La Dolce Vita- Mangia Mangia!!

In collaboration with my new blogging buddy over at Ciao Christy I will now be participating in her Dolce Vita series every Monday on my blog. It's really a wonderful idea that will help me to stop and think about all of the things I am thankful and grateful for. The idea is that each Monday a group of bloggers will write a post about something that enriches our lives by living in Italy or something that enriches our lives in general.  It is easy to get caught up in the daily stresses and rushes of life and that means we tend to take certain things for granted, its a great way to start the week on a positive note and remember how fortunate we truly are.  So thanks Christy for coming up with such a great idea and for inviting me to participate!

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What enriches my life here in Italy? So many things. I could tell you about my husband and how he keeps me grounded and helps me to see important things in life from a different point of view, or I could tell you about my amazing girlfriends who love and support me and who know every detail about me. But it is difficult to express in words how important these people are to me and how fulfilling my life has become because of them. Maybe it makes more sense to tell you about how happy I am in my life and how lucky I am to be doing what I love and how doing what you love makes all the hard work worth it. But I’m pretty sure you’ve heard that all before. So instead I have decided to talk about food and how my diet has enriched my life. Italian food mixed with a little physical activity is a recipe for a happy, fulfilling and healthy life. After all, you are what you eat!

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We all know how amazing Lasagna is and that pizza is one of  the greatest ideas that Dio has ever given mankind (i Napolitani specifically) but as I have learned over the 10 plus years that I have lived in Italy, those are just a couple of the amazing foods to come from this tiny country. But I don’t necessarily mean typical Italian dishes, when I say food I mean the whole idea, the whole process of creating a meal and the importance of sharing it with those that you love. Very rarely do Italians grab a bite to eat, instead they sit and truly enjoy a meal. 

Just outside my front door is a farmers market with all the fresh fruits, vegetables, breads, meats and cheeses you could ever imagine. We don’t own a microwave and my husband refuses to eat left-overs. The expiration date on the milk is only about 3 days long and our refrigerator is less than 5 feet high.  For Italians food is a religion, they choose what they are going to eat with precision and care, food is fresh, everyday. Everyone sits down together at a table, for every meal of every day. Recipes are centuries old. Everything, and I mean everything is made from scratch. No preservatives, no processed foods, no take-out.

My health is better, I am more optimistic and stronger. I eat A LOT but yet somehow I am healthier, thinner and happier. So in the words of my Nonna and every Italian Nonna out there, MANGIA MANGIA!!