Hey guys!
How is your holiday going so far?
Missed Part 1 of my Christmas recap?
This is my ‘not impressed’ face hahaha ;) I planned on working out on Christmas Day…
My dad failed to tell me his exercise bike was straight from the 80’s! LOL!!!! I got on it and I thought I was going to tip over. Eric laughed and laughed at me.
BIKE FAIL.
bahahaha.
My dad tells me he USES this bike…I just don’t believe him!
I lasted a very long 2 minutes and then I begged Eric to go for a walk outside with me instead. Luckily he agreed and we had a great 30 min. walk! It was so refreshing and we saw lots of Christmas lights.
Unfortunately I had a horrible sleep last night and didn’t fall asleep until 3am! I think it was all the dark chocolate I ate while watching The Hangover.
Breakfast this morning was another lovely Green Monster in front of the Christmas tree while listening to some beautiful Celtic Christmas music.
Then I was off to Nubody’s!
A brand spankin’ new all women’s gym in Moncton. When I got there I was pleasantly surprised that the lady gave me a 3 day pass for FREE (I was told earlier last week it would be $9 a day)! I was super impressed with this gym- gorgeous, tons of machines, and flatscreen TV’s.
I was most impressed with the sparkling clean change rooms though! I hate hair and band-aids. ;)
[I was so nervous someone was going to come in when I was taking a picture and think I was a weird creep! bahaha…luckily it was dead today]
I had an awesome holiday workout!
I did a 45 minute ‘Around The World’ workout:
- 20 mins. on stairmaster @ level 15
- 10 mins on elliptical @ incline 10-11, resistance 11-12
- 10 mins treadmill hill workout @ incline 15, speed 4-4.2 mph intervals (60 sec.)
- 5 mins cool down @ incline 10-5, speed 3.5-3 mph
Whenever I go to the gym, I love sampling all of the machines! It’s fun :) Much better than 45 mins. on the dreadmill! What a tough workout that was!!!!!
I worked up a huge appetite! I came home and gobbled a Glo Bar and then showered.
This is a top secret new flavour!
Around 2pm, Eric and I were off to a vegetarian restaurant in Moncton called Calactus Cafe.
The inside was really funky looking and cozy. We sat by the window.
Everything is in French and English in Moncton as NB is a bilingual province.
Loved the menu!
I was in the mood for tea and I tried the Blossoming Herbal Tea.
It was lovely!
Eric got Rootbeer!
Eric and I shared Vegan Chapati Bread and veggie sticks with hummus and guacamole for an appetizer.
The guacamole was to die for! The hummus was quite good too.
The pitas were spread with some type of garlic infused oil. So. good.
I had 3 pita pieces and some veggie sticks…
For my main, I decided on Enchiladas! This is a dish that I love but I have yet to have a vegan version yet so I knew I had to try it!
WHOA BABY, right!?
Instead of cheese, the server gave me tofu cream…it was delicious.
Eric had this amazing looking veggie pizza (with a thick crust and extra sauce)! He loved it.
Such a transformation from his old days of just cheese and pepperoni.
Eric said, ‘You always get this cute grin on your face when you are eating at a good vegan restaurant.’ He loves when I am happy at restaurants since it is such a challenge for me now. It is honestly such a RELIEF when I find a good vegan dish that tastes amazing. I said, ‘I’d love to open a place like this someday.’
I cleaned my plate!!!
The best thing I have noticed since eating a vegan diet is that I no longer feel tired, drained, or ‘blah’ after eating out at a restaurant. Eating plant based foods leaves me feeling happy, energized, and content. It is such a change from the old days when I would leave restaurants feeling like crap and like a stuffed sausage.
A big thank you to Calactus Cafe for the great experience!!! Will be back next visit.
Here is a quick video I filmed on the bumpy roads of New Brunswick.
Now we are watching the Canada Juniors Hockey game. We’re kicking butt!!
Happy Boxing Day to my fellow Canadians! Any good sales today? :)
There is NOTHING better than finding a resturant that serves healthy/fresh/good food. There’s one down the street from me called the “Juicy Beetroot’. It’s all Vegan/Veg and FABULOUS. I totally agree with you in that when you ate Veg/Vegan you leave a meal satisfied but not weight down. I remember feeling that way when I was vegan for a week. Now meat makes me want to gag.
Happy Holidays. ~M
Ange – my dad has a bike exactly like that and STILL USES IT EVERYDAY!! It blows my mind! Your meal looks incredible. I’ve love to have a veggie restaurant near me in Pittsburgh. Looks like you’re having a blast sweetie! :)
Looks like a fabulous meal. Hearing you talk about how wonderful you felt after your meal has me thinking more about making the change from lacto/ovo to vegan.
I’ve been reading your blog now for around a year and wanted to say how much I’ve enjoyed getting to know you. I’ve battled my eating all my life and it’s been so wonderful seeing how you lead such a balanced life. You are just so beautiful – inside and out – and such a role model for the vagan lifestyle. Thanks so much for sharing your life with us all.
Libby
Happy Boxing Day. Moncton has certainly come a long way having a Vegan restaurant and the food looks so delicious. I had to chuckle when I watched the bumpy road trip video. Somethings never change.
Haha – my dad has a bike just like that too! It’s awful!
Your lunch looks so good!! Yum! I’m cravig Mexican food now – I think I’ll have to make something like that this week for dinner!
Merry Christmas :-)
That lady at the gym must have been in a nice Christmas good mood, good for you getting the pass for free!
What a wonderful lunch experience. Even though I’m not vegan I still struggle with eating in restaurants, especially when it comes to leaving feel “good” and satisfied. Glad you found such a nice place :)
Calactus Cafe sounds like a nice place! I know what you mean about it being hard to find a vegan dish that tastes good. I’ve yet to visit a restaurant that really “wow-ed” me.
Enjoy your evening :)
you should TOTALLY open your own restaurant!!! :D
So glad you were able to find a restaurant to fit your diet. :)
I love ‘Around The World’ workouts!!!
Food loooks SO delicious :)
Especially Eric’s pizza. YUM!
WOW! That food looks amazing…..I’d probably feel a lot better if I would have had that for dinner instead of leftover turkey dinner! Yummy…will ceck it out on my next visit east!
That bike pic cracked me up. My mom has one just like that.
The food looks great. I have such a hard time finding good vegetarian food when we go out. I bet it’s much harder to find vegan food in restaurants. Especially good food.
I love finding good healthy foods to eat out. I hate feeling stuffed and bloated afterward.
I wish I could find more like that.
yeah I didn’t really work out Christmas day either . . . in fact I haven’t all week . . . but reading this makes me feel like trying to find a gym near my dad’s house for tomorrow morning.
You are so brilliant!
-Meg, Manhattan
Great 80s bike! I had myself a good laugh!
I love the little blurb on their menu! My food and eating philosophy to a T! Everything looks delish!
i love how you’re able to fit in working out even during the busiest times of the year and how you make an effort to find a local gym even while on vacation. truly an inspiration!!!!
Calactus is one of my favourite restaurants of all time!!! The “Big Marc Burger” is seriously the best veggie burger I’ve ever had – and I’ve had a lot of them! I love the tofu cream that they put on everything too. It’s always the one place I request to go to when I come home. Hope you had a great visit!
I am the same way when I get to eat a good vegan meal someplace besides home. I’ve always loved going out and it IS hard to find good places… my dilemma is that my husband is still an omnivore. He rarely eats meat at home but when we go out he likes to have a steak. Steak houses aren’t very veggie friendly! We plan on opening our own restaraunt in the future because of it!
The Cactus Cafe sounds delightful! Those enchiladas really look delicious! I wish there was some sort of vegetarian restaurant near me. That’s awesome Eric has transformed from cheese and pepperoni to veggie pizzas! Now only if I could get Shane to do that ;)
can’t wait to hear about your new glo bar flavor!
I had no idea there was a vegetarian cafe in Moncton! I just assume these kind of restaurants can only be found in bigger cities. I wish one would open up in Saint John!
Holy WOW does that pizza look AMAZING!!!!!!
I love the video!! I just got some outdoor running gear with my Christmas money! Hooray for Operation Snow!!
Cactus kind of reminds me of Fresh! Oh how I miss that place. I can’t wait to get back to Toronto just to eat there again!
That meal looks delicious! I need to find a place like that around here somewhere. Theres gotta be something right?
I did a little Boxing Day shopping today. Best Buy had some pretty great deals. I wasnt brave enough to hit the malls though. I did get a baby food processor for $7.00. That was pretty exciting!
so…it just dawned on me that it’s not Operation Snow but Project Snow!
What a great post! You know, I couldn’t sleep well last night either, I think it is because I made the mistake of eating a huge helping of Sticky Toffee Pudding right before bed – major sugar rush! Not smart!
That restaurant looks like so much fun and the menu is amazing, so much to choose from. I would have to start with the hummus and guacamole, 2 of my very favorite things!
And you are so right, one of the best things about veganism is that I can eat a nice, big meal and I don’t feel sluggish and drained afterwards! Plant food for the win!
where yor dad lives looks so pretty!!
and that veggie resturant looks awesome xxx
That restaurant looks so great! Jealous!
“…as NB is a bilingual province”
Aren’t ALL provinces in Canada considered bilingual??
As a French-Canadian I will admit I was slightly offended, even though I know it wasn’t meant that way. NB has a high population of french-speaking citizens, so I’m sure that’s what you meant.
I was glad to see so much french on the menues and everything. You definitely do not see that too often in Ontario, which i think is so sad. I cannot tell you how many times my grandmother has been told told to go back to Quebec (since she does not speak English that well). Let us not forget that there are areas of Ontario with a high concentration of french-speaking citizens.
At the provincial level, New Brunswick is the only official bilingual province…
see here for more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Official_bilingualism_in_Canada
How embarassing!!! I even had to have mom explain this whole thing to me after reading the wikipedia article! I guess I assume that if Canda has two official languages, then all provinces must be bilingual. GO NB for being awesome in that way! lol
Learn something new every day!!
Don’t be embarassed, I thought that too until a teacher told me in school!!! LOL. It is very confusing! Most people I talked to had no clue as well. That just goes to show that they don’t educate enough in schools about it. :)
Happy New Year!
Those enchiladas look amazing (says the girl who had a VERY disappointing Mexican meal last night). Enjoy the rest of the Moncton stay!
Your meal looks delicious! Also, I love that sweater you’re wearing at the resturant…where did you get it?
Oh that food looks delicious!! I always love the feeling of finding a fantastic restaurant…I feel like they are so few and far between (even though it seems like we are surrounded by restaurants). Love the old-school bike! haha It reminds me of when my best friend’s dad used to work out on his wooden Norditrack when we were little…ahaha. Thinking about it now still makes me laugh.
I love Calactus! I haven’t been in years but I love their Big Marc Burger.
Great story! I enjoyed reading it.
Ahhh glad to see you loved Calactus too!! I’m from PEI and if I’m in Moncton or passing through it’s non-negotiable, we have to go there haha :)
I was just searching “calculus tofu cream” and stumbled upon this, so happy you have experienced this amazing maritime vegan restaurant, we go any chance we get!! Any ideas on how to make this tofu cream tho.. we dream of it each night!! So good!!