Weekending - Heatwave

There's a heatwave going on in Vancity - and we are loving it!

 

It's been in the low 30's (which is the low 90's to my American buddies) - and it's expected to stay like that for the next few weeks.  This is the highest it's been since having Sophie, and we had no idea how she would handle it - but so far she's been pretty good.  We just make sure she's extra hydrated, keep a fan on her whenever we are in the house, and have increased her daily shower intakes.  She even has her bottles chilled - which she's loving too.

Our condo also has an outdoor pool - so this weekend, our life has been spent poolside.

When we took a break from swimming laps/playing in the water with Sophie - we chilled poolside in the shade.  We have the most amazing view of the city and Mt Baker in Washington from our backyard. 

Of course after an amazing water work out - a cold beer is a must.  Our fave local brewery just introduced another new fun summer beer, which was perfect after a swim.

And due to the heatwave, we are trying to reduce the amount of cooking we do in the kitchen.  I was really wanting paella, but I also didn't want to turn on my oven, so our BBQ was perfect to cook my organic chicken and sausage, and created an amazing BBQ taste to our paella.

Our BBQ also came in quite handy to cook some whiskey mustard chicken wings and veggie skewers.

Hope everyone had an amazing weekend, filled with lots of sunshine and love :)

Recipe Time - Coconut Veggies For Your Burger

It's summer time baby!  And if you have a BBQ - I'm sure you've already started it up a few times this season.  With Canada Day, and Independence day only a week away - I thought I'd share one of my favorite summer burger toppings, that will have all your guests raving about your burgers.  It's super easy, mighty healthy, and definitely delicious.

 

Wild Salmon Burger loaded with a tropical vibe.  Jalapeño greek yogurt,  avocado, coconut veggies, grilled pineapple, wild salmon burger, havarti & a pineapple habanero sauce.  Clearly I Texas size my burgers.

Coconut Veggies
Coconut Milk to sauté veggies in
Red Onion strips about 1/4 inch thick
Bell Pepper strips about 1 inch think

Feel free to switch up the veggies or the thickness.  The idea is just to have an abundance of fresh veggies that sauté easily, to soak up all that coconut milk in the process.

I also added dried cilantro and dried jalapeño, and Himalayan pink sea salt to taste.

Sautee your veggies on medium heat until you've soaked up the coconut milk - and BAM - you have the most amazing tropical veggies to pile on top of your burger (or smokies).

Get ready to become addicted to these, as you will be making them all summer long.

Bonus Recipe - Watermelon Coconut Lime Coolers!

Incase you need a new hydrating summer cocktail to go along with all that summer heat and patio fun - try this super easy cocktail out.

Frozen Watermelon Cubes (I placed 1 inch pieces on a parchment lined plate in the freezer for 2 hours).
Coconut Cream (if you cant find coconut cream, just grab a can of coconut milk and steal the cream from the jar - and use the watery milk for your veggies)
Coconut Water
Lime Juice
Booze of your choice (I use whiskey)

Add all ingredients to your blender and blend for about 10 seconds.

Warning - you will probably become addicted to this also.  At least now you have a new excuse to stock up your pantry with coconut milk this summer :).

5 on a midweek in June

Can you believe we are already half way through June - and on top of that, summer officially starts this weekend!!  I have hardly spent anytime in front of my laptop lately, as we have had such wonderful weather - so my five on Friday post is kinda delayed - but better late than never :)

 

1. Daddy/Daughter time.  These 2 have my heart - and I just love watching them have fun together.

 

2. Patio Nights.  Right now, this is where we spend all our evening nights when we are home until the sun goes down.

3. Sophia turned 6 months!  Nicholas and I got Sophie a big girl chair for her 6 months - which she loves so much.  She's a little too small for it right now, but I can see many fun years for her with this chair :)

 

4. We got a new BBQ!  We got ourselves a new propane BBQ, and seriously that thing is my new best friend.  A - Nicholas does the cooking, and B - I don't have to cook.  I have no idea why I waited so long to invest in one.



5. My Latest DIY Project is done!  Sorry for the bad reflections - but every angle seemed to have window/wall glare.  These were boring black and cream frames, that I turned into little ocean themed inspiration quotes for Sophie's room.  I painted the frames, and created custom messages for all of them.  The messages I had printed on pearl in 5x7.  This was seriously so much fun :)

Weekending - Jamaican Stylez

Hello lovelies.  And Hello May long weekend!  This weekend definitely felt like a family weekend for us, filled with good vibes and sunny days. 

 

Sophie is clearly ecstatic for her first Jamaican party.  Clearly.  

Although its only May, it feels a lot like summer in Vancity - and with the summer heat, comes the party invitations.  I've actually been pretty reluctant to bring Sophie to a party - but given that we are first time parents, we are bound to have those Are we ready for this? kinda moments.  My biggest concern when it comes to parties, is that Sophie could be exposed to smoke and drunken idiots falling over her.  Nick & I are non smokers, and none of our friends smoke.  And none are drunken idiots either - but that doesn't mean that there wont be any at a party.  However, we put our fears on hold and decided to seize the moment and bring Sophie to her first party - a Jamaican BBQ bash. 

 

This turned out to be an AMAZING day.  One of my besties, Meric just bought a new house - so it was kinda like a house warming party.  Merics place is always good vibes, so if we were gonna bring Sophie around a party, we might as well embrace half her heritage and show her what a Jamaican bash is like - but the family style one.  The kind that's filled with families, dominoes, DJs competing over a dancehall vs lovers mix up, and of course - Jamaican comfort food.  Oh - and no one was smoking! Holla.
 



I'm having so much fun I'll just eat my fingers now.

 

The rest of the weekend was filled with Costco hauls, baby stuff, and watching Fury.  As new parents who never go out to the movies - we kinda get excited when Shaw On Demand or Netflix releases new movies we really wanna see - and since Nick obsesses over anything Military - he couldn't wait to see this.

 

We ended our long weekend with some quality family time at one of our local parks.  I'm pretty sure I told Nick on our first date how much I looovvveee long walks on the beach.  Clearly, he paid attention - as our family is all about those long walks on the water.  Now time to watch the Bachelorette - and yes I'm team Kaitlyn.  Go Vancity!

Friday Fab Five - Summer Daze

Ocean breeze, patio drinks, boating, seawall strolls, barbeques... how I miss you!  For this Friday fab 5, I'm dedicating it to my 5 favorite things to do in Vancity, once the weather turns up.

1. Seawall Strolls - The Vancouver seawall is 22km (13.7 miles) of pure ocean bliss.  This is where every outdoorsy Vancouverite usually flocks to on a sunny weekend for a walk/jog/cycle/skate.  I feel like the seawall will always have my heart, as I've spent my whole life absorbing its beauty.  This is the place to catch gorgeous sunsets, stop at random beaches or patios along the way, or watch the city lights and mountain backdrops.  I cant wait to pack up that baby stroller and introduce Sophia to this Vancouver gem soon :)

 

 

2. Vancouver Daycation at Lighthouse Park!  This might be different now that we have Sophie, but Ill just slap that baby Bjorn carrier on daddy, as we spend the day hiking and soaking up the sun.

 

 

3. Barbeques!!!! Whether at a friends house for a pool party, or a bbq at the beach - this is something I miss all year round!

 

 

4. Sunny Patio Drinks.  Nothing beats patio relaxation in the summer - preferably by the water.  This is a must have for me after a day of activities.  Cold beer, white wine or sangria and I'm in heaven.

 

5. Summertime Events - Whether its the watching the sensational fireworks at the Celebration of Light, indulging in fancy grilled cheese sandwiches & mint lemonade at the weekend Food Truck Festival, catching a Caps game, dancing the day away in the beer garden at Caribbean Days or Latin Days, and everything in between - there is always an event happening every weekend.  It's the perfect place to meet up with friends, and soak up what the city has to offer.

 

 

Happy Friday darlings!!