Cover the bottom of a large soup pot with olive oil. Saute a diced onion and two stalks of diced celery until soft….add 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Towards the end, add two cloves of garlic and lightly brown (don’t burn). Then add a cut-up tomato and cook for a few minutes. Then add a small can of organic tomato sauce, stir and let simmer for 5 minutes. Add basil if you have and some chopped parsley. Add a half bag of dried lentils (about 8 oz.) and approximately 10 cups of water. Add a container of organic, low sodium vegetable or chicken broth and a teaspoon of organic turmeric. Add 4-5 carrots and one sweet potato peeled and cut-up. Bring to a gentle boil and then lower the heat and simmer for about an hour and a half, with a cover ajar. Optional: Add small, cooked pasta before serving. Serve with grated cheese. (You can enjoy some soup and then freeze the rest, in Pyrex or freezer safe glass.)
Author: Nancy Azzaro
Check out this new article in Women’s Insider Magazine
Benefits of Early Morning Sun
As I’ve mentioned in a chapter in my book and learned from the experts, there are many benefits from getting out early in the morning and absorbing early morning rays of sunlight. It takes just 5-20 (or longer if you wish) minutes of early morning sun to boost vitamin D levels in your body, improve your mood throughout the day, lessen the risk of depression and also help your sleep. On cloudy days you will need more sunlight and time outdoors to absorb the sun’s rays. There are also some studies that show that early morning sunlight can help cognitive function, focus and memory.
Dr. Andrew Huberman has many enlightening videos on YouTube describing the benefits of early morning sun. Check them out for more information.
Add morning sunlight to your daily ritual and you’ll feel better!!
Keeping Kids Healthy
One of the ways I suggest in my book to keep kids and teens healthy is to cook nutritious soups for them. If you make a large pot of soup, some of it can be frozen (only in glass containers or stainless steel) for later use or for when you are too busy to cook. I would like to share a recipe for homemade chicken soup, the way I make it. Chicken soup has been referred to as “Jewish penicillin.” (Maimonides, a 12th century Jewish rabbi and philosopher, prescribed chicken soup for respiratory illness.) Interestingly, when my friend went to the doctor recently for a bad cold, besides recommending medications, the doctor told her to have chicken soup or broth, frequently while sick.
Homemade Chicken Soup (Large Pot)
Saute one large chopped onion in olive oil (cover bottom of pot)
Add 2 or 3 large pieces of celery
After that has cooked for a few minutes…
Add 2 pieces of garlic, lightly cook (don’t burn)
Then add a 15 oz of organic chopped tomato sauce and fresh basil (basil is optional)
Add a 1/2 teaspoon of organic black pepper
Cook for 10 minutes ..stirring often
Then add 5 or 6 pieces of chicken breasts (you can use a whole chicken but make sure to remove all bones after cooking)
Add a 32 oz container of organic, low-sodium chicken broth
Add peeled and chopped carrots, parsley, a turnip cut in half, a cut-up sweet potato
Add 1/2 teaspoon of organic tumeric powder
Add 10 cups of water
Bring to a low boil then simmer for at least an hour and a half with the cover ajar.
Cook small pasta (your choice) seperately and then add chicken soup to bowls with desired amount of pasta. Can be served with grated cheese. Enjoy!
Finding God Through Nature-Through a Sunrise
My son took the photo of the sun rising on the beautiful island of Maui in Hawaii, that I’ve used at the top of my home page.
It seems there are many people in the world, who wake up very early and watch the sun rise and then photograph it and post it on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. When my son is in Manhattan, where he lives, on some mornings he goes on his friend’s sailboat, with other businessmen or those headed to Wall Street and they watch the sunrise from the sailboat, in the NY harbor. They don’t talk for one hour and they just sit and watch and are present to the magnificence of creation, the beginning of a new day, with all the possibilities that offers. It is calming for these young men, who then venture to their jobs.
And from this practice and the discipline of waking early to watch the sunrise, my adult son is becoming more aware of God’s presence, of the spiritual journey and it’s opening for him a new path. He is going to be in Bethlehem for Christmas and though I was sad he wouldn’t be with the family, he wants to go to the Holy Land for Christmas.
All from watching the sunrise……
NJA
Keeping Kids and Teens Safe and Happy 