In the event that you don’t have a cottage or you aren’t taking a summer vacation – DON’T WORRY.  I swear to you, that there’s no shortage of events and festivals right here in Toronto.

BlogTO recently posted: Top 54 Festivals in Toronto this summer. Click here to read that list. It’s quite impressive.

BlogTO also posted: Top Ten Food Festivals near Toronto this Summer. Click here to read that list. Again – quite impressive.

I love BlogTO. Don’t you? May I suggest that you subscribe to them or download their app so you can stay on top of all the fabulous events/restaurant openings, etc that are taking place? #hint.

There’s also neighbourhood events like the Mount Pleasant Village Shop, Dine and Wine on June 16th.

My Summer Bucket list includes:

–Camping: Went last year to Elora. As you can see from this photo we picked a pretty quiet spot. #score

-Hiking in the Hamilton area to see waterfalls. Specifically Webster Waterfalls. (which I keep seeing photos of on the internet)

-Learning to row. (I say this ever summer)

-Biking along the lake shore and on county roads. Believe it or not I bought this used bike in the Spring of 2015 and have never used it. ARGGHH

-Visiting a pick-your-own- cherry farm.

Let’s see what I can accomplish. Time will tell.

Have a wonderful summer everyone!

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I’ve just returned from a weekend in Mont -Tremblant. I hadn’t been there in over 2 decades so I was ready for a weekend of great food and some R & R as well. (um, mission accomplished!)

Let’s address the ‘eating’ portion of the weekend first! Highlights of my weekend included two meals that consisted of a pogo and poutine (from Patate Ben -Venu and La Roulotte).  I also had escargot for dinner one night along with pate and a duck confit salad (Restaurant Des Petites Ventres). I swear I will be eating a lot of egg whites and kale salad this week to make up for my unhealthy diet over the weekend!

The relaxing portion of my trip included a trip to Scandinave Spa  for a massage and to take advantage of their water therapy. What a treat. Unlike other spas that I’ve been to – this one was the quietest as they really do enforce a “no talking” policy.

Relaxation to me, also means spending a bit of time touring the area! Take a peek at this stunning scenery.

There was one part of the weekend that wasn’t so relaxing, as we woke up at 6 a.m, to watch the athletes commence the swim portion of the Mont -Tremblant IRONMAN. It was incredible to see 2500 bikes parked in the coral, the swim, and watch the first elite athlete get out of the water and run towards his bike. This race includes a: 3.8 km swim, 180 km bike, 42.2 km run and these athletes are in top physical shape to get thru this challenge!

 Sadly there was not enough time to participate in the many activities that Mont -Tremblant has to offer …ie zip lining, going to the top of the mountain, the luge, mountain biking and more.

I guess this means, that we will just have to return to Mont-Tremblant!!

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Now that the Sporting Life 10k is behind me, I feel that it’s time to sign up for a Sprint Triathlon. I haven’t done one since 2011 and I miss the cross training.

To psyche me up for this new goal, I did a few things:

a) I bought a road bike. This was a huge step for me (ie huge investment) but it feels good. I went to the EnduroSports annual swap event, and bingo I walked out with this beauty for $500. #totallyscore

b) MEC (otherwise known as Mountain Equipment Co-op) helped me out in regard to some accessories. For example, a pair of sun glasses (which are critical when you are out there riding), and a pair of gloves (again, critical) .

Of course, I needed a pouch to hold my beloved Samsung Galaxy S5, keys, and gel packs.

I’ve actually been a huge fan of MEC ever since the kids were little and I bought a MEC snowsuit. To this day, I still think they are the most brilliant snowsuits out there!!

To be honest, when my cousins were visiting from Israel, we put MEC on the list of “tourist attractions” as it truly is a spectacular store with quality products and service.

Now it’s time for me to get in the pool, get out there and ride, and continue to run. Wish me luck.

Promise to keep you updated

Disclosure: Some products were provided to me that were mentioned in this blog post, however all opinions are my own

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I’ve been composing a bucket list for the last few years. To be exact, I wrote one in 2012, and 2013.  For some reason I skipped 2014 – go figger.

Here’s my bucket list for 2015!

1) Complete a 10 km race: I haven’t run a race for a few years and I kind of miss it. (notice the word “Kind of”). So it’s time for me to sign up for a race…even though I don’t wear a watch when I run. However one thing has nothing to do with the other. Right?

2) Buy a road bike: It’s been a few years since I’ve been on a bike and I miss that too. It’s a time suck to go out for a long ride but it really feels great afterwards. Sadly I’m lazy to do the research and would like the bike to just magically appear. #inmydreams

On a side note: if I bike, run and go swimming too – then maybe I can sign up for a Sprint triathlon. Time will tell!

3) Travel to Italy: This is GOING to happen and I’m too excited for words.

4) Print my photos: I use to be so good at this and for the last for years I got lazy. Now that I’ve discovered the Black’s App I should be able to complete this goal!

5) Eat My Way thru Hamilton and Barrie: I’ve never done a food crawl in these two cities but I know I need to!

6) Buy a Fresh Truffle: I’ve bought Truffle oil before and Truffle Butter – but it’s time for me to buy the real thing.

7) Buy a pillow that lasts. Why oh Why am I buying cheap pillows? This must change.

8) Take a class at George Brown: I have a friend who took a Bread Making Course and loved her facebook updates about her classes. I should do it, right?

9) Try Container Gardening: I finally have a balcony and I’m convinced that I can have a balcony full of beautiful flowers this Spring/Summer. I’ve had moderate success with a herb pot so wish me luck keeping flowers alive!

10) Volunteer: I want to give back. I’ve been so fortunate in my life and it’s time for me to give back. Simple as that.

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year.

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I swear it’s been 15 years since I’ve visited a Mandarin Restaurant. So when I received an invitation to check out their “Celebrate Canada Menu” …I quickly replied that indeed I was interested.  Not only did I want to visit their buffet again but I was also interested  in helping them celebrate their 35th Anniversary!

I chose a location that’s close to where I live and decided that it would be IDEAL to bike over there to help eliminate some of the calories I was about to consume. What a smart move!!

The buffet is much larger than I remember and there truly is something for EVERYONE. I can see why this is a popular restaurant for families with kids and for large group celebrations. I bet it would be hard to find a 10 year old that DIDN’T like going to celebrate their birthday at the Mandarin!

The service was efficient and we both noticed how polite our waiters were (shout out to Richard and Tom).

Round #2 to the buffet look liked this.

Round #3 to the buffet looked like this.

I swear I ate everything except for one vegetable side dish that didn’t agree with my palate.

Believe it or not I made room for dessert. I could not resist my favorite desserts…a nanaimo bar, creme brulee and a rocky road square.

Needless to say we left the Mandarin and happily got on our bikes in an effort to burn some of the calories we consumed.!!

For more information:

Mandarin Restaurant – to find a location near you please click here.

Twitter: @ Eatmandarin

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/mandarinrestaurant

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