Baking You Better
Is it possible to bake yourself better? For us at Nourish it is definitely a calming relaxing time out for all of us (maybe not always when the kids are baking alongside us, however!). It’s here, in the kitchen, that we get to bring out our creative sides. We breathe a little deeper and enjoy getting tactile in the kitchen. When we aren’t creating in the Nourish kitchen, it is high up on one of our favourite activities to do at home. The smell of chocolate cake or banana bread is enough to keep us baking week after week!
The last time we blogged about baking we were all in the thick of lockdown and everyone had become bakers overnight. Is this still the case for you, or have you given up with the banana bread and sourdoughs? With such uncertain times still among us, and especially with autumn well and truly having kicked in, we are jumping straight back into our baking havens. Often using it as a way to escape the craziness. At the same time as ensuring our families are fed with nutritious and delicious food that will support their immunity.
Baking as therapy?
Baking is literally a win win for us as the benefits of the act of baking, are just as good as the act of eating! For us its one form of escapism and mindfulness when faced with such uncertain immediate futures. Any activity, such as baking, which takes your whole attention, especially with it being simple and repetitive can have such a calming and meditative effect on our minds and bodies. Baking is can be seen as a therapeutic tool. It has been used as an antidote for some mental health issues. Studies from The British Journal of Occupational Therapy have found that baking “improved concentration, increased coordination and built confidence, leading to an increased feeling of self-esteem“. It also, “provides purpose and meaning, as well as a real and tangible way of filling time“. The act of working through a recipe and then coming up with a delicious bake (especially one you know is going to nourish you from the inside out) at the end of it can be such amazing therapy when faced with feelings of depression and anxiety. Sharing those bakes with friends and family can then be even more rewarding and satisfying.
Kids In The Nourish Kitchen
Ask any young child, ‘would you like to bake a cake with me?’ and I think you would be hard pressed to find one that didn’t jump up to help. The Nourish children are all super keen bakers. Baking is a great way to get children into the kitchen. Learning to understand ingredients and the world of food from an early age is an important skill. It’s where the Nourish story began after all. As a child, Ineke, our Founder, was brought up in a home where cooking from scratch was the norm. Throughout the years she has loved being in her kitchen creating, delicious and nutritious food for her family and friends. Nourish was born while Ineke was searching for snacks for her own family. She wanted to create something that would feel like a treat but would nourish from the inside out. ‘For as long as I remember as a mum, I have cooked alongside my daughter Inge who is now 9. More recently she has been creating food herself as shown in our latest IGTV video series, ‘Kids in the Nourish Kitchen’.
Cook along with us on IGTV
We’ve loved seeing lots of you cooking along with us on these IGTV videos. Making some of our simple faves such as humous, smoothies, oat slices and ice cream. There are lots of recipes you can whip up very quickly and that children can get involved in. Our recipes use nourishing ingredients and all have been taste tested and approved by the Nourish kids! We definitely have proof that getting children making their own food whether chopping or designing the recipe, mixing, or even just pressing the Vitamix ‘on’ button means they are far more likely to try, and even love the end product! We would love to see any of our IGTV recipes that you recreate with your little ones (or big ones). So, please keep sharing these and using the hashtag #kidsinthenourishkitchen.
For more recipes from the Nourish Kitchen including lists of our favourite brands to use when cooking, check out our NEW recipe book Nourishing Treats full of dairy, gluten and refined sugar free crowd pleasers, with easy to follow along recipes.