After a beautiful warm and sunny afternoon at the beach yesterday, I’m spending many hours in the kitchen with my family cooking our Thanksgiving dinner today and tomorrow, and I actually look forward to doing that all year. My favorite activity + my favorite people = my favorite holiday!
This year, we plan on making lots of easy, healthy, and delicious dishes like my ultimate healthy whole wheat rolls, my healthy maple sweet potato casserole, maybe my healthy roasted Brussels sprouts, and my ultimate healthy pumpkin pie. (We’re still deciding whether we’ll sneak in another one of these 35 healthy Thanksgiving desserts!)
Yet in between the cooking and taste testing and dishes, I wanted to have a little coffee break with you! So pour yourself a warm beverage (maybe a healthy homemade pumpkin spice latte or the easiest ever healthy chai latte or maybe even a healthy peppermint hot chocolate?), and let’s chat!
Because I have something special to share with you…
A few days ago, my friend Ashley shared in a post on Instagram that she was starting a gratitude challenge. After hearing that just 14 days of gratitude can lead to months (if not years!) of happiness, she planned to share at least three things she felt thankful for every day until Thanksgiving.
Although I’m starting her idea a little late with just one day to go until Thanksgiving, I still wanted to share a few things I feel incredibly grateful for, seeing as it’s the perfect time of year for that!
My family. They totally deserve to be at the top of my list. They’re my best friends, my biggest cheerleaders, and the sweetest supporters that I’ve ever had. They encourage me to chase my dreams, even when the doubts creep in, and they celebrate every success I’ve experienced, no matter how big or small. I feel so truly blessed that they’re my family and my friends!
My dog. Maybe it’s a little weird to put her at #2, but since I work from home, she’s always there with me (often sitting right next to me on my desk chair!) and showering me with her unconditional love. I look forward to every walk we take during my work breaks, smiling as she explores the same patches of dirt and plants with the same unbounded enthusiasm and excitement each time we pass by. She snuggles with me, licks me with her cute doggie kisses, and always comes running every time I walk into the kitchen with hopes of snagging a little bit of carrot or apple or chicken. Definitely my second biggest supporter! ?
My job. Amy’s Healthy Baking is actually my full-time job, and I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to say that. I turned my hobby into my career, earned enough to buy my own house, and enjoy every minute I spend baking and photographing in my kitchen. I love the freedom of setting my own hours and schedule (and the opportunities to travel all around the country too!), and it feels so rewarding and exciting to do something creative every day that helps thousands of people with their healthy lifestyle goals.
My “virtual” friends. With Amy’s Healthy Baking as my full-time job, many of my closest friends are people that I’ve met through blogging. Some of them I’ve met in person; others I haven’t. But the biggest thing I truly appreciate about food blogging is that we have such a supportive community where people are always willing to help each other learn and grow. As I’ve transitioned into full-time food blogging, I’ve realized that many other industries aren’t like that, and I feel so grateful that I’ve found a niche with so much love and support.
You. It may sound a little cheesy, but I’m incredibly grateful for you! Your interest and support for Amy’s Healthy Baking has enabled me to turn it from a hobby into my full-time job, and I’m truly thankful for what you’ve done for me. It means the world to me that you continue to browse through my recipes and read the stories in my blog posts and leave me sweet comments. I wouldn’t be where I am today without you, so thank you!
Such a wonderful post, Amy! Wishing you and your family an early Happy Thanksgiving. I’m thankful for my health, family (which includes my little shelter pup) and abilities.
Blessings Amy. I am grateful for you and your amazing recipes and info. Keep up the good work. Have a fabulous Thanks Giving.
You’re so kind — thank you Margaret!! I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving! 🙂
You are such a sweet and decent person, Amy! I love this post! The pics are all so cute – you and a cow = adorable!! I am incredibly thankful for so many things – my health, my family, living in Canada, being financially comfortable, my two dogs, my house, never being hungry having to sleep outside, having a family doctor (lol), for awesome bloggers like yourself, for chocolate and desserts (lol) … My life is SO golden compared to so many others’!
Perspective on life is incredibly important! Happy Thanksgiving to you and thanks for the reminder to all of us to appreciate what we’ve got! Not only are you a wizard in the kitchen but you are an inspirational human as well!! XO ?
Oh Jennifer, I always love hearing from you!! Your sweet comments make my day! 🙂 I absolutely love your list of things you’re thankful for and your reminder about perspective. We truly are lucky to live such blessed lives!
I hope you and your family and your sweet pup had a lovely Thanksgiving Liz!! 🙂
I keep coming back to your blog and website Amy.. so inspired by your passion and dedication to follow your heart.. :)) I love to read your healthy recipes that we could incorporate in our healthy living. Thank you for sharing your passion and gift with the world. Keep it up!
You’re so sweet Marly — thank you!! I’m truly honored that you’d return to my blog for my recipes and say such kind things about my passion and following my heart. You’re such a gem! 🙂
Happy Thanksgiving Amy.
I am thankful for my husbands clean bill of health this year.
Thankful we are going to be grandparents in 2019.
Thankful I lost greater than 50 pounds due to healthier eating.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you and your family. I am thankful for the LORD JESUS CHRIST. Without HIM life would not be what it is today. HE is not just the reason for the season. HE is the REASON FOR ALL SEASONS.
I hope you and your family had a lovely Thanksgiving Charlotte! 🙂
Oh my goodness Marianne, that’s incredible!!! So happy for you that you’re going to be a grandparent next year — and it’s truly inspiring to hear that you’ve lost more than 50 pounds!! That isn’t easy to do; it takes a lot of dedication and perseverance. Good for you!! 🙂 I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving!
God bless you and your family, greeting from Venezuela
You’re so kind — thank you Deanna!! That means a lot to us! 🙂
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.
I’m grateful for my life, EMTs, sheriff’s deputies, emergency room staff, nurses and doctors. I’m also grateful for still having my mom, wonderful friends and our Lord Jesus Christ. And thank you for your blog as I need to eat healthier and loose weight and I love chocolate. Lol ?
I hope you and your loved ones had a wonderful Thanksgiving Vickie! I love your list of things your thankful for — such a great reminder of the beautiful souls who make a difference in our world. 🙂 And I’m so honored that my recipes made your list! That means a lot to me!!
Amy- I’m so thankful for many things… my family… friends… health… new job… and last but definitely not least… YOU! I’ve always loved to bake (not that i’m that good… but I still like it). When I began my journey towards a healthy lifestyle I weighed nearly 300 lbs (294 to be exact). Through my former employer and health insurance, I was able to sign up for a weight loss program that focused on healthy eating, exercise, and portion control… the first few months the thing I missed the most was baking… then I found your site… through the program, and your site… I was able to get healthy, lose over 150 lbs, and continue to do something I love… baking! Thank you!!!
Oh my goodness Brooke!! Your sweet comment brought tears to my eyes. I’m truly honored that you used my recipes as part of your weight loss journey — that means the world to me! It’s SO inspiring to hear your story and see your transformation on Instagram. Losing weight, especially that much, is no easy task. It takes so much patience and dedication and perseverance, and it’s absolutely incredible to see what you’ve achieved. So proud of you Brooke!! 🙂
This was the perfect post to come back to your blog to! I have been WHOA MIA in blogland, and am slowly coming back to reading my favorites!! I adore your post, and although we haven’t spoken in a handful of months I feel we have the kind of “virtual” friendship that can always pick up where we left off. I am thankful for THAT. Your list is great, and I just love the life you have and continue to cultivate for yourself!! Be proud, you have come so far!
Awww you’re just the sweetest Brittany!!! I’m so honored that you’d decide to come back to my blog after being away for so long. After being away from technology, I sometimes lack the motivation to jump back into it, so it means a lot to me that my blog makes the cut for you. 😉 And YES!!! We definitely have that kind of virtual friendship, and I’m truly grateful for that. 🙂 I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving, and keep posting about your trip!! I’m loving all of the pictures and descriptions of your adventure!!