Hi Gina! Although I can't furnish you with recipes I can offer some suggestions... Since a blocked artery caused the heart attack than means he'll have to cut down on the bad fats as well as sodium... The first month or so I went overboard, cutting out just about all fats and anything with salt... Hubby was mainly eating fruits and oatmeal... Needless to say that wasn't good, he wasn't getting all the things his body needed to stay healthy and became as weak as a new born kitten... I contacted a dietician and she told me hubby could have as much as 60 g of fat, the good kind, and 2000 mg of sodium a day ( depends on weight and height )... The only fats he should stay away from are saturated and trans fats... I came up with the idea of keeping track of everything I feed him, the amounts, the fats and the sodium and that turned out to be a life saver... ( I disregarded keeping track of his cholesterol because new studies state that it's the bad fats and genes which clog the arteries. ) You'll really be surprised on just how much one can eat, without gaining weight, if you cut back of fatty foods... After the first few days I knew I was going way overboard, he was only getting 20 to 30 g of fat and 900 mg of sodium... Hardly enough to sustain a 5'6", 150 pound man... After the second week I had a good handle on just how much I could feed him and still stay within the guidelines... Now for the suggestions... Read the labels, REALLY read them... If something says fat free make sure you check the serving size... Cooking spray for example, it says no fat but a serving size is a spray lasting for 1/3 of a second!.. How does one time 1/3 of a second??? By the time you count to 1 you already have 1.5 g of fat and if you want to coat the whole pan we're talking close to 4 or 5 g of fat and the scary part is that, with some sprays, a good part of that is saturated fat!!! For me, a much better and cheaper way is to dab a paper towel with canola oil and wipe the pan until you only see a sheen and no droplets, no saturated fat, in fact only a trace of any fat. The same goes for salt, READ the labels... Hidden sodium and fats are really high in convenience foods, cake mixes, prepared goodies, Hamburger Helper, canned stews, chili and such, as well as restaurant food... So far I've found No Added salt canned veggies ( hubby prefers canned to frozen, why I don't know! ), tomatoes & tomato sauce and even no salt ketchup all at the local store. I picked up some no sodium baking powder at the health food store. On your meats, if you trim off all the fat you can see, beef and pork aren't really all that bad... Two & a half oz of pork only has 3.4 mg of saturated fat, 2.8 oz of lean beef only has 2.7 g of saturated fat while a chicken drumstick has 3 g of saturated fat... ( facts from USDA book Nutritive Value of Foods )... If you want to use ground chicken or turkey grind it yourself, when you buy it in the store they include the skin and fat.... It's really hard to tell a man he can only have 3 or 4 oz of meat but he'll complain less if you really fill him up with other foods... Low fat low salt foods... Example, 4 oz of baked chicken ( skin removed), cup of peas, cup of creamed corn, two medium potatoes ( no skin, boiled ), cup apple sauce, two slices of store bought bread and 12 oz of apple juice... Total fat 9 g, total sodium 474 mg. ( close to 300 mg was from the bread alone )... If I could find no salt bread I could feed hubby 4 meals a day just like this and still stay within his limits... ( if he could eat that much... lol ) A few hints... I still give hubby 'fried' potatoes BUT I 'fry' them in water and add 1 tablespoon canola oil... As the water boils away the potatoes cook and the oil starts to brown them... You have to keep flipping the potatoes to get a nice 'fried' color... I still drain the potatoes on paper towels... I grind my own beef and pork for hamburgers and patties then 'fry' them, covered, in a little bit water until cooked then a few minutes without the cover to brown them up a bit... Some times they're a bit on the dry side but a squirt of no salt ketchup or a thick slice of a juicy tomato fixes that... Above all tell your sister-in-law to cut back on his fats and make sure he takes all his meds, every day... He has to get his HDL's up and the only way to do that is quit smoking ( very important for a heart attack patient ), some sort of exercise for 30 minutes a day and cut way back on the bad fats... She doesn't need the added stress of taking care of a hubby who has had a stroke. Rita

There are quite a few members here who are concerned with creating heart healthy meals for either themselves or loved ones. Shambo comes to mind. She has a blog which you will find very informative. I watch the sodium in our meals, too. I used to cook for a heart patient. I focus on adding herbs, vinegars, lemon juice, and wine (not for a diabetic probably) for flavor punches that make you forget there is no salt. The good thing about adopting a low sodium diet is that in a short time the palate adjusts and anything with salt will taste unpleasantly salty. Cooking methods like grilling and broiling add flavor without salt or fat. I use cooking sprays or a tiny bit of olive oil for all my pan cooking. For ease the Mrs. Dash selection of herb mixes are very good. My 16 year old is salt conscious and loves them. We use the tomato/basil/garlic and the table blends all the time. Here is a link that might be useful: Don't pass the salt! Shambo's blog.

Have you ever made and canned homeade applesauce? My folks are in the "needing heart healthy" treats category and they both love applesauce. I make it in half pint jars so it is good for just one or two servings. I make varieties too, like cranberry applesauce and blueberry applesace, and even strawberry applesauce. You can find gazillions of recipes on the web, I just wing it. To can, just ladle into sterlized canning jars, leave a half inch of air space, top with sterilized canning lids, and then put in a boiling water bath with water covering the tops of the jars over an inch, and boil for ten minutes to create a seal. Let cool for ten minutes more and then take out of the bath. Applesauce is one of the easiest things to can, because even with or without sugar, it is safe to can in a boiling water bath because apples are an acid fruit. That said, I always add a pinch of orange juice or lemon juice to my applesauce, I like the flavor better that way. I use and swear by golden delicious for applesauce, but I also like Empire and Cortland. Any kind of apple can make good sauce, some are just better than others. I often go to the "Eating Well" web site for ideas of healthy holiday gifts. I linked it below. You could probably find some applesauce recipes on that site too! Here is a link that might be useful: Healthy Holiday Gifts Eating Well

I hope you're feeling better! I don't know if this book is still available, but "Live Longer and Better" is a good resource for not only recipes but also for making good lifestyle choices. It was put out by the editors of Consumer Guide. My copy is 1994, I don't know if it's been updated, but if not check used book resources- it should be cheap. The South Beach diet is good for you too, as long as you stick to mostly fish and veggie meals. Too much cholesterol from meats, even lean meats, will not help your heart. I also have "Protein Power" by Eades and Eades which has many good recipes. It also has information about how your diet affects your health. The only other thing I would suggest is to ask your doctor about an exercise program if you don't already exercise regularly. Happy healing!