Ashley and I had a grand ‘ol time today!
After the volcano erupted inside, we headed outside for a scenic hike.
It was US vs. Nature. Nature won. More on that in a minute.
It was gorgeous outside…finally!
Ashley wore her Vibrams!
I must admit, I am tempted to try these out- at least for walking anyways. Anyone use these bad boys?
Awesome views…!
I put on a brave face…
but was shakin in my boots…
We are both blessed with a sublime sense of direction, so naturally we somehow got off the beaten track!
Ashley was in front and consumed massive quantities of cobwebs. Never a good sign.
We channeled our inner Ralph…. ‘Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.’ :lol:
It was nothing short of a miracle, but we made it out of the cobwebs and back onto the trail.
All in all we hiked about 1/4 of a mile in 1 hour and 43 minutes.
hahaha…I’m joking, but that would be funny!!! We did 2 miles in about 40 minutes. :biggrin:
I re-fueled with a Liberate Glo Bar…and Ash with an Empower Glo Bar!
For a late lunch we headed to a new vegetarian restaurant that recently opened up in Burlington called Kindfood.
Lots of curb appeal!!!
From their website: “At Kindfood, we are committed to the belief that food is an essential source of our energy, health, longevity and happiness. Our food choices are an indication of our respect for ourselves and for all living things. We prepare and provide fresh plant-based foods made without any animal products, dairy, eggs, refined sugars, additives or preservatives.”
I have been so excited to try this place out ever since I heard about it. The cafe has a juice bar, fresh baked goods, and a natural food store all in one. The menu is very small so we hoped that the limited selection equaled the best of the best & the cream of the crop! It was just oozing with potential.
I cheated on my beet juice with a new friend…
When I cracked it open, I was instantly taken aback by the strong vinegar smell and I was shakin’ in my boots…but once I got past that, I really enjoyed it! It was slightly sweet, slightly tart, and not too fizzy. I’m not sure about all of the health claims it makes (the can said fountain of youth!?), but it was pretty tasty.
For the juice I got the Beets Me– Carrot, beet, apple, lemon and ginger.
We both ordered the Happy Buddha Bowl –> Steamed brown rice, roasted sweet potato, chopped onion, tomato, almonds, sunflower seeds, cilantro, basil, olive oil, sprouts and tamari.
It sounded like a bowl from Fresh, so I wanted to try it out to compare!
This bowl was a bit disappointing. It was very low on veggies and the rice was drenched in olive oil, resulting in a very bland dish. I’m hoping that our bowl was just a dud and the other items are delicious! I will have to give it another chance sometime.
However the company was absolutely lovely and Ash and I chatted away for a couple hours. We have so much in common, it is a bit crazy.
Crazy Blogger Lady in action.
We left hungry (never a good sign!) and got home and made a snack of Dr. Kracker’s spread with Ash’s homemade nut butters and a side of carrots and hummus. Did the trick!
Note to self, make Ashley’s Cinnamon Maple Almond Better ASAP!
Hunger demolished.
And Sencha green tea for an afternoon pick-me-up!
Not long after that, Eric got home and it was time to eat again!
Eric fired up the BBQ and impressed Ash with his mad skillz.
I have never made KALE CHIPS before and Ashley insisted that we must make them tonight! I have been meaning to make them for ages now, so I was game.
Basic Krispy Kale Chips
[Courtesy of Ashley]
Ingredients:
- 1 head of kale
- Sea salt
- Black Pepper
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Directions: Preheat the oven to 350F. Take several kale leaves (I think we used 8), wash, and rip off the leaves and place on baking sheet. Toss the stems. Rip into small pieces about 3 inches in length. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over top and then sprinkle kosher sea salt and ground black pepper over top. Bake for 10-15 minutes and then remove from the oven and flip, and then bake for another 10-15 minutes until very crispy.
Massaging the kale!
I topped mine with salsa…
Kale chips rocked my world!!!!!!
I cannot believe that I haven’t had these before. Addicted after 1 bite. Can you believe that ERIC loved Kale Chips? Blown away. I can’t wait to top them with cheeze sauce!
Eric BBQ’d veggie burgers and some red peppers…
It was such a satisfying and easy dinner!
We gabbed and gabbed and by the time we left the table it was after 10pm!
We cuddled on the couch and did our blog thang while watching a movie with Eric.
I am sad Ashley has to leave tomorrow. I feel like the fun has just begun!
One, Love the Vibram five fingers. Def get some! Two, I’m sold on kale chips. It’s time to get on the bandwagon already! Three, Love your dress in that last picture :). I have it in the magenta, blue and grey!
Ohhh I remember that color too…love it.
That cafe looks cute but it’s a shame about the food – it makes me sad that sometimes people can try so hard but just end up with something like tastes a bit blah!
Also you two look like you’re having SO much fun! It’s always good to see people just having an awesome time together :D
A friend of mine has those Vibrams! She did yoga in them. They look like my sorta thing, because I don’t like wearing shoes!
The kale chips look interesting. I have never tried kale but I think it might be time!
i haven’t tried vibrams but they look really interesting!!
what an awesome adventure in the woods! :) glad you warrior women found your way out.
Such a bummer that the meal wasn’t filling. I hate wasting money eating out, only to leave hungry! Then again, that is better to me that being overstuffed with junk.
Kale chips still make me nervous, but you have definitely made them sound worth it!
I should probably try kale chips. They look really good. :)
It sounds like you had so much fun.
What crazy sock/shoes. I love that fresh bowl for lunch..
I am making kale chips for sure!
Haha I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks vibrams are thee coolest.
Happy Tuesday!
Wednesday*! Where has the time gone???
hahahah that is SO me (thinking it is tuesday!)
Hardly any of my friends had even HEARD of blogs when I started mine up. I can’t imagine actually getting to spend time with someone who understands! Looks like you guys had a great time. :-)
Oh I just hate disappointing dishes from new places! Well…you must just recreate that dish in your own kitchen to your own delight! :)
Hike and time with Ashley looks so fabulous. I miss my girl time!
I went to Kind Food a couple of weeks ago with my boyfriend, we had their sandwich and the lasagna. The lasagna was okay, but the sandwich was really good. I also was still hungry after my meal. But they do have a lot of cool stuff you can buy there, and the people were super friendly. I would go back to shop or for their juice (I had the Beets me, it was my first experience with Beet juice and it blew me away) but I’m not sure about eating there again.
Oh I should have gotten the sandwich (I was thinking about it!)…sorry to hear about the lasagna too. I feel like they need to tweak their recipes a bit? Maybe just some kinks to iron out, perhaps. I too loved the beet juice! Mmmm. Did you try any baked goods?
Yeah they could probably use some tweaking, maybe their menu will grow and change with customer feedback they get over time. I didn’t try any baked goods because I live in Milton and I was in Burlington for the day so I didn’t want to carry anything around all day but I think I’d probably be tempted to try something if I go back.
I don’t remember how long ago that I discovered kale chips. But since then, I haven’t eaten kale any other way.
Hi Angela,
Just wanted to leave you a quick comment to say how much I love your blog! I feel like I can connect with you on so many levels… I also went through a lot of the same things you went through- eating disorder, struggling with my weight etc
I started running last October and ran my first half marathon in March this year. Exercising and being fit has made such a massive difference to my life, and how I feel about myself.
I’ve signed up for a couple more races (10km this Sunday, and a half marathon again next March) and although training can be a hard slog sometimes, the feeling afterwards really makes it worth it!
So yes, this is just a little thank you for such an amazing, interesting blog, and for brightening my day every day :)
Marijke
Hi Marijke! Thank you so much for leaving such a nice comment..totally made me smile. Congrats on all the amazing changes you have made! You should be so proud of yourself. I love hearing about others who get hooked on racing to…it’s seriously one of my favourite things in the world.
I love Kombucha! I drink Synergy (grape flavor is the best) because the vinegar taste gets toned down with the little bit of fruit juice they add.
If you believe nothing else about it, you can appreciate it for the probiotics produced during fermentation.
I love that it has probiotics! Esp cuz I dont eat dairy and I occasionally supplement.
Aww, sad that Ashley is leaving tomorrow! You guys seem like you’re having a blast!
Aw what a bummer that your lunch was disappointing! I’ll try another dish out there sometime and let you know if it’s any better. ;)
Do you know of any other places like Kindfood in the area?
No I don’t…I don’t even think OAKVILLE has a veg restaurant which is crazy because oakville is such a healthy area! I want to open up a restaurant hehe
We have eco-chefs! Down the street from my work on Lakeshore, but it isn’t strictly vegetarian. More of a local food based restaurant, but their seasonal menu is really good and has some vegetarian items on it!
There used to be a vegetarian restaurant in Bronte too but I’m not sure if that’s still there.
You should check out Organic Garage too if you’re in Oakville for the Farmer’s Market! It’s cheaper than Whole Foods and has alot of the same sort of stuff.
Sounds interesting! I have never heard of eco-chefs. Sounds like my kind of place! Good to know they have a few veg options.
Oh man, I was just about to say that I’ll have to go to that restaurant with my best friend when I visit her in Burlington next month but now I’m not so sure! Ha ha Certainly looks like a cute place, though!
Still gotta try those kale chips!!!