“Nourishing Your Bliss” was a tagline I had for years before switching my tagline to “Helping You Grow in the Garden, Kitchen & Beyond” a few years ago. If you look at the hashtag #nourishingyourbliss on Instagram you will find a good selection of my posts featuring gardening, nutrition, food and even perimenopause support. I have changed my focus over the years always evolving to match what truly sparks my interest and heart. What it has always revolved around is holistic living and nourishing our body, mind and spirit. Teaching people how to garden and cook from scratch fits this completely, add a touch of nutrition and self care and you have a recipe for holistic seasonal wellness. This is where GROW. COOK. NOURISH. sits in my business today.

In this blog post I want to share some things you can do this spring to nourish your bliss. A little bit from each category of GROW. COOK. NOURISH. These are small ways to add in delight, self care and nourishment when added together bring big benefits to overall wellness. Pick one to start out with or add as many as you want into your days and weeks. I prefer to focus on adding in the good things instead of focusing on what we need to remove. This is something I have done with nutrition clients in the past. (We would still remove things, but focused on adding in the good more.) Let this list inspire you to add in what works for you and see how it makes you feel.

• Add Smoothies Back – If you are like me and focus on warming foods in the cold winter months, spring is a good time to start adding smoothies back in to your diet. I always suggest more vegetables and protein than fruit. My favorite protein powder is made by Genuine Health. You can have your base liquid be a milk of your choosing, I prefer almond or cashew milk, an herbal infusion or a mix of milk and water depending on how big you want your smoothie to be. If you have a smoothie as an addition to a snack or a as a full meal your liquid ratio will change. Either way, I always suggest PFF, Protein, Fat and Fiber in every smoothie or solid meal. 
• Spring Greens – Take advantage of all the fresh spring greens that are starting to be available  as temperatures rise. You can either forage for them your self or buy what’s available from your local farmer. If you plan to forage anything ever, make sure you double check multiple sources, consult a qualified person and follow all safe and holistic foraging practices! I can’t stress this enough, there are many poisonous look-a-like plants out there. Take a foraging class or learn from a qualified local expert. I loved the foraging information and teaching I learned from Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine. Don’t worry, if you don’t want to forage anything, there is plenty of options that will pop up at your local farmers market or farm stand. Did you know that most of the spring greens are cleansing qualities? It makes sense since we usually spend the winter months eating heavier foods. I just love nature!
• Grow A Garden – Whether you have a large yard or a small balcony, there are options for you to grow something that you can eat or make herbal preparations with! For those with small spaces or beginners I suggest growing herbs. They are really a groups of plants where we can get the most for a small space and save some money while doing it. If you have the space, I suggest still starting small and seeing how you do and what you like to grow before installing a large garden. Either way, growing even just a small amount for your won food ensures top quality ingredients when you grow with organic and holistic practices. 
• Utilize Herbs – I can not tell you how much I love medicinal herbs! My love for them has grown over the years so much so that I can’t imagine my life without them. I love tonic herbs like nettle that are so nourishing and supportive or tulsi for the wonderful benefits it offers. Lemon balm is another herb I love, the same goes for skullcap, they both are wonderful nervines (supportive to the nervous system).I could go on and on here, if you are at all interested in hearing more about herbs look under the “NOURISH.” category on my website.
• Protein, Fat and Fiber – I always suggest to make sure every meal you have has “PFF”, protein, fat and fiber. PFF is the cornerstone of a holistic diet. If you focus on quality whole foods and PFF at every meal you will likely feel nourished and meet your nutrient requirements.
• Meditation – As a long time meditator and past meditation teacher, I can not suggest adding in a daily meditation practice into your life in any season, but spring is a good one to get started in if you haven’t already started a practice. Meditation is so beneficial for so many reasons. There are many ways to meditate, find one that works for you. (One that you enjoy, see benefits from and will commit to.) If you want tips on meditation, let me know, I loved teaching meditation!
• Physical  Activity – Spring is the perfect time to get back into physical activity if you slowed down or stopped since the new year. There are so many ways to meet physical activity goals, you have to find what works for you just like meditation. My preferred physical activities include daily yoga, weight lifting, hiking, paddle boarding, daily walks, etc. As a 47 year old woman in perimenopause, weight lifting is so important. I can not stress how important it is to have good muscle mass. Don’t worry about getting bulky, it’s hard to do!
• Food As Ritual – This really means being mindful and intentional about the whole process of eating. Everything from harvesting, washing/rinsing your harvest, mise en place, the whole cooking process, savoring the scents, colors and taste of everything. This includes sitting at an actual table without distractions, just you or you if you’re eating alone or you and your family/friends. Really engage in the whole process. Your food turns into the cells of your body, when you approach what you eat in this intentional way knowing this, you can see a shift in your nutrition and what you want to eat besides aiding in digestion. 
• Digestive Bitters – Having a squirt of digestive bitters or a nibble on bitter food like arugula or dandelion greens just before a meal can help digestive juices to start their magic. What I said above about the food you eat becoming your cells is true as long as you are assimilating everything you eat, this is where good digestion comes from. Digestive bitters can help the process.
• Digital Detox – We are continually bombarded with so much noise and energy from the digital world. Purposefully taking time away from social media and screens can do wonders for mental health and stress levels. I see more and more people feeling to pull to step away from social media/ the digital world to focus on life around them in the physical realm. I feel like we as a whole are aching for more nature, more real life experiences, more peace in our own surroundings. There are many ways you can engage in a digital detox, finding what works for you is always best. 

There are so  many things you can do to nourish your wellness throughout the spring season. I hope this list inspires you to find what works for you. Use this as a jumping off point and add in other things you either want to carry over from winter or something else just because you want to add it in. You are in charge of your holistic wellness journey! As I always tell my kids, make good choices!