Attitude of Gratitude

Let me introduce this post with the biggest, most truthful and heartfelt thank YOU. It has been exactly one month since I launched Nourishing Amy and I continue to be bowled over by your support, kind words and your dedication to read what I have to say. I cannot describe the elation I feel every time I read a new comment, or see that you’ve made a dish of mine, or to hear how I have inspired you.

Cultivating gratitude is the best way to start living positively research has shown gratitude can make us happier, less stressed, less prone to negative emotions such as envy, physically healthier, more likeable and even more successful. Try imaging your life as a garden, and strive to be thankful for each and every sign of life. Remember: what some view as a weed, like the lowly dandelion, others see as a beautiful opportunity to make a wish. Every obstacle we encounter in life has something to teach us, if we can only be open to its message. If we are grateful for what we have now, we stop striving for a “better” future or longing for a halcyon past. Instead, we allow the present to fulfil us. This month, look for all you have to be grateful for.

Affirmation of the month: “I am grateful for all that surrounds me.”

Excerpt from April’s inspirational theme: Every day matters 2018 diary, A year of inspiration for the mind, body & spirit

Gratitude

Last week I was sat in the garden, cup of tea in hand, chatting with mum about how to mark my one-month anniversary. She asked me if this was ‘a thing’ to which I replied, ‘well, I am going to make it a thing’! We discussed a few ideas about how I could celebrate a months-worth of Nourishing Amy online, and we both agreed that the most important thing I could do is to say a big thank you to all of you. If you’ve read a post once, if you’ve subscribed and followed my blog, if you’ve made a recipe, if you’ve left a comment, even if you simply have the intention of checking out my little corner of the world wide web… thank YOU.

Gratitude is such an important emotion, characteristic and power we can let into our lives. By focusing on what we have to be thankful for – from the simple gratitudes of sleep or rest to the extravagant thanks of wonderful holidays and treats… let us recognise all that we have to be thankful for.

It is by your reading and dedication towards my blog that I am allowed to grow Nourishing Amy into all that I have dreamed it can be. I am slowly building up my recipe archives, adding more inspirational posts and letting you in to my healthful life one day at a time. Not only this, but I am grateful for the outlet my writing provides for me as an individual. It is with such pleasure that I sit down to write out my recipes, needing to make them one more time to check I have all the facts for you. For this I am grateful, as are my family – especially when Fudgey Rocky Road Tiffins are involved! I have kept recipes scribbled down on scraps of paper for years, but I truly love keeping them in a safe place and sharing them with you. Perhaps it is the Italian in me, but food is there to be enjoyed, to be shared and to be celebrated in all its glory. From a homemade brunch to a leisurely lunch with a work colleague to a potluck event where I can offer up tasty treats to the masses, food allows us all to socialise, to slow down and to learn.

Gratitude – Yoga

Through my social media account (@nourishing.amy) I have learnt so much – from the wonderfully weird ingredients, to new cooking methods to fantastic flavour combinations and food styling ideas, the vegan, health and food community is beautiful and encouraging. I have made so many friends who continue to support me, irrespective of country, time-zones and personal lifestyle choices. Thank YOU.

To my friends who do not self-identity as a foodie, or as a vegan, thank YOU for your support and lovely messages of congratulations.

To my fellow foodie community – thank YOU for allowing Nourishing Amy to become a part of your lives.

To my family, thank YOU for your unwavering encouragement, your belief in my dreams and for relentlessly checking my blog every day – Mum, thank YOU.

Here’s my gift to all of you – 4 brand new Nourishing Amy recipes:

1. A Refreshing Coconut Berry Smoothie
2. Fluffy Spelt Pancakes
3. Coconut Rice w/ Greens and Spicy Sesame Sauce
4. Chocolate Chai Peanut Butter

I cannot wait for all that is in store for the month of June – expect more recipes celebrating the summer month, a few motivational posts encouraging you to be your best, sprinkled with reviews of what I’ve been eating!

With Nourishing Love x