Blue Plate Diner Veggie Burger

Last Friday night my sister and I went to Blue Plate Diner. We were craving their Veggie Burger!

The Burger is made out of beets, turnips, zucchini, carrots, sunflower seeds and rice and topped with cheddar cheese!

I am also very excited to tell everyone that the restaurant now sells their Veggie Burger in 4 packs to take home (frozen- $12). You can buy them straight from Blue Plate or in Eat Local First's The Good Food Box!  

What is your favorite veggie burger in Edmonton? What about your favorite veggie burger recipe? Let me know! I am on the hunt for the Best Veggie Burger in the city!

Move Better

I just wanted to post a link that I think has real benefits to us all. A friend of mine sent me a message the other day thanking me for my post on the 21 day kettlebell swing challenge because it linked her up to a post by Josh Hillis about the importance of strong shoulders and good posture. Anyway, this led me to share this fantastic YouTube channel by Opitumum Care Provider Physical Therapy with her. I thought I would pass it on to everyone! They have all sorts of videos on exercises you can do that will help out all sorts of weak spots. I do chest stretches and back strengthening exercises everyday to help with my bad posture, sore neck and angry wrist... Obviously if you are having chronic pain, get yourself to a doctor, massage or physical therapist, but I am all for preventative action too! This is a great site for that.
Take care of yourself people!
Happy Moving!

*Disclaimer: I am not certified fitness professional. I offer only my own personal advice and perspective as well as links to instruction. Don't do any exercise you are not comfortable with. Consult with a doctor and fitness professional before engaging in new physical activity. 

Queen of Tarts

Yesterday morning, friends and I met at Queen of Tarts (10129 104th Street, Edmonton) for breakfast. It was lovely. I don't have much to say about Queen of Tarts, mainly because I think the pictures speak for themselves. (Thanks once again to Kierstin for the awesome shots!)

 The dining space is small, but we managed to get a table for four. I'm glad, because I wouldn't have wanted to try to walk and eat. This small breakfast was one worth savoring.

Chocolate Almond Brioche

 We all got the same thing. After we all went and scoped out the bakery and saw the Chocolate Almond Brioche, there really wasn't much competition.

Yogurt with honey

 All that bread was sampled by my sister. Once we get through all the bread we have in our freezer, we'll be coming here for a loaf! Apparently their flour comes from St. Albert and is all organic.

I had a lovely morning at Queen of Tarts. I can't wait to go back and try their lunch options as well, not to mention the rest of their dessert selection! Glad we have another great bakery in the city!

Eat Alberta: April 30, 2011

Hi Friends!

Just wanted to let you all know about a fantastic event happening here in Edmonton on April 30, 2011. 

Eat Alberta: A Celebration of our Local Food Heroes!!

This conference includes two keynote sessions about eating local, and then a whole bunch of hands on sessions to pick from! This includes:

Goat Cheese Tasting

Making Brie Cheese

Sausage Making

Apple Pie and Pastry Making

Honey Tasting

Wine Tastings

Learning about Edible Plants around Edmonton

Home Coffee Brewing Techniques

Pasta Making

Connecting with Local Farmers

Pissa Dough Making

Plus there is a continental breakfast, lunch and a wine and cheese wrap up! 

This fantastic event is being put on by Edmontonians passionate about local food, and food in general! 

Check out www.eatalberta.ca  for more details and registration! Let me know if you are planning to go! Registration is filling up fast and there is an early-bird price if you register before March 31!

Happy Eating!!!

Skinny Legs and Cowgirls... A Sort of Bistro Experience

Last night, two of my best friends and I went to Skinny Legs and Cowgirls for dinner.

We got there and were immediately seated in a "room" with another table. My initial impression was good: I liked the style of the restaurant and thought the separated space was nice. In hindsight, I kind of missed being in the midst of lots of other diners. I guess that just depends though!

Cat amongst the pigeons- Australian Wine

Warm whole grain bread to start

Kierstin got: Dead Letter Office Shiraz (Australian)

The way the menu works is that you share various appetizers and platters. I actually really liked this. I can see some people not enjoying it, but luckily the three of us have fairly similar tastes. Though, I'd like to go back and try out their meat platters another time, since we were completely vegetarian on this meal.

House Salad: Greens, Pear, Beets, Pecans and Stiton Cheese witha fruity dressing.

We all loved the flavours of the salad and it was HUGE. I had like three servings! There was athe right balance of fruity and salty (ohhh so yummily salty! hehe.)

My complaint: not enough pears and beets. I had a little piece of beet and Benita didn't even get a pear! It would just be nice to balance out the dish and make it easier to share. Also, their serving tongs were difficult to use. It was fairly comedic. They looked nice but were not functional.

Three Cheese Salsa Bake: Smoked Cheddar, Goat Cheese and Cream Cheese mixed with Salsa. 

Quite tasty and obviously smoky. It was nice! I just wish there was more salsa because many of those tortilla chips were eaten without any salsa. 

Daily Vegetable: Butternut Squash Flan.

Need I say more? Drool... Three Thumbs Up!

Complimentary Port! Hoorah!

My dessert choice: Deep Fried Banana with Coconut Ice Cream 

Benita got Lemon Pudding! Decadent! 

Kierstin's Dessert: Bread Pudding

Kierstin and I! So happy she is back for good!!

All in all we had a lovely experience at Skinny Legs and Cowgirls! Our server was very knowledgeable. She  set a good pace for the evening. We were there for over 3 hours and were not rushed at all. I found the lighting in the restaurant kind of dark (Kierstin did a good job with the photos!), but like my other complaints, its just a minor thing. The food was the star of the show. Its nice to have restaurants, which include Skinny Legs and Cowgirls, that do their best to provide local, organic and healthy meals! Can't wait to go back!

21 Day Kettlebell Swing Challenge

So I just finished day 6 of a 21 day kettlebell challenge! I am loving it so far!

You can check out the challenge info here:

http://www.21daykettlebell.com/ 

If you don't know what a kettlebell is, basically it is a round weight with handles on the top. 

The Russians came up with it (of course they did) and you can do all sorts of fun workouts with it, including the swing. See the swing here on this youtube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0jalJ-3e7U

I am addicted. I got myself a kettlebell at Fitness Depot and the YMCA Downtown also has kettlebells and a class which I am taking. Apparently, kettlebell swings burn about 1200 cals per hour (or 20 per minute). It blows all over workouts out of the water. Nothing touches the swing. I can't wait to see the results after these 21 days. 

If you want to get into kettlebells, I do want to say: Please learn PROPER FORM. Don't just start swinging around the kettlebell. YOU WILL HURT YOURSELF. Educate yourself however you can- whether its finding a certified instructor, reading and watching videos. I will say that Josh Hillis (the guy that created the challenge) has a blog and plenty of posted videos that will help you immensely.*

Happy Swinging (and eating!) Everyone!

*Disclaimer: I am not certified fitness professional. I offer only my own personal advice and perspective as well as links to instruction. Don't do any exercise you are not comfortable with. Consult with a doctor and fitness professional before engaging in new physical activity.