For some reason Fresh was never on my radar. I figured “why would I go to a restaurant to have vegetarian food I could make at home?”. Well I WAS WRONG. (in a big way).

My friend introduced me to their Buddha bowl a few months ago and then another friend gave me the Fresh cookbook as a dinner gift. Clearly this was a sign that I should go again. Infact it was the perfect restaurant to visit seeing as I am trying to follow a carb free diet (14 days and counting – thank you very much).

We started off the meal, with the quinoa battered onion rings. I was totally blown away with these onion rings. They were crunchy and hefty. What a wicked way to start our meal.

My boyfriend ordered the bbq burger which was served in a wrap and not a bun. The bbq burger is described as having a tangy bbq sauce, garlic mayo, quinoa rings, napa cabbage, hot bananas chilies, tomato and lettuce. It was not your ordinary veggie burger!

I ordered the Italian Raw Bowl which is described as zucchini noodles tossed with a basil pesto, garnished with kale chips, grape tomatoes and sun dried tomatoes. This totally appealed to me.

We would both order the same items again in a heart beat!!

There is clearly a reason why Fresh has been around since 1989. They are serving FRESH food with interesting flavors. Plus we had a lovely waitress who made sure we had plenty of water and was happy to answer our questions.

Locations:

Fresh on Bloor: 326 Bloor West (416) 599-4442…twitter @FreshonBloor

Fresh on Spadina: 147 Spadina (416) 599-4442…twitter @FreshonSpadina

Fresh on Crawford: 894 Queen West (416) 599-4442…twitter @FreshonCrawford

 

 

I’ve just returned from visiting a new pizza restaurant that has opened up at 386 Bloor St West. It’s called Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria and I have a good feeling that they are going to get a lot of love in Toronto.

They are already a hit in Western Canada and they now have two locations here in Toronto (their first location is in the new Food Court at Yorkdale Shopping Centre).

I immediately liked  this blackboard  that you see when you walk in: (I am a sucker for clever marketing)

I am on a carb free diet so I was “good” and didn’t touch the pizza (sorry Famoso Pizzeria) but I certainly did enjoy the Gorgonzola Walnut Salad. It was exactly what I needed and the full size salad hit the spot ($12.50).

I did however take a photo of their famous (and popular) Margherita Pizza. I mean who wouldn’ t want to dig into this?

What really grabbed my attention was the Nutella pizza. They take their authentic pizza crust and smother it in Nutella. I mean, seriously, could life get any better?

If you want to end your meal with something “lighter” – then try their authentic artisan-style gelato, which is handcrafted in small batches and has low levels of butterfat (4-6%) and made with no preservatives. Famoso Pizzeria has partnered with Fiasco Artisan Gelato and in my humble opinion, it’s a perfect match!!

I gravitated towards A SAMPLE of the blueberry basil (Wild BC blueberries macerated in fresh basil and cane sugar). …however other flavours include: salted caramel, burn sugar banana choccolate, zesty lemon and more!!

My carb free diet did not interfere with the opportunity to have a great meal at Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria. There is something for everyone!!

Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria:

1. Yorkdale Shopping Centre (full service restaurant in their new food court).

2. 386 Bloor St. West.

657-748-23333

@FamosoPizzeria

Hours: Sunday to Wednesday 11 a.m to 11 p.m, Thursday to Sunday 11 am to midnite

ps vegetarian friendly: Daiya Vegan cheese is available as a substitution for mozzarella at no extra cost

The other nite, @HorriblePeanut sent me a photo of what he made for dinner. (only because I asked!!). He had prepared cod and kale. I asked him how he prepared the kale and he replied “with veggie stock – er, Knorr”. I then realized that this would be a good time to do a blog post called How to Make Your Own Vegetable Stock!! 

Here’s what you need:

Ingredients:
2 carrots, peeled and chopped*
2 onions, peeled and chopped*
1 parsnip, peeled and chopped*
1 apple, cut in half
1 whole head of garlic, peeled (no chopping necessary0
1 sweet potato peeled and chopped*
and bunch of parsley

*:no one is going to see the vegetables so it doesn’t have to be pretty looking!! BONUS

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Boil water in a saucepan (please forgive me, I did not measure the quantity)
2. Add all the ingredients listed above. Cover the pan with a lid.

3. Season with salt and pepper
4. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

5. Strain the vegetables

Voila…beautiful aromatic vegetable stock. By all means play around with this recipe: add celery, add bay leaves (which I did by the way) or  add zucchini. Just don’t add anything bitter like broccoli or green pepper.

I like to freeze this soup is small ziploc containers so I can use it whenever a recipe calls for vegetable stock. It will make a HUGE difference and you won’t be buying any powdered soup stock anymore.

Happy Cooking (even if its 30 degrees outside)!!

By the way: I grew up in a household with a product called Croyden House. (kosher fake chicken stock poweder)  My mom used it on EVERYTHING. (as still does). I promised myself when I moved out that I would never buy a jar of that stuff and guess what? I haven’t.

 

On May 6th I ran the Toronto Half Marathon and then for some unexplained reason I got lazy.  I haven’t run….I haven’t been to a body pump class or even a zumba class. I have done NOTHING . Well not exactly. I have excelled in the sport called “eating”. Infact,  I have morphed into MOMWHOEATS.  That’s right….I have been eating and eating and eating and there seems to be more calories going in than going out.

I was looking in the mirror and noticing that I was getting puffier by the nano second. Finally I said “ENOUGH” !! Time to do something about it. However I love food so much that I knew if I went the “low intake” approach…it wouldn’t work for me. So I decided to try something that worked for me eight years ago. I broke up with carbs.

This means:

-no more bread (ouch)

-no more pasta (double ouch)

-no more cereal

-no more bananas, apples, and oranges

-no more poutine (don’t get me started)

-no more chickpeas, kidney beans, legumes

However I have been enjoying:

-kale smoothies

-plenty of great salads with cheese and nuts

-blueberries/strawberries with whipped cream (its allowed)

-low carb beer.  A huge thank you to Molson for creating Molson Canadian 67 Sublime. It’s not perfect but it will do the trick. (67 calories, 1 carb)

-plenty of egg whites with sauteed mushrooms

-tuna burgers, salmon, sole. I even bought sardines but havent brought myself to open the tin yet

–Silk True Almond, unsweetened, vanilla. (30 calories with 0 % carb per cup). Totally impressed with this product.

– tofu shirataki noodles!! I can “pretend” Im eating pasta. Emphasis on the word “pretend”.

It’s now been almost two weeks since I broke up with carbs. It hasn’t been a picnic to give up sandwiches, cereals and all the other carbs I use to enjoy on a regular basis. However I can tell you this – I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER.

Curious to find out if you have ever tried this “lifestyle” before? or how many of you are trying not to eat wheat, sugar, etc?

 

Many decades ago, I was the Marketing Direcctor at Yorkdale Shopping Centre for a 9 month contract. Therefore, this shopping centre is near and dear to me. Not to mention I have always lived no more than 10 minutes away.

The other nite I went to see a movie (Prometheus) and had a bit of time to spare. I said “let’s check out the new food court!!” (like any good foodie would say). Off we went up this huge set of escalators. When we got to the top, I knew that this was no ordinary renovation. The space is stunning. Not to mention the  mix of new restaurants that they have introduced:

Restaurants like: Chipotle Mexican Grill, Amaya Express, Big Smoke Burger (which used to be Craft Burger), Shanghai 360, SU & SHI Noodle Bar, Famosa Neopolitan Pizzeria, La Paloma Gelateria and Cafe, Espressamente illy (which opens at 830 a.m. by the way) and more. I was super impressed with these options. Plus some of these options allow you to sit down in a full service restaurant that looks like it should be downtown and not in a food court. That’s how stunning these restaurants are.

Now let’s talk about the space. When I showed these photos to my friend she said (no joke) – “You are lying”. It was really funny. She could not believe that these photos were taken from a food court. Yorkdale thought of everything – an outdoor patio, a beautiful fireplace lounge area, nooks with flowers in it. I only had my iphone with me (forgive me) but these photos will give you an idea.

 

I hope you get to visit Yorkdale Shopping Centre soon to check out this new (fabulous) Food Court too. Sadly I didn’t eat (damn this carb free diet) but hopefully soon I will be eating at one of the above mentioned restaurants.

 

When the kids were little, I always seemed to be inviting people over for brunch at 11 a.m. The kids were up and well it seemed like a perfect time before they all crashed for their 1 p.m afternoon nap. (well that was the plan. LOL).

For some reason, I haven’t served brunch for years. But recently some relatives were in town for a wedding and I decided to invite everyone over for brunch (at 11 a.m…seeing as the wedding was at 5 p.m). To make it easier for my guests, I served it buffet style.

This is what I served:

–phyllo cups with goat cheese and roasted tomatoes (click on the link for the recipe).

–rhubarb crisp (click on the link for the recipe)

-cesear salad with home made garlic croutons

-challah cheese bake (see below for recipe)

-tuna/chopped egg (which was perfect thanks to the egg app)

-bagels (what a bagel)

-smoked salmon

–banana muffins (click on the link for the recipe).

Aren’t you impressed that half my menu, I have blogged about? See? I really do share my favorite recipes!!

OK so here’s a new recipe for you:

Cheesy Challah Bake (best prepared the night before)

Ingredients:

-challah (I used a french loaf)

1/2 block of cream cheese (cube them into small pieces)

1/3 cup of cubed cheddar cheese

1/3 cup of mozarella cheese

5 eggs

1 1/2 cups of milk

salt and pepper

METHOD

1. lighly oil a baking dish (I forgot this step and it wasnt pretty to clean up)

2. take a loaf of challah and cut it into one inch cubes. Place the cubes into the baking dish

3. take the cubes of cheese and scatter them into the bread cubes. (hard to describe but I hope you know what I mean)

4. beat the eggs and milk in a bowl and then pour the egg/milk mixture all over the baking dish.

4. beat the eggs and milk in a bowl. Add salt and pepper (generously)  and then pour the egg/milk mixture all over the baking dish

 

5. cover with saran wrap and place in the fridge overnite

6. bake the next day in a preheated oven at 350 for 30 minutes uncovered and then 30 minutes covered with tin foil.

Happy Brunch-ing

 

This should come as no surprise to you, but I am NOT a car expert. This blog entry will not include statistics, fancy engineering terms or anything techie. It’s going to simply be a review about my initial impressions driving a Chevy Volt for four  days (I know, I know…lucky me).

First Impression:

I swear I pushed the button (no key necessary) to start the engine and immediately started to talk to myself. It’s a shame no one was in the car to video my reaction. I kept repeating “This is too cool..this is just too cool”.

Second Impression:

The car feels “heavy” (but in a good way).  It did not feel like I was driving my Versa. I felt really safe driving it.

Third Impression:

How freakin’ cool to plug in my car at night to charge the battery ( it took 8 hours with a normal socket).

Fourth Impression:

I drove for 65 km using the battery and then the car seamlessly starts to use the small gas powered engine.  It’s too cool

Fifth Impression:

Gas mileage on the Chevy Volt is insanely awesome.

Sixth Impression:

This car is QUIET. I mean really really QUIET. It’s scary how quiet it is!!

Seventh Impression:

This is the future.

Eight Impression:

I was so PROUD to be driving a car with this license plate.

Ninth Impression

I wish I owned one!!

Last but not Least:

Thanks again to the good people at General Motors who arranged for me to drive this spectacular vehicle. It was truly an experience I won’t forget.

 

I knew I wanted to drive somewhere special on my last day driving the Chevy Volt. I also knew I wanted to go somewhere I had never been to before. I quickly realized that a day trip to Ste. Anne’s Spa would be ideal.

I have been known to be a unhappy customer at a few spas in Ontario…you know, where everything that is suppose to be right goes wrong? Well Ste Anne’s was simply perfect. I cant complain about anything!.

From the minute I arrived till the minute I left – everything was truly thought of.

Here’s how my day went:

7:00 a.m. left Toronto

8:30 a.m. arrived at their beautiful property and was warmly greeted with a complimentary bag. What a genius idea as I was shlepping a lot of “stuff” and really needed this extra bag.

9:00 a.m. My day started off with a Caribbean Aqua Therapy Treatment (new for me)!! My skin was exfoliated and then I was rolled under (well the table was rolled) under the Vichy Shower. Following the Vichy Shower, my body was massaged with the Caribbean Therapy Line. If my skin could talk it would scream, say “THANK YOU”.

9:30 a.m – 10:30 am Had fun in the outdoor cold plunge pool, hot tub, and small lap pool. Then went indoors to enjoy the eucalyptus steam room (heaven)

11:00 am – Stretch class. I have never done this type of class before but I was intrigued. Let’s just say that I was relaxed before the class and certainly feeling relaxed after the class.

12:00 – 1:30 p.m Lunch with Marketing Manager of Special Projects. What a treat!! I was not surprised when she told me that 25,000 people visit Ste. Annes each year. The place was packed on a Monday before the summer has even started. She took me on a tour of their beautifully appointed rooms and it was evident that she is passionate about her job. Oh yeah – she introduced me to St. Annes own line Nourishment Line. Guests have the opportunity to use these “unadultered botanical” products while they shower. Then they line up to buy the products in the retail store!! I swear – the products are that good.

1:30 p.m – 3 pm – hung out by the pool

3:00 p.m had to leave (boo) so that I could return the Chevy Volt (boo). Two very sad events for me as I had a blast driving the Chevy Volt and a spectacular experience at Ste. Annes.

Here is a list why this property stood out amongst the other spas I have visited:

-plenty of friendly staff. Staff was everywhere I looked – either they were cleaning, or helping clients answer questions, or greeting clients. There was no shortage of staff to help you.

-everything was clean and well maintained.

-nothing was overlooked. i.e a schedule was sent to me prior to my arrival, the complimentary bag, the electronic locks (no need for a key to hang from my wrist) etc.

-the property and the buildings are gorgeous….trees galore, sitting nooks, patios…I had plenty of options!!

Hope you get to visit Ste. Anne’s one day soon.  You won’t be disappointed.

1009 Massey Road

Grafton, ON

1 888 346 6772

 

 

 

As you know (or perhaps you don’t kn0w), I had the opportunity to drive a Chevy Volt for four days as was determined NOT to have it parked in my underground garage. I knew that I wanted to go on day trips but selecting WHERE to go was not easy:

a) I had just visited  Niagara on the Lake in April

b) Hamilton was on the list re: checking out food trucks

c) Peterborough was on the list too but barely

d) Cobourg was on the list too but I go several times each summer to enjoy the beach and it was a bit too early to do that

After a lot of deliberation, I finally decided to go to Elora on one day and  St. Jacobs plus Stratford on another day.

Elora is probably my favorite small town – I love the gorge, the galleries, and of course …the deep fried pickles from Something Fishy. This town has done it right. It’s truly charming but not in a tacky way. Do you know what I mean?

St. Jacobs was a bit disappointing. Then again I went on a Sunday and most things were closed so I quickly decided to go to Stratford.

After a quick drive (app. 30 minutes), I was in Stratford.  The downtown core has just the right combination of stores and restaurant. But I really love walking by the river . I couldnt stop taking photos.  The trip was highlighted by my Goat Cheese Poutine at Boomers Gourmet Fries. (who were featured on You Gotta Eat Here on the Food Network). Seriously, it was one perfect day….life couldnt get better!!

 

Do you have a favorite city for a day trip? As you can see..I have a few favorite day trips

 

 

Last week, I had the pleasure to drive a Chevy Volt for  four full days which meant I was going on four day trips. There was no way an electric car was going to sit in my underground garage!! I was going to drive it and I did.(happily!!)

This blog post is dedicated to day #1 where I drove to Fergus Ontario (about an hour away from Toronto) so I could learn to fly fish with Wilson’s Fly Fishing Centre. I found them thru the internet (google, google google) and was thrilled to find out that they had some time to teach me how to fly fish.

Fly Fishing was not on my 2012 bucket list but it should have been. I have always wanted to try it but it’s not something you can just pick up and do. Wilson’s Fly Fishing Centre was the perfect place to learn. All I had to bring was sunglasses and a hat and they provide everything else.

When I walked thru the store, I was immediately greeted by my guide (and instructor) Rob. After the initial introductions, I changed into my waders, boots and a Wilson’s Fly Fishing Tshirt (what a nice touch) and off we went to the Grand River.

Within 20 minutes, we were wading thru the Grand River to find the “perfect spot”. Rob has been a professional fly fishing guide for over 12 years and is extremely passionate about this sport. I was quickly given “fly fishing 101” lessons and within no time at all – I was Fy Fishing!!

My Fly Fishing experience was highlighted by the fact that both Rob and I – BOTH caught brown trout. Except mine got away (my luck) and Rob had a chance to reel his catch in, so that I could take a photo.

I also found out that Wilson’s is one of only two stores in CANADA with multiple locations (a) downtown Toronto and (b) Fergus Ontario. Pretty cool.

All in all – I was thrilled to  have experienced fly fishing and to have caught a brown trout (even if he got away). Can you tell I’m still getting over it?

This means, that I’m just going to have to hang out with Wilson’s again!! It truly is a “fun” sport and you can’t beat the surroundings.

PS if you are looking for a unique birthday gift or a fathers day gift…..look no further. Give Wilson’s Fly Fishing School a call.

My next blog post will be dedicated to Day #2 and Day #3. Stay tuned for more of my adventures with the  Chevy Volt. Oh and don’t worry – I will be blogging about the Volt as well!!

INFO:

WIilson’s Fly Fishing Centre:- Toronto: 199 Queen St East (416) 569 34 74 (ps lessons are available in the GTA too)

WIlson’s Fly Fishing Centre – Fergus (519) 8787 3474