Welcome to Heart Tips Tuesday & cheesy Potatoes recipe( heart healthy of course)

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Greetings Sweet Friends,

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So how was your weekend???

Did you do something fun or interesting???

or creative and productive???

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Would love to hear about it!!

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I have decided to launch a new type of post

and call it  "Heart Tips Tuesday".

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My husband became a heart patient over

4 years ago,  and believe me,  we have

learned a lot about a heart healthy lifestyle!

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So thought some of you might possibly

have issues of your own,  or family members

who have problems or maybe coronary

artery disease might run in your family and

you want to be preventative!  Whatever the

case,  if you are interested check back every

Tuesday,  and I will share what I have learned.

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My hubby went for a routine physical and the

Dr. said your EKG stinks, and I am sending

you over to a Cardiologist this afternoon.

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He went and the Cardiologist said this could

be anywhere from a heart attack to a glitch

in the test,  so don't worry about it at this point,

but we do need to do a stress test.

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The next week we went in for him to have

the stress test, and tests showed he did have

a mild heart attack at some point.

The stress test was on our Son's 28th birthday,

 a Friday,  I will never forget!!

  Hubby was sent directly from the Drs. office to the

 hospital,  as I followed the ambulance and he was

put right into ICU.  They had his room waiting!

  Shocking......... to say the least!

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He did fine all weekend, course, he was there

 because the Dr. was afraid he was gonna have a

serious heart attack at any minute.

 He was scheduled for a heart Cath on Monday,

 our 35th Wedding Anniversary!

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Our Elders came and prayed over him and I

told the Dr. before he went in, not to be

surprised when he got in there, if he didn't find

anything, cause they had been so well prayed over!

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The Dr. straightened up and said Mrs....... Your

husband has coronary artery disease,  to which

I said, "I know,  but the Lord can heal him".

He just gave me a blank stare and I am sure

he was thinking this lady is crazy in denial!!  lol

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Long story short, the Dr. came out after the

heart cath and told me he probably was gonna

need 3 bypasses,  and I was in shock,  I am

thinking 3 bypasses,  he is only 57, how can

he need 3 bypasses.  He had surgery scheduled

for early the next morning less than 12 hrs. after

the heart cath.

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The next morning as he lay in the prep area waiting
 to go into surgery, the surgeon called me back and
showed me his heart on a tv screen, and showed me

the areas he was gonna have to put bypasses and
 now he tells me (he is a different Dr by the way.)

he thinks he will need 4-5 bypasses.  All I could
 think is the man is only 57, how can this be!!
  I didn't even know you could have more than 4,
 cause you only have 4 ventricles to your heart!

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Then they took him to surgery, it was about

 7 -8 hrs.surgery, if I remember correctly and then

the surgeon came out and said well,  I had to do

 6 bypasses.  I was just overwhelmed with

gratitude because I realized at that moment....

 this was the real miracle............that he was alive!

He had been playing raquetball and we had

spent months cleaning up our yard after all

 those 3 hurricanes in a row.  He could have

easily had a lethal heart attack during any of this

activity,  so I felt so blessed and grateful that

the Lord had protected him,  and that really

this was a great Anniversary present..........

because it meant I was gonna get to

keep my husband much longer!!

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Every since he came home from the hospital

over 4 years ago we have completely changed

our eating and exercise habits.  My hubby is

both his Cardiologist and Primary Care Drs.

"Star Patient".  He has done everything they

have told him and more.  He was borderline

diabetic, and has reversed that,  and we are

working on reversing this heart disease, and

we truly believe the Lord is involved due to

the recent stress test he took,  where it did

not show where he had ever had a heart attack

 at all, and the Dr. said that just never happens.

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The Dr. says he still has some issues but we

are truly believing especially after this recent

report that the Lord is at work in his heart,

and I believe the Lord is blessing his obedience
in following his Drs. orders,  and doing every
thing he can to keep himself healthy.  He has
been a good patient for this Nurse as well.
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I am only his Nurse,  not a real Nurse!! lol
But I have to say I have felt like a real nurse
at times!
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Well,  that's our story...............
Hope you enjoyed it!
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I will leave you with a recipe for
Heart Healthy Cheesy Potatoes
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1 - 10 3/4 oz. can reduced fat and reduced
sodium condensed cream of chicken soup


1 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar 
cheese (4 oz.)


1/2 cup fat-free Milk ( I use 1% Milk)


1/2 cup light dairy sour cream


1/3 cup finely chopped onion or 2 tablesp.
of dried minced onions


1/2 tsp. ground black pepper


1 -30 or 32 oz package frozen shredded or diced
hashbrown potatoes, thawed. (I used potatoes O'Brien 
because they have peppers and onions, and that went
 well with the Ham I was serving)


1/2 cup crushed cornflakes or crushed wheat cereal
flakes.  (I used 1 cup or more of cornflakes)


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Directions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a
2 qt. rectangular baking dish; set aside.  In a very 
large bowl, combine soup, cheese, milk, sour cream,
onion and pepper.  Stir in the potatoes.  spread 
mixture evenly in prepared baking dish.
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Cover and bake for 45 minutes, stir potatoes.
Sprinkle with cornflakes.  Bake uncovered,
for 20-25 minutes more or until heated through
and bubbly.  Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
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Great recipe with great taste,  you would
never no it was low-fat.  My family loved
it for New Years with Ham and Salad with
creamy parmesan dressing.
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I found this recipe on my.hearthealthyonline.com
just in case you would like to check it out!
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Well Sweet Friends
Have a great evening!


Hugs and Blessings,
Nellie