Lou, yes, you get a gold star. Linda C -- Thank you so much for the suggestion of broccoli cheese soup. I just dropped some off for Amy. We had a little of it, and it's great -- too fattening for the regular rotation, but a treat. Here is the recipe I used, based on SweetFoodie.com's recipe which is in turn based on EatingWell's. I didn't put any cayenne in because I am not sure that Amy wants even that tiny bit of spice, but I put it in my own bowl. Also I didn't get around to making the croutons, which would make it even better, I'm sure. Mmmm! Broccoli-Cheddar-Corn Chowder SOUP: 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 large onion, chopped 1 large carrot, diced 2 stalks celery, diced 1 large potato, peeled and diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 2 14-ounce cans vegetable broth 8 ounces broccoli crowns cut into 1-inch pieces, stems and florets separated (or buy a bag of pre-cut crowns)(I used one regular bunch of broccoli) 1 cup shredded reduced-fat (I used regular) Cheddar cheese 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream (I used Tofutti, as I had some) 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 can of corn, drained (I used frozen) CROUTONS: About 3 cups of your favorite bread, cubed. (I had pumpernickel on hand) 1/4 cup olive oil 1 1/2 tablespoons whole grain mustard 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt Soup Recipe: 1. Heat oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat (I think medium would be better next time). Add onion, carrot and celery; cook, stirring often, until the onion and celery soften, 5 to 6 minutes. Add potato and garlic; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in flour, dry mustard and cayenne; cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. 2. Add broth and broccoli stems; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Stir in florets; simmer, covered, until the broccoli is tender, about 10 minutes more. 3. Using an immersion blender or blender, puree the soup. 4. Stir in Cheddar and sour cream; cook over medium heat, stirring, until the cheese is melted and the chowder is heated through, about 2 minutes. 5. Mix in the canned corn 6. Season with salt 7. Serve with a sprinkle of cheese and a handful of croutons (see recipe below) Crouton Recipe (make while the soup is cooking): 1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees 2. Put the bread cubes in a large bowl and toss with the olive oil, mustard and salt until evenly covered. 3. Spread the cubes evenly on a baking sheet and bake for 10 - 20 minutes, or until the croutons are golden and crunchy. Toss them once or twice with a metal spatula along the way.

Wow you guys are great. This thread has more responses than any I have had on GW. I thank all for your responses, and will keep all the info. It means more to hear personal experiences and what has worked &/or others tips. He is starting on supplements, but as most of us know they get old real quick. He has lost 70 lbs over the last couple of months. I am not going to save him my desire is to support him as long as possible so he hopefully dies at home with dignity rather than go into an institution. Anyway, I have been around so much cancer the last 6 years I thought I would share my thoughts also. Maybe another poor soul will someday be in the same boat & these posts can benefit them. Lindac: your shake idea is great. He has been eating mainly ice cream for the last couple of months, so adding the extra calories would be great. He has refused chemo, but I agree on the acidic stuff. I have helped another friend with meals and cancer, and the tomato stuff always causes indigestion. Fresh tomatoes seem to be less of a problem. Orange juice is a definite no sometimes apple juice helps. The Mexican food sounds good. I tried making cheese taquitoes (sp) yesterday with fresh tortillas from a tortilleria, but they flopped. I think I need to use the rolled ones. ginger_st_thomas: Great site. It will keep me busy for some time. The Individual Cheese Pies, Macaroni and Cheese, & Creamy Potato Salad will be at the top of the list. I cook by feel, & the recipes give me tips on how to add extra calories. He eats peanut butter, so the snack spread might work. woodie2: I really like your overnight breakfast casserole. I was making a meal for two people with cancer last night. Sometimes helping people with cancer gets tiring, & an easy meal helps the helper. The bacon bread is also a nice finger food, & the rice bake looks nice and different. Potpie: I find your post especially interesting, as my friend also has lung cancer. As I am sure you know, it is a particularly bad cancer, & your fil is lucky to be around. I will try the caramel apple idea. You also make an important point. When cooking for cancer, be prepared to have your dishes tossed out or not eaten as these individuals can be picky &/or too sick to eat certain things. The helper should not get upset about this, & not be offended. It is just part of the role of a helper. Daisyduckworth, I am so sorry to hear about your friend. What you describe your friend experiencing lies further down my friends path. He can eat a little now, but he has been warned his eating will be eventually affected. It is or can be part of living with cancer. Sometimes you work yourself to the bone hoping to see that unique recovery only to see death. You are so very right about letting him decide. Success in helping a person with cancer, in my opinion, is being there for that person in whatever manner possible so they write that last chapter. Your cutting up fruit is a very good tip. Sometimes people with cancer will not eat whole fruit, but having something cut up appeals to them. Lisbet, I think the brand you spoke of is down the street from me. I am going to check it out. It would be a break from the supplements if he likes it. I like the idea that he could take it with decreased renal function, as my friend has that problem. I will check this one with his dietitian, however. Potpie, medicinal marijuana is legal in California, although the state and federal government are always arguing as to whether it is legal. I agree, when living with cancer it is time to break the rules. Lindac again. Daisyduckworth makes a very important point. Sometimes the path is as the doctor predicts sometimes you never know the time the outcome etc. Sometimes the suffering is a long path, sometimes people that should completely go into remission suddenly die; sometimes those that are expected to die beat the odds. I have seen people recover, but I personally do not like the word "cured." It can come back, & I do not want to jinx any good fortune, nor add any more to the wounds of those who have lost loved ones to cancer. Having said all that, here is my very bland egg roll recipe: 2 carrots diced ½ head napa cabbage ½ onion 10 or so mushrooms Vegetarian oyster sauce I used a tad of msg on one batch, but its use is up to the user. I sauté all ingredients in order of cooking time & add them to the dish. I then stuff the egg roll, seal it with cornstarch liquid & fry it. It takes about 45 minutes for a small batch. It is not a sophisticated recipe but it worked. Here are some of the other things I have found to be helpful if that person can eat it. Hard boiled eggs. Easy to prepare, grab & eat. Cabbage dishes are another good idea, as well as sauerkraut. Good for digestion. Cooked popcorn can be less upsetting than microwave popcorn. Broccoli, broccoli, broccoli. Fresh fruits and snacks always available. High fiber cereals and a variety of liquids available for constipation. Oatmeal, if tolerated for a bland meal. Supplemental vitamins and digestive enzymes if possible. These people need all the help they can get. Consider decreasing the meat. If they are losing weight, one may need to break the rules & add more meat. Last tip break the rules now & then. Remember stubbornness can be annoying, but sometimes it provides the fight that can result in more time. Please keep adding your comments and tips if you think of more. Baci

Tonight I put the pizza stone in the grill and baked Salmon with doctored up Costco Pesto sauce on top in an old deep dish pizza pan. Husband said it was the best I have ever made. It was served with Costco prepared couscous with an extra squeeze of half a lemon. Lunch was Costco prepared brushetta over Costco sliced demi baguettes, a little Costco crab dip and array of fresh fruit. Tomorrow will be leftovers from all the above. I think I will be shopping at Costco a lot during remodel and will cook up the large quantities of chicken breast packs on the grill, putting in zip locks and freezing. I will have lots of fresh veggies on hand as well as instant rice. Now that I know I can use my outside grill as an oven with the pizza stone in there I dont feel IÂll really be that limited and will even give casseroles a try using the already cooked chicken. I never had much counter space anyway so maybe this wonÂt be so bad.

10 years ago, DH and I did a DIY remodel. At that time we set up our old frige and a microwave on a table in our family room. At the time, we were both working full time and fairly young. I think we pretty much skipped breakfast and would grab a cup of coffee at the office. Lunches were always eaten out before starting the remodel. It was no big stretch for us to eat out for dinner too. Did I mention we were really young? At that time we'd order large dinners storing leftovers in the frige to reheat for dinner the next night. The few dishes we had were done in a utility sink in the garage, where our W/D were located. Our current remodel is also DIY, but this time we have 3 kids, so eating out is not really feasible either money wise or sanity wise, 3 more people with opinions who have collectively never agree on anything. We're not doing a total gut job, but we are doing some structural changes to one wall. Instead of demo-ing all at once, we're taking it apart bit by bit. Our plan is to keep the essentials running at all times. I hope this makes sense, becuase it's kind of hard to describe. This time around we already have our materials, stored in our garage and at a local storage unit. We bought our cabinets and granite from craigslist. We took out our pantry and brought in 2 of our base cabinets to our breakfast nook to store the food. We brought in one slab of granite to span the 2 cabinets. On top of that we've got a microwave and a single induction cooktop I bought at Overstock. We've taking our oven completely out of commission, in fact I just sold it last night on craigslist. So far, we've had successful meals cooked on this induction and/or our grill. I've been trying to make the entree the single hot meal, and have fresh veggies as the sides. This is the perfect time of year for that. DH did frozen pizza on the grill using a pizza stone, yum. Although he did burn the first one trying to get used to the whole set up. Breakfasts are not too different. Cereal, toater stuff. I've got an electric griddle and waffle maker if we want to do pancakes or waffles. We're trying to be really creative as you can tell : 0 ) Good luck!