Tag Archives: canmore

Buy Me A Dinosaur

A few days ago, Court said to me, “Why don’t you be a wife and make me lunch?!” Not with that attitude!

Naturally, I asked that he return the favour while we were in a Banff souvenir shop. I demanded that he “be a husband” and buy me a $30,000 dino skeleton.

He says I can get it if we sell my car. Seems like a fair trade – I’ll just ride my dinosaur skeleton around town instead. Hows that for progressive fossil fuel preservation? Ha. I’m an idiot.

After this post I’m done rambling on about our trip to the mountains. As much as we all love vacation recap photos of peoples faces….

Last Sunday, Court and I decided to take a morning drive up to Lake Louise, followed by a lunch date in Banff. And an ice cream date that never happened.

First order of business:

I LOVE BEAMERS. Don’t let the gas station-esque cups fool you – their beans are legit. I always get the organic medium roast – I think it’s an Ethiopian blend? They have a ton of decent on-the-go snacks too – giant muffins, cinnamon buns, wraps, sandwiches, fruit cups, etc. I had a few bites of Courts GF strawberry banana muffin. It was heavenly.

Scenes from the drive…

One thing we didn’t take into consideration was that it was still quite chilly (WINTER) at the higher elevation. We figured summer temperatures in Banff = worldwide summer temps, so we dressed in shorts. It was just like the time we thought Volcanoes National Park would be hot and fiery, but it was +5C and windy.

While we were strolling around the Fairmont, all I could think of was the time Tierra froze to death in the lake. Hahaha. <– The Bachelor.

I’ve never experienced Lake Louise on a sunny day, and, if you’re like me with a weird fascination for turquoise hued water, it can be a bit disappointing. This time, the lake was still covered in snow. I am dead inside.

Summer scene of Lake Louise:

(source)

I want to live in it! Glacial lakes fascinate me – the sediment and mineral content causes the lake to change color throughout the year – turquoise, emerald, blue. Water has a magnetic effect on me – I often feel like I “need” to be near it.

Afterwards, we headed back into Banff to stroll around before our lunch date.

Highlights:
-The dinosaur skeleteon
- DavidsTea
- eyeballing and salivating over all kinds of desserts – fudge, caramel apples, ice cream, etc. Banff is a great place to gain 800 lbs in one hour – every store sells fudge.
- lunch at Nourish, a vegan/vegetarian restaurant
-Bow Falls trail <– if you’re short on time, this a good walk to go on!

Falefel salad

Beautiful Burrito

I found a rock chair – oh man, I could’ve sat there for hours had I been adequately prepared with sunscreen and enough water. Also, notice the Fairmont Banff Springs? I’d love to stay there someday… but I need a million dollars first.

Weird, random story: Sometimes when Court and I are out walking, ~~we’ll~~ I’ll play fitness games. For example, we’ll stop and do dips at a park bench, walking lunges when we hit an incline, sprints, etc. Beats working out at a gym, any day! When we turned around to head back into the townsite, we did sprint intervals the whole way.

We spent the remainder of the day lounging on the deck, BBQ’ing salmon, a sunset walk along the Bow River, and watching Homeland.

Oh! Speaking of Homeland, we got Court’s dad hooked on it. He went out and bought season 1, lent us the discs we were on, then…. 12 hours (literally) later…

I’m done talking about the Rockies now. And Homeland.

Do you add any extra “fitness fun” when you’re outside? {I need more ideas!}

Where’s your favorite mountain destination?

Stuff White People Like

6 Replies

In my previous post, I mentioned that Court and I have been sucked into a Homeland blackhole. Who goes on vacation and watches tv?! Apparently we do. But, just for the record, we marathon watched it after the sun went down and in the wee morning hours. I originally planned on going to bed early and sleeping late during this mini-holiday, but that quickly changed to, “less sleep, more Homeland”. Yep. We like it that much!

On Saturday morning, I somehow managed to convince Court to get up at 7am so we could watch another episode. Good man. But first, we picked up coffee from Beamers Coffee Bar.

800 episodes of Homeland later, we finally pulled ourselves out of the depths of addiction and went for walk. During our travels, I found a stunned bird on the sidewalk. Poor guy! I placed him in a sunny nook to warm up.

I also found this gem of a book. Everything in it is DEAD ON.

“Much like not watching tv, being vegan/vegetarian makes white people pretty hard to deal with on a day to day basis – having dinner, going out to restaurants, and having them over to watch political debates all become major challenges as white people will talk about how they can’t eat anything, and would rather the meat and cheese be thrown into the garbage than put in their bodies. But wait – aren’t there white people who eat organic free-range cattle and chicken? Yes, but these white people are racked with guilt knowing they are still eating a dead animal, contributing to rainforest deforestation and global warming” HAHAHA.

Divorce and “hating big corporations” were among the list, too. So funny. Now I find myself judging everything that I do, say, and wear.

Like drinking kombucha while wearing lululemon.

Since there was still a lot of snow up in the higher elevations, Court and I weren’t able to do any hiking, so we stuck to walking the trails in and around Canmore, lounging on sunny park benches and soaking up that glorious Rocky Mountain sun. Goodbye pasty-white-sickly winter complexion!

That night, we had dinner at my favorite Canmore restaurant, crazyweed. Their menu emphasizes ingredients from local farms, and in the summer months, they grow herbs and strawberries on their roof. This was Courts first dining experience at crazyweed, and I was excited for his mind to be blown. To start, we ordered Vietnamese meatballs which came with lettuce cups to wrap them in and a cilantro infused au jus.

For entrees, Court ordered a pizza at my urging. Once I told him they were just like wood fire oven pizzas we had in Hawaii (Cafe Il Mondo in Honokaa = to die for) he was sold.

I went with the pan seared steel head trout which was served with a warm potato salad, double smoked bacon, shallots, arugula and horseradish creme fraiche.

We really enjoyed our meals, but were slightly disappointed by how rushed the experience was. Our appetizer was served immediately after the wine was poured, and our entrees came out immediately after the appy was cleared. We didn’t really have time to enjoy our wine, or take a break in between courses. I hate feeling rushed at restaurants! <– Stuff white people like to hate.

Have you dined at crazyweed? Favorite dish?

Canmore/Banff Recap – Day 1

8 Replies

Court and I are back from our mini vacay. I always dread coming home from holidays and getting back into the swing of things. Good times fly by way too fast, hey?

To celebrate our 3 year wedding anniversary, we headed off to Canmore and Banff, Alberta. There’s nothing like a long weekend trip to kick off summer! Courts aunt and uncle lent us their house while they were away – a gorgeous home along the Bow River. They’re nice.

Canmore is such a vibrant, fun community – there’s a ton of trails for walking, running and biking, tours, yoga & pilates studios and a brand new rec centre called Elevation Place. It has a climbing wall, pool, gym, library, art gallery, etc. Everyone who lives and vacations there (mostly Calgarians, I presume) is so fit! It’s definitely a wonderland for active living, thats for sure. For those who aren’t familiar with the area, Canmore is located in Kananaskis country – about 40 minutes east of Calgary. (You’ll pass it on the way to Banff.) We prefer Canmore over Banff, actually. It terms of the community’s vibe, it’s more laid back – less touristy and better dining options with a seemingly greater emphasis on local businesses. In Canmore, you feel like you live there. Banff is more like a spectacle.

We rolled into town mid-afternoon on Friday. After unpacking the car, Court set up shop on the patio, and I unrolled my yoga mat for some restoration.

Bendy.

Afterwards, we headed out for a walk along the Bow River before making a detour into downtown to pick up a few goodies.

We were surprised by how warm it was in the Rockies – the temperatures were in the low-mid twenties all weekend! No jackets required.

Our first order of business was Mountain Mercato, a specialty market and cafe. They sell organic raw cheese, pate, seasonal produce, bread, quality olive oil, vinegar, etc. We sampled a few different kinds of oil from Greece and New Zealand, all of which had a spicy kick at the finish.
That’s how you can determine the quality of olive oil! If it’s not peppery, it’s probably no good.

Our next stop was a wine store for a bottle of pinot grigio. We sampled some wine, too. I think It was good? I don’t know much about wine tasting, but it seems like such a serious sport. I always just smile and nod politely when I’m given the backstory about a particular bottle. And then I select one based on the label.

Court and I share a theory that wine connoisseurs are liars. When you can go into detail about 50 different flavours, notes, etc. NO ONE is going to disagree. Really, you can just say whatever you want because you’re the “expert”. Right?!

We had a sushi date scheduled for Chef Studio Japan that night, so we headed back to the house to get ready. And by getting ready, I mean drinking wine on the deck.

It tasted light and crisp with notes of honey and lavender. I detected a subtle vanilla flavour too, which balanced the overall bright and fruity aroma… See what I just did there? Something to think about next time you’re at a wine tasting.

Dinner was, in a word, heaven. Court and I love sushi, and we always make a point of dining at Chef Studio whenever we’re in Canmore. They make an insane yam tempura roll, unlike any other yam roll we’ve experienced. It’s definitely a “treat” – I felt like I’d downed an entire bag of potato chips after two pieces, but it’s worth the splurge.

My favorite part of our meal was a piece of crab claw meat sushi. Real crab is such a rarity in these parts! So good.

After dinner, Court and I waddled back to the house where we changed into our pjs and fell into a black hole: Season 1 of Homeland. OH MY GOODNESS. I’ve been hearing about how awesome this show is, but I didn’t think I’d love it this much. We basically turned into the Battlestar Galactica skit from Portlandia.

Have you been to Canmore or Banff? Which one do you prefer?

What’s your ‘black hole’ TV show? Do you watch Homeland?

5 Things: Summer Stuff

10 Replies

Oh hey!
How was your weekend? Mine was… meh. There was a massive Great Depression wind & dust storm (you can’t make this stuff up!) and I was trapped inside on Saturday. I caught up on all my stories though, so that was good. Stories = Real Housewives of Miami/OC, Vanderpump Rules. I also went on a few nature walks, lifted weights, did some pushups, drank wine and dry-brushed my skin. In that exact order.

Some recent happenings:

1. I took last Thursday off to catch up on homework and set aside some mental health time. I’ve been feeling run down lately – emotionally and physically. No, I’m not dying and nothing bad happened, I’m just burnt out. I’m in desperate need of restoration! Court and I have a mini-vacay planned next weekend in Canmore and Banff and WE CANNOT WAIT. It’s been over a year since we’ve been away, and it can’t come soon enough. We’re celebrating our 3 year wedding anniversary, too!

Early morning sunbeams – and yes, the window has since been spring-cleaned.

Ok, so about my ‘relaxation’ day. I went on three walks. It felt so good to just relax and stroll around the neighbourhood taking in the sights ~~of people in their homes~~ and sounds of Spring. I have a deep appreciation for the sound of lawnmowers, Robins, sprinklers and the smell of BBQs and freshly cut grass. Ahhhh…. I walked and walked until my body ached.

I rounded out the day with a hot shower then climbed into bed with my ereader. I’m reading How to Eat a Cupcake by Meg Donohue. It’s a relaxing “girly” read – I’m enjoying it! {It’s a welcomed mental break from anatomy, physiology and nutrition textbooks}

2. I need new swimwear. I’m starting to think there may be such a thing as too many squats and lunges because my butt is on a mission to join the Kardashian family.

{Bruce is my favorite Kardashian. Who’s yours?}

How do we feel about these suits?

For lounging:

(Roxy)

For actual swimming (love the criss cross straps! I can’t even begin to count the number of times I’ve lost my top in the ocean)

(Roxy)

I always feel slightly depressed after viewing the Victorias Secret catalogue. You too?

(Victorias Secret) – also comes in pink!

3. Snacks I can’t stop eating:

-10% greek yogurt (Olympic Organic and The Greek Gods are my favorite brands)
-strawberries
-raw macadamia nuts
-coconut butter (are you supposed to do anything special with this aside from eating it straight from the jar with a fork?)
-frozen cherries (!!!!!)

4. Saturday morning breakfast doesn’t get much better than this:

Can you think of a better food combo? NO. Not possible! We bought Silver Hills gluten free flax-chia bread (wow, what a mouthful!) from Costco. It was just ok.. aka I wouldn’t buy it again. Too spongey.

5. We received these Yukon travel guides in the mail from Courts aunt Pam.

We’re heading up there in July but we don’t know what activities to do yet. She suggested taking the train to Skagway, Alaska, camping and of course, lots of hiking… and eating. I’ve been scoping out Whitehorse’s dining scene and there seems to be an emphasis on game meat, Alaskan salmon, Arctic Char and KING CRAB. I am beyond excited for the seafood feasts that are about to ensue. King Crab, friends! (1 leg costs like, $20 in southern Alberta)

If you have any recommendations on what to see/do/eat in and around Whitehorse, let me know!

Where are you going this summer?
We like hanging out in Whitefish, Montana. 90% of Montanas population are Albertans. Haha.

What snacks are you loving lately?

Most importantly, WHERE SHOULD WE EAT IN CANMORE/BANFF THIS WEEKEND?

(We’re doing a lunch at Chef Studio Japan & dinner at Crazy Weed <– my fav!)

Mountain Detox – photos from the weekend

4 Replies

Last weekend was filled with so many great things. Fresh mountain air. Girl talk. Tons of great eats: Dinner at crazyweed. Lunch at Nourish. An exciting internship meeting in Banff. Wine and homemade appetizers. Long sleeps. Yoga. Walks. More wine. An impromptu road trip to Lake Louise (I’d never been before!) A crackling fire.

Cherry tomatoes + basil + olive oil + salt, along with dates + honey goat cheese

Here’s an easy lunch I’m currently loving: Ultra thin crust margarita pizza. Using a (brown rice) wrap as the ‘crust’, I topped it with homemade pizza sauce, fresh spinach and basil, cheddar, sliced tomato and goat cheese. Pop it in the oven for about 10 minutes at 400F until cheese is bubbly and the crust is crisp. Steamed asparagus on the side.

Make this.

Where’s your favorite place to ‘detox’ and unwind?

Living Mint Green

a holistic living blog