Those of you who guessed I am going to Paris in September are correct! Good work, ma petite détectives, good work. ;)
During the 3rd week in September, I will be on an all girl’s trip with OSGMOM and my sister Kristi. We have been planning a trip together for over 5 years now and we couldn’t be more excited. [I would like to thank Eat Pray Love for giving my mom the travel bug again. She called me about this trip idea shortly after starting, and falling in love, with the book!] I took French Immersion in school (from grade 7-11), but I will have to brush up on my French skills before leaving.
I will be blogging while I am away and I am excited to take you on this journey with me. However it is quite possible I may turn into a coffee-drinking, croissant loving, bon-bon eating non-vegan. I can’t be sure. I will be talking more later on about how I plan on eating while there. ;)
Now onto less exciting, but equally delicious things…breakfast…
We have a situation here!!!
Today I used 1/8th tsp of Vanilla Bean Paste in the banana soft serve and it was delicious!
Swirlz.
Tip: If you can’t get your processor to make Banana soft serve, add a splash of almond milk to speed things along.
Check out the specs of vanilla bean! Mmmm.
I made it with layers of blueberries, Nature’s Path rice crisp, and cacao nibs.
And a raspberry on top for colour!
For the vegan overnight oats, I used my classic recipe.
It was pretty much out of control goodness, as per usual.
Today’s question: Have you ever been anywhere in Europe? Where did you stay and what did you think about it? If you haven’t been, where would you like to visit?
Well, I am off for another busy day of work. Today is Operation: Healthy Living Summit day. I will be making over 225 Glo Bars complete with custom name tags for the HLS and shipping them out tomorrow! I also need to work on Kristin’s Wedding Favours and Ambrosia + customer orders. Going to be a busy one! Wheeeeeee. Have a wonderful Wednesday!
I am dying to go to Europe with my husband and hope to get these next year. I am so jealous you are going, but I look forward to following your travels!! Good luck with all of the baking!
Oh my goodness that sounds like so much fun- I’m super jealous of your trip! I spent a year in France when I was 11, so I had the opportunity to visit much of the country as well as the neighbouring countries, and it was without a doubt the most interesting year of my life! I love all the old architecture in France and how there will just be a random old building right next to something new- the juxtaposition of old and new gets me every time. I also went to Italy and Greece when I was 17, and absolutely loved both of the countries.. *sigh* now I feel like travelling! I feel like once you get the travel bug, it’s so hard to stop! If only money grew on trees.. then I’d be set :)
Omg!! That is so exciting! You are going to have such an amazing time!
How exciting! I’ve never been to Europe, but have always wanted to go. Eastern Europe is at the top of my list!
I LOVE vanilla bean paste!!! I’ve been to Italy, on a 10 day school trip in my 3rd year of college and Ireland with Chris on our honeymoon. I told you about Ireland, how we traveled around by car for the whole trip and had a blast. In Italy we stayed in 2 main cities, Genoa + Rome. I’m not sure I could go to Italy and make it out without eating some fresh genoa salami. It just might not be possible! ;) There are SO many places Chris + I want to travel too. Once things are more stable, I hope to make it somewhere fun! So excited for you!!!
I studied abroad in Europe in college and absolutely fell in love with it. I stayed in London for 4 months but while I was there I visited Italy, Scotland, Ireland and France (twice!). You are going to fall in love and not want to come back. I always say if I go back to France or Italy I would give up being vegan for a week because the food is so delicious! I’m interested to see what vegan options you have – can’t wait to hear all about it! You also might want to buy some extra memory cards because I can only imagine how many thousands of pictures you will take :)
My fiance took me to Paris last year! We stayed for two weeks and rented a car to see other parts of france, Switzerland and Italy. The most spectacular sights are the castles. Museums are lovely but to actually stand within the historic structures is breathtaking, and something entirely unachievable in Canada. If you have time, a day trip to the Loire Valley (famous for their wine!) with a stop at the Château de Chambord would be well worth it.
I can’t wait to see what you are inspired to bake up after sampling the pastry in Paris! You might have to make a small exception for butter;)
Paris – how exciting! Sure worth the 5yr wait :p
I’ve been to France, Holland, Spain, Portugal (spelt wrong :p), uhh,,Belgium, Scotland…..I’m sure some others but I can’t remember :p it’s easy when you live in England!
what an awesome trip!!
good luck on getting things done today
How fun! I’m going to be in Paris then too :-). My husband and I are traveling to Provence and Burgundy first and finishing our trip with just under a week in Paris. I can’t wait! I’ve never been to France, but I was an exchange student in Germany during high school and a couple of years ago the hubby and I did a hiking trip to England and Scotland! I love Europe! Every time I go, I immediately start thinking of when I can go again.
I’ve been to Paris and Belgium (Brussels & Bruges) and I absolutely LOVED both of them and want to go back to both someday. What I love about Europe in general is the history behind everything and the old architecture.
Oh yes, let’s of time in Europe! Paris, London, Dublin, Belfast, Belgium and a hop, skip and jump to Sarajevo and Zagreb! So much to see and do! I usually stay at the Hotel Ares in Paris. I love it because it’s close to the Metro but you’re staying in a neighborhood. Feels more like being a part of daily life there. ENJOY!
omg, I didn’t know about the existence if vanilla bean paste!! I will have to find/purchase immediately. Growing up I never wanted vanilla ice cream unless it had the ‘black specks’ ;)
I guess even then I knew what was up.
I have been to London before, when I was much younger, and enjoyed it, But I leave in September for France as well! I will be mostly in southern France but in Paris for a week in October. Can’t wait to see what you do while there! :)
I lived in the Ukraine! I’ve also traveled all over Europe, a total of 19 countries. You will have a fantastic time in Paris.
Hi Angela,
And thank you so much for your very inspiring blog! I’ve been following it regularly now for the past few weeks and I have to say you always manage to speak to my heart and soul.
Never commented before but as I see you’re off to my home country, I wanted to have the honour to wish you the warmest welcome! I hope you have a wonderful time in Paris and enjoy the beautiful food we have everywhere. Will you be travelling any other places?
Being a vegan in France might be tricky though as people already have struggle with the vegetarian concept: oh no meat, certainly miss, would you prefer some ham or some fish?… Hmmmm ;o) Hehe, but you ladies will be fine, with your beautiful smile and catchy happiness, the waiters will be more than happy serving you anything you want!
That is going to be such an awesome trip!!
I went to London in college with a couple of girlfriends. The city was beautiful but it was so cold! It was also March, so I should have expected it. I would really love to go to Italy. I heard it is warmer there. :-)
My mom and I went to Paris for a week also! I’m so excited for you ladies to experience (in my opinion) the most beautiful city in the world! I would move there in a heartbeat!!!! I highly recommend getting fresh vegetable soup anywhere you go. I can’t remember where I got it, but we were at lunch and it was amazing! Sitting outside while eating and watching people walk by was so much fun. My mom and I would spend close to 3 hours at dinner just chatting, eating, drinking wine, and watching people wondering what their daily lives are like.
Oh my gosh, I could go on and on about Paris, but I’ll stop here. If you ever want restaurant suggestions, let me know. :) Also, seeing the Mona Lisa was unreal. I had tears in my eyes walking into the room… it’s nothing like you’d ever imagine.
We stayed at the Hotel de l’abbaye and it was absolutely beautiful! We ate breakfast in the garden every morning.
how fun! to have an all girls trip and to paris no less!!! awesome.
your breakfast looks stunning per usual. ;)
Yay! I’m so excited for you! You are going to love it.
This past June my husband and I went to Barcelona and Paris. Paris is absolutely beautiful!! While the museums and other sites are amazing, my favorite part about being there was just wandering around the city, taking in the architecture, smells and life going on all around me. I am so ready to go back!
I’m interested to see what your take is on eating while you’re there. While I did eat vegetarian there, I was very lax on eating vegan. For me it was very difficult to find vegan options, especially because most of the places we stopped were boulangeries/pattisseries (read: affordable), which meant everything was pre-made and sitting in the window. For me, that was all a part of the experience! I don’t regret it at all:)
One last thing – hands down the most exhilarating experience we had there, was using the bike system. They have bike stations all around the city, and if you’re lucky your credit card will work and you can rent a bike to get around. We would walk most of the day bc it’s the best way to take everything in, but at night when our feet were aching and sore, we’d hop on a bike and cruise around for hours. My most memorable moment was coasting by the Eiffel Tower late at night, marveling as it lit up and sparkled in all its glory. Priceless.
Sorry for the novel! I’m so excited to follow your trip!
I would love to go to Europe and visit Italy and Paris, those are my must see places. Maybe for my honeymoon, lol!
I can’t wait to go to Paris with you, well…through your blog anyways. Your pictures are great so I’m sure you will capture the spirit of Paris through the blog. How exciting!