Sunday Funday: Meal Prep Sunday

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#NaBloPoMo Day 13 - Meal Prep Sunday

I love being in the kitchen but often I am too tired or find myself too hungry to enjoy cooking.  Sundays are different.  Some people call them Meal Preparation Sundays #mealprepsundays.  This is the one day when you meal plan, prepare and cook your meals or lunches for the week.  I love the idea and Sundays are lazy days for me so I was super happy that it was raining and I had time to try a Meal Prep Sunday.  

First I use my meal planner called Plan to Eat to plan the meals that I want to cook.  I have recipes from the web that I want to try and like to see how the meals will work for the upcoming days.  Plan to Eat has grocery lists for grocery shopping but since I am only cooking for two, I don't use that function very often.  I did in the beginning when I first started using Plan to Eat.  Feel free to visit my referral link to check it out:  https://www.plantoeat.com/ref/couponchef  Or you can keep it simple and write down the meals on a piece of paper.  There is nothing wrong with that!

So I wanted to get started with some baking.  I hadn't baked in a LONG time.  I decided to make Mini Pumpkin muffins using the following recipe:  http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/pumpkin-mini-muffins because I had a can of pumpkin puree in the pantry.  After I put the first batch of muffins in the oven and was putting away the leftover pumpkin puree I licked the spoon of with the last scraps of the pumpkin purree in the can and YUCK!  It tasted awful!  Then I looked at the top of the can of pumpkin puree and saw the expiry date.  It read October 2015.  What a letdown to my first baking experience back in the kitchen!  Lesson learned, if you have pantry items that you want to use, check the expiry dates.  I learned the hard way.  

So I didn't let that stop me from Sunday Funday Meal Prep Sunday.  (Just stopped the baking).  Take a look at what recipes I prepared for my first Meal Prep Sunday.

1.  Easiest Eggplant - http://allrecipes.com/recipe/70142/easiest-eggplant/

I had a lonely eggplant in the fridge that needed cooking up so this is what I made.  I figured we could eat this as a snack or to accompany a main dish.

2.  Brocolli Apple Salad - http://paleoleap.com/broccoli-apple-salad-walnuts/

This will be a great starter to any meal or to bring as my brown bag lunch.

3.  Korean Glass Noodle Chap Chae - http://steamykitchen.com/180-korean-glass-noodles-jap-chae.html

We actually ate this all up for Sunday lunch.  Next time I would need to double it up if I wanted more for lunches.  Great vegetarian recipe!

3.  One Pot Chicken and Mushroom Tettrazini - http://www.jocooks.com/main-courses/poultry-main-courses/one-pot-chicken-and-mushroom-tetrazzini/

This was my Sunday favorite One Pot Chicken and Mushroom Tettrazini!  It was the first time that I made a one pot dish and guess what?  It worked!  We ate this for dinner and there was some leftover this time for our lunch tomorrow.  

What did I learn from my first Meal Prep Sunday? 

I learned to check the expiry date of canned foods, and also that I might not have actually done meal prep sunday since I do not have a week's worth of lunches in the fridge.  I have one lunch, eggplant snacks, and three small containers of salad.  I also have ingredients all ready for tomorrow's Chicken Stirfry dinner.  All in all, even though there's room for improvement for #MealPrepSunday, it was a successful #SundayFunday because I had fun in the kitchen!

Vancouver Restaurant - Trattoria Burnaby

One evening after dinner and a bike ride, I went to Trattoria Burnaby for drinks and a snack.  Living in Burnaby, Trattoria is a convenient restaurant with a cozy atmosphere and a wood burning oven.  On Thursdays their signature cocktails had a discount so I decided to try their Limoncello Peach Mojito.  This was a nice refreshing drink for a summer's night and made my cheeks rosy.  Of course it doesn't take much for that to happen.  Some drinks just go down a little too easy.  

For our snack, we shared a Squash pizza and it was a burst of unique flavours that I never imagined would go so well together and look so picturesque.  It almost makes me want to be a vegetarian if meals were this delicious.  The squash pizza had pesto, roasted squash and hazelnuts and tallegio.  Even if you are not a vegetarian, it is worth tasting and so much more adventurous than boring pepperoni pizza which does not exist on Trattoria Burnaby's menu.

If you're in the neighbourhood, check out Trattoria Burnaby's Menu.  They also have a Cocktail hour from 2:30-5:30pm and 9:30-close everyday.  Trattoria Burnaby is so close to home that I know I'll be back to try more.  

Trattoria Burnaby Blog Posts:  Brunch or Breakfast and Weekend Brunch

Weekend Brunch - Trattoria Burnaby

Trattoria Burnaby may be known for their pasta Tuesdays, wine Wednesdays, or pizza Sundays, but did you know that they are open for brunch on the weekends.

Fennel Sausage Hash

We recently discovered this delight and their amazing brunch menu of eggs benedict, fennel and sausage hash, and when we went their they started us off with a complimentary sample of their bread pudding with chantilly cream.  They have real coffee and an espresso bar so you can have good coffee with your brunch.  

In Burnaby there are not a lot of breakfast joints and especially none that open early.  Trattoria Burnaby opens at 11am on the weekends and holidays for brunch but we hope that with our feedback, they will consider opening earlier on the weekends.  Then they could become out new breakfast joint.

Our first impression was a pretty good one.  I enjoyed my breakfast with my Mighty Leaf tea and since my husband raved about how delicious their coffee is, I may try that next time even though I'm not a regular coffee drinker.  

I'm happy we ventured on a rainy day to Trattoria Burnaby for brunch and here's the menu to check out if you are in the area.  I already know what I'll order the next time I go there, the Truffled Mushroom Frittata.    http://www.glowbalgroup.com/trattoria/trattoria-burnaby.html#menu-section

Vancouver Event: Vancouver International Wine Festival 2016

Hello Vancity Girlfriends,

Happy Holidays!  This year we went to the Vancouver International Wine Festival 25 for under $25 Mingler and LOVED IT.  Read our post here:  http://vancitygirlfriends.blogspot.ca/2015/03/vancouver-event-vancouver-international.html

So I've been watching the website and anxiously waiting to see when tickets will go on sale.  This is a popular event and sells out quickly so I wanted plenty of time to tell all my friends about this event.  With a wine mingler, the more people you know there, the more fun it is.  I love trying new wines and seeing which ones make an impression on my tastebuds.  Even better that I go with a Vancity Girlfriend.  

The Vancouver International Wine Festival this year has the ITALY theme and the tickets for the 25 for under $25 Mingler are going on sale on Tuesday, January 12th at 9:30AM.  The wine mingler itself is on Saturday, February 27th from 5:15-6:45pm and tickets are $55.  

Check it out and maybe we'll see you there!  http://www.vanwinefest.ca/page470.htm

Vancouver Restaurant: Bellagio Cafe Italian Restaurant

Hello Vancity Girlfriends,

Did you know that Vancity Girlfriend Carolyn loves pizza?  Well she does so it no surprise that we decided to go to an Italian restaurant when we had the chance.  It is also a bit of lack of organization and preparation in our part.  Some days we get together and forget to figure out where to eat so we wander around downtown and of course you can stumble across a lot of places to eat when you are downtown Vancouver.  

We walked into Bellagio Cafe which was packed full but people were shuffling and many were ending their meals.  It was perfect timing for us!  We were seated by the window and the sun was shining.  I was surprised that inside the Bellagio Restaurant the decor was similar to Italian restaurants on Commercial Drive, but we were instead on Hornby Street across from the Vancouver Art Gallery in downtown Vancouver.  There was an old style Italian decor that filled the air and a menu with traditional Italian food such as appetizers, salads, pastas, and pizza.  We decided to share an appetizer, salad, and pizza.  A little bit of everything.  

We started with the Truffle Parmesan Fries which was an absolute delight!  This was the best part of the meal for me and my favourite.  It is served with a side of chipolte sauce.  The fries are thin and well seasoned with truffle and parmesan.  Delicous!

Next we shared a caesar salad which was crisp and fresh. Our table was right beside the window which had perfect lighting for food photography.  

Lastly we shared a small pizza with chicken, sundried tomato, brie and arugula. The pizza was made with a nice thin crust from the wood burning oven.  

Bellagio Cafe Website:  http://www.bellaggiocafe.com/