4 Wednesday, April 1, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Journey through Thyme Jodi Schneider Columnist Cooking keeps us busy in stressful times With health and govern- ment officials urging people to stay home in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are looking for productive and comfort- ing ways to pass the time indoors 4 prompting the reawakening of cooking and baking. With more people work- ing from home, nutritionists say now is the time to start cooking and brushing up on your culinary know-how. Cooking can be a com- fort and one way to reduce anxiety during trying times. If you9re at home, cooking is a way to nurture your- self and learn a new skill and stay active. It9s also therapeutic because when you9re following a recipe, you put your brain to work and you9re focusing on that instead of thinking about the other worries you may have. Baking or cooking can be a stress reliever, because you9re using all five of your senses, which puts you pres- ent and in the moment. There is power in food. There9s a blessing in food, especially at a time like this. Create that feeling that makes the best of a crisis. Get cooking. Turn to soups for com- fort with a big pot of chicken soup with fine noodles, car- rots, celery, onions, and pars- ley, just like mom made, and it9s good for you. What are the best foods to buy when you know you9re going to be stuck at home? You can make nutrition a pri- ority, and that9s all the more important if your immune system may be compromised. When you go to the gro- cery stores you need a game plan of what can bring you the most nutrition. Fresh foods can be frozen, which will allow you to enjoy them later. Reach for beans and legumes because they9re long-lasting and also a great starting point for a nutrient- rich meal. Chickpeas or lentils, for example, can be mixed with salads and pasta dishes, or used in soups and stews. They can also be used for making homemade hummus, a great snack. You should also stock up on qui- noa, barley, ground cornmeal for polenta or grits, pasta sauces, and pasta. Baking staples would include all-purpose flour, white sugar, brown sugar, baking powder and soda, salt, butter and yeast. Also keep stocked up on eggs, for baking and other uses, as well as oils, such as olive and FREE ESTIMATES! Spri ng Cleaning! vegetable, oatmeal and dried fruits that can be turned into granola, along with some nuts and seeds. A freezer can be loaded with proteins, frozen vegetables and broth, as well as frozen fruits for smoothies and for baked items such as muffins. Try to stay away from highly-processed snacks, which can be an easy option when you have a cupboard stocked with biscuits, crack- ers, and chips, and especially when you are home all day, watching the latest updates on the pandemic and feeling stressed. Instead, stock up on apples, oranges, lemons and bell peppers, all of which are high in vitamin C, which helps build a strong immune system. In between meals, healthy snack options include low-fat popcorn and nuts. During this time, it9s likely that you9ll have some more free time on your hands than normal. So, if you9re used to cooking at home, why not use it as an opportu- nity to try your hand at a few recipes that you wouldn9t normally be able to. One way to eat healthy all week is to practice making See COOKING on page 18 Year-round FIREWOOD SALES Campgrounds, preserves closed To support state and local measures directing people to stay home to save lives, all Deschutes National Forest campgrounds are now closed through May 8, or until such measures are lifted. The campground closures are necessary to address the social distancing guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control and to align with Governor Brown9s