Author: arielmayerlion

I love taking Celeste and Asher organic apple picking in September and October; this is a beautiful time of year to be outside appreciating God, Nature, local farmers and family time. Year after year, my “lovies” listen to me go on about the Jewish New Year, subsequent holidays and how nice it is to gather our own apples, thanks to hardworking farmers in NJ, PA and NY.

Apples (and honey) are a staple of holiday meals: representing the sweetness of life, the reminder of the fall of man from the Garden of Eden by the eating of the apple by Eve and Adam, the Hope of New Beginnings.

According to Classical Chinese Medicine dietetics, eating organic seasonal foods is an important part of staying healthy; we are better able to withstand physical and mental stressors when our bodies are properly nourished. Being in distress by over-thinking and worrying about the state of affairs in the world can deplete our Spleen-Yi energy leading to poor digestion and an imbalance of our Earth energy, the energy that keeps us strong and grounded.

This time of year, eating cooked root vegetables like sweet potatoes, beets, parsnips, and seasonal fruits like apples help stabilize and nourish the Spleen-Yi energy. The apples we pick are made into muffins, pies applesauce, apple butter, fresh pressed hot apple cider, dried apples for snacking and fresh apples chopped up into salads. Warming spices like cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg and cloves are added to these recipes to support the Spleen’s ability to digest nutrients. What we take in from food and from media can affect the body’s ability to fight disease. Conscious consumption is important for a healthy body-mind-spirit.

September 2023 was marked by celebrations every weekend, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot which wraps up with Simchat Torah, translated as“Rejoicing in the Torah”. At the end of the long holiday weekend in October, the kids and I drove up to Fishkill Farms for our annual apple picking adventure. This year was far more somber than the years before because of the terrorist attacks that began on Shabbat and Simchat Torah.

This is meant to be a time of year filled with celebration – both religious and secular. We honor the harvest season by joining with our neighbors at local fall festivals. We bask in the joys and wonders of God’s Word, rejoicing in pray at home and at temple services. 

After being upstate, taking time to appreciate our surroundings and be grateful for the safety we experience here today, we went to a prayer service for Israel. At the prayer service our Catholic Fort Lee Mayor Sokolich joined us. Our Rabbi shared what we can focus on to keep us united: 3 pillars of Judaism 1. Torah 2. Prayer 3. Charity. He also shared what the Rebbe did 50 years ago, during the Yom Kippur War. He encouraged children to pray with joy in their hearts. This Joy would reflect back from God and bring about the end of the War. There is a belief that the Innocent Children will be the ones to help save us through prayer. 

In 1973, the Rebbe had sounded an urgency for weeks before the war began, encouraging prayer from children would be needed to defeat great atrocities. We need our little ones to join in communal prayer. I ask my children to pray every day. In our day to day life, we mainly do that when we have dinner together (to consciously connect with God to keep our Mind and Spirits strong and to direct good energy to our digestive organs to keep our bodies strong). We will continue to do our daily prayers and add more prayers to God for His Care and Protection, prayers for troubled times, psalms will be recited as people around the world continue to pray for Mercy, Love and Protection for those under attack. May Adonai Bless Us and Protect Us and Keep Us Strong and United in Hope and Faith. Praying for the Israeli soldiers to win the fight against the terrorists. 

Potato Leek Soup: (gluten-free; can be made vegan or with meat)

As we head out of wintertime and into springtime, this is the perfect time to eat foods that re-line the gut flora. This delicious prebiotic packed soup will nourish your intestinal lining for good digestion and support the immune system. I’ve been enjoying a cup of this soup a day. My Stomach, Spleen and Intestines are loving the nourishment as the leeks, garlic and onion fertilize the intestinal tract with good gut microbiota.

Ingredients:

• 2-4 tbsp EVOO
• 1 medium white onion, diced
• 3 leeks, sliced and diced (Tip: cut the thick green tops off and the edge of the bottom, cut lengthwise as this is where dirt can be hiding, then rinse and dice.)
• 3-4 ribs celery, chopped
• 5-6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1.5-2lbs yukon gold potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 4-5 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
• Bunch of fresh thyme
• 2 tbsp dried thyme
• Sea salt
• Freshly cracked pepper
• ¼ tsp cayenne or red chili flakes (optional)
• ½ cup dry white wine (optional)

Optional: For more protein: add navy beans or cannellini beans or bacon broken up or cut up sausage or pulled chicken

Directions:
1. Heat EVOO in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions and saute for about 5-10minutes, season with salt (approximately ½ to 1 tspn), stirring occasionally. Add the leeks, celery and minced garlic. Saute vegetables for another 5 minutes, stirring more frequently, add another ½ tsp to 1 tsp. 

2.a. If using white wine, add and deglaze. Use a wooden spoon to lift up any browning pieces from the bottom of the stockpot. 

2.b. Add potatoes, vegetable stock, thyme, bay leaves, cayenne or chile flakes. Stir to combine. 

3. Bring stock to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. 

4. Remove and discard bay leaves, fresh thyme stems. Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper to taste.

5.a. Serve chunky or puree the soup. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup to a more smoother state. I don’t totally puree the soup, I like it to have some bigger chunks of celery and potato so I do a little immersion.

5.b. Add the protein before serving.

Support your immune system by supporting gut health with prebiotics. Prebiotics are plant compounds and fiber that act like fertilizers to stimulate the growth of beneficial microorganisms commonly found in the gastrointestinal tract. By stimulating healthy bacteria to grow, it is harder for yeast, parasites and bacterial species living in the body to multiply. When the bad bacteria grow out of control they can increase risk of disease by decreasing normal immune system response, triggering inflammation, decrease nutrient absorption, increase stress (anxiety/depression), disrupt deep sleep, cause weight gain and hormonal imbalances.

Top prebiotics to get into your daily diet are:

• Garlic
• Onions
• Leeks
• Jerusalem artichoke
• Asparagus
• Bananas
• Dandelion greens
• Apples with skin
• Whole grain oats
• Barley
• Chicory root

Asparagus, Leeks, onions, garlic, barley, Jerusalem artichoke and danelion greens have high inulin fiber content. As a non-digestible prebiotic, inulin passes through the large intestines unabsorbed. During this process, it naturally ferments and feeds the healthy intestinal microflora (bacterial organisms, including bifidobacterium) that populate the gut.

Spring is around the corner so that means fresh Asparagus! Asparagus is one item I am okay with conventional if organic is unavailable or priced too high. Easy ways to incorporate asparagus into your diet is by cutting off the ends then: 1.) Chopping it up raw and throwing it on top of a bed of greens or 2.) Leaving it intact or chopping a bunch of it up, drizzling extra virgin olive oil on it and baking it in an oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes (give or take). Please, make sure to pull the asparagus out of the oven as the color starts to brighten. Don’t keep it in the oven for too long, as it can turn stringy and loose it’s luscious flavor. I like to put the chopped baked asparagus on salads or thrown into a simple chicken or vegetable broth.

Apples with the skin on have high pectin fiber which encourages healthy gut bacteria and helps decrease harmful bacteria.

Jerusualem Artichoke are nicknamed “earth apple”; super high in inulin, they support gut health and the immune system and help the body combat metabolic disease. Eaten cooked or raw these make great additional to savory salads and as a side dish

Unripe Bananas host beneficial prebiotic fiber. (If constipation is an issue for you, rippened bananas are a better choice, but won’t have the same benefits as the greener ones.) This fruit can be cut up into whole grain oats for a prebiotic packed snack or meal.

Whole Grain Oats and Barley contain beta-glucan (a viscous fiber which forms a gel in your digestive tract and promotes the growth of friendly bacteria in the gut lining), lowers LDL cholesterol, and improves blood sugar control. Incorporating healthy organic grains into the diet, as condiments and snacks, is beneficial for good gut health.

One of my all time favorite superfoods is Garlic! Garlic acts as a prebiotic by promoting the growth of beneficial Bifidobacteria in the gut. It also prevents disease-promoting bacteria from growing. Raw. Pickled. Chopped. Sliced. Diced. Getting this condiment into at least one meal is a great way to keep your immune system strong and resilient. Encapsulated garlic pills help pack a punch too! I’ve found Kyolic organic garlic to have no after taste compared to other garlic supplements in the marketplace.

Onions are rich in inulin and FOS (fructooligosaccharides), which can help boost your immune system, provide fuel for your gut bacteria and improve digestion. Raw or cooked this vegetable is a wonderful addition to salads, soups and stews, sauces and side dishes.

High in Vitamin K, Leeks have a synergistic affect with Vitamin D. From the same family as onions and garlic, they have similiar health benefits. They are great in soups.

Dandelion greens can be lightly cooked with EVOO and HImilayan salt (I like to also sprinkle on garlic and onion powder) or chopped and tossed into vegetable soups. These greens support the immune system as they are a great antioxidant, prevent constipation and high in inulin fiber which keeps the intestinal tract clear and cleansed.

End of autumn is the best time of year to start making delicious bone broth! According to Chinese Medicine, bone broth strengthens the immune system, supports bone and joint health, supports reproductive system health, builds qi (our vital energy) and warms the body from the inside out by nourishing blood. Bone broth is great for sipping on from your favorite mug or used as the base for soups and stews.

Bone broth should only be made with organic chicken, turkey and beef bones or grass-fed lamb bones. The 2-3 day simmering of the bones extracts all the essential nutrients from the marrow; non-organic bones are known to have high toxin accumulations so those animal bones must be avoided to get the maximum nutritional and supportive benefits from the broth.

Organic ingredients:

• Carcass or bones from last meal (organic, grass-fed, skin removed. Do not discard wings if the skin is too difficult to remove.  Wings and feet, have lots of collagen thus make a thicker, more nourishing broth.)
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar (see bottom note)
• 4-6 carrots roughly chopped
• 2-4 stalks of celery, roughly chopped
• 1 onion, quartered and layers broken apart
• 4-6 garlic cloves with skin removed
• ½-1 tsp salt (Himalayan, Celtic)
• optional: bunch of parsley
• optional: 10-12 whole black peppercorns

Note: if you only have 2 of the 4 vegetables, ie just carrots and onion, start making the broth and the others can be left out or added in the first 24 hours of simmering.

Optional step = roast bones that have all the fat removed, ie lamb chops and t-bones, in the oven at 425” for about 10-20 minutes or until fragrant.

In a crockpot (or pot that can be left on the stove top for 48-72 hours), cover the bones with cold water and add ACV.  Let sit for 30 minutes before turning the stove top or crock pot on.

Add the remaining ingredients and cover with more water.  Let simmer for 48-72 hours (low setting on crockpot).  If the water level goes down by more than a cup, add more water. After 2-3 days of simmering, strain the broth, discarding the bones and vegetables. Add salt and pepper, to taste.  Consume within 5 days or freeze for 6 months.

Note: I am heavy handed with the amount of apple cider vinegar I use in my preparation, sometimes using more than 1/4  cup. I enjoy the ACV flavor and added benefits for my Stomach Qi (digestion) and Wei Qi (immunity). If the taste of ACV is too strong, use none or a small amount (1 tablespoon). The broth will still be beneficial if omitted.