Symptoms of flu, cold, and allergies will soon be flaring. Having your action plan in place will ease the stress on you and your body now and, even more importantly, in the long-term. Make this the year you chose to take care of yourself through the season rather than providing momentary fix after fix.

What do I mean by that? There are a host of widely accepted options from OTC medications to antibiotic treatment that, while providing short term symptom relief, actually pave the path to developing serious chronic conditions. You can make a difference in your health now by changing the pattern this season with the first symptom you experience.

If you are the parents of young children, this is even more important! The health of our immune system is established within the first three years of life! What we do after that can and will further weaken it, but the base level of immunity and the microbes that influence immunity are set in those first years. You can learn more on this subject in Missing Microbes: How the Overuse of Antibiotics Is Fueling Our Modern Plagues by Martin Blaser or listen to his NPR interview.

So, before you treat that ear or throat pain with Amoxicillin this season, educate yourself on the long term effects of what you are doing to your body or that of your child(ren). To be sure: antibiotics have truly saved countless lives and that is exactly what they were created to do. Antibiotics should not, however, be used to manage natural inflammatory responses in the body. This inflammation must be resolved not suppressed. And inflammation can only be resolved through natural support. This support can come from Gemmotherapy, Homeopathy, and plant based diets. Acupuncture is also a great solution for resolving inflammation.

What about cold and cough suppressants? Well, the name says it all. Where do you think that suppressed cough or sinus congestion (inflammation) goes? You only have one body with two primary elimination organs and a handful of emergency ones. When your body begins to clean through its emergency exits – the sinuses, the lungs, the skin, the ears – it’s an indication that there is a buildup too great for the bowels and kidneys to handle and it is time for a cleaning. This is actually a very normal function of our body twice a year, seasonally and when we suppress it, we are stopping an integral cleaning process. So, when your sinuses are congested and you take medication just so you can now breathe through your nose, think about where that mucus went.

What your body needs during this time is support and protocols that resolve the need to produce further inflammation instead of medications that suppress the inflammation. A successful acute protocol will support the adrenal gland that initiated the inflammatory responses, the lymphatic system to move out the inflammation, and address specifically the inflamed area or organ.

Get smart this year about your body and take steps now to change how you address acute symptoms. Like other habits you have successfully changed, this one just needs your time and attention. If this interests you but you still have questions – please just ask! I’d love to help you over this hump and to a healthier life over the long term.

Would you like to learn more about Gemmotherapy extracts and specific protocols for acute care? You’ll find 36 proven, reliable protocols for acute symptoms and learn Gemmotherapy fundamentals in my newly published book Gemmotherapy for Everyone:  An Introduction to Acute Care. Order your copy here.

Want even more?  Check out my online self-paced Acute Care with Gemmotherapy course.

I’m sure you’ll agree that sandwiches are old-school but we do have to admit they are quite packable. So, when searching for plant-based options, why not look for veggies that can still hold your favorite sandwich fillings? I think these gorgeous peppers are even more appealing anyway!

Bags of organic peppers are plentiful this fall and their bright colors and crisp sweet taste make them attractive to all ages. Above and beyond those attributes, they also happen to make perfect holders for your favorite plant-based spread. Whether you want to DIY it with one of my recipes below or you are short on time and want to opt-out for a store-bought spread, you are on your way to a fantastic packable lunch.

The prep work on these is super simple and just includes a light wash, cutting off the top stem portion, removing what few seeds exist, and slicing lengthwise. All set and ready for filling!

Here are two Hubele Family approved spread recipes that you will want to add to your collection.

Lauren’s 5 Minute White Bean Spread

Ingredients:
1 can organic cannellini or white beans, rinsed and drained
1 tbsp Herbs de Provence
1 finely minced shallot
Juice from 1/2 lemon
2 tbsp parsley, fresh finely chopped
3 tbsp Braggs or coconut aminos
2 tbsp olive oil
1-3 tbsp water
Salt and Pepper to taste

This is where an immersion blender is totally worth the investment and shelf space it occupies in your kitchen. All the above ingredients can simply be put right inside a wide mouth jar used for both blending and storage. Just be sure your immersion blender can fit inside the opening! Blend ingredients until smooth, adjust seasonings, and thin to the desired consistency. Now you are ready to fill some sweet peppers.

Herbed Cashew Cheese
While there are countless versions of spreadable cashew cheese recipes, this one from the In Vegetables We Trust blog offers a good basic list of ingredients with straightforward preparation to get you started. Once you get the hang of it you can enjoy customizing it as I do with sundried tomatoes, garden fresh basil, or whatever else inspires me at the moment.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups raw cashews (chopped in half if whole cashews)
4 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
3 tbsp water, plus water to soak the cashews
3 spring onions, diced
2 tbsp chopped chives
3 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
A good pinch of sea salt
A good pinch of fresh ground black pepper

Full Instructions Here

No time for making your own spread this time around? I suggest one of the following: an organic ready prepared hummus or plant-based cheese spread. In Austin, our hands-down favorite hummus is Grandma’s by Mediterranean Chef. Plant-based ready prepared cheese spreads also make yummy fillings. Just be sure to read those ingredients lists carefully as some of the larger commercial brands add all sorts of items that should be avoided such as soy and stabilizers you can’t pronounce. Our favorite is produced by Treeline.

As we move from the more relaxed pace of summer to the often overly structured days, every minute in the kitchen counts. As a 29 year veteran mom I can tell you there was truthfully no chore I dreaded more than lunch packing. This month I’d like to help remove the sting by sharing six of my favorite packable lunches. We’re starting off with these sweet chard wraps for two reasons:

1. They are my favorite lunch hack by far! (Especially if you avoid grains.)
2. I made a set last week for our 50K bike trip and if they handled the jostling in my bike basket, they surely meet my standard for a packable recipe.

Yes, I know. I have featured chard wraps before but, honestly, there are so many reasons to love these delightful little packets! I will spare you the rest of my list this time around and just get into the how-to’s.

The wraps pictured here feature the following ingredients (in order of use):

• Garden fresh chard leaves, the smaller more tender the better
• Avocado, mashed with a drizzle of olive oil for spreading
• A dollop of sundried tomato pesto
• Thin slices of sweet pepper
• Grated carrots

Instructions:
1. Remove the spine from each chard leaf by flipping it face down on a cutting board. Use a knife with a pointed tip and trace along the outline of the spine and remove, leaving two strips of chard. (This is much easier when using young smaller leaves.)

2. Begin with the wide base of the leaf and spread mashed avocado 1/3 the way up the leaf.

3. Add the dollop of pesto, smoothing with a knife to cover the avocado.

4. Top the filling with a few thin slices of sweet pepper and grated carrots.  Roll the wraps from the wide end to the narrow.  Place wraps in the container you will pack along for the day, aligning them to fill the available space.

While these can certainly be made the night before, I’ll admit they are best when fresh. To save time on those hectic mornings, prep the fillings the night before and make quick work with remaining steps or you can even have the kids roll their own.

Enjoy!

Let me tell you that it was no easy decision choosing what to write this week, having only one last recipe to share! There are so many more! We did however settle on a winner that is as delightful as it is easy to make. Before I get too far into it, however, I wanted to clarify our use of eggs in the past few recipes. I eat and promote plant based eating. The standard for plant based eating is 80% whole food from plants. As a family we do not consume foods from animals with two exceptions- honey and (on extremely rare occasions) eggs from true free range organically fed, humanely cared for hens. Over the past years while visiting Germany, we have certainly pushed the limits with my mother-in-law’s recipes. Omitting the flours, then all of the dairy products has been a true feat. This time we decided to give her a break and have been flexible when it comes to eggs, especially since she rides her bike to the next village and collects them from the small farmyard herself. So today’s recipe, like the Pfannkuchen, uses eggs. They can always be replaced with flax egg but the texture will change as it does depend on the egg whites.

So let’s get started!

What’s a Hirseauflauf you ask? Well it’s as simple! Hirse is millet in German and auflauf is a baked casserole. They can be sweet, as in this case, or savory. We happen to be a big fans of auflauf at our house and will share a series later in the fall.

Ingredients:
250 gram of millet
1 liter of water
1 cinnamon stick
Vanilla powder, or extract
3 separated eggs
700 grams of apples
150 g of finely chopped hazelnuts (almonds, walnuts or pecans are good substitutes)
150 g of honey or maple syrup
Grated peel from one lemon
(100-200 grams of golden raisins if desired )

Step One:
If you are Oma, this recipe starts with grabbing a ladder and heading down the garden to your 50 year old apple tree full of tart baking apples. If you aren’t Oma, I think it would be perfectly fine to select some delicious organic Braeburn or Granny Smith apples at the store.

Step Two:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put the water on to boil with the cinnamon stick and millet. Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook until grains are tender, 20-30 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick. This is best done ahead so the millet can be brought to room temperature before mixing with the eggs.

Step 3:
Cut apples in quarters, remove seeds, and chop finely. They can also be grated with your food processor. Mix with the chopped nuts, honey and lemon peel, and set aside.

Step 4:
Beat egg whites until stiff.

Step 5:
Blend by hand the room temperature millet with egg yolks first and then with apple mixture. Fold egg whites very carefully into the fruit, nut, and egg mix. Transfer into a casserole lightly greased with coconut oil.

Step 6:
Bake for 45 mins. Auflauf should be set and golden brown on top.

Can be served with a traditional vanilla sauce (thin pudding) made with cashew or coconut milk.

And I’m just saying- There was not one bite leftover!

Here I am on the final days of an absolutely amazing four weeks filled with family, nature, and so many good meals together. My heart is filled to the brim as if it might burst. What a blessing to have two homes and to love each one equally for different reasons.

I’m quite grateful that my plan had us in Oehringen a full week leading up to our departure. Each and every day has been packed and there is still more to come. The days are full but they are not busy and the relaxed pace is rewarding. While there are special gatherings and events that have occurred these past weeks, it is the simple daily routines that fall into place that I appreciate most. These routines couldn’t be easier and begin each day with a family breakfast on the terrace that looks out over my mother-in-law’s garden. Sitting in the sun with overflowing platters of gorgeous fruits and freshly made tea, planning our day ahead is truly idyllic.

Laps in the Oehringen schwimmbad follow breakfast. Because this has been a cooler summer (rarely breaking 80 degrees) it was often just Joachim and me. Swimming in 69 degree water felt like home to us with our Austin Barton Springs holding at 68 degrees year round.  As swimmers, we have found that every lap pool has its regular cast of characters but I haven’t met one yet like the guy here who jumps a lane every length, making his way across the pool diagonally and back again. He so can’t be German!

Food shopping is always last on my list of favorites at home because in Austin it always seems like such an ordeal. But, here, popping into the all bio grocers in Oehringen is the best thing ever. I can get in and out in 15 minutes, literally every product is organic, and they have everything I need. What’s even better? I can get there on my bike!!

Then of course there is cooking with Oma. It’s simply fantastic! We both have such a love for good natural food and at 81 she is still amazingly curious and more than willing to try new things. The fact that she embraces the way we eat is absolutely heartwarming. Some days we take turns with meal prep but most of the time we are in the kitchen together, turning out food fresh from the garden for the four of us to enjoy.

Then every evening we head to the Friedrichsruhe Wald for an after dinner walk. I don’t know that I can find the words to describe how I feel about this place but the closest one is “home.” The sensory experience is so intense from the fresh air, to the song of the rustling leaves, and the palette of every shade possible of green. In the constantly changing world we live in, with so much artificial stimulation, this is a place that delivers a great reminder of what is real.

And so our time here soon comes to a close, as it has every summer for the past 8 years since we moved from Germany to Austin. Another life waits for us on the other side of the ocean with people we dearly love and a very different set of routines. It’s a little busier and moves a bit faster but it all happens in a city that won over our hearts on our first visit. It’s also home to all of my children. In a week’s time it will feel like all we shared in Europe is so far away. But when we take a moment and slow ourselves down we will remember the family breakfasts together, the feel of the forest each evening, all of the laughter, and of course the love which will carry us through the next year.

Greetings from the Canton of Bern in Switzerland! Joachim and I arrived earlier this week after a four hour car trip heading south out of Oeringen, past Stuttgart. We have rented a lovely studio apartment that is part of this old Ofenhaus on Mertonsee, one of my favorite and lesser known lakes of Switzerland.

The purpose of our trip is to pay a visit to my mentor and dear friend Dr. Heiner Frei and the theme will be Homeopathy rather than Gemmotherapy. Dr. Frei is renowned throughout Europe for his precise and efficient Homeopathy prescribing method, Polarity Analysis and he was the most influential guide in my early work. Today Dr. Frei has become much more than a teacher as he is also a dear family friend. He sets an incredible example for me with his steadfast but determined approach to share his method. In addition to his speaking and teaching across Europe and beyond he maintains his busy practice in the small village of Laupen, where he moved with his family many years ago.

Like many Homeopaths before him, Dr. Frei’s first training was as a medical doctor in Bern and he specialized in pediatric oncology. After some years of working under growing pressure in the field of research and cancer treatment he gathered up his young family and headed for the small village of Laupen. There he built a private pediatric practice on the ground floor of the half timber building he shared with his wife and three growing children. While caring for the families of Laupen, he looked toward Homeopathy as a less invasive therapy. Over the years he returned to research but on his own terms. Now researching the effectiveness of Homeopathy, he set out to prove to his medical colleagues that its effect was more than placebo.

It was during Dr. Frei’s Double Blind Study of ADHD symptoms and Homeopathy that he began to shape what is now known as Polarity Analysis. P.A. (Polarity Analysis) is a development of Boenninghausen’s Concept of Contraindications. It serves to determine in individual disease a healing probability for each Homeopathic remedy in question. The method leads to an efficient and reproducible choice of remedy and increases the precision of prescriptions as compared to a conventional Homeopathic procedure. Polarity Analysis is based on the revised edition of Boenninghausen’s Therapeutic Pocketbook, an exceedingly reliable repertory, and is generally practiced with computer software.

This past year, my tie with Dr. Frei grew closer as he teamed with my data scientist husband Joachim to develop an online tool for Polarity Analysis prescribing. They launched the beta version of this software in May and it is still available to all practitioners without cost at www.Polarity-Analysis.com. A monthly subscription price will go into effect in the fall and currently the program is available in German, English, and soon Spanish.

While Homeopathy was my first love, it actually was its shortcomings that led me to study Gemmotherapy. While I believe Homeopathy is the ultimate therapy for the vital force and constitution, I also believe there is preliminary work that must be done to prepare the body first. And that work is best done with Gemmotherapy. Over time I have learned through observation that chronic conditions respond best with a protocol of Gemmotherapy and dietary changes before introducing a Homeopathic remedy. Once elimination has been optimized I then take a case using Polarity Analysis. I do believe the two together are much more powerful than any other natural healing therapy.

Though our daytime hours in Switzerland are taken up with discussions, Joachim and I have carved out some time in the evenings to get out and enjoy the local nature. Still light outside until nearly 10 pm, we have been on our bikes exploring the paths circling the shores of Murtensee. Two years ago we did the same with our son Sebastian and due to those memories we chose to return. Enjoying every last ounce of daylight, we have certainly gotten the most of our time here.

Please return next week as I share my last week in Europe soaking up time with our loved ones and enjoying Joachim’s lovely hometown of Oehringen.

Oma Hubele has a place of honor in our household for many, many reasons but this recipe helped her win over the hearts of my two teenage daughters sixteen years ago. Since then, in their eyes, no one can make potato salad quite like Oma. While I have made a few futile attempts I have to admit that I let go of mastering it years ago. Times have changed and this summer Oma was fairly certain I could be successful and not only that, she suggested it should be featured on my blog. (Thanks to Google translator she is one of my biggest fans!) So Kartoffelsalat it is and you are going to love it!

Let’s see, first you are going to need to plant some potatoes… Here are the ones Sebastian harvested earlier in the week from Oma’s garden with this beautiful hand forged tool from Great Opa Hubele. How cool is that?

Perhaps planting potatoes is a bit ambitious this year? OK, that’s no problem. Then I suggest you buy organic young fingerlings, baby Yukon gold, or red creamers. What is very important is that they remain sturdy when cooked- so certainly not russets. In Germany this type of potato is referred to as festkochend. When I first moved to Germany I was astounded by the varieties of potatoes available and that they really each had their own flavor and purpose.

Once the potatoes are in hand, whether fresh harvested or store bought, here is what’s next.

Ingredients:
3-3.5 lbs of potatoes
¾ cup of Organic Vegetable broth (I use a Rapunzel cube with boiling water)
3-4 tablespoons wine, apple cider, or herb vinegar (your preference with taste)
2-3 tablespoons mild Olive or Sunflower Oil (your preference with taste)
1 small onion very finely minced
Salt & Pepper to taste
Chopped parsley and/or chives to sprinkle over the top
Optional: boiled organic free range egg, preferably farm fresh, on top for non-vegans

Directions:
1. Cook potatoes with their skins until just fork tender in a steamer basket or insert- not directly in the water. Be careful not to overcook!

2. Drain, rinse with cool water, and quickly peel and slice thin while still warm.

3. Mix broth, vinegar, oil, and seasonings together and pour over slightly warm potatoes, combining with your hands.

4. Add onions and let the salad sit at room temperature for at least an hour before serving. (The longer the better.)

What is so important is that this salad is never refrigerated! Even if there is some leftover, which is doubtful, just store it in a cool place in your kitchen. Refrigeration will change the texture and ruin this beautiful salad.

Give it a try! I just had a taste from the batch we prepared here and it is perfect!

Greetings this week from the forests of the Vosges Mountains of France and Friedrichsruhe, Germany! After eight years in Texas I can easily find myself captivated by the experience of exploring a forest, completely ruled by the cycles of nature. When truly present to all of its wonder, a forest provides such incredible lessons of both interdependence and impermanence.

Last week I began my series from Europe with our arrival in Le Thillot, deep in the Vosges Mountains of France. We had decided as a family it would be important to give ourselves a strong dose of nature at the start of our four week visit in order to shake off a year of deadlines, tight schedules, and way too much time on our laptops. So, following an overnight at Joachim’s childhood home, we were on our way to France along with my mother-in-law.

It was truly the perfect way to begin our weeks in Europe and so important to step completely out of our schedule and task driven world from the start. Renting a house in the midst of the Vosges was ideal. Each day, with very little organizing, we could head deep into the forests for magnificent hikes. As one can imagine it would be difficult for me to step into a lush European forest with Silver Fir, Oak, and Hazelnut lining the trails and not think of Gemmotherapy. In each direction that I cast my eyes I can encounter a vine, shrub, or tree that gives life to this amazing medicine derived from plant growth material that offers healing and support for specific organs and organ systems. So many of the extracts I use daily with my clients can be discovered with each step!

Interesting patterns indeed began to emerge first over the stretch of consecutive days hiking in the forests of the Vosges Mountains and now during my daily walks in the Friedrichsruhe near Oehringen. While the two forests differ, both share layers of plant growth similar to groupings of Gemmotherapy extracts that often work well together. Additionally each layer of the forest serves a purpose much like each grouping of Gemmotherapy extracts. I am certainly not the first student of Gemmotherapy to note this as The Drs. Franck Ledoux and Guéniot Gérard share antidotes about the natural growth of these trees and shrubs in their 2012 book Phytoembryotherapy, The Embryo of Gemmotherapy.  I also fondly recall long walks in the Romanian forests with my mentor Dr. Sorina Soescu discussing the groupings of the plants of the forest and how this might relate to possible protocols for our clients. It is probably because of this daily immersion in the forest setting, their ideas began to come to life for me.

I noted that the outer edges of the forests were thick with a collection of berries, bountiful this time of year. The berry vines and shrubs serving as a protection to the entrance of the forest included European Blueberry and Black Currant shrubs along with Blackberry and Red Raspberry vines. Here they were thriving as harmoniously together as I often group them in protocols.

Making up the next layer were Hazel shrubs along with young Birch trees on the banks of the creek. Often found under the canopy of an Ash tree, all three being water regulators in the body working to remove acidosis; Hazel supporting and protecting the lungs, Silver Birch the liver, and Ash the kidneys.

Going deeper into the forest I was greeted by Beech that purifies the blood and Hornbeam that increase platelets. These were followed by Silver Lime that regulates the nervous system along with Horsechestnut and Sweet Chestnut that improve circulation and lymphatic cleaning.  Threaded in the underbrush of these great trees I discovered Black Honeysuckle, used acutely for inflammation of the throat, and Lilac, used in protocols for cardiovascular health and emotional heartache.

Towering over all in the heart of the forest were the conifers Silver Fir and Pine, known in Gemmotherapy for supporting vertical alignment and the musculoskeletal system. So much healing potential and this is only a mere glimpse into the forest world! It is a good reminder that nature holds so much of what we need not only emotionally but also to serve and heal our mental and physical bodies as well.

My days ahead should allow an evening walk through the Friedrichsruhewald, pictured below. While not as lush as the forests of the Vosges, it possesses a magic all of its own. On the edge of this forest lie the house, farm land, and orchards where my mother-in-law was born and raised. Still full of life and love, it is now the home of her brother and his family making this forest even more special to my family. To see my son appreciate the trails that were walked by his father, grandmother, and great grandparents is heartwarming and a tradition I am sure he will pass along to his family.

I look forward to checking in with you all next week as I head off with my husband to Laupen, Switzerland to pay a visit to my favorite Homeopath and teacher, Dr. Heiner Frei.

Save

I can honestly say I have never tasted anything but perfection out of my mother-in-law’s kitchen. Not only are her meals delicious, she is a total whirlwind and I’ve learned over the years to let her be, for good reason! While there are times she more than generously shares her kitchen with me, there are some meals best observed in awe from a distance. Pfannkuchen falls into the latter category. In what seems like minutes, she whips farm fresh egg whites into snowy billows, watches over four sizzling pans at time, and produces picture perfect dinner plate sized puffed golden pancakes.

I will admit I am repeating a recipe from last May but truthfully it bears repeating! Last year’s version was filled with cherries direct from the backyard garden and this year’s behold handpicked gorgeous blueberries from France.

As I explained last year, one of the many nice surprises I had as a new member of the Hubele family some years ago was that sweet main course meals happened to be a specialty of this Schwäbisch region of Germany. Well how could I argue with tradition? These years with our family diet being plant based we stray just enough to honor tradition and partake annually in Sebastian’s favorite, pfannkuchen.

Here is the basic recipe for four meal-sized pancakes adapted for our family to be gluten and dairy free:

4 eggs separated
1/3 to 1/2 (90-125 ml) of a nut-based milk (I suggest almond or cashew milk.)
1-2 tablespoons of sugar (I suggest coconut sugar.)
1 cup (250 g) of gluten free flour blend
Pinch of salt
2-3 cups (500-750 g) of blueberries

Beat egg whites and the pinch of salt until stiff and dry and set aside. Beat the egg yolks and the sugar until thick. Whisk the flour into the yolks. Add milk gradually as the amount used will vary depending on egg size. Ultimately you want a thick batter that will mound when dropped from a spoon- not runny. Finally, gently fold beaten whites into the yolk based batter.

Heat on medium, similarly sized skillets having first added a bit of coconut oil to each one. When skillet is hot, divide batter evenly. Top with fruit, covering the entire surface as in the photo.

Cook on medium heat 3-5 minutes. When the bottom of pancake is golden brown and the edges of the batter are well set, flip using a dinner plate to assist, and cook another few minutes. Patience and a low to medium heat are important so the pancake will cook all the way through without burning.

Eat slowly and savor each bite!