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Recapping July
How is it already August?! It doesn’t seem like that long ago that Mac & I were jumping out of a plane on Canada Day!! But alas, here we are and I’m psyched to be recapping July – what an exciting month it was!
Writing
I hope you enjoyed reading the last few of my New Zealand posts. I might have a few more up my sleeve as I go through the rest of my pictures though!
Doing
July was a month of excitement and change! Some of my favourite memories from our time in NZ were in July: skydiving & hiking the Tongariro. We arrived back in Auckland after our whirlwind 3 month road trip on the 7th, and flew to New York City on the 13th! We had a fun weekend in NYC before I flew home (Mac stayed to explore a bit more for a few days). We’ve been home now for a little over two weeks, and it’s been surreal but amazing. In that time, there’s been a 3 day music festival (Wayhome), a bridal shower, a bachelorette party, and even a few job interviews! I have too many thoughts on readjusting to life at home, so I’m going to do a whole separate post on it soon!
Reading
July was not a book heavy month. I finished 4 books – 2 fiction, and 2 non-fiction. I finally got around to reading the highly acclaimed Rich Dad Poor Dad and it definitely opened my eyes to how to spend and save money more efficiently to lead to a more enjoyable life.
Eating
Please excuse the awful quality of the following phone pictures!!
On the last part of our road trip, Mac & I stopped at my friend’s new cafe in Tauranga – The Nourished Eatery. I met Sharna in Auckland through her original cake making business – The Nourishing Baker. Since then, she’s made the move to the Bay of Plenty and has had a successful first few months at her new brick & mortar cafe! Everything available is 100% vegan with GF options. We got the Tofu Burger and a pizza slice – both were delicious!
NYC is a city FULL of totally vegan restaurants. Given our short time there, we weren’t able to visit many (guess I’ll just have to go back!). What we did find for eats was still great though! There was a Taco King down the street from our Air BnB & we had two lunches there. $1.50 veg tacos? Yes please!!
For dinner before the Brand New concert, we went to V Life (348 7th Ave). It’s right down the street from Madison Square Gardens and was the perfect dinner after a day spent walking around the city. I got the BLT Bliss tempeh burger, and Mac got the Cajun Curry wrap. Mac’s wrap was realllllly messy (but still tasty!), and my burger was phenomenal! The ranch dressing was delicious!
In Bayside in Queens, we went to BareBurger (42-38 Bell Blvd). Since we weren’t that hungry, we split the Farmstead burger. The filling was really yummy (sweet potato & wild rice, green hummus, fresh veggies, & avocado basil dressing), but it was wrapped in a chard leaf which really overpowered everything.
My lunch from Semsom was one I won’t soon forget. Semsom is a Mediterranean eatery in Turnstyles – a collection of shops & cafes in the 59th Street subway station. I got a huge bowl meal and it was UNREAL! It had: turmeric brown rice, wild thyme roasted cauliflower, pickled mushrooms, hummus, lettuce, tomatoes, cukes, mint leaves, all coated in a tahini drizzle – can you say YUM?!
Mac & I visited the old stomping grounds (Burlington) and went for lunch at a new 100% VEGAN BURGER BAR!!! (Seriously, can’t contain my excitement!). Boon Burger is a franchise started in Winnipeg that now has 4 locations and is continuing to grow. Exciting times for sure! Mac & I split the Pizza Burger, Kale Salad, and Raspberry Soft Serve (omg, everything was SO GOOD!). I love that Burlington now has TWO fully vegan restaurants (Boon Burger & Lettuce Love) & a fully vegan bake shoppe (Kelly’s)! Times are changing, people!!!
I’ve also managed to do a bit of home cooking since we’ve been back! My friend E and I made some epic sandwiches (grilled BBQ tofu sandwiches with hummus, spinach, tomato, & red onion). Then Mac’s mom & I made super easy tortilla pizzas, and banana parfaits with salted cashew cream. Oh, how I love having a good kitchen to cook in again!!! It’s good to be home 🙂
Learning
– A super cool initiative from a grocery store owner in Richmond, NZ (near Nelson). Owner Gary Watson has decided to replace the sugar-laden confectionaries that line the check-out aisles with fruit, water, batteries, phone cards and the like. This change drastically reduces the last-minute temptation to buy something unhealthy ‘just because it’s there’. Here’s hoping more stores follow suit!
– An interesting read in the NY Post that delves into the reality that most of what we’re served in restaurants is a scam. The author talks about how those labels everyone looks for ‘Kobe beef; extra-virgin olive oil; grass-fed meat; etc’, actually aren’t what they claim to be. Extra-virgin olive oil is usually cut with sunflower oil or similar. That Kobe beef likely isn’t Kobe – Japan only sells its rare kobe beef to just 212 restaurants in the US! And don’t even get him started on fish! Personally (and thankfully) I don’t eat a majority of the products mentioned in the article, but it’s definitely eye-opening and brings awareness to the fact that most people don’t know where their food comes from.
– This savoury cake looks like something that Mediterranean dreams are made of. Layers of flatbread, hummus, tapenade, roasted zucchini, sun dried tomatoes, falafel, and more makes this cake something I want to make ASAP!
– And lastly, these Jacked Up Vegan Ribs look so tantalizing and tasty that even the most stubborn of meat eaters would approve!
Anticipating
August is shaping up to be a great month! Before we even landed in Canada, almost all of our weekends were filled with plans! We’ll be going to a few cottages, another music festival hopefully, & a family picnic. During the week, we’ll be trying to find jobs as well as a place to live – you know, minor things. Ha! We’re not too worried though, things always have a way of working themselves out and we’re enjoying the time spent with loved ones after being away for so long.
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