All Ready for the Long Weekend!

Despite being a short work week, its been very long days and I'm counting down to tonight when I can head up north to a friend's cottage. There is nothing like leaving behind the mess and mayhem of the city for a little peace and quiet on a lake.

Last year I went up and it was a blast.

You've gotta love fun times spent with great friends. 

My bag is all packed and loaded with the essentials: bikini, new flip flops, magazines and sunscreen. All I need is a new pair of sunglasses!

Someone wasn't too happy about the suitcase coming out.

Whiskey has been super needy lately. As in, he won't leave my side. He had to stay with my parents for a couple of weeks while I was working on a short film, and you'd swear that he thought I'd abandoned him. I originally wasn't going to take him for the long weekend, but now I can't picture going without him. I've missed my little sidekick and I know that he'll have a fun weekend at the cottage.

I'm trying to give him extra lovin' these days. He seems willing to comply. 

This morning I packed up his little bag with all the goodies he might want and when I wasn't looking he hopped in. I think he was all ready to go.

He even grabbed his new froggy toy and "packed" it by hiding it in the carrier. So cute.

I had a Groupon that I bought MONTHS ago for the Lush & Lavish Salon and Spa in Toronto and I've been meaning to use it, but have never gotten around to it. What better excuse to use it than to get ready for some flip flop wearing this weekend? I loved this sweet turquoise colour and its perfect for a fun summer weekend. I always pick a pink, red or neutral colour, so this is definitely a change for me, but I love it!

It even came with a manicure, so I got my nails done too. I rarely ever do my nails, so its a treat.

I've got a freshly made loaf of Raspberry-Lime Bread that I made this morning. Just waiting for it to cool to pack it for the cottage. Its been a battle of willpower not to cut into it. It made the entire apartment smell so good. (recipe up this weekend!)

I've got a loooong day at the office and then I'm off to all the last minute food and beer shopping while Garrett is working late. You know that the second I am off the clock, I'll be celebrating the long weekend...even if its while pushing a cart around :)

Hope that you all have a wonderful long weekend! And be sure to check back for that bread recipe. Its a good one!

Meet Garrett the Boyfriend

It was a year ago this weekend that he was first shown on the blog. We were staying at a mutual friend's cottage and I got these pictures of him jumping in the lake. We had just started hanging out that Spring and I was shy and nervous around him - so unlike me. I had a crush on him and I couldn't deny it.

We started seeing each other more. I made him dinner. He made me laugh. In August he helped me roll out the pie crust for his first blueberry pie. I got calls from friends asking "who's hands are those in this week's recipe?"And here I thought I was keeping our little romance secret.

By the end of the Summer, we were inseparable. I couldn't think of anything else except spending time with him.

It took Whiskey even less time than me to fall in love with him.

So after a year of calling him "the boyfriend", it seems about time that you met him.

Meet Garrett. 

The Boyfriend. Sous Chef. Spider Killer. Fellow Movie Critic. Man I Love.

He is always surprising me. One minute he is talking about weightlifting and the next he is asking if I want to go to the farmer's market. There are few things that he isn't game for and for a social bee like me, thats great.

At the same time he also slows down that go-go-go nature in me. He reminds me to take it easy sometimes and slow down before I miss what is around me. I'm always jumping to the next thing and he reminds me to be in the present.

Here's to another year of late night phone calls, walks through the woods/city, date nights at the drive-in, dancing in the kitchen, dinner disasters and many more adventures :)

Decorating Class at Pottery Barn

I'm a big fan of Pottery Barn and I've always wanted to take one of their decorating classes, so when I saw a bridal place setting class coming up, I forwarded it onto my friend Courtney. She is getting married this Fall (I'm one of the lucky bridesmaids!) and I hoped that we'd get some fun ideas for her wedding!

Courtney, her mother and I showed up at the mall early and all the shops were closed (such an odd feeling), but Pottery Barn was all set up for us to arrive for our little class. There were only seven people there, so it was easy to ask questions if you had any.

Our instructor went through a couple of different place settings, but I have to say that they were pretty basic things. I was hoping for more creativity and for a few ideas to spark our imaginations.

The table was gorgeous, but it wasn't much. I was a little disappointed.

I did like the idea of using fresh flowers for these arrangements (they used fake), and using fresh fruit as an accent as well.

Next she set up a buffet using some of the beautiful serving platters that they have. I could just picture these overflowing with delicious food.

I really liked the idea of using this silver picture frame to hold a menu of what you're serving, or a picture of the happy couple.

All of the pieces were great, but I particularly loved this little glass stand (left) and this large silver dish (right) which said "Together with friends and family is always the happiest place to be". So sweet and true.

She used the bowl to hold these little bundles of napkins and cutlery together. These napkin rings were absolutely gorgeous and Courtney's mom ended up buying a set while we were there.

Unwinding with the Family

The past few weeks have been very chaotic, as I was working on a film set and had zero downtime. By the end of it, I felt like I'd been through a tornado, and I knew that I just need some time to relax. So I headed to my parents' house for a little R&R.

I think that this photo sums up the vibe around the house this weekend - my boyfriend (left) and my sister's boyfriend (right), chilling on the couch reading the paper, with Mr. Whiskinator holding the fort in the middle.

He had to be in the middle of everything. I took a number of much needed naps over the weekend, and he was cuddling with me for every one.

It was a somewhat dreary weekend, which didn't deter my napping, but it didn't let us enjoy the Summer very much. When it started to warm up on Sunday evening, we knew we had to get out for a zip around the lake on the boat while the sun was still out.

It was the boyfriend's maiden voyage, but I think he had a great time. Whiskey, on the other hand, is a seasoned veteran of the boat. Just saying "Want to go for a boat ride?" had him racing down to the dock.

There was plenty of wildlife out and about, but its these geese that got my attention.

A Mama, Papa and Three Babies. Kinda reminds me of my family :)

We had a great first ride of the season, catching up while we watched the sunset.

We headed back for a lovely dinner my mother made to celebrate a number of graduations that we've had in the family. I have to say the highlight of the meal (besides dessert!) was this bright and crunchy Greek salad.

I love these little salad tongs from Budapest that my mother received as a gift. So cute and colourful!

Now I'm back in the city and back to work, but I'm looking forward to the long weekend coming up. You've gotta love a short work week!

Eating Healthy During Busy Times

Its easy to get sidetracked from healthy eating when you're busy, but its important to still keep focused on it. I've been on set most days this past week from 8am until 9pm, which doesn't leave much time for food prep. I don't want to be eating take out or junk food, so I try to prepare as much as I can in advance.

Source

Usually I chop up a few days worth of veggies and store them in several containers in the fridge. When I'm making my lunch in the morning, I just have to toss them into the ole' lunch bag. Good to go. I also try to make a low fat dip or hummus in advance too if I have the time (awesome hummus recipe coming soon!)

When I'm busy, I usually stick to good old cereal and milk for breakfast, or whip up a protein smoothie. I also take a multivitamin in the morning, especially when I know that I may not be able to get all my nutrients from food if I'm on the run.

I find that frozen bananas make the creamiest smoothies, so I like to take a big bunch of ripe bananas, chop them up and pop them in a big freezer bag. When I'm ready for a smoothie, I just grab some frozen bananas and frozen berries from the freezer and pop them in the blender with some milk and protein powder (recipe here).

For lunches, I like to have a nice salad to fill me up. I leave lettuce or spinach in the salad spinner, washed and ready to go. Then I just need to toss in some chopped up veggies, a bit of low fat dressing and some protein, like this chicken.

I buy the big value packs of chicken breast and batch cook them when I can. For this, I just pounded them in a big freezer bag until they were even thickness and then pan fried them with some of my favorite spices.

After they are cooled, I chop them up and toss them into the fridge for quick lunches and dinners. If I have extra, I also put some in the freezer.

You can use this chicken for just about anything - salads, sandwiches, wraps, quesadillas - or even eat it on its own with a little bit of BBQ sauce for dipping!

What are some of your favorite quick and easy meal preps to have on hand?

Oh How My Garden Grows

Yesterday I was going to do this post about the garden, but then early in the morning I had a rap at my door and my landlord showed up to do this:

Needless to say, I hurried out of there quickly to escape the noise and debris. I could barely think straight with all the pounding. However, I did come home to a new counter, which I'll be sharing with you guys soon.

In the meantime, I have to show you what I've been coming home to every day.

I've been working crazy 12+ hours on set every day and tons of paperwork when I get home, so when I walk outside and see all these beautiful colours its a much welcomed relief.

Everything is growing so lush, despite the fact that I keep forgetting to water when I dash out of the yard every morning. I promise to be better next week, little flowers.

I originally thought I'd do just one colour for the flowers, but I'm so glad that I was given such a variety of colour. I love it!

The are so vibrant and beautiful.

Even these little guys are starting to grow! They seem to be getting bigger every time I turn around.

Macros shots of plants are always so interesting. The twists and curls. The growing patterns. Nature really is a fascinating thing.

Hands down my favorite plant is this strawberry bush in a pot. To a passerby it looks like a flowering plant, but up close its has big red berries just waiting to be eatten.

I've gotten into the habit of sitting on the porch to eat a few after I get home from work. Who knew that you could have that in the city? :)