I have a quick update for all of you right now, but will be back with an actual post later on today <3

The news!?

I am going from http://dashofmeg.wordpress.com to…

http://adashofmeg.com

I am really excited to be a self-hosted blog from now on and cannot wait to continue sharing my journey with all of you <3

Along with the URL change, my email address will also change. So, make sure you get my new one because you know how I love your emails!

My new email address will be meg@adashofmeg.com

See you all later!

Keep smiling

Meg
xoxoxoxo

- Harold Gibbons

This was part of Harold’s reply to my post yesterday and I couldn’t agree more! He nailed it.

Foam rolling is seriously addictive. I love it so much! So, I am really excited to be writing this post today But what even got me more excited is that fact that all of you seem to be excited, too! I got a few replies, emails, and even texts on my readers’ excitement to learn more about foam rolling, so for that I thank you! I can’t wait to get you all started with foam rolling, too!  

It was just over a year ago when I was introduced to foam rolling. My trainer, at the time, took me through a full body workout and ended our session with foam rolling. I had no idea what this thing was

The thought of rolling myself around on a tube seemed pretty silly and made me feel kind of awkward, but I went with it. After the session my impression on foam rolling was definitely not what it is today. Today, I love it; I do it daily – almost. Last year, I thought it hurt, was awkward, and silly.

Oh, I was so wrong.

If you haven’t used a foam roller before, usually the first time you do it will feel the most “painful” or intense. But, it does get better.

So why foam roll?

The foam roller is used to massage muscles and tendons. Basically, it is like getting a deep tissue massage!

The foam roller is able to break down scar tissue.

Increases flexibility

Increases blood flow and circulation to soft tissues

The foam roller is able to perform myofascial release which is a technique that results in softening and lengthening of fascia.

Relieves joint pains

As you can see, there are many reasons as to why you should use a foam roller and I am sure you could even add a few more to my list! Personally, I use my foam roller before and after my workouts. I massage my muscles before my workouts to prepare them for the work that they are about to do and then again after my workout to massage them to prevent soreness. By doing so, I have seen so many changes in myself and fitness level. Since I began doing foam rolling exercises before my workouts, I found that I was more flexible and “ready” for my workout. Lunges are something I often feel uncomfortable doing, but I seem to go deeper in my lunge after I foam roll! I am also definitely less sore if I foam roll after my workouts, so I make sure to do so after each leg workout for sure and whenever I feel the need to. It’s really convenient that I have my own foam roller because I can just whip it out at home while I am watching TV (or waiting for my latest creation to finish baking in the oven) and perform a self massage It’s quite wonderful I am sure you would love a foam roller if you got your hands on one!
I was going to order one online, but while I was home for Christmas, my Mom and I went shopping and actually found one at a local fitness store! So, I would imagine that your hometown would also have a foam roller for you to purchase? The one I purchased is different than some foam rollers than you have seen before. It is a Trigger Point Performance Therapy foam roller. The reason I say it may be different than others you have seen before is because of the “grid” it has. Each different grid represents a different part of a hand or hand movement. For an example, the square grids are used as a palm whereas the smallest grids are used as fingertips. Your foam roller definitely does not have to have these grids, this is just the one I chose to purchase

So now that you know a little more about foam rolling and the benefits of using one, I will share some pictures of various exercises you can do and explain what each exercise is used for

I usually start from the bottom up…

The exercise for the calve muscles

It’s easy to make the exercises more intense, too. Simply cross one leg over the other for increased pressure.

The exercise for massaging the hamstrings

To get more of a stretch, reach for your toes

Or like I said above, cross one leg over the other

Now flip over and massage those quads!

For increased intensity, massage one leg at a time

Inner thigh exercise

Glutes! (My personal favourite!)

(It isn’t apparent in the picture, but try to lean to the side of your body with the foot that is off of the ground for a better glute stretch and massage)

IT band

(This one will most likely be the most intense of all of the exercises, especially if it is your first time!)

I hope my pictures helped you out; I was hoping to do a VLOG, but just didn’t have the time. If you need clarification check out Naomi’s video or Sarah’s.

I highly suggest trying foam rolling if you haven’t yet! It seems as though, everyone I know that foam rolls loves it and guarantees positive results, so give it a try! Like I said before, you can do it daily (if you want), before your workouts,  and after your workouts. Personally, I spend more time on my muscles that are the most sore, so you can try that, too!

Remember, I am not a CPT, I know what I know from my own research and experiences!

Do you foam roll?
What is your favourite foam rolling technique/exercise?
After reading this post will you try foam rolling?

Lots of love,

Meg
xoxoxoxo

Mine’s been quite lovely I just got back from working my legs at the gym, so I am all fired up to talk about leg training today!

If you have been following along with me, you already know that I am somewhat following the LiveFit trainer; I say somewhat, because I have adapted the program so it is more suitable for ME!

Remember, everyone is different, so do what works for YOU!

*Quick recap: The changes I have made to the trainer mainly have to do with cardio and portion sizes. The program introduces cardio after 4 weeks of a “building phase”; however, I have a lot of muscle that I want to build, so I have opted to continue doing NO cardio! Regarding portion sizes, I have increased my portion sizes seeing as how my body requires more food than what was being suggested in the trainer.

I have been loving the trainer and have actually seen some gains while following it I have increased weights in many of my exercises and feel as though my shoulders are a bit larger(?) Larger or not, I am personally noticing changes which is definitely motivating, so I am choosing to stick with the trainer! However, I have been thinking a lot about the leg routine lately…

The trainer suggests to train the muscle group that you want to develop the most. For me, this is my legs. So, having said that, I have been training my legs two times per week. Before the trainer, I was also training my legs two times per week (for the same reasons), but I split my leg days up by focusing on hamstrings and glutes one day and quads on the other day. I liked this split. I found it very beneficial doing a hamstring/glutes focused workout and then a quad focused workout later on that week.

I was surprised when I saw that the LiveFit trainer used the same leg routine two times per week. I am no professional (I have learnt everything I know on my own, reading fitness articles, YOUR blogs, etc.), but from what I understand it is more common to focus on the two different leg muscle groups (hams vs. quads) when training legs twice per week.

Currently, I have been doing this workout two times per week:

Leg Press 3 x 10

Barbell Squat 3 x 10

Barbell Lunge 3 x 10

Barbell Deadlift 3 x 10

Lying Leg Curls 3 x 10

Seated Calf Raise 3 x 10

Standing Calf Raise 3 x 10

However, like I said, lately I have been contemplating whether I should do two different leg routines twice a week.

Decisions, decisions…

One of the main reasons I chose to do the LiveFit trainer was because I was focusing too much on my routines. Since I am not a trainer, I didn’t find it easy to throw together a proper routine for myself. I know the importance of including different exercises, so I found myself striving far too much to create a “perfect” program for myself. I know there is no “perfect” program, but that’s what was on my mind while trying to write out a routine for myself…

So, if I do switch up the leg routines, I would want to be confident in the routines I use. I don’t need to be worrying about finding a leg workout that focuses on quads and one on hamstrings and glutes – I am a student and put my studies first.

Despite having a slight dilemma regarding my leg training, I have been loving it throughout the trainer so far I have made many increases in several exercises and gained confidence in many exercises, too!

In the past, I was having trouble with leg curls, but I recently came across this video!

Ironically, I found this video right before I left for the gym to do my leg workout on Monday, so I was able to try out her Erin’s suggestions! And they worked! Her suggestions and variations to the exercise are so helpful, but maybe I had the machine set differently, too!? I guess I just had to play around with it a bit more (but I am still positive that the SEATED leg curl machine is too big for me! Haha! I’ll just stick with the lying leg curl machine from now on…)

As I am focusing much more on increasing muscle mass, strength, etc. I have been incorporating NEW things into my routine Such as…

FOAM ROLLING! <3

This is MY foam roller and I love it so very much <3 It is my favourite piece of fitness equipment and can’t wait to tell you all about it and why I love it so much! More to come tomorrow!

How often do you train your legs?
What is your favourite leg exercise?
Do you foam roll?

Meg
xoxoxoxoxo

However, on Wednesdays I DO have class; two of them in fact! My first class begins at 8:30 AM, so I was up and at the gym by 7:00 to get my sweat on!

Normally, I plan ahead of time. I usually schedule my days so I know what to do when; example: what time I plan on going to the gym on such and such a day; however today was different.

I have been taking a different approach on things lately and it’s working.

I found myself stressing and thinking too much about what and when I should do something. I would take forever to decide whether or not I should go to the gym before my morning class or after, when I should do my homework – between my breaks from class or later that night, etc. etc.

Too much time was being spent on unnecessary things! My mind was starting to go crazy and I would take forever to make the simplest little decision. How silly!

So, like I said, I have a new approach:

Going with the flow.

I need to be easier on myself and less of a perfectionist!

If I don’t wake up at 6:00 to get to the gym, WHO CARES!? I can go later!

If I don’t complete all of my homework one day, WHO CARES!? I can do it the next day!

If I don’t make my bed one morning, WHO CARES!? Not making your bed actually let’s it air out and dehydrates and kills dust mites! (Gross, I know, but it’s a good excuse for not making your bed if you ask me! Who wants to be sleeping with dust mites?)

I think you get my point. As I have been focusing on “going with the flow” lately, I have been a lot more relaxed and my mind doesn’t race like it did anymore.

One example of relaxing and going with the flow happened last night. Since I had such a horrible sleep the other night, I didn’t know if I would be fully rested in the morning to make it to the gym before class, so I didn’t make a plan.

Like I said, usually I would have my entire day planned out, but this time I approached things in a more relaxed and laid back manner.

I went to bed without setting an alarm, doing any food prep, or packing my gym bag. I wanted to allow myself to sleep until I was well rested.

It just so happened that I was well rested by 6:30. I woke up on my own, without an alarm or any interruptions, so I knew I was ready to wake up and start my day!

I whipped up a yummy breakfast of oats and strawberries with almond milk, and eggs (unpictured)

Then I blended up a protein shake and headed out the door!

I had a heavy shoulder workout today and it felt so good. My last few shoulder workouts took place back home, so they weren’t quite the same as my “normal” shoulder workouts. The Bowflex was good, but I definitely missed my gym here in London over the break!

I took some pictures of my arms after my workout because I am noticing some changes!

(HAHA! I look cross-eyed!)

I had to get ready for school after my workout…
Let’s just say my eye liner was a little crooked today My arms were feeling quite noodley after working so hard!

What is one unnecessary thing that you find yourself stressing or thinking too much about?
How was your WORKOUT WEDNESDAY? What did you do to get your sweat on today?
Do you take progress pictures? I don’t do it often (nor have I ever done it at the gym before!), but I have been noticing some gains in my arms, so I thought I’d share It’s pretty motivating for me.

Have a wonderful night friends! Tomorrow is all about legs!

Meg
xoxoxoxo

(a deliciously thick layer of mashed avo on an egg)

I don’t know what’s wrong with me guys.

I seriously love life so much that it keeps me awake at night.

Last night, I found myself WIDE awake from 2:30 am right until 4:30 am. Reason? My mind wouldn’t shut off! I was so incredibly excited for my first day of classes today that it was impossible for me to sleep! Luckily, I managed to fall asleep by 4:30 until 6:00 am. I wish I could have slept a but longer, but once I saw that the clock said 6:00 I was wide awake once again; eager to start a new day, new term, new classes!

Today was an amazing day My excitement was necessary; however, it is leaving me feeling incredibly tired right now – I have actually been ready for bed since about 4:30 PM.

Since I am so tired, today’s post is short and sweet. I’ll give you a taste of my day through some pictures that I took during my Food Science lab. It was “fish” and “deep frying” day today, so we made all sorts of fun dishes and meals!

Pan fried fish

Curried shrimp

Almond sole

Mini fish burgs

Baked rainbow trout with tomato salsa

Poached salmon

Salmon with Asian sesame dressing

And last, but not least!

My contribution …

A salmon steak coated in bread crumbs and parmesan…

Which was then baked…

… to perfection…

and topped with a HEALTHY creamy lemon dill sauce!

This was a glorious dish, but I think it had a lot to do with my expertise at baking salmon (Ok, I am not an expert, but I seem to nail it every time! hehe!)

Would you take a look at the perfect flake separation!? Oh goodness… Salmon <3

Seriously, look at those juicy flakes! YUM!

Is your mouth watering yet?

Meg
xoxoxo

(P.s. I have major DOMS today – that leg workout always gets me! Can’t wait to share some of my favourite fitness moves and devices with you soon!)

Even though today was only my first full day back in London, I feel like I have everything under control and I feel good about starting classes again tomorrow I am pretty excited actually.

I think having the entire day off today to get prepared really helped me get back into somewhat of a routine (heading to bed early last night didn’t hurt either! I was sleeping by just after 9:00)

I planned on going to the gym today, but I didn’t want to set an alarm or anything. I wanted to let me body rest until it was ready to wake up. Unfortunately, I was woken up by a phone call at 7:00! If it had been my parents calling, I wouldn’t have been upset, but it was someone with the wrong number! I was not impressed. Since I was still pretty sleepy, I lied in bed for a while, but I am not the type to fall back asleep, so I was out of bed and found myself in the kitchen by 7:30

After a good breakfast, I was off to the gym! It was so nice to get back to my beloved gym. It was leg day, so that made things even better I also increased my weights for lunges, so I was an extra happy girl after that!

(greek yogurt, rolled oats, strawbs, cocoa powder, and a side of scrambled eggs was my breakfast of choice today!)

I spent the rest of my morning finishing the unpacking I didn’t get to last night, organizing my kitchen, washing dishes, and prepping for school tomorrow (getting my binders and textbooks organized, etc.)

Washing dishes was a must! I needed to put at least one of my new Christmas dishes to use throughout the day!

Isn’t it beautiful?

After lunch, I met up with a friend at Starbucks. It was so nice to see some other form of human life. I often find myself being quite a hermit when I get back into “school mode”. I get so into studying and homework that I forget to pay attention to my social life. During this second term of school, I am going to make a point of doing other things than just school work and gym-related things! Last term there were many days when the only time I left my apartment was to go to the gym! It’s really beneficial to see other people; I get less lonely (obviously), so this term I am definitely going to change things up a bit!

I had so much fun with my friend. We chatted forever while enjoying our Starbucks <3
I got a venti Zen tea.

After my tea date, I came back home to get more things on my to-do list scratched off; one of them being meal prep! I love meal prep <3
I will be at school from 8:30 – 5:30 tomorrow, so I packed three meals for myself.

Salad that I later topped with tilapia…

Aw! My last swordfish steak! So sad!

I have been loving green beans lately <3 They remind my of summer.

Can you tell I love tilapia too?

This was my dinner tonight. Usually, there would be chicken breast thrown into the mix somewhere, but when I went to Costco yesterday there was NO CHICKEN!

Costco with no chicken? What is this world coming to!?

I seriously couldn’t believe my eyes. I had to circle the meat refrigerators about three times until I convinced myself that they had no chicken.

Overall, today was a very productive day. My mood is completely different than yesterday and I attribute all of my positivity to being well rested and getting out with amazing friends (I have another tea date tonight; this time with Chelsea!) I seriously cannot function on less than 7 hours of sleep, so today I am in an entirely different mindset than yesterday It’s wonderful. (P.s. no tears today! yay!)

I have to meet up with Chelsea soon, but before I go, as I was shovelling quinoa into my mouth from my dinner, ironically, I came across this article! If you haven’t tried quinoa yet, I highly suggest doing so. Not just because it provides so many nutritional benefits, but it is easy to cook, versatile, and one of my favourite sources of carbs (Clearly, the latter reason is the one that should ultimately convince you to try quinoa! Cheryl, I’m talking to you! Haha!)

How often do you go out with friends?
Have you tried quinoa before? What is your favourite way to enjoy this fabulous seed?
What is your favourite source of carbohydrate?

I have so much to talk about. So, look forward to my posts this week I want to show you the inside of my gym bag and what my current favourite piece of fitness equipment is!

Meg
xoxoxoxo

My fridge is looking back to normal – packed to the max with yumminess! So, I am a much happier girl than earlier today

I also fired up my grill and did a little cooking tonight!

I bought myself three swordfish steaks today when I was out and had to grill them up tonight; they looked too good not to!

They turned out wonderful.

I think I should be crowned Queen of the Grill or something?

I polished off one of these steaks tonight, so there is two waiting for me tomorrow Should be tasty!

After dinner, I finished unpacking, so now I am totally wiped. I am currently lying on my couch watching 50 First Dates, but my eyes are getting tired so I am pretty sure it will be lights out very soon!

Good night lovelies <3

Meg
xoxo

Do you like bbqing?
Have you had swordfish before? It was my first time ever  
Is anyone else experiencing jet lag besides me today?

I think it gets harder each time actually?

My flight was at 5:30 AM this morning, so I am running on very little sleep which amplifies my emotions, but after I get my things unpacked and back into some sort of routine I will be fine (a good night’s sleep will also help, too!)

(I fell asleep on my Grandma’s couch last night at 10:00! Thank goodness because we set our alarms for 3:30 AM this morning, so we would be at the airport for 4:30!)

It’s always hard to say goodbye to my best friends, but I am extremely lucky since they make it a priority of theirs to visit me almost monthly (I think my Dad is coming here in February!)

(Daddy and I at the airport early this morning)

(Mommy and I hugging goodbye <3)

My flights went well. I had to fly from Regina to Toronto and then from Toronto to London. On the way from Regina to Toronto I was able to catch a few z’s, but I spent the majority of the flight watching Footloose. Such a good movie!

Despite having an early morning flight, I made sure I fuelled my body as per usual. I had breakfast on the way to the airport and packed snacks for on the plane.

When I was in Toronto I picked up a pita from Extreme Pita for my lunch. I also found some cool foodie finds while wandering around and I couldn’t help myself, so I have some new products to try!

It’s amazing how finding new eats can put such a huge smile on my face on such a sad sort of day
(You know you’re a foodie when…)

The flight from Toronto to London is super quick. Like under 30 minutes or something crazy like that? I actually met a new friend on the flight! He goes to Western and seems really sweet. We both like love sushi, so he took my phone number and we’re planning on going out for sushi sometime soon!

So seven hours later and I am back in London, my home. It feels great to be back, but sad at the same time if that makes any sense?

I was so excited when the cab driver pulled up to my apartment and my excitement grew even more as I opened the door to my suite; however, I have had some tears already. My Mom already had to call me and give me a phone hug and kiss.

I know I’ll be OK, I love it here. It’s just different than what I have been experiencing for the past three weeks (family time).

Currently, I am unpacking the THREE suitcases and one backpack I managed to bring back with me.

Unpacking = mess.

One suitcase of mine was entirely filled with glass bowls, etc.
I was so happy to see that everything made it in one piece  

(Do you like my new tea pot? It’s from DAVIDsTEA obviously )

Seeing as how my fridge is bare, except for nut butters, I am planning on going grocery shopping soon. I think I will go to Costco for my meats (chicken breast, ground turkey, fish, etc.) and then Remark for produce (I have been missing Remark so much!)

I am sure it will be an early night to bed for me tonight, but I am thinking I will post again before then because, well, I love you all so much and what else do I have to do?  
Classes resume tomorrow, but I have every Monday off this term, so I am a free bird until Tuesday (yay!) which means I have all day tomorrow to get ready and prepare for my new classes!  

Have you seen the new Footloose movie? If so, what did you think?
Have you tried any of my new food purchases before?
Do you like talking to your seat “neighbours” while flying or do you keep to yourself?

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Meg
xoxoxoxoxo

Since it is my last day at home and I need to deal with the reality of it all, I really should start packing. I have an extra suitcase full of Christmas presents to take back to London with me. But, I really loathe packing, so I have done none of the sort today.

Instead of packing, I fixed myself a nice breakfast to warm me up on this cold winter day (oats with a side of scrambled eggs), worked up a sweat (I did chest and triceps on the Bowflex today – I am really starting to love the Bowflex now), cleaned the house after last night’s festivities (dishes, laundry, etc.), and met up with some friends for lunch Yorkton really doesn’t have much to chose from as far as restaurants go, so we chose to go to Subway (seriously, Yorkton has no options that sounded more appealing). When I go to Subway, I usually order a salad with double meat, so that is exactly what I did today. Surprisingly, I, the picture taking queen, didn’t take a picture of my lovely salad, but trust me. It was fab. By far the best salad I have ever had from Subway. Why? Spinach! I was super pumped when I saw they were offering a choice between spinach and iceberg lettuce today. I rarely see spinach being offered, so yes – I became very excited Along with my salad, I also had rice cakes. I make sure I am having those much needed carbs for my growing muscles My body really sees a difference if I cut back, so when ordering salads or something without a carbs source at a restaurant I always make sure to take something along with me; like rice cakes or crackers!

I had a lovely lunch with my friends They were on their lunch break from work, so our visit was only an hour.
Now I am home warming up to a cup of tea <3

(green rooibos today!)

Last night, I shared a ton of pictures of the appetizers I served last night Since all of my guests were raving about everything my Mom and I served, and requesting recipes, I decided to share them with you today!

I made two entirely new appetizers last night and both recipes came straight from recipes I found online! I rarely follow recipes to a “T” (I seem incapable of doing so); however, yesterday I chose to follow each recipe exactly!

My family often does lettuce wraps as a meal for dinner, but last night I thought it would be fun to serve them as appetizers! I used this recipe and multiplied it by four to feed all of the guests

They turned out amazing and were loved by everyone! This was the most frequently requested recipe of the night So, if you are thinking of entertaining some guests in the future, try this one out!

The other new recipe I tried last night were French Onion Soup Stuffed Mushrooms. I have never made a stuffed mushroom appetizer before, so this was a lot of fun! The reason I chose to do them is because we had the mushrooms on hand, so we didn’t even have to shop for any ingredients!
I made the mushrooms before the guests came and then cooked them when everyone was ready for the appetizers. The only alterations I made to the original recipe was substituting the cremini mushrooms for white mushrooms (because we had white mushrooms at home already) and butter for olive oil (I much prefer sautéing and cooking with olive oil than with butter).

I forgot to mention, I also omitted salt in each of the recipes that I shared with you above. My family doesn’t cook with salt (unless absolutely necessary for the function of the recipe).

Other than the two new recipes that I served last night, my Mom and I also made up some of our “classics” or “go-to’s”

Piggies in a blanket always seem to get devoured at parties. For our piggies, we use little pepperoni-type sausages (cut in half) and wrap them in 100% whole wheat tortillas which we cut into triangles. They are really easy to prepare and are held together with a tooth pick. Once each piggy is wrapped, we bake them at 375 degrees F until golden on the edges.

We always serve our piggies with honey mustard sauce, but last night we gave our guests an option between honey mustard and BBQ sauce. The BBQ sauce seemed to go over well, so I’ll have to remember that!

My Mom was in charge of the devilled eggs. They are pretty much her specialty She gives the “original” devilled eggs a run for their money with the addition of sweet Thai chili sauce.

Devilled egg filling:
Egg yolk, greek yogurt, and sweet Thai chili sauce (my Mom usually puts a TBSP of mayonnaise, but you can “clean up” the recipe with greek yogurt)

I also made crackers with cream cheese, smoked salmon and capers as well as crackers with cream cheese and pickled asparagus. These are always a hit, but the salmon definitely took the lead over the asparagus. There were no crackers with salmon left by the end of the night! Clearly my friends are my kind of people (I love smoked salmon)

The last recipe I have for you is my Mom’s meatloaf/meatball recipe! Last night my Mom made meatballs for the party, but uses the same recipe when making meatloaf. Even though it is the exact same recipe, I much prefer the meatloaf Not sure why?
I don’t have a picture of the meatballs for you (oops!), but I do have a picture of the pretty lady who made them!

Mommy busy making the meatballs!

In my Mom’s delicious meatloaf she puts:
Onions (chopped), sweet chili sauce, onion powder, steak spice, and worchestershire sauce.

I hope you enjoyed all of the recipes and would love to hear if you make any of them! Before I go, I would like to link you up with some great posts I read so far today (much more reading to do):

Non-judgemental WIAW by Kasey at PowerCakes!
Kasey does a wonderful job of describing that you have to be happy with the lifestyle you chose to live. If you don’t like doing something don’t feel you have to do it just because everyone else is doing it! This can relate to many aspects in life!

Why You Need to do Tabatas by Tara at Sweat Like a Pig.
Tara will never fail you. Her posts are always incredibly informative, but since I love love love tabata training, I thought I would link you all up with this wonderfully written post of hers!

Healthy Forever: 7 Keys to Making it Stick by Jill Coleman

Now I am off! Time to go get my Mom from work and probably do some packing – I have a feeling my Mom will suggest doing so…

Meg
xoxoxoxo

How many blogs do you read each day?
How do you keep up with your blog reading?
Do you have anything fun planned for the weekend?

Thursdays are Mom and Meg day <3

My Mom doesn’t work on Thursdays, so I get her to myself all day Quite literally actually; my Dad works from 9:00 in the morning until 9:00 at night, so Thursdays are definitely a day for mother daughter bonding

Mom and I kept pretty busy this morning. We cleaned the house, I fit in a workout (used the Bowflex), and went to the store for groceries.
Busy busy girls.

Lunch was quick, left overs from yesterday night, because Mom and I had a special date planned for early this afternoon

(The salmon I grilled at Grandma’s, whole grain rice mix, and steamed asparagus)

Mom and I treated ourselves to pedicures this afternoon It’s one of our favourite things do to together

Cafe mocha for Mom

Green tea for me

<3

99.9% of the time I have a dark shade of purple on my toes, but I wasn’t feeling the purple today. I was thinking of going blue, but then I saw this cool green colour!

Our pedicures took almost two hours. It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon with each other before I have to go back to London on Sunday I enjoyed every minute of it <3

It’s always nice to spend time with my best friend (my Mom), but a good pedicure never hurts either

Since today was my second last day in Yorkton, my parents and I decided to have some friends over for drinks and appetizers (yay! An excuse for me to try some new recipes!)
Everything turned out phenomenal and there are hardly any leftovers! I will be sharing the recipes with you in a later post Just pictures tonight!

It was a wonderful night and I am so happy I got to spend some more time with my friends and family before I leave  
I am so lucky to have the family I do <3

(Cuddles looks so sassy in this picture! I love it, haha!)

Do you entertain guests often?
What are some of your “must make” appetizers for company?
Have you had a pedicure before? I have had many pedicures in the past, but would love to be a “regular” at a spa, haha! Every time my Mom and I go for pedicures we say, “we should do that more often!”

I hope you all had a lovely day!

Meg
xoxoxoxoxo