How to Practice Daily Gratitude

How to Practice Daily Gratitude www.SurfBerry.com

As 2015 comes to a close, we wanted to take this time to express our gratitude to you, our SurfBerry community, for joining us this year. Whether it be local or online, we appreciate you joining us this year and look forward to serving you in the years to come! We love expressing our gratitude daily to you and others, so we thought it would be fun to share some interesting facts about gratitude and how to practice daily gratitude. Gratitude can be found anywhere and everywhere. Opening yourself up to seeing all of the amazing and wonderful things in your life creates more space, more love, and more freedom within your soul.

“Gratitude makes life freer, lighter and easier. It empowers us to take control over our emotional lives, and not be at the whim of others or circumstances.” – Robert Emmons

Emmons is the author of Gratitude Works and has been studying the effects of gratitude on the human body and behavior at UC Davis for over 15 years.

His studies have shown that the more gratitude you express in your life, the happier you are. A regular gratitude practice has been shown to reduce mild depression, increase your optimism and general wellbeing, and improve your sleep and immune system.

The best part – cultivating more gratitude into your daily life is really simple!  Gratitude can be found anywhere and everywhere. Opening yourself up to seeing all of the amazing and wonderful things in your life creates more space, more love, and more freedom within your soul.

How to Practice Daily Gratitude: 3 Simple ways that you can cultivate more gratitude into your daily life

1. Start a daily gratitude journal where you write down what you are grateful for before you go to bed each night.

2. Write gratitude letter(s) to a loved one(s). I’m planning on doing this during the holiday season. Writing a letter to a loved one each day letting them know that I’m grateful for them and why I’m grateful for them. No better gift than a gift from the heart! How to Practice Daily Gratitude www.SurfBerry.com

3. As you go about your day and you see or experience something you are grateful for – whether it be tea with a friend, a beautiful sunset, or someone holding the door open for you at the store – take a minute and be grateful for that experience. Let it in. Be present.

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” – Melody Beattie

Thank you so much for joining us here at SurfBerry in 2015 – we are so grateful to have you in both our local and online communities. You allow us to do what we love everyday – help people get healthier and happier.

Wishing you the good health and lots of happiness this holiday season!

The staff at SurfBerry

PS – We’d love to hear from you! Where can you find gratitude in your life? What are you grateful for? Leave your response in the comments below!

Healthy No-Bake Holiday Dessert Recipes

Healthy No-Bake Holiday Dessert Recipes www.SurfBerry.com

If you love simple no-bake recipes using a few quality ingredients, you are going to love what we have for you today! Our Healthy No-Bake Holiday Dessert Recipes by our health coach Andrea Hood are easy to make and super good for you – so there is no need to feel guilty about indulging in dessert this holiday season. That’s right, dessert that is actually good for you! Who’s excited?!

Both the Milk Chocolate Truffles and Gingerbread Bites are raw, organic, vegan, gluten-free, and take approximately 5-10 minutes to make. Plus, they also contain protein and healthy fats, thanks to the nuts, and superfoods like coconut oil, cacao, and spices, so your body will glow from the inside out this holiday season. Bonus!

 

Healthy No-Bake Holiday Dessert Recipes: Mint Chocolate TrufflesHealthy No-Bake Holiday Dessert Recipes www.SurfBerry.com

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: none!

Makes approximately 16 Tablespoon sized truffles

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup raw organic almonds
  • 1/2 cup  + 1 Tablespoon pistachios, shells removed organic and raw if possible (I had trouble finding them)
  • 1 cup fresh medjool dates, pits removed  (found in your produce section)
  • 3.5 Tablespoons raw organic cacao powder
  • 1.5 Tablespoons virgin organic coconut oil
  • 3 drops peppermint essential oil OR 1/4 teaspoon + 1 drop pure peppermint extract

Directions:

  • Place almonds, 1/2 cup of pistachios, 2 Tablespoons of cacao, and 2 drops of peppermint essential oil (or 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract) into a Vitamix, high speed blender, or food processor. Process until the mixture is in tiny pieces, with a consistency similar to flour.
  • Add the dates to the Vitamix, blender, or processor, and process until they are in small pieces and are well incorporated into the flour mixture.
  • Empty mixture to a medium sized bowl. Using a Tablespoon measuring scoop, take a Tablespoon of the mixture and use your hands to roll it into a ball. Repeat this process until all of the mixture is used, setting the balls onto a large plate. Note: If the mixture is not sticky enough to do this, you will need to add more dates. The fresh medjool dates work best for this recipe, however, if you are using sundried dates you will most likely need to add more to make the mixture more sticky.
  • Place the coconut oil into a small glass bowl and microwave for 30 seconds, or until it is melted and in liquid form. Add 1.5 Tablespoons of cacao and 1 drop of peppermint oil or extract and whisk together with a fork until combined. Voila – melted raw chocolate!
  • Use a fork to dip a ball into the glass bowl, evenly coating the ball with the melted chocolate. Place the ball back onto the plate. Repeat until all of the balls are covered in chocolate.
  • Top with 1 Tablespoon crushed pistachio pieces.
  • Put the plate in the refrigerator and store there until you are ready to serve the truffles. Note: the coconut oil will melt if it warms up, so it’s important to keep these stored in the fridge.

Healthy No-Bake Holiday Dessert Recipes: Gingerbread BitesHealthy No-Bake Holiday Dessert Recipes www.SurfBerry.com

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: none!

Makes approximately 12 tablespoon-sized bites

Ingredients

  • 1 cup fresh medjool dates (pitted)
  • 1 cup organic almonds
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

  • Place almonds and spices into a high-speed blender or food processor. Process on high until ingredients are a flour-like consistency.
  • Add the dates to the blender/processor, and blend on medium to high until fully incorporated into the dry ingredients.
  • Dump the mixture into a bowl. Take a tablespoon worth of the mixture in between your hands, rolling to form a ball. Repeat until all of the mixture is used.
  • Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to five days. (If they can last that long!)

Enjoy your yummy Healthy No-Bake Holiday Dessert Recipes! Happy Holidays!

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