Sunday Funday - Robson Square Ice Skating

Even though the snow has melted in Vancouver except on the mountains and the rain has started, there are still winter activities that you can do.  Robson Square Ice Skating is one of them.  It is conveniently located downtown on Robson Street underneath the Vancouver Art Gallery.  

It is a small rink but it gives people a break from shopping.  They have skate rentals for $4 but remember to bring cash.  I helped chaperone my niece's 14 year old birthday party and took the girls there to skate around.  We didn't stay and went across the street to Cafe Artigiano for a Spanish coffee.  Okay, I wasn't really a chaperone since 14 years old kind of have a mind of their own.  I was there to be a human GPS and keep my sister company.  

Skating Robson Square take about an hour or less before it can be a bit too repetitive but it is unique and fun event if you are downtown.  Plus the girls had fun taking selfies and doing their own photo shoots likely to post to each other on Snapchat.  (That's my best guess!).

After skating we walked down to Cartem's Donuts.  

Robson Square Ice Skating is open until February 14th (Valentine's Day) from 9am - 9pm Sunday - Thursday and 9am - 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays.  

Vancouver Restaurant: Medina Cafe

The best part about having visitors and family come visit, is being able to explore the city and spend time trying new places.  When my "sister" from London came for the new year, I took a day off work so I could spend time with her.  She wanted to go downtown Vancouver and suggested we try Medina Cafe.

I vaguely had heard of the name of the restaurant in passing but not much else.  Perhaps it was one of those brunch restaurants that would normally have a line up out the door.  Luckily for us since everyone was back to work, our wait was not very long, maybe 20 minutes instead of an hour.  That is the trick for those restaurants who do not take reservations and have a first come first serve policy.  Just go to them on your day off!  

The Medina Cafe Menu had such unique items with a Mediterrean or Middle Eastern flair.  It was a difficult decision as to what to try.  Everything on the menu looked tasty and I would definitely return.  I ended up going for the Harissa Burger with two fried eggs on top of a pita with beef, hummous, baba ganoush.  It was a gourmet breakfast and soo super flavorful!  

If you come to Vancouver and are staying downtown and want a unique brunch, check out Medina Cafe.  If you are in a rush, they also have waffles to order on the go.  #Yummy

Fitness Friday: Yoga with Adriene #YogaRevolution

It is 2017 and I truly want to lose weight and keep fit.  Even though you can't see it, it doesn't mean fat is not there and I have felt a bit overweight for years.  With Fitness Friday I hope to keep exploring and traveling on my health and wellness journey as I find it is not getting easier the older I get.  

My "sister" from London was telling me about her daily routine and it included daily YouTube yoga practice.  I would have never though about doing yoga at home but with the cold weather it is a great idea to still be able to practice in the comfort and warmth of your own home.    

So I got my mat out and saw that Yoga with Adriene had a 30 Day Revolution Challenge in January.  It's a 31 day journey of daily yoga practice.  Even though January had already started, I loved the idea of a challenge and figured it is better to start late than never.  

So the yoga revolution began.  I loved her #YogaRevolution Day 1 practice so much that I did Day 1 & 2 in the same day.  One in the morning and one in the evening.  WOW!  Yoga is back in my life!  I felt calm and at peace after each yoga session.  I've already shouted on Twitter, told my friends, and am practicing everyday.  The best part about YouTube Yoga with Adriene is that it is free and easily accessible.  

Let's see if this can become a daily habit of yoga practice everyday.  After all itis the #yogarevolution.  It is great for yogis of all levels.  The sessions are around 30 minutes each so it is easy to squeeze in the yoga practice but in reality one I felt how it made me feel, I wanted to keep doing more.  Instead of watching TV, I calm my mind with the #yogarevolution and Yoga with Adriene.  Ease into Day 1.  

Vancouver Bakery: Cartem's Donuterie

Cartems Donuterie specializes in donuts and has some coffee drinks to accompany the donuts.  Pictured above are the Blood Orange donut and the London Fog Stuffie (yes that is a donut stuffed with creamy goodness).  WOW!  The was a nice little donut shop downtown and their donuts sure are tasty!  They also are more expensive than Tim Horton's but it is worth it for a treat or a coffee date.  They have unique flavors and even better for your friends who are gluten free.  They have half a dozen gluten free donuts to try.  I've heard that if you don't go there early enough they can sell out however we went in the morning at 11am and all of the options were readily available.  

Check them out:  Cartems Donuterie

Wine Wednesday: Santero Asti Sparkling Wine

I often use the BC Liquor store app to check out what's new and what to try.  They have "wish" and "favourite" list where you can save wines that you have found.  Often I will browse and save sparkling wines on my Wish list.  

So on New Year's Eve it was easy to look at my Wish list and then choose a bottle of sparkling wine that was on sale.  Then when I ventured out into the BC Liquor Store that was completely crowded, I didn't have to browse at all.  I just grabbed the one bottle of sparkling Santero Asti Sparkling Wine and left.

The bottle is pretty and looks almost gold which is great for presentation.  Santero Asti Sparkling wine is sweet like a Moscato so it's perfect for a crowd because it's to sip and drink slowly.  It was our sparkling wine for the New Years toast!  

Give everyone half a glass to celebrate!  Any occasion will do.  

Thrifty Tuesday: White Spot Restaurant Birthday Brownie

When I think of birthdays, I don't usually think of White Spot Restaurants.  However, after being given a free dessert when my friend mentioned my birthday, I was super impressed.  White Spot restaurants is a family friendly restaurant which has been a regular brunch or breakfast spot for us since it is open for breakfast before 11am.  It opens nice and early and has coffee and breakfast including eggs benedict that is made fresh.   

White Spot - Shrimp and Spinach Egg Benedict

One evening after a crazy day at work, we decided to go to White Spot for appetizers.  Then one decided it would be my "birthday" celebration, and mentioned it a few times in conversation especially at the end of the meal.  Then to our surprise the server offered a free birthday dessert with a candle.  I never knew that White Spot celebrated birthdays.  It was a sweet surprise!  

It was a fabulous evening of chatting, eating, and being surprised.  Our appetizers that we ordered consisted of a combination of zoo sticks (highly recommended), dry ribs (my favorite), and spinach and artichoke dip.  This made it a night to remember.  Unfortunately we missed out on Happy Hour which is from 2-5pm when appetizers are $6.  Appetizers were still worth it with a price range from $10 - $15 approximately depending on what you order.   White Spot Menu will show you more. 

White Spot - Birthday Hot Fudge Brownie

Sunday Funday: Meal Prep Sunday

Meal Prep Sunday is my day to prepare for the week ahead and it can be lots of fun to feel like I'm cooking for a crowd instead of for two.  I love variety in meals and tastes so this is one way to cook a lot because I'm cooking not just for one night but for lunches and the weekday dinners.  Here's what I did last week so you have the menu for when you do #mealprepsunday today!

1.  Broccoli Pesto Pasta - Inspired by this recipe on BBC Good Food.  I omitted pine nuts (since they are too expensive) and added a few tablespoons of pesto with 1/2 lemon squeezed, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  

2.  Easy Oven Roasted Baby Red Potatoes  - I love the boiling of the baby potatoes first which shortens the oven roasting time.  Unfortunately my garlic had mold growing on it so I omitted the garlic.  I cut up some baby carrots and threw those in to roast with the baby red potatoes with half a bag of frozen green beans.  

3.  Easy Honey Garlic Chicken - I was inspired by this recipe but my chicken thighs didn't look like the recipe because I didn't follow the recipe.  I seared the chicken in the pan, added 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 tablespoons honey and ketchup and cooked that with the chicken before baking it with the oven roasted potatoes.

4.  Breakfast Burrito - Scrambled eggs, breakfast sausage with chopped onion, shredded red potato (from easy oven potatoes), wrap it all in a tortilla and voila it's a breakfast burrito.  

What did I learn from Meal Prep Sunday?

Variety is the key to the meal and makes dinner delicious.  This was enough for dinner for two in addition to 4 lunches, and 4 breakfasts.  I also did two small containers of sliced cucumbers with dip as a healthy snack and to make that four different servings of vegetables.  My goal will be to increase my servings of vegetables and fruit for #mealprepsunday.  

Vancouver Restaurant: Boiling Point Restaurant

Even with the busy city lifestyle, it is nice once in a while to catch up with old friends.  December and January are popular months when I have an opportunity to meet friends and spend a bit of quality time.  I have one girlfriend who is Taiwanese and an avid foodie.  The combination makes her a perfect date and one who chooses fabulous unique restaurants.

Boiling Point is a Taiwanese hot pot specialty chain restaurant.  They have three Boiling Point restaurants in the Lower Mainland.  There is one in Burnaby, BC, Richmond, BC and Surrey, BC.  We went to the one in Burnaby which was the closest.  The have restaurants in the USA in Southern and Northern California and Washington.  There is also one in China.  

It is a quaint little restaurant and when I entered it was jam packed of people at the door.  Then I noticed a small little machine which was the ticket to let them know how many people were in your party.  It was easy enough to navigate and even though my girlfriend hadn't arrived, there were so many people standing at the door, I thought for sure it would be a 30 mins wait.  So I grabbed the ticket and found a standing spot inside to wait.  Less than 5 mins later the server came and called my number, I felt a bit embarrassed and told her my friend had not arrived yet so I could wait and she could seat the other guests.  She did that and returned and continued to seat others but at the same time was conscientious that I was first and kept checking to see when my friend would arrive.  Once I knew my girlfriend was looking for parking and told the server, she asked me to sit at the table first.  The tables are quite tightly packed and it is perfect if there are two people who are eating.  The menu was a one pager with great pictures of different types of hot pots and descriptions.  I decided to try the Korean style hot pot and my friend also ordered side dishes of stinky tofu and grilled pork, Taiwanese specialties.  

At Boiling Point everyone gets their own individual hot pot that is cooked in front of you.   I love restaurants where you can actively participate.  Even though it is a small space and jam packed, the hot pots were delicious and I can't wait to return so I can try a different hot pot.  

I would want to return for lunch since the lunch combo consists of hot pot, rice and a drink for $11.99.  The dinner combo is the hot pot and rice for $12.99.  Enjoy my pics below and feel free to check out their full menu:  Boiling Point.

Boiling Point Side Dish - Fermented Tofu (Stinky Tofu)

Boiling Point Side Dish - Sliced Pork

Boiling Point Hot Pot - Korean Bean Paste

Boiling Point Hot Pot - House Special

Vancouver Bakery: Divinely Delish

Divinely Delish is a blogger, traveller, food enthusiast so I happily support her baked goods and savory items by treating myself to something homemade.  I love ordering her one savory item which are Chinese dumplings.  I've tasted all of the dumplings but traditional Pork and Chives is still my favorite.  Even though she posts the recipe on Divinely Delish blog, I still like to order them to save time.  It's nice to have fresh homemade dumplings in the freezer.  They make my meals on a numerous occasions.  I just boil them until they rise to the top and then dip them in a combination of soy and sriracha sauce.  

During the holidays I wanted to get something for my husband and the biscotti sold me.  Biscotti is something that I would never make at home especially the double baked biscotti so I decided to order some for my hubby to have with his coffee.  When my husband saw the big bag, he immediately froze some and then we had the rest fresh to go with our coffee drinks.  

I look foward to new year when I may try some other new baked items.  In the meantime check out the Divinely Delish Blog.

Throwback Thursday: The Breakfast Buffet at the River Rock Casino Resort

This week I'm going to share the good breakfast deal at The River Rock Casino Resort and that would be the breakfast buffet at The Buffet.  

Even if you are not a gambler it is a good idea to still get an Encore card because it can save you a few dollars at The Buffet.  Encore cards are free and you just need a piece of ID to register usually at the casino customer service.  I already had my Encore card and was ready to save.

The breakfast buffet is from 6:30am - 10:30am so it is a morning buffet.  It is also cheaper because of this and is only $19.95 or $17.96 with an Encore card.  At the breakfast buffet they have coffee or tea and the assortment of juices.  They had an omlette station and fresh egg station, sausages, bacon, hash browns and your traditional Canadian breakfast.  They also had the Asian style breakfast with dim sum, rice rolls, and congee.  That is truly what I liked best.  The variety of the breakfast food.  Normally you have to choose between one or the other.  In this case there was no fighting over what type of breakfast joint to go to.  Everyone wins.  Being Chinese Canadian I had two plates and ate the best of both worlds.  I had my Asian style breakfast and then the Canadian breakfast for dessert!  It is perfect for getting together with picky eaters because everyone can go back and have whatever they want and it spend time together.  

An added bonus is that the daytime view of The Buffet at the River Rock Casino Resort is quite beautiful even on a cloudy day it is possible to see the boats moored on the water.    

Wine Wednesday: Woodbridge White Zinfadel

Vancity Girlfriend Carolyn loves her wine so when I asked her to take a picture of a bottle for me to share on the blog, this is what she sent me.  Woodbridge White Zinfadel from California was so good that the bottle is half empty.  This is a light and fresh with berry flavours.  There is a pattern that you may find that we like to enjoy light, fruity wines that are easy to drink and pairs well with lots of different food.  She has sold the wine to me so well that I've added to my BC Liquor store wish list.  That's when I discovered that this bottle is only $8.95 so I'll be sure to keep an eye out for it and give it a try.  I know I will.  

Thrifty Tuesday: McKenzie Cafe at Simon Fraser University

Happy New Year!  University students are preparing to return for another semester of studies.  At Simon Fraser University (SFU), McKenzie Cafe at the AQ is a great place to go when there is not have time for breakfast at home.  McKenzie Cafe opens at 7:30am before the classes start.  TheClassic Breakfast is a filling breakfast for a reasonable cost.  It consists of eggs of your choice (the chefs crack the eggs and cook it in front of you), choice of sausage or bacon, hash browns, and toast (your choice of white or whole wheat).  All of this is under $6.  Universities often have good deals and cheap eats because they are serving the students.  Poor students who have student loans and won't eat unless it's for cheap.  The rest of us can take advantage of that.  

  

New Year's Resolution: Minamalism

Happy New Year!  It's a new year and a new word.  Instead of a new year's resolution, my word for 2017 is MINAMALISM.  I'm hoping this word motivate me the whole year through and make me stay true to my values.

This is inspired by the documentary Minamalism on Netflix and my own values on living a simple life.  I love the Minamalists definition.

"Minimalism is a tool to rid yourself of life’s excess in favor of focusing on what’s important—so you can find happiness, fulfillment, and freedom." 

My journey with declutting began years ago but I feel that finally I am close to achieving the "why" of the minamalist lifestyle.  Due to financial constraints I have already been anti-consumerism and have reduced my spending tremendously over the past six months on material "things" or "possessions."  

The key for me in the new year 2017 is to truly continue the minamalist lifestyle.  To continue to let go of things of the past so I can live in the present.  To bring to life the gift giving of memories and experiences instead of "gifts".  This has been difficult for me because of the values that others hold on brand names or material possessions.  The hardest part is to be able to socialize and hang out with friends who do not share this lifestyle and yet still be able to enjoy the "window shopping" and not be tempted by the shopping malls.  

What does this mean for me?

- simplifying life 
- living with minamalist values
- focusing on quality time and experiences
- creating memories
- willingness to let go of possessions
- caring for my parents
- nurturing my self care 
- taking care of my health
- be happy and well

I'll continue to write about my minamalism journey with Minamailism Monday.  To share my decluttering tips, ways to let go, and books that have inspired me.  I am quite excited and hope you are too as I embark on this new year!