Well, the company I've worked 10 years for is laying off my entire department. This is a poptart and ramen crowd, although so many of them have cheered me on during my weight loss and asked for healthy eating advice.

I've been their union steward for years, and I'm used to feeling responsible for this group. The pain of this news is worsened by finding out in advance and spending every day listening to concerns but unable to help!

Well, there are a few things I can do. I'm going to print the recipe to my "30 cent pantry soup". This is basically red lentils, chicken stock cubes, and curry powder with whatever you may have on hand to add to it (hopefully some fresh or frozen veggies you may have on hand).

So recipe request! Nutritious food so cheap it may just stop some of my co-workers from buying that flat of ramen noodles! Everything I've come up with is so protein based ... I'd love any suggestion but well rounded meals would be specially appreciated.

i think i may be having a stronger stress reaction than i initially realized

That is so true. I have a bag of MMs in my car from when I wasn't on plan. Every time I see them, they scream, "EAT ME." I have to remind myself not to. But for the same reason that I wasn't watching what I ate the previous months, I won't throw them away.

Ginny, you can't save the world. You can't rescue your coworkers, whether it's from diabetes or unemployment. I can tell you are a caring person and I can tell you want to help. You can only do so much! The woman with prediabetes knows all this too but she cannot or will not make the transition and none of that is your responsibility. Sometimes the only thing we can do is be there for them when they are ready. They may never be ready.

All the time I see situations that I want to fix---poverty stricken pregnant teenagers. I do what I can--listen, provide pregnancy care & birth control, help them breastfeed---but, I can't buy them carseats or clothes or take them grocery shopping. I have to let go---give them what I can (referrals, etc) but I cannot take personal responsibility for the world and neither can you. Do what you can, but release your sense of responsibility and know you have done what you can.

Under the stress of a large change, especially a traumatic life-altering change, it's human nature to cling harder to what hasn't or what doesn't have to change. Most folks aren't going to be willing or able to successfully switch over to a drastically healthier diet during a life-altering event such as a lay off. Most are going to eat as close to what they're used to that they can afford. If ramen and poptarts are the staple, the "most" change you could realistically expect would be folks adding some canned veggies into their ramen occasionally.

It's admiral to want to put together a pamphlet of "healthy hard times recipes," but I'm not so sure it will be well received, especially if you hand it off to them without their contribution. It could feel like a very condescending, even back-handed "gift," especially if they page through it and see absolutely nothing they would see themselves eating.

Asking for their input and offering to compile everyone's recipes might be better received (or they might think you're crazy for worrying about recipes, when they're worried about putting any food on the table). However, even doing it this way would be a whole lot more work, and risks getting a lot of recipes you would consider unhealthy and not want to include (but not including them, would offend those who contributed them).

Stuffed cabbage leaves
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup uncooked white rice
8 cabbage leaves
1 pound lean ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup

DIRECTIONS
In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Bring a large, wide saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add cabbage leaves and cook for 2 to 4 minutes or until softened; drain.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, 1 cup cooked rice, onion, egg, salt and pepper, along with 2 tablespoons of tomato soup. Mix thoroughly.
Divide the beef mixture evenly among the cabbage leaves. Roll and secure them with toothpicks or string.
In a large skillet over medium heat, place the cabbage rolls and pour the remaining tomato soup over the top. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 40 minutes, stirring and basting with the liquid often.