Wanna Start a Gratitude Practice With Me?

Hey Kids!

It's November....the month that contains my SECOND favorite holiday (after Halloween!)....Thanksgiving!  

I mean, what's not to love?  We've got sweater weather, family gatherings, comfort food, pie, Fall drinks, colorful leaves, and a holiday focused around being thankful for what we already have, rather than searching  for (and buying) a bunch of crap we DON'T have (and probably don't really need!).  

This November, I want to REALLY focus on that feeling of Gratitude. Why?  According to this post by Amy Morin in Psychology Today , practicing gratitude has 7 scientifically proven benefits:

1. Gratitude fosters more relationships!  (And having good friends makes life super fun!)
2. Gratitude improves physical health.  (Less aches and pains!)
3. Gratitude improves psychological health.  (Less sadness, more HAPPY! Yay!)
4. Gratitude boosts empathy and reduces aggression.  (Be a better human?  Yes, please!)
5. Grateful people sleep better.  (I love me some good sleep, don't you?)
6. Gratitude increases self esteem.  (Go on and rock your confidence!  Be a boss!)
7. Gratitude increases mental strength. (Wanna battle the drama and trauma?  Get mentally strong!)

It sounds pretty good right?  

So how do we "practice" gratitude?  

Well, there are lots of ways to do it, but I'm going to do it the easy breezy way (of course!).  

Each week for the month of November, on my Facebook Page, I'm going to post some random things I'm grateful for!  Wanna join me?  I'll do one post each week, but in the comments of the post WE can add things we're grateful for all week long if we choose to!  That way we can decide how "into it" we want to get!  And even though I'm only officially committing to ONE day a week for POSTING, I'm going to practice gratitude daily...each day upon waking, I'll conjure up a list of three things I'm grateful for!  (And I'm doing it BEFORE I get out of bed, so I don't forget to do it!  LOL!)

It's easy, free, and we get scientifically proven bennies!  Well THAT'S super awesome, right?

Let's do it!  I'll post Thursday on my Facebook Page if you're interested in playing along with me!  

Sending HUGS!

--D

"Cookies" for Breakfast? Yes, Please!

Wow. It's been awhile since I've written a blog! 

I've been pretty active on "The Facebook" though. You might even find me on "Insta" once in awhile. 

If you've been following me on FB, you know I've been experimenting with my food. Trying to give my body a little love and cut down on the fats and animal proteins. You know, give my organs a break so they don't have to work so hard. 

Haven't decided if I like this style of eating or not...it's definitely great for weight loss (I'm on day 3 of a "cleanse" and have lost 3 lbs), but that's not why I do it.  I'm looking to reduce inflammation (which shows up as puffy eyelids and under-eyes, swollen ankles, bloat, sinus/ear stuff, stiff joints, etc.). So we'll see what happens! It's an experiment! I find it really interesting and fun to see how foods affect the body (and the mind!). 

So anyhoo, today I'm sharing a recipe for a breakfast "cookie". 

"Cookie" is in quotes cuz it's not really a cookie...a cookie has lots of white sugar, fats, eggs, gluten, and usually chocolate. (The stuff that's not so great to have on the daily if you've got inflammation or gut issues.) 

This "cookie" has none of those things. 

But it's still sweet. And hardy. And yummy.  It's kinda like "Oatmeal-to-Go" but that's just not as fun as calling it a "cookie".  

Did I mention that they're easy to make and don't require a whole bunch of ingredients? 

You can also make some ahead of time, store 'em in the fridge, and heat them (or not) when you want one. 

OH! And it also checks the boxes for "FALL FLAVOR"!   Yeah, baby!

So let's do it! 

Fall Breakfast "Cookies"...AKA FaBrookies! 

FaBrookies 

Ingredients:

• 1 Large Ripe Banana, peeled and broken (or sliced, if you wanna be fancy!) into chunks 
• 1 Cup Gluten-Free Oats (I like One Degree Organic Sprouted GF Rolled Oats) 
• 1 tsp Cinnamon 
• 1/4 C Fresh Cranberries (I cut them in half) OR if you're not a fan of Cran...1/4 C Raisins 

How To: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
2. Grab a big ol' bowl. Chuck in the banana chunks, oats, cinnamon, and cranberries. 
3. Wash and dry your hands and then mush everything together with your hands...FUN! 
4. Make the mixture into balls. 
5. Place the balls on the baking sheet lined with parchment and flatten slightly (these don't "melt" so whatever shape you put them in will be your final shape!) 
6. Put the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the edges just turn brown. 
7. Cool.
8. Eat.