I’m allowed a cheat day once in a while, whether it’s adding a few extra calories to my day or ditching a home cooked meal for take-out. It’s all about moderation right? Who’s with me?
Cheers to Fam Jams and McDonald’s all-day breakfast!
#GotHummus? New Ottawa Restaurant Chickpeas sure does!
Chickpeas Ottawa just opened it’s doors and already they are getting slammed with crowds of Ottawan’s demanding all the chickpeas! If you’re looking for a healthy, made-from-scratch meal, that happens to be vegetarian, you may want to do yourself a favour and head over to Trainyards.
We had the chance to sample the multicoloured hummus tray, the falafel sandwich, the falafel bites and the piece de resistance… the falafel waffle!
The owner and head Chef, Omar, was telling me that he travelled to Lebanon on a quest to find the best authentic and made-from-scratch recipes. He worked with chefs and visited quaint restaurants that helped him develop his signature menu and learn the tricks of the trade. Omar also told me that he soaks fresh dried chickpeas every night and removes the skin off 15 Kilos of chickpeas every day to make the creamiest hummus in town!
Chickpeas is not a fancy restaurant. It’s a healthy, vegan/vegetarian friendly eatery with a simple, tasty and fresh menu. You can grab a quick bite to eat, bring the family or take your meal to go. I love that it’s located in Trainyards, only minutes away from my place. It’s nice to have a healthy take-out option in the area.
So here is what we ate…
Ding Dong Veggie Lady: Ottawa VeggieDrop delivers on fresh & local
I always get giddy when a fun, new, female owned Ottawa business starts up, and I get even more excited when I am asked to help promote it! This is the delivery I got on Sunday and I am so excited to tell you all about it.
Veggiedrop is Ottawa’s newest online grocery store providing high quality, organic, GMO-free produce and a vast selection of local grocery staples (like coffee, pasta, cereal and chocolate). And it all gets delivered right to your door! Talk about convenience.
The website is easy to use and organized in simple categories. I would recommend creating your profile first, then placing your order, but that’s just online shopping 101.
I was asked to spend $50, and had no idea where to start! The first thing I did, was peruse through the sale section. By doing this, I found delicious local shitake mushrooms. I also needed bananas, so I tripled my order on that. I did not need any more veggies because I still have lots of kale and tomatoes in the garden. I noticed the local section on the site and decided to splurge! I bought Equator coffee, Canadian made kamut pasta (to try it out), Alter Eco sea salt chocolate, nature’s path granola and some cashews. It was a pretty mixed bag of groceries, but I felt like stocking up my pantry. Overall, the prices are quite comparable to local grocery stores, and delivery in the Ottawa area is only $7. You can also pick it up for free.
I think Veggiedrop is perfect for a busy family who can place their order in advance and take advantage of the convenient delivery service, or pick up their order on the way home. I can also picture a university student who doesn’t have a car, but would appreciate some fresh local produce, totally loving Veggiedrop. I was a poor student once, and shlepping groceries sucks! I wish I could order my food online back then. Maybe this is the new “care package”, no more cookies for you… have an apple, a fresh local organic apple!
If you love a good deal like me, make sure you take advantage of this special and get 25% off on your first order! Use coupon code: vgfb25
#butfirstcoffee: A second chance for Second Cup with Batch 49
I was invited to taste Batch 49, Second Cup Canada’s newest coffee blend, perfected to suit the Canadian pallet. “Better, not bitter” is their motto and I will admit that I am hooked! The medium brew was full bodied and smooth with no bitter or burnt aftertaste. I did the taste testing with black coffee and it almost reminded me of a light espresso… that good coffee taste we all crave. I could drink this brew without milk, if I had too.
4 tips on how to taste coffee
- Drink it black
- It can’t be too hot
- Take a deep short sniff first
- Slurp it in your mouth to splash it all around your tongue to catch all the flavours
Second Cup is reinventing the experience they offer to their customers by focusing on brewing really good coffee and introducing local fare to the mix. Although Second Cup is a Canadian-owned and a publicly-traded franchise, they truly value their franchisees and have gone through great length to focus on local when possible. Recently in Ottawa, all 20 Second Cup locations replaced their food with fresh daily-baked goods from Orleans Bakery! Yum!
Second Cup also offers a full-service mobile app and rewards program… just like its competitors (hint hint)
A trip down memory lane- I remember loitering at Second Cup inside Eglinton Station on Fridays after school. It’s where most of the high-school gal gossip would “brew”, but most of all where we got to connect with each other and hang out in our “civies” (a.k.a. normal streetwear or non-uniform clothes!). Then in University, I’d grab my Second Cup before every 7-10 business class to stay awake. Second Cup has been a huge part of my life, and I am sure it’s the same for you too!
If you know me, you know that I am happy to support Canadian when and where I can. I urge you to give Second Cup a second chance! And if you do, please let me know! I would love to hear your thoughts.
