Archive for October, 2010

Oct
31


There are two sports I have always wanted to try: boxing and rowing. I didn’t get a chance to row this summer but last week I got the chance to box at Powerclub.

This AWESOME new gym in Forest Hill is owned by a school yard mom who I have known for several years. Rachelle, had extended a generous invitation to book an hour with one of their trainers and I accepted. I just had to find the HOUR. (easier said than done).

I walked into the beautiful space, proceeded to get changed and didn’t want to leave the change room coz I was in love with the red sink.

Now how cool is that for a bathroom sink at a gym?

Sorry, I just had to talk about the sink!!

Back to boxing.

I then met my trainer, Erez, who is beyond fit, beyond knowledgeable and made me feel completely at ease.

I warmed up and then..THE GLOVES WENT ON! (I was pumped the minute the gloves went on)

He put me thru a series of drills and I WAS LOVING IT.

Couldn't stop smiling (and sweating)!!

Erez had me boxing!! He also put me thru some other key exercises (core, abs, balance etc). Just like a good trainer!

Words that kept going thru my mind as I boxed: empowered, strong, capable, determined and more empowerment.

After the workout, Erez put me thru some stretches so I wouldn’t feel sore the next day. Guess what? NOT SORE THE NEXT DAY. Awesome.

Then, Rochelle and I chatted while I sipped a protein shake in their gorgeous fireside lounge.

Having Fun...Post Workout

There is nothing not to like about this gym: the atmosphere, the trainers, or the facilities. I urge you to click on this link for powerclub, so that you can learn more about this hot, new gym and all the wonderful services that they offer.

Happy Training!!

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Oct
27


It was a busy week!! As you know I went to the Canadian Health Food Expo on Sunday. Then on Monday morning, I was checking twiiter (for a change) and noticed a tweet from @savvari “Anyone else going to Grocery Innovations today”?. Had I not seen her tweet..I would have missed the show!! I had no idea it was taking place.

Several hours later…I was at the Canadian Congress Centre, strolling (happily) thru the aisles looking at new product. I was in my element, once again.

Here’s a few products that caught my interest:

yes? no? maybe?

Sadly I did not get the chance to taste it. However it certainly caught my attention. What do you think?…

The next item makes me VERY VERY happy. Dempster’s has come out with a KOSHER bread. This is HUGE news for those who keep a kosher kitchen and have to go to a kosher bakery to get bread. Now you can find kosher bread in your local grocery store. Dempster’s has made my day!!  All you have to do is preheat the oven to 400 degrees, put the bread on the rack, and 8 minutes later….warm delicious bread. How awesome is that?

Im also a huge fan of butter  so when I noticed a new butter from Cows Creamery…I was ecstatic. It not only has a higher butter fat ratio but it has the addition of sea salt to it. Heaven.

Heaven.

This product caught my attention too…SEXY dressing. I tweeted about this product and the name certainly got peoples attention.

I love clever marketing and packaging.

Sexy dressing for your salad!!

Next shows that I will be (happily) visiting: The Gourmet Food & Wine Expo and The Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association.

Stay Tuned.

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Oct
25


I seem to have been attending food shows for as long as I can remember. Its a great chance to discover new products and it’s a great way to notice food trends and meet others in the food industry too.

On Sunday, I attended the Canadian Health Food Expo with an empty stomach so I could enjoy a sample (or two..or three..or four…hee hee).

Here’s a look at a few of the new products I discovered:

love the marketing campaign!!

The product is called POPCORNERS.…The New Shape of Popcorn. It’s actually triangular in shape!! (perfect for scooping).Why do I love it? let’s see…a) it tastes great b) its all natural, gluten free c) its kosher d) only 8 % fat per serving e) available in 3 flavors: butter, sea salt and kettle.

Now here’s an interesting beverage:

The owners with their new product!

It’s called KIKI…and its maple sweet water. Interesting concept – that’s for sure. It’s 100% natural, no additives, no preservatives, and contains over 80 nutrients. What’s really cool is that a 473 ml bottle only has 55 calories. Now that’s sweet!! (sorry – I couldn’t resist)

Finally: A new veggie burger.

Great tasting veggie burger

I’ve met the owner of Sol Cuisine at food shows for the last fifteen years.  Now there is an new addition to their line up: A mushroom rice burger – that is indeed very tasty. I’m always looking for new veggie burgers for the family and I certainly will be buying this new flavor.

As for Trends. Here’s what  I noticed:

-COCONUT water was EVERYWHERE.  I even saw coconut milk (not the canned stuff – this one was in a carton like normal milk)

-GLUTEN FREE products were EVERYWHERE

I had a lot of fun walking thru the aisles and of course, when I got home, the kids loved the samples!!

Happy Grocery Shopping!!!

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Oct
23


This photo might explain more about the Shes Connected Conference I recently attended:

Staying Connected!!

Ok..I will be serious for a minute. The conference looked like this:

You are probably asking..what’s Shes Connected? It was a conference that connected brands with digitally connected woman. We all had blogs, we were all on Linkedin, we all used facebook, we all loved twitter…basically we all embraced Social Media with open arms.

I did not have to shell out hundreds of dollars, like other conferences. We were all selected i.e we had to apply. I was positively thrilled to get an email that I was selected.

So that day, I got dressed in “business attire” and headed downtown for 8 a.m…armed with my camera, my iPhone, my laptop, a hundred business cards and of course, my beloved chargers. (see above photo).

I felt empowered by 8 a.m.. It felt very different than my usual day of visiting grocery stores. (I’m a food sales rep).

In the morning we listened to a variety of speakers talk about Social Media and in the afternoon we listened to a variety of brands.

Did I connect with the brands? Well I certainly took the opporttunity to talk to John Placko from Maple Leaf Foods coz he was easy to recognize (wearing chef whites and one of the few men there). I also approached a PR rep who works with Kraft Foods. I clearly wanted to connect with other foodies.

Did I connect with other women?  Absolutely. I came home with two dozen business cards, inputed the email addys into my address book …and sent a few people a quick email saying how much I enjoyed connecting with them at the conference.

Did the brands connect with the participants? I’m hoping that at the round tables they learned more about how as bloggers we can help them and how they can help us!!  They all listened, took notes, and asked questions.

The day certainly went by quickly and before I knew it, it was 6 p.m.

I went home feeling even more connected and have already scheduled the dates of ShesConnected 2011 into my calendar.

Happy Connecting!!!

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Oct
21


I’m not sure how I discovered Crawford Lake but it’s a conservation area in Halton that I have been visiting for a few years now.

Kids of all ages love this place!!

It seems that every fall we visit: Chudleigh’s Apple Farm and Crawford Lake.

It seems that every winter we visit: Kortright Centre

It seems that every spring we visit: Mountsberg for the maple syrup Festival.

It seems that every summer I visit: Kelso Conservation area and several beaches.

OK..back to Crawford Lake!! Lost focus there for a minute.

We always begin by visiting the Indian Village. This year, we scored as there was a presentation of Traditonal Indian Dancers.

Then we took a lovely stroll on the boardwalk that surrounds Crawford Lake.

Great for Strollers!!!

Is this not a stunning lake?

To end the day, we  always seem to wind up at The Gathering Place for arts and crafts.

Again..an awesome fall day visiting an awesome conservation park.

Happy Hiking!!

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Oct
19


I wanted to be at the opening of Pusateri’s today at Bayview Village Shopping Centre. I soon found out that there were 100’s of others who wanted to be at the opening of Pusateri’s too!

It was kinda exciting to stand outside the store, waiting for security to open the doors and watch everyone pour in to this BEAUTIFUL store.

I walked by the beautiful cheese section, passed the gorgeous desserts, strolled by the meats/fish, and couldnt help but notice the stunning fruit and vegetables. (grapes the size of my eyeballs – no joke)

When I saw the check out counter I thought to myself “hey, this looks like a boutique hotel”.

The whole store is black, and grey with a lot of light, and gorgeous marble. (atleast I think thats marble).

Its a sexy, sleek grocery store and I’m sure that the neighborhood is delighted.

So drop by Pusateri’s on your next visit to Bayview Village Shopping Centre. You won’t be disappointed.

Happy Grocery Shopping!!

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Oct
18


I have been using the same pancake recipe for a long long time and everyone has been happy.

But last weekend, I was in Ottawa at the Landsdowne Farmers Market and came across a vendor (Castor River Farms) selling oats, oat flour, and other grains. I stopped and noticed a recipe for oatmeal pancakes. I was intrigued so I purchased oats and the oat flour that I needed for the recipe.

Oats and Oat Flour

I returned home and made the oatmeal pancakes for dinner. Actually I made two batches. One batch was made with the FRESH oats from the vendor at the farmers market and one batch was made with the Quaker Oats bag from my pantry.

I asked three people to tell me which one was the one with the FRESH OATS…two out of three got it right.The texture was chewier, the pancake was denser and all in all it was better tasting pancake.

Oatmeal Pancakes

I love taste tests…we have compared real oreos vs. fake oreos, organic milk vs. non organic milk and now the oatmeal pancakes. The kids think I’m nuts. (but in a good way).

Here’s the recipe for Oatmeal Pancakes:

1 1/2 cups of freshly rolled oats

2 cups of milk (dairy, soy or almond)

1 cup oat flour

1 tbsp maple syrup or honey

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp baking powder

1 egg, beaten

1/4 oil

Let oats and milk sit for at least 10 minutes. Mix ingredients 3-7 together, then add to oatmeal mixture. Add egg and oil and mix well. Makes 10-12 pancakes. Note: They are very filling

This recipe is from Castor River Farms, 2696 9th Line road, Metcalfe.

They are a regular vendor at the Ottawa Landsdowne Farmers Market where I will be returning, to buy more oats!!

Happy Pancakes!!

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Oct
16


It’s true. I am a grown women with a massive crush on an actor who is also a drummer in a band called The Honey Brothers.  I didn’t realize I had such a crush on him till I was invited to a SVEDKA vodka event at the Tattoo Rock Parlour the other night.

Naturally I started the evening with two shots of SVEDKA vodka. I had never heard of SVEDKA before, but found out that it’s the 4th largest vodka in the United Sates and it’s now available in Canada.

Enjoying Svedka Vodka!!

However I did not induldge in anymore shots of vodka (I know my limits) as I wanted to have  CLEAR VISION so I could stare at the drummer…who is ADRIAN GRENIER!! (swoon)

Just look at that smile!!

I’m not kidding, I was two feet away from him as he was drumming away.

Adrian Grenier - Drummer

I stood there, two feet away from him, at the edge of the stage..waiting for him to smile. Eventually, there was a break and I said “come on…you have to smile” and he replied “I dont have to..I’m on stage”.

He was right. He was working and he was focused.  Man was he focused.

I got a chance to go downstairs to hang out with the band while they were on break. However I did NOT talk to the band..I just stood from a distance and stared some more. He must have thought I was a stalker. Poor guy!!

I loved what they had available for the band members downstairs.

Always good to be prepared!

My twitter friend, @Shawn_Rusich said to me,  “wow, you are so star struck”.

It wasn’t that I was star struck..it was more like, ADRIAN IS GORGEOUS and how often do I get that close to someone with those looks?

All in all…a great evening with great food, at a great venue, listening to a great band and staring at a great actor (who is also gorgeous).

Enough Said.

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Oct
13


I grew up in Ottawa and visit regularly, but for some reason, I have not visited Gatineau Park for years.

I remember skiing at Camp Fortune as a kid and visiting Mackenzie King Estates but it’s been decades since I have returned.

Not anymore.

Last weekend, my mom and I took advantage of a beautiful fall day and went across the bridge. It only took 15 minutes before we were on Old Chelsea Road enjoying a coffee at Les Saisons Cafe Coffee House. After we had some much needed coffee and apple cider, we headed to Mackenzie King Estates to walk around.

Having Fun...

We ventured over to Lake Windermere and naturally I had to take a photo. I was a bit snap happy that day..for obvious reasons.

The weather was perfect for taking pictures!!

Then we drove some more and we stopped at a few beautiful lakes, but for the life of me, I can’t remember what lake this is. But I’m inserting the photo in the event that someone recognizes it. To be honest, both photos are going to be nameless unless someone helps me out (hint).

I have no clue what lake this is..Anyone?

Then we went on a chair lift ride for $5. My mom had not been on a chair lift for forty eight years, so that was kind of a cool experience for her. Infact the last time she had been on a chairlift was with my Dad on a DATE.

Here’s a few photos of what we saw.

Gatineau Park

Not a bad view at all!!

Our Shadow from the Chairlift - Im on the right!!

and finally I will insert one more photo cause it’s my favorite.

Fall Rhapsody at it's best.

To end of the day, we stopped again on Old Chelsea Road at www.soupherbe.com for a perfect bowl of soup.

For further info about Fall Rhapsody, visit www.ottawafestivals.ca or www.canadascapital.gc.ca.

Happy Autumn!!

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Oct
12


What makes you happy?

Like really really happy?

Is it a blue sky? ? playing board games with your children? sleeping in? staying in your pyjamas for a whole day? or a good cup of coffee with latte art? (see photo)

Does coffee make you happy?

If I had to answer that question…it would have to be flowers. If I could afford to have fresh flowers every single week I would do it. I get a great amount of happiness from SELECTING the flowers and from arranging the flowers.

Love Flowers!!

How Gorgeous!

When I visit my  favorite flower stores that are lined up on Avenue Road, south of Davenport…I walk around, I think, I gather, I consider…there is a whole thought process going on. It’s unlike any other purchase.

Happy Vicky!

You must think I’m strange. OK I admit it – it is a bit odd. However it makes me happy and being happy is a good thing!!

So tell me what makes you happy?

Being happy and being in the moment..is great.

Happy Flower Shopping.

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