Attitude is Everything

Good evening friends and Happy November A new month. How exciting  
Just like a new day, a new month is full of new opportunities and is a great time to create some new goals to work towards  

To be honest, that is exactly what this post was going to be about; my new goals for the month. My mind has been going cray cray for a while now and I have working on making a few changes in a few different areas within my life Of course I will fill all of you in on the positive changes and goals that I have made or want to make, but tonight I just rather blab about my day and all of the positives that came of it! So I’m going to roll with that…

I know I have posted about positivity a lot in the past, but what can I say… I guess I am a positive person and I find that by dwelling on the positive aspects in life we can truly live a more positive and fulfilling life.

Today, I was outrageously stressed out about my midterm. Typically, I like to have 10 days to study for an exam. I love walking into an exam feeling like I am going to own it  Especially since this is university stuff. In high school obviously this was a totally different situation. I got by without studying (and by “getting by” I’m talking high 80’s to 90’s). As most of us know, university is much different and the study time that must take place before exams are much more time consuming. Let’s just say, I did not feel prepared for the midterm I wrote today. It was an awful feeling and I never want to go through it again. However, looking back on things now I can pinpoint reasons as to why I felt so unprepared.

Of course the events that took place this weekend such as a 6.5 hour student council meeting wasn’t ideal when I had three midterms to prepare for, but what really got to me was what others were saying about the upcoming midterm.

The jibber jabber coming from all of the other students totally psyched me out for this exam and that is exactly what got to me.

How come I didn’t know better?

I am the girl always telling my friends “don’t worry about what others say”. I usually use this term when trying to help with self confidence, but I could have totally applied my own advice to my overly dramatic worries that I was experiencing today.

If I didn’t listen to what others were saying about the exam, I would have went into that exam with a much more positive and confident attitude. Remember, attitude is everything.

Attitude truly does make a difference. Of course I am not going to feel good about the exam if I go in thinking I don’t know anything. I studied as much as I could and I did my best. That’s all that can be asked of me.

Moral of the story, I should take my own advice sometimes.

An even better moral… don’t let others influence your thoughts.
Be you.
If others want to be negative, let them. But we don’t have time for that. We only have time for being positive. What a waste of time being a Negative Nelly; don’t you agree?

So even though the midterm didn’t go amazing, of course I found some way to look on the bright side  

I told myself that now after writing this exam I know how to properly prepare for my final That’s the great thing about midterms! Sometimes I just don’t know where to begin with studying for a class! Some studying techniques work better for others and midterms are all about figuring that out! I am sure the final will go much better now that I know how our teacher writes exams and I assure you, I will not be listening to what other people are saying or anticipating about how the exam will be  

I hope all of you who are also focusing on your studies a little bit more intensely lately can take something from this post and learn from it. I always hope to leave you guys will a little something Even if it’s just a little somethin’ somethin’  

So, we all know it just wouldn’t be a typical Meg post if there wasn’t some kind of fitness or food talk thrown into the mix, right!?  

Well, I will most definitely be talking about fitness tomorrow I had an amazing workout today and am expecting another one tomorrow! I will be doing this workout tomorrow and am so looking forward to it!

Later on in the week, I will be sharing more recipes with you all that I just cannot get enough of lately Some fantastic creations have been developed in the my kitchen lately and must be celebrated with my favourite foodie friends  

But today, I am sharing a new to me ingredient Nothing wrong with something new for the new month is there? Come on. I had to try something new today It was a must!

Walnut oil!

I have never tried walnut oil before, but I think it will be showing up a lot more lately as it was fab  

Walnuts are my all time favourite nut, so it is no wonder why I instantly loved this type of oil

I am constantly buying these big bags of walnuts from Costco

Would you have a more of an understanding of my love for walnuts if I told you that this was my third bag of walnuts since September?

I also found walnut butter while I was in British Columbia this summer

It’s good, but… there’s a reason that the jar is pretty much still full. I definitely prefer the actual walnut and almond butter is much better than walnut butter (IMO!)

So, I’m looking forward to cooking more with walnut oil, but for now…

Here’s a super simple recipe (if it can even be called a recipe?) that I hope you all will enjoy (Of course, you can use any type of oil for this recipe, but this is when I discovered my love for walnut oil)

Walnut Oil and Parmesan Sautéed Brussel Sprouts

2 cups brussel sprouts, washed and halved or quartered

1 tsp walnut oil

parmesan (I used vegan parm!)

zest of a lemon

Bring an inch of water to a boil in a large deep skillet over medium to high heat. Add brussel sprouts and cover until bright green. Drain water. Add oil to skillet, reduce heat, and sauté until brussel sprouts begin to brown and become fragrant. Remove from heat. Top with parmesan and freshly grated lemon zest!

This tastes phenomenal and is such an easy side dish Make it now

Me love my brussel sprouts  

What’s your favourite nut?
Have you ever tried walnut butter?
Do you like brussel sprouts?
What is your favourite way to prepare brussel sprouts? I have never sautéed my brussel sprouts before!
Do you make new goals for a new month?
Did you try anything new in light of the new month?

Good night friends! My eyes are getting droopy! I am so excited to have a good old fitness talk with you all tomorrow

Love always,

Meg
xoxoxoxoxo