​All organisms in nature can handle short term stress- we’re built for it. The brain sends out the distress signal, and the body responds:  adrenalin is pumped into the blood stream and all the energy is summoned to deal with the perceived threat. It’s a brilliant adaptation that served us well for thousands of years, but in this time of great uncertainty it’s working against us.

If weeks of lockdown have you feeling anxious and afraid your body is releasing a steady stream of stress hormones that are suppressing your immune system.

Luckily, there’s a way to turn it around. You have to take it to heart.


​Neuroscience tells us that the mind can’t distinguish emotion from reality; if you’re feeling it, it becomes real, and it creates a response in your body.  If you can start to feel better, your body will respond. Your thymus gland, located next to your heart will kick in and send signals to the T-cells.  By choosing heart emotions like love, appreciation and gratitude you can actually activate your immune system!

So- how do you get out of your head and into your heart?  Here are a few strategies:

Get some exercise: Literally get the heart pumping, and put your awareness there. Feel it. Listen for the sound of your heartbeat.  Sense into your pulse.  Inhabit your body fully in the moment and appreciate its magnificence.

Get some sleep: When our lives are busy, sleep falls down the list of priorities but it’s critically important for physical, mental and emotional health. Well rested people are more optimistic and experience more happiness. Now that we have the time, put rest and sleep at the top of the list. If you’re having trouble sleeping, don’t make that another cause of stress. Remind yourself that rest and relaxation are good too.

Get still and meditate:  Sit comfortably and close your eyes, sensing into your heartbeat. Visualize the heart itself, or if you prefer you can bring to mind the colour of the heart centre; the most beautiful green you find in nature. On the inhalation, picture the heart centre growing bigger, and on the exhalation see it getting brighter.  After a few minutes the heart energy will envelope your entire body.  While you are in this space, you can choose to do a loving kindness meditation. Send love to someone you wish you could see in person, and wish them joy. Or send love to the whole world.

Get some evidence:  We do this unconsciously all the time; we ascribe to a belief and then look for the evidence that supports it while ignoring evidence to the contrary.  You can purposely choose to believe in love, and then look for the evidence. Focus on the stories about the helpers and the heroes. Feel appreciation for all the good things that are happening in the world.
​
Whenever you are experiencing uncomfortable emotions, bring your attention straight to the heart. What you focus on expands in your experience, so focus on love and more will into your life!

Cleaning out the fridge this morning I came across some forgotten apples. a Clear message for me to bake an apple tart. 

The first apple tart recipe was written in England in 1381.

Apples contains compounds that can help fight asthma , they are a good source of fiber and vitamin C.

You will need: 
Tart: 
1 cup sugar 
1 cup flour 
1/4 cup milk 
3 eggs
3 tablespoons butter
1 tin of apples or about 3 cooked apples 
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt 

Sauce:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup milk 
1 cup sugar 
1 teaspoon vanilla ( did you know vanilla is family of the orchid )

Cream the(3 table spoons) butter and (1 cup) sugar till nice and fluffy.
Mix the 3 eggs in with the butter mixture. 
Add all the dry ingredients  and mix well.
Now add the milk till its a smooth batter.
Pour into a greased baking dish and layer the apples on top.  

Add all the sauce ingredients into a pot.
1/2 cup butter 
1 cup milk 
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla 
Bring to a boil. Stir constantly so the sauce doesn't burn.
Pour the sauce over while still hot. 

This can be enjoyed with ice-cream or whipped cream. 

Enjoy!!!
​

​NOURISH COMPOST ARTICLE
 
INTRODUCTION:
Compost is an essential decomposed material that are used in combination which includes crop residues, leaves, grass clippings, animal manure and what is regarded as kitchen waste. It has proven time and time again that it provides soil with many essential nutrients to support proper plant growth and as a result it’s considered as an organic fertilizer.

Furthermore compost has the ability to improve soil structure in a way that the soil can have high moisture holding capacity, it also improves the texture of both sand and clay soils. Making either type rich, moisture retentive to proper growth of plants
In our organic gardens, compost is regarded as the best natural mulches and fertilizers for improving for improving soil fertility that creates a viable environment for plant growth. Composting has a both agricultural and social b benefit which serves as an important process to us and members of the society.

• Reduction in waste volumes which results less garbage in our spaces and surrounding community areas.
• It helps to prohibit the growth of weeds.
• It is a natural fertilizer and reduces overall costs of purchasing synthetic fertilizers.
• Reduces the costs of irrigation rates, it saves water.
• It improves soil fertility.

Essential materials we use for effective compost

• Carbon - rich ( dried plants , weeds, dried grasses and sawdust( untreated)
• Water – assist in allowing decomposing process to take place as it attracts microbes.
• Nitrogen –rich ( green leaves, fruit and vegetables scraps)
• Animals manure (cow dung and chicken manure)

Caution (unwanted materials in the compost.)

• Fish, meat: This food material usually attracts detrimental and undesired pests to both the compost and the soil which the compost will be applied.
• Plastics and plastic bottles : These materials takes a very long time to decompose (10-1000 years)

Come visit me at the Nourish Eco Village and I will show you our compost heap, and the processes we use to mulch, water and make compost, and the beautiful vegetables we grow in our garden that we use in the Granny's kitchen to provide food for the children everyday. 

Rusks - Beskuit in Afrikaans is a traditional Afrikaner breakfast meal or snack.  
In France they called biscotte. 
Whatever they called they are perfect for dunking anyone that tells you otherwise does not deserve to eat them. (also for babies that's teething)

Rusks are essentially double-baked bread dough.

I would like to share my family recipe with you.
 
                                                                          Pre-heat oven to 180"C
​
                                                                          Ingredients:
                                                                          8 cups flour 
                                                                          8 teaspoons baking powder
                                                                          2 teaspoons salt
                                                                          1,5 cups sugar
                                                                          1 cup butter
                                                                           2 eggs 
                                                                            2 cups buttermilk 

Mix all the dry ingredients together .

8 cups flour 
8 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
​1,5 cup sugar

Add 1 cup butter

Time to get your hands dirty.

​Rub the butter into the mixture till it resembles fine bread crumbs

Mix buttermilk and eggs together

Work into a dough 

Divide the dough into two oven pans. 

I like to pre-cut the dough into rusk size this makes it easier once its baked to cut without breaking.

Best will be to let them cool a little before you start to 
cut into rusks and arrange on baking trays 

Dry rusks in a cool oven of 100'C for about 4 hours.

Enjoy with a nice cup of coffee. 

Rusks are great to share with family and friends.

​Store in airtight containers 

In nature, compost is being made all the time. 

Organic matter in the form of leaves, bark, grass and animal droppings are being broken down and decomposed.  You might see some of the bigger creatures (decomposers) responsible, like termites or millipedes however you won’t see the microscopic life involved in the process.  Beneficial microbes in the form of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes and micro arthropods are functioning in a soil food web. 


​Much like when you drive through the Kruger National Park, you see complex habitats with predators, omnivores, herbivores and scavengers all filling a niche while benefitting the system – the soil is no different, it’s just happening at a microscopic level.  In a healthy ecosystem you could potentially find billions of beneficial microbes in just one teaspoon of soil.  Many microbes work symbiotically with plants, the plants provide food in the form of root exudates (sugars generated through photosynthesis) and the microbes (depending on their type) might provide protection from harmful microbes, extract trace minerals from the surrounding soil or convert nutrients into a plant available form.

So I found some over ripe bananas in the fridge and though that this is the perfect opportunity to bake a banana bread. (Delicious and so good for you: Bananas are a good source of several vitamins and minerals, especially potassium, Vitamin B6 , and vitamin C) So totally guilt-free nourishment! 

Pre-heat oven to 180 'Ç
​
You will need :
​1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
Mix these two ingredient till nice and creamy. 
                                                     Add 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
                                                     4 -6 bananas
                                                     2 eggs
                                                     2 cups flour
                                                      2 teaspoons baking powder
​                                                      1/2 teaspoon salt
​

Add 2 eggs (one by one) 
Mix in well
​

Mash the bananas.
I got my 3 year old son to do this as he loves helping in the kitchen. 

Add bananas to flour mixture.

​You can also add nuts and cinnamon if you like.

Grease a loaf  tin and pour the mixture in. 
I shared the mixture in two tins. The mixture is more that enough for two lovely breads.
​
Bake between 45 min and 1 hour. 

Now this is a yummy banana bread.
I was lucky to get a picture of this one as the first loaf that come out the oven was eaten within minutes. (I didn't stand a chance of take a photo before the family devoured it haha). 

Happy baking and enjoy!!!

​Stay safe and stay healthy. 

​“What do you get when you squeeze an orange?” self-help guru Dr. Wayne Dyer asked from the stage at a speaking event in Toronto.

“Duh! Orange juice!”  shouted a little girl sitting in the front row.

“Why?” he asked.

“Because that’s what’s inside!” she exclaimed.

I love that anecdote, and it sprang to mind when I was thinking about the wildly different reactions people are having in response to our changed lives in the face of COVID-19.

 The way I see it, like the orange, we’re all being squeezed by external circumstances, but unlike oranges, with people there’s no guarantee as to what will come out. While we’d all love to ooze nothing but calm, optimism and joy, chances are that  fear, despair and anger are just as likely to pour out.  
This is a time of great uncertainty. We have no way to predict how long these extraordinary circumstances will continue to test us.  But with focus and intention we can start to change what comes out of us when the pressure is on.

The virus has forced us to create space, and if we choose to embrace that space we can use it to get still and clear. In stillness and clarity, we can start to reprogram old habits of thought.
Can you be still, or does your mind demand that you get you back into your comfort zone of perpetual motion? Try calming your mind with this; research shows that if you can sit in meditation for 10 minutes 3 times a day and bring yourself to feeling hope and love, after only four days, your immune function will improve by 50%.  If meditation is something you have always resisted in the past, this may convince you to give it a try!

Set yourself up for success; make sure you sit in a comfortable position, and start with just a few minutes. To slow the mind, try focusing on your breath or on a constant but benign sound like the whirr of a fan. Don’t expect your mind not to think- that would be like asking the lungs not to breathe. You will have thoughts. What you’re looking for are the spaces between the thoughts-that’s where the magic happens!
If the word “meditation” throws you, try substituting words like “contemplation” or “familiarization” instead.
​
The essence of the meditation practice really is about familiarizing yourself with elevated emotions like peace and love. The more you practice and the more familiar those emotions become, it will be easier and faster for you to summon them when you sit.  In time and with dedicated practice, they can become your natural response as you go about your day- even when you’re being squeezed.
 

Today the family decided they want risotto (YIKES!) Now I don't know about all of you, but the thought of making risotto used to make me run in the opposite direction... Let me tell you, it's not as difficult  as it seems.  Right- hold on to your spatulas and here we go.

Ingredients:
Oil (coconut) to fry in 
 1 onion (finely chopped)
1 clove garlic
8 rashers bacon
250 g mushrooms
300g risotto rice 
1/2 cup white wine 
1-3 lt chicken stock
Parmesan cheese 

Heat up some oil in a frying pan and cook some onions and fresh garlic till soft and slightly transparent . (Little fact garlic is a close relative to onions , leeks and chives) 

Add the bacon . I used 8 rashers of streaky bacon, cut up into smaller bits.
​Stir constantly till bacon starts to crisp.

Add the (250g) mushrooms and cook for 5 minute or till they start to release their juices. 

​I used normal button mushrooms but chestnut or brown portabello mushrooms give risotto a nice rich flavor. 

Mushrooms are a little hard to get during lockdown so use what you can find.

Stir in the (300g) risotto rice/pasta or to give it a healthier option pearl barley.
Cook for 1 minute , stirring constantly so the oil coats the grains. 

Add 1/2 cup of white wine. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
​
Enjoy the rest of the wine while the risotto is cooking. 

​Now start adding the (1 liter) chicken stock 1 cup at a time, simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes. 
I used stock cubes dissolved in warm water but again you are welcome to make your own chicken stock.

Stir in Parmesan cheese and season to taste.
Remove from heat.
​
Serve and garnish with extra parmesan cheese. 
​
I made a little side salad to soothe my conscience.

​ENJOY!!!!

Today is the perfect weather for pancakes and I know it's always a hit with my family. 

We going to start by getting all our ingredients:
1. 2 cups (500G) of flour 
2. 1 teaspoon baking powder
3. 1 teaspoon white vinegar 
4. 3 eggs
5. 1/2 cup (125ml) oil
6. Salt
7. 3.5 cups (875 ml) water 

​

Step 1 : Mix the dry ingredients 
2 cups flour 
1 teaspoon baking powder
​salt 

Step 2 : mix the following together 
3 eggs 
1 teaspoon vinegar 
1/2 cup oil (125ml)

Let the fun begin : mix all the ingredient together 
Some of us are lucky and do this with an electric mixer or others do this the old fashion way ( elbow grease) 
(I don't like this part as I always end up with lumps but hang in there 
and whisk away ….) 
  Once you have the batter all mixed together let it rest (and you too ) for about 30 minutes. 

​Reward yourself with a cup of coffee or even a glass of wine :) 

You can add any filling to your pancakes . 
Here's a few ideas 
Savory mince 
Bacon and Cheese 
Spinach and feta 
or something sweet 
Banana and Caramel 
Melted chocolate and nuts 
Cinnamon Sugar ( like I did ) 
Play around have fun 

Enjoy baking these for your family!

Stay safe , Stay home