Pink Flamingo Health & Wellness, LLC

09/14/2026

Pink Fkamingo Health and Wellness will be at this fun event! It’s in a beautiful location with many great vendors-well worth the trip.

🚨 VENDOR UPDATE — SEPTEMBER 13 🚨
The inside is FULL! 🙌
But we still have OUTDOOR vendor spots available! 🌳🛍️
Want to join us for Junkin Under the Oaks? Don’t wait grab your outdoor spot while they last!

09/11/2026

𝐒𝐚𝐦 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭. 𝟏𝟎𝐭𝐡: “𝑶𝒖𝒓 𝑮𝒐𝒅 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒏 𝑨𝒘𝒆𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝑮𝒐𝒅!”
By Shelly Burke-Rodriguez, RN, IAC, Owner Pink Flamingo Health and Wellness

When we got into the van after our last appointment yesterday, Sam turned to me and said, “𝑂𝑢𝑟 𝐺𝑜𝑑 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑤𝑒𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝐺𝑜𝑑!” Through my happy tears, I agreed! We are so blessed that Sam has minimal side effects from the daraxonrasib (since it’s now FDA approved you’ll also hear it referred to by its trade name, Rasonque); we don’t need to see the oncologist again until the middle of next month!

A𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 90% 𝙤𝙛 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙧𝙪𝙜 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖 𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙝; we are thankful that Sam’s dermatologist says his rash is “mild” and is not expected to get any worse! It’s an acne-like rash on his face, chest and back. Sam says that sometimes it makes him feel like an awkward teenager again—he’s glad he doesn’t have to worry about having senior pictures taken or asking girls out on a date! Thankfully, most days it’s hardly noticeable.

𝙊𝙛 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙬𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙨—we have more to be thankful for in that Sam’s liver enzymes are all normal or heading down back to normal! We were almost home when my phone alerted me to more results; three tumor markers were also checked and ALL THREE ARE DECREASED! One of them is lower than it has been since this all started and it is only ONE POINT ABOVE NORMAL! Tears again…and all praise and thanks to God for answering our prayers and the prayers of so many praying for us! We are so blessed!

We do not need to see the oncologist until next month, when Sam will have a CT Scan and blood tests, to see how the daraxonrasib is working; it inhibits tumor growth by targeting the proteins that drive tumor growth so we pray to see evidence of this on the CT Scan and labs. 𝑊𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑒’𝑣𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑡 𝑁𝑒𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑠𝑘𝑎 𝑀𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑒—𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑒𝑥𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑑, 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑙𝑒𝑑𝑔𝑒𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒, 𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝𝑓𝑢𝑙—𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑤𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑛𝑜𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑔𝑜 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑓𝑒𝑤 𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑘𝑠!

𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙟𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙣𝙚𝙬𝙨, 𝙬𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙖𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙—people who did not get good test results. Children and spouses who died, despite prayers for healing. Family members and friends in the midst of grief. Those in the midst of illness, disease, personal and family struggles. I wish I had the “right” words to “make it all better” for everyone who is struggling in any way.

𝙄 𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙂𝙤𝙙’𝙨 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙃𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙨.
As we have felt so many times these last months, God is with us—ALWAYS. He hears our prayers—ALL OF THEM. Again and again we have turned to God and His Word. 𝑆𝑎𝑚 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐼 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑛𝑜𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑖𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑎𝑦𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝐺𝑜𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢!

As believers, we have the unshakable promise of heaven and eternal life. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵, 𝗚𝗼𝗱, 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻, 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗱—𝗣𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘂𝘁! To me, to Sam, to a friend who is a believer, to a pastor, priest, clergy person—if you message me I will put you in touch with one of our pastors. 𝙎𝙖𝙢 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙀𝙑𝙀𝙍𝙔𝙊𝙉𝙀 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚, 𝙞𝙣 𝘾𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩. 𝙒𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 “𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙙𝙚𝙙”—𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚!

🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏

Between Sam’s appointments we visited Dani in Blair. She slowly continues to get stronger physically but the nephrologist is recommending regular dialysis as her kidney function is decreasing again and they are having trouble getting the extra fluid out of her body. Unfortunately this added level of medical need may prevent her from going to drug rehab. We are praying that she will qualify for skilled care; her age and being on Medicaid make it difficult to find placement but it is not safe for her to go back to her previous living situation.

If anyone reading this has professional experience and knowledge in dealing with complicated situations like this, please let me know. The Social Worker and Case Manager are working on it too; it is a complicated situation and the usual placement resources are just not available to her. We know God has a plan for her!
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𝘞𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘴! 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥’𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘴! 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳, 𝘦𝘵𝘤., 𝘴𝘰 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳. 𝘐 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦.

𝐽𝑒𝑠𝑢𝑠 𝑠𝑎𝑖𝑑, “𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑙𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠…” Matthew 28:20

“𝑆𝑜 𝑑𝑜 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑓𝑒𝑎𝑟, 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑦𝑜𝑢; 𝑑𝑜 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑦𝑒𝑑, 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝐺𝑜𝑑. 𝐼 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝 𝑦𝑜𝑢; 𝐼 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑢𝑝ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑚𝑦 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑒𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑑.” Isaiah 41:10

“𝐵𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑜𝑢𝑠. 𝐷𝑜 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑎𝑓𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑑 𝑜𝑟 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚, 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝐺𝑜𝑑 𝑔𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑦𝑜𝑢; ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑛𝑜𝑟 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑠𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢.” Deuteronomy 31:6

“𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑓𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑤𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐺𝑜𝑑: 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑓 𝑤𝑒 𝑎𝑠𝑘 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙, ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑢𝑠.” 1 John 5:14

“𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑓𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑤𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐺𝑜𝑑: 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑓 𝑤𝑒 𝑎𝑠𝑘 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙, ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑢𝑠.” Psalm 145:18

🦩 🦩 🦩 🦩 🦩 🦩 🦩 🦩

Totally off the topic but in the spirit of spreading good news and encouraging others--😊 between our first doctor’s appointment, visiting Dani in Blair, and our second doctor’s appointment, we made a QUICK trip to Costco (I don’t think we’ve ever managed such a full cart and impressive total in such a short amount of time!)! The pictured chocolate is HIGHLY recommended—and I have a very high standard for “good” chocolate! I’ll share a piece or two if you ask!

09/05/2026

09/02/2026

𝐄𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐞!
𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐅 𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐄!

Summer is not over!

These products will be effective, fresh, and safe to use next year; I'm working on fall, holiday, and other new products and need room for them! Stock up now and you'll be ready for next summer!

𝑸𝒖𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒅--comment below, message, or text (402) 750-3496, if you have any questions or would like to order. Prices below the pictures. Payment via Venmo, PayPal, check, cash, credit card.

Porch pick up in Columbus; shipping $5 or FREE with over $50 purchase of any products. More products at www.pinkflamingohealthandwellness.myshopify.com. (Site is not completely updated so please message your order to me.)

Order today--There are still several week of summer left--and probably a few more "false summer" days -- we are in Nebraska!

Please share this post with someone who wants to prevent and treat bug bites naturally!

09/02/2026

𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐬: 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐞𝐫
By Shelly Burke-Rodriguez, RN, IAC, Owner Pink Flamingo Health and Wellness

Making positive steps for health can seem overwhelming! However, small steps can add up to big results and more importantly, get you into habits that benefit your health—physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.. The goal of the “Small Steps” series is to inspire you to “Stand up and take charge of your health”!

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(𝐴𝑙𝑠𝑜 𝑠𝑒𝑒 “𝑆𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑆𝑡𝑒𝑝𝑠: 𝑀𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎 𝑀𝑒𝑎𝑙 𝑃𝑙𝑎𝑛”, 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝐴𝑢𝑔𝑢𝑠𝑡 15𝑡ℎ.)

𝑩𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒂𝒎𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒎𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒖𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒖𝒑 𝒗𝒆𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆-𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒚.Making / preparing an amount that will make several meals takes only a little extra time, adds no time to the clean up, but saves you a huge amount of time when preparing future meals.

• When browning hamburger, brown an extra pound or two and freeze it. This makes it quick and easy next time you’re making any recipe that requires hamburger!
• Pan fry a quantity of hamburger patties and freeze in meal-size packages. Thaw and fry with onions and mushrooms for a quick and yummy meal.
• Slice chicken breasts for stir fry, before freezing.
• Brown extra stew meat and freeze for the next time you make stew.
• When chopping onions, chop extra and freeze for a shortcut next time a recipe calls for onions.
• When peppers are on sale, or if you have extra in your garden, chop and freeze in recipe-size bags.
• Cook a quantity of dried beans, add spices, divide into one cup portions and freeze, for an economical and quick addition to recipes.

𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽:
• Add onion/pepper/taco seasoning/chili spices, etc. to the extra hamburger you brown, to make it extra quick to put together a meal. Just be sure to label the bag!

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“𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦” 𝘢𝘯𝘥 “𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸” 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘍𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘰 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥: 𝘛𝘰 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳, 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 – 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺, 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵.

09/02/2026

𝐒𝐚𝐦 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔
By Shelly Burke-Rodriguez, RN, IAC, Owner Pink Flamingo Health and Wellness

𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙎𝙚𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮??? Summer is my favorite season, but I have to admit that at the beginning of summer I was kind of dreading it. Sam was facing chemo, appointments, labs, scans, and of course the unknown. However, at some point several months ago the thought came into my head: “𝐴 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑛𝑜𝑤, ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑑𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑟? 𝐷𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑥𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑎𝑑, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑢𝑝𝑠𝑒𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔? 𝑂𝑟 𝑑𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑆𝑎𝑚, 𝑒𝑛𝑗𝑜𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑗𝑜𝑦 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡’𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑛?”

Obviously the Holy Spirit put those thoughts into my head and I’m sure glad He did, as it changed my outlook. Of course there have been moments…but thankfully they have become fewer. And while I am sad, as always, that summer is ending, we also have many precious memories to look back on. The sunflowers are still blooming and there are still a LOT of tomatoes in the garden, so I consider it to still be summer! And fall is Sam’s favorite time of year and it is fun to share his excitement and joy in this time of year.

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𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞: Sam’s daughter Danielle is in a swing bed receiving physical rehabilitation; she’s understandably very weak after being critically ill and undergoing a long hospitalization. She is willing to go to an inpatient drug rehabilitation facility when she is strong enough, and the Case Manager is searching for a facility that can care for her medical needs as well the emotional needs and challenges of remaining drug free. We pray that a bed is available when she is physically ready to go to a drug rehabilitation facility.

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𝐒𝐚𝐦 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐍𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐚 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤, 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝟏𝟎 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐱𝐨𝐧𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐛. He will have frequent appointments to monitor potential side effects; mouth sores and skin rash, which can be severe, are common side effects and can become very serious. Sam’s multi-step mouth-care and skin-care routines are ordered to prevent/minimize these effects. 𝑊𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑆𝑎𝑚 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑠.

Technology is amazing—the doctor suggested that if we have questions about whether or not his skin rash is becoming a concern, we can message them and include photos and they can make their recommendations as to whether different treatment is recommended.

Several of Sam’s liver labs were abnormal; the doctor was very reassuring that this is expected and “normal” (as normal as this entire situation is).

𝐀𝐬 𝐚 𝐧𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐛𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐚𝐛 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬. But ever since Sam was diagnosed (more than 6 months ago!) I have realized that when the patient is my husband, sometimes my nursing knowledge is not enough...and sometimes it is too much. I am thankful for the medical professionals who understand this and answer all of my questions and address my concerns! 𝐼'𝑚 𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑜 𝑠𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐻𝑜𝑙𝑦 𝑆𝑝𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑚𝑒, 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑝𝑟𝑎𝑦𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑒.

Before the doctor left the room she listened to Sam’s heart and lungs and said they sounded “𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡”! As she was wrapping up the visit she looked him over and commented, “𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡! 𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑑𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙?” We are so thankful that Sam could answer "𝐼 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡!" —it is a huge blessing and we thank God every day.

𝐒𝐚𝐦 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤. He will have labs, see the doctor, and also see a dermatologist. Thankfully his skin rash is minor and he has had no signs of sores in his mouth, but they want us to consult with the dermatologist BEFORE needed.

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A dear friend’s husband is also fighting cancer, and last week one of her messages included the words, ”𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙨 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙙𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙬𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚. 𝘾𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙪𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮𝙨.” I am always reassured by that reminder—although we may be surprised by a diagnosis or even in our lives, God is NEVER surprised! 𝙉𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙪𝙨 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙃𝙚 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙪𝙨.

“𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙔𝙤𝙪, 𝙊 𝙇𝙤𝙧𝙙;
𝙄 𝙨𝙖𝙮, 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙂𝙤𝙙.”
𝙈𝙮 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨.”
Psalm 31:14-15

As always, we thank you for your prayers! God bless you today!
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𝙏𝒐 𝒓𝙚𝒄𝙚𝒊𝙫𝒆 “𝙎𝒂𝙢 𝙐𝒑𝙙𝒂𝙩𝒆𝙨”, “𝑺𝙢𝒂𝙡𝒍 𝑺𝙩𝒆𝙥𝒔” 𝙥𝒐𝙨𝒕𝙨, 𝒂𝙣𝒅 𝒊𝙣𝒇𝙤𝒓𝙢𝒂𝙩𝒊𝙤𝒏 𝒂𝙗𝒐𝙪𝒕 𝒑𝙧𝒐𝙙𝒖𝙘𝒕𝙨 𝙖𝒏𝙙 𝙨𝒂𝙡𝒆𝙨, “𝙇𝒊𝙠𝒆” 𝙖𝒏𝙙 “𝒇𝙤𝒍𝙡𝒐𝙬” 𝒕𝙝𝒊𝙨 𝙥𝒂𝙜𝒆!

08/29/2026

We are at the Columbus Farmer’s Market until noon today!

08/17/2026

𝐒𝐚𝐦 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐀𝐮𝐠. 𝟏𝟕, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 “𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥”
By Shelly Rodriguez, RN, IAC, Owner Pink Flamingo Health and Wellness

𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘𝑠 𝑠𝑜 𝑚𝑢𝑐ℎ to everyone who responded to the last post, offering prayers and support as we shared Danielle’s struggle along with an update on Sam. We truly appreciate it and will respond, but internet access at the hospital hasn’t been the most reliable and sometimes is really slow.

𝑂𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝐷𝑎𝑛𝑖 𝑖𝑠 𝑑𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟; her kidney function is still low but improving somewhat and it doesn’t look like she will need any more dialysis! She had an episode of vomiting this afternoon but they were able to extubate her; she is weak and tired and hungry. Over the next few days they’ll be looking at her foot wounds and monitoring kidney and lung status. We are so thankful for the excellent care she is getting, and for her improvement; we pray for her to continue to improve!

𝑊𝑒 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑖𝑐𝑘 𝑢𝑝 𝑆𝑎𝑚’𝑠 𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑥𝑜𝑛𝑟𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑏 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑝ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑐𝑦 𝑡𝑜𝑑𝑎𝑦!Because of the potential for severe skin rash and mouth sores (very common side effects), he will be on an oral antibiotic and several skin creams to prevent the skin rash, and to prevent mouth sores, an antifungal lozenge that melts in his mouth and liquid steroid solution that he will “swish and spit” several times every day.

We are very thankful that Sam qualified to be part of the Expanded Access Program (EAP) and has the opportunity to be on this medication! 𝘞𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴.

I shared with Sam that I was feeling kind of “overwhelmed” with everything that is going on right now, and asked how he was feeling; with great confidence he said, “𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙡”. I took a deep breath, looked to God and remembered His promises, and agreed with Sam— “𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙡”. Thank You, Lord. We are so blessed!

"𝙇𝙚𝙩 𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚, 𝙨𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙪𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙." Hebrews 4:16

“𝘽𝙚 𝙟𝙤𝙮𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙞𝙣 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚, 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙛𝙛𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙞𝙣 𝙥𝙧𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙧.” Romans 12:12

08/16/2026

𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐬: 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧 (𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞!)
By Shelly Burke-Rodriguez, RN, IAC, Owner Pink Flamingo Health and Wellness

𝑀𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑝𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑡ℎ 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑚 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔! 𝐻𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟, 𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑝𝑠 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑑𝑑 𝑢𝑝 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑖𝑔 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑙𝑦, 𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑏𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑓𝑖𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑡ℎ—𝑝ℎ𝑦𝑠𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙, 𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑙, 𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑡ℎ.. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑎𝑙 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 “𝑆𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑆𝑡𝑒𝑝𝑠” 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 “𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑢𝑝 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑡ℎ”!
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I used to scoff at making a meal plan, thinking it was “too much work”. But after one too many take-out meals, and “meals” of junk food just because I didn’t have a plan, I decided to give making a meal plan another try—on my terms.

𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒌, I plan 2-3 main dishes and sides that I prepare on Monday. I make large portions so every main dish equals at least 2 meals (we love leftovers!). I portion out lunch-sized servings for Sam to take to work. We also check out our freezer for meals we’ve made ahead and can just thaw and heat, and for proteins that are portioned out and just require thawing and simple prep. Crock pot meals are a great option once in awhile too.

𝑰 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒖𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒉 𝒇𝒓𝒖𝒊𝒕, 𝒎𝒊𝒙 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒄𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅/𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒈𝒖𝒓𝒕, and put it into individual serving size containers for Sam to take to work or for me to grab for a quick breakfast or snack. Cleaning and cutting up fresh veggies like broccoli and carrots makes it easy to grab a healthy snack or cook for a side dish. Cutting up onions and peppers makes putting together a stir fry, sauteed chicken breast with veggies, or soup in the crock pot, quick and easy.

𝑴𝒚 𝒈𝒐𝒂𝒍 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉𝒚 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒆, without being locked into specific meals on specific days, or being overwhelmed with too much to cook OR having too much prepared. We can decide at the last minute what we want for supper since meals just need to be heated up, or quickly put together with ingredients that have already been cleaned and cut up.

𝑰 𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒐𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒔, and put it on the refrigerator so we can quickly see what’s ready to go. A recent week’s meal plan included:
• Crack chicken (chicken breast, a can of RoRel, a can of corn, can of black beans, and brick of cream cheese cooked in the crock pot until the chicken is cooked through; shred the chicken and mix it all together—YUM!)
• Salsbury steak hamburgers (hamburger patties cooked with onions and mushrooms and pan gravy). I cut up the onions and put them in a zip lock baggie in the fridge so it was quick to get them out and fry them with the hamburger patties.
• Chicken Stir Fry (I cut up all the vegetables on Monday, took frozen chicken breasts out of the freezer, sliced and cooked them on the day we were in the mood for stir fry)
• Steak (portioned and frozen; just had to take out of the freezer to thaw on the day we were in the mood for steak)
• Sides: broccoli (already washed and cut up), sweet potatoes (baked and in the fridge, just needed to be warmed up), several salads made with fresh veggies, cottage cheese with fresh fruit.

𝑴𝒚 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖: the first week, just plan 2-3 mains and sides so you can easily prepare them in just a couple of hours. Remember to write them down so when you are thinking about dinner, you just need to look at the list! You’ll be surprised at how a little bit of planning and preparation saves a LOT of time! What’s your favorite go-to meal? Comment below!

𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽: Make a master list of 10-20 of your family’s favorite meals and sides, to refer to when you’re prepping ahead or drawing a blank when it’s time to plan a few meals.
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“𝓛𝓲𝓴𝓮” 𝓪𝓷𝓭 “𝓕𝓸𝓵𝓵𝓸𝔀” 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓹𝓸𝓼𝓽 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓹𝓪𝓰𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓻𝓮𝓬𝓮𝓲𝓿𝓮 𝓷𝓸𝓽𝓲𝓯𝓲𝓬𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷 𝓸𝓯 𝓪 𝓿𝓪𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓽𝔂 𝓸𝓯 𝓹𝓸𝓼𝓽𝓼, 𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓶𝓲𝓼𝓼𝓲𝓸𝓷 𝓸𝓯 𝓟𝓲𝓷𝓴 𝓕𝓵𝓪𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓸 𝓗𝓮𝓪𝓵𝓽𝓱 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓦𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓼 𝓲𝓷 𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓭: 𝓣𝓸 𝓮𝓶𝓹𝓸𝔀𝓮𝓻, 𝓮𝓭𝓾𝓬𝓪𝓽𝓮 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓮𝓷𝓬𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓪𝓰𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓽𝓸𝔀𝓪𝓻𝓭 𝓫𝓮𝓽𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓵𝓽𝓱 – 𝓫𝓸𝓭𝔂, 𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓭 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓼𝓹𝓲𝓻𝓲𝓽.