April is Stress Awareness Month

Yes!! Cooking.

Spending time in the Kitchen can be restorative in many ways.

This April, for stress awareness month, give a little more thought to the meals you prepare, then eat and reap the rewards.

Peaceful Prep

Chopping, stirring or even washing the dishes can be quite meditative. If you have a large quantity to prepare (for instance finely slicing orange rind for marmalade or julienning lots of veg for a stir fry) you could pop on some relaxing music or a podcast to use the time to decompress.

Marinade in those Memories

The sights, smells and tastes of cooking can remind us of a particular period or event. If missing holidays is causing upset, think about an amazing meal you once had and try to recreate it. Search for those recipes online or treat yourself to a cookbook from that particular area as it should contain additional scene setting info from the author. Chances are just opening the lid of a particular spice and inhaling the aroma will quickly transport you back to those times or that location. Or how about those recipes your parents or grandparents used to make. For me that would be an egg and bacon pie or rock buns. Allow yourself to be immersed in the memories as you cook.

Boost Moods with Foods

These include walnuts, kefir, edamame beans, oats, bananas, avocados and dark chocolate. Looking at that list I reckon you could make a banana loaf and include at least 4 (if not 5) of those ingredients. That's this weekend's project sorted out.

Banana Boost Bread Recipe coming your way soon.

Cook-In Chillout

It would be remiss of us not to mention the role our cookalongs play in stress relief. As we fill the classes with cooking activities its total immersion with no time to think about anything else. They are a real break from the norm. Once you've perfected the recipes from the class you have some low stress dinner ideas you can recreate any time. Online cookalongs remove some of the concerns which may have made you hesitant to take part in in-person cookalongs. No chance of you falling behind or comparing yourself in any way with the other participants. It's just you cooking in your kitchen. If your whole household is joining in with the cookalong that can be a new way of interacting with them and can make some great memories.

(Fancy creating a Tuscan vibe in April 2021 - Check out our Tuscan Cookalong)