balance spread, minced garlic from a jar, garlic powder, salt and oregano.

Sloppy joe is just Manwich sauce with veggie crumbles or tvp on buns. Serve with coleslaw and french fries.

Chicken parmesan is just a vegetarian chicken patty with sauce and provolone cheese baked in the toaster oven. You could make a whole pan like lasagna by layering sauce and the different kinds of cheeses and chicken fingers or chicken patties.

Tofurky deli slices are good for wraps and sandwiches. You could have a hot turkey or roast beef sandwich by making gravy which is vegetable stock, soy sauce, earth balance and flour. You can buy vegetable stock or get the vegetarian better than boullion on amazon and make it yourself. There is also a Tofurky roast for Thanksgiving and Italian sausage and kielbasa.

Oatmeal is good for breakfast. Or seven grain cereal. Add all kinds of toppings like chocolate chips, coconut, dried cherries, dried cranberries, walnuts, butter, salt, and half and half.

Overnight oats are what we take to the office. Mix oats, plain or vanilla whole milk yogurt with real sugar, and soymilk so oats are moist and covered but not soupy. Place almond butter or peanut butter, maple syrup, and frozen fruit on top. Place in refrigerator overnight. I like the insulated food jars on amazon.

Scrambled tofu is extra firm tofu, nutritional yeast, original soy milk, and Bragg’s sautéed for just a few minutes. Serve with vegetarian sausage links and patties, vegetarian bacon, biscuits, milk gravy ( soymilk, flour, salt and pepper or add veggie crumbles to make chipped beef) and fruit salad to make a fabulous meal.

Vegetarian sausage or bacon with a biscuit cooked in the toaster oven at the same time with a slice of cheddar or provolone cheese folded over and added when done is a filling hearty breakfast. You could also add a vegan egg. Which is like an omelet and comes in a carton.