Through a health problem 20 years ago, I started learning about the body. An important thing that I learned at the time was God made our bodies to heal themselves. If you want a healthy body, eat healthy, take good supplements (I've always taken this one thing religiously "Barley Green"), exercise, drinks lots of water, and breath correctly. After all we are made up mostly of water and air. I wish I could say that for the last 20 years I have done everything I learned originally but I haven't. I have had my ups and downs. I did have one whole year without sugar. :)

Recently, my husband and our two sons attended a meeting. The last day of the meeting a man spoke on health. It really made an impact on them and they haven't been the same since. Great for me, because for the first time we are all on board regarding our convictions about what we eat. It makes life a lot easier.

So, one of the things I would like to do is share my healthy recipes and I would like to hear about yours. In 20 years, I only have one recipe for something sweet that is truly good and healthy. Everything else I have tried taste terrible (regarding sweets). I have a lot of good recipes that are wonderful, some bordering on healthy and some not so healthy but really good. I'll share those too.

This is a new recipe I came up with recently and we all love it.

Albacore Salad with Dill Vinaigrette

Mix greens (I used one head of Romaine, fresh spinach, one head of red leaf)
2 large cans of Albacore (drained)
4 medium sliced tomatoes
1 large cucumber diced
1 sweet onion (cut in half and sliced)

toss and add dill vinaigrette

Dill Vinaigrette
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar ( I didn't have tarragon the first time I made this and used champagne vinegar and it was great also).
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2-3 cloves of minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon of hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Shake well and cover. Will keep a week in frig.

This salad will feed 6 people.

If I had but two loaves of bread, I would sell one and buy flowers, for they would feed my soul.
How many times have I ooched into our grocery budget to buy flowers when I have stopped by a nursery. I can hardly contain myself when I stop by a nursery. I love it all! Trees, shrubs and flowers!

One of my favorite things to do this time of the year is to look through my new seed catalogs. One of my favorites arrived several weeks before Christmas. I spent the better part of yesterday looking through it and planning my garden for the spring. I can't wait to get out there and start working and planting.

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds is at the top of my favorite list for seed catalogs. It was started by Jere Gettle a 17 year old homeschooled traditionalist from the Ozarks. It has now grown into the largest selection of heirloom and other unusual seeds from around the world. The catalog is packed full of great pictures, inspirational quotes and a lot of information regarding each seed.

Jere and his wife Emilee are true patriots. They are concerned about the preservation and quality of our food for they see that it is endangered.

They have created a quaint little town in Mansfield, Missouri called Bakersville Pioneer Village. They have Heritage Day Festivals year round. I hope to attend one in May. They have lots of vendors selling seeds, plants, crafts, food, wonderful folk music and lectures on gardening. Sounds like a great time. Also, Laura Engels Wilder's home is not far from Bakersville Pioneer Village.

One of my goals this year is to start my heirloom tomato plants from seed and then to save the seed from the tomatoes so I can plant them next year. This is all new for me so I will keep you posted on my progress.

Just think about this, if we plant heirloom seeds the tomatoes and other vegetables we see growing in our garden may have been the same ones growing in Thomas Jefferson's garden!

I love gardening, cooking, and interior design and from my passion for these things Heart of the Home was birthed ten years ago. Presently, I do catering on a small scale, not over 50-75 people and some interior design work. On various occasions, I have done landscape design projects.

My love of gardening and cooking comes from my beloved mother and grandmother. I come from a long line of wonderful cooks and gardners. I have vivid memories of my mother and grandmother's beautiful flower and veggie gardens.

My mother and grandmother also had a great talent for making a house a home without spending alot of money and lucky for me, I inherited that gift also.

It's my desire that thru my blog I might enrich your life as I hope you will enrich mine.

May this be a year of blessings for us all!