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Twenty Mile Bay

Published by Molly Catherine

There truly is nothing like disconnecting from the world to spend a few days immersed in nature. Irek and I did just that this past weekend and went camping at Twenty Mile Bay, near Harrison Hot Springs. To reach the campsite, you have to off-road 40k through the mountains, with stellar views all the way. It’s one of my absolute favourite places in British Columbia… If you visit the area and are looking for an epic place to camp, this is it.

Twenty Mile Bay

It was the first time in weeks that we didn’t do any work and really didn’t think about much at all. We took the time to shut off our brains, relax, meditate, do yoga and absorb the beauty around us.

I love so many things about camping; staring up at the stars at night, the fire dancing in the wind, the sound of the waves crashing against the shore (or the silence in the morning when the water is still)…

Twenty Mile Bay

Suffice to say, it was exactly what we needed to refresh ourselves and get set for the next few months. We have some exciting travel plans coming up; Toronto, Mexico, Thailand, Australia and some in-province exploring as well!

Hope everyone is having an amazing summer so far. 🙂

Cheers,

Molly xx

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“It’s the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary.”

– Paulo Coelho

Power of Cold-Pressed Juices

Published by Molly Catherine

If you were to ask me what’s one thing you can do to improve your overall health, hands down I would say start drinking cold-pressed juices. When Irek and I first went vegan, within weeks we felt more energized… Then, once we added cold-pressed juices to our diet, we again felt this newfound boost of energy and vitality.

We have a juicer at home and make a different juice almost everyday. The days we aren’t home to make our own, we head to Melu Juice & Health Bar (in the Coal Harbour area). Their juices are super delicious and they also offer 1 day, 3 day, and 5 day juice cleanses. I tested out the 1 day juice cleanse last week and it was amazing. I’ll definitely be back to try the 5 day cleanse very soon!

Whether you buy a juicer and make your own juices at home, or head to a local juice shop like I do, it’s definitely something you should be adding to your diet. The way in which cold-press juices are made ensures that no heat or oxygen is used and therefore no nutrients are lost (and they are more easily and quickly absorbed into your system).

Cold pressed juice

I hope you’ll take this recommendation and start drinking cold-pressed juices at least a few times per week… And let me know if you notice a difference in energy levels!

For now, stay happy, healthy, and spread kindness wherever you go! 🙂

Cheers,

Molly xx

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“If we are creating ourselves all the time, then it is never too late to begin creating the bodies we want instead of the ones we mistakenly assume we are stuck with.”

– Deepak Chopra

Half Note Trail, Whistler

Published by Molly Catherine

This past Friday Irek and I planned to do my favourite hike in Whistler called: High Note Trail. However, once we got to the top of Whistler Mountain, we quickly realized that the weather was not going to cooperate. It was looking as though we had a few chilly hours ahead of us…

It was 10 degrees on the top of Whistler Mountain, at the most. The forecast was showing full sun and mid twenties, so we thought we’d both be okay with shorts and a t-shirt. We did this hike a couple years ago, and we both recall how hot we were! The sun was beating down and since it’s a black diamond hike (the most challenging hike on Whistler Mountain), we thought we’d quickly work up a sweat… This was not the case on Friday.

Half Note Trail Whistler

We started the hike around 11am and quickly into the first hour the clouds rolled in- some not so happy looking, and the wind picked up. We were both shivering and knew it was going to be a long hike… We also knew that you can cut the hike short by taking a different path back to the gondola, instead of going the entire way around Whistler Mountain. We decided to do just that, as being on the top of a mountain without the proper gear is not an ideal situation.

Half Note Trail Whistler

So, instead of hiking High Note Trail, we completed Half Note Trail. It was a total of about 2.5 hours, as the short cut back to the gondola saved us about 2 hours. Always remember to carry a base layer in your backpack at the very least. The weather on top of a mountain can quickly change and we were lucky we weren’t caught in torrential down pour!

We do plan to head back to Whistler in August or September to complete the full High Note Trail. So, stay tuned for that!

For now, have a beautiful week and keep smiling.

Cheers,

Molly xx

Wearing; Tonic Lifestyle Apparel – use code ‘Molly20’ for 20% off. 

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“All good things are wild and free.”

– Henry David Thoreau

Mission Hill Family Estate

Published by Molly Catherine

There is the most beautiful winery in Kelowna called Mission Hill Family Estate. I fell in love with it the first time we visited a few years ago. It’s such a dreamy, magical place, with vineyards surrounding the entire grounds and beautiful views of Lake Okanagan.

Mission Hill is also home to The Terrace Restaurant, which is easily one of my favourite restaurants in The Okanagan Valley. They grow most of their own fruits and veggies and work closely with local farmers to source the rest. Irek and I both feel it deserves a 10/10 as the service is unparalleled and the food is to die for… There aren’t too many vegan options on the menu, but the chef was super accommodating and we couldn’t have been happier with our meals.

Irek and I will probably head back to The Okanagan Valley a few more times before the season is over, and I recommend you do as well! Just keep in mind that since Mission Hill is one of the most well-known wineries in Kelowna, it can get quite busy with crowds of people. I would suggest going later in the day once it dies down a bit so you can get the full experience.

 

Mission Hill Family Estate

Hope everyone has a beautiful week! Lots of love.

Cheers,

Molly xx

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“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this.”

– Henry David Thoreau

The Okanagan Valley

Published by Molly Catherine

Irek and I spent the last couple of days in The Okanagan Valley, which is about a 4.5 hour drive from Vancouver. It’s a gorgeous place, with more wineries than you can imagine! I fell in love with this area the first time we discovered it, 3 years ago. There is nature all around and the climate is desert-like so it gets super hot in the summer. The valley is also home to the warmest lakes in all of Canada, so it’s a great place to explore if you like to be on the water (great for supping, kayaking, boating etc).

The Okanagan Valley

Just outside of Kelowna (which is the main city) is a smaller town called Vernon. At the top of this beautiful hill in Vernon is a resort called Sparkling Hill, our favourite in all of British Columbia. We spent Christmas there this past year with our beautiful friends from Australia, Robyn and Lewis, and they fell in love as well. The resort has 8 different saunas and steam rooms, and it’s also decked out in thousands of Swarovski crystals. A really beautiful place, definitely worth checking out if you visit the area!

Sparkling Hill

Hope everyone is having a lovely Saturday… More to come on The Okanagan Valley, so stay tuned!

Cheers & lots of love,

Molly xx

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“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”

– Henry David Thoreau

Quinoa Pasta

What I Eat in a Day – Part 2

Published by Molly Catherine

For breakfast I had a big blueberry smoothie… It was super filling, and very similar to the smoothie recipe I posted a few weeks back: Banana Berry Smoothie. I had this smoothie around 9am and a couple hours later I also had a big bowl of pineapple (to keep me full until lunch).

Blueberry Smoothie

For lunch I made a very simple quinoa pasta salad and on the side some sourdough bread with hummus and hemp hearts. In the summer I love making traditional salads like pasta salad, potato salad, coleslaw etc. It’s so easy to make them vegan and actually healthy for you!

Quinoa Pasta

For dinner I made my own version of Lebanese Mujadra. Not sure how close it was to a traditional Mujadra, as I’m not really one to follow a recipe… I prefer just to wing it, be creative, and hope for the best! In this case, it worked out and was very delicious (Irek rated it a 10!!!). I will definitely be making this again soon.

Lebanese Mujadra

In addition to the 3 meals above, I also had:

  • 3 litres of lemon water
  • Big bowl of pineapple after breakfast, as mentioned above
  • Cold-pressed juice in the afternoon before dinner (beet, carrot, ginger, apple, lemon)

Hope you enjoyed hearing about what I eat in a day!

Cheers,

Molly xx

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“So I started thinking to myself, Jeez, I’ve always been told nothing but ‘Milk does a body good’. It’s a fundamental thing. So from there it was like what else are they lying about? I just started realizing: there are all these things we’re brought up to believe that are all just a total hoax, just bullshit advertising, you know?”

– Woody Harrelson

CHAU Veggie Express

Published by Molly Catherine

Yesterday, Irek and I had a lovely vietnamese meal at CHAU Veggie Express. They have a few locations around Vancouver and we’ve actually been wanting to visit for quite some time.

CHAU Veggie Express opened in 1986 and originally served dishes rich in animal products, but over the years, they evolved into a restaurant that serves predominantly vegan dishes. The owners listened to their customers, their friends, and their own personal beliefs that eating meat, dairy and eggs was not ideal and not what our bodies need to survive & thrive.

The dishes at CHAU are colourful, aromatic, and super delicious. The portion sizes are also quite large, so you definitely won’t go home hungry! Irek and I probably could have shared a main course… but what’s the fun in that?! Haha. Also, Irek’s not the best at sharing when it comes to food…

But seriously, if you’re into Vietnamese food, and located in the Vancouver area, this place is fabulous (and also a great option for take-out). Go try it out and let me know what you think in the comments! 🙂

CHAU Veggie Express Vancouver

By the way- going forward, at the end of each restaurant review, I’m going to start giving a rating out of 10… So in my opinion, CHAU gets a solid 8/10.

Hope everyone is having a lovely week so far! Sending you lots of love and good energy.

Cheers,

Molly xx

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“The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them: that’s the essence of inhumanity.”

– George Bernard Shaw

Summer Days

Published by Molly Catherine

Irek and I are finally back to our regular routines… Took me a good week and a half to feel 100% after France. Our schedule was so hectic during those two weeks, we didn’t get much sleep, and our diet was off. Definitely takes a toll on your body!

But now we’re back and we have some nice sunny, summer weather! We satisfied our Heirloom Vegetarian craving (favourite restaurant in BC) and we’re also getting back into some cross-fit workouts! It feels really good to be on track again. We’re also going to start playing tennis in the evenings, we played 2 or 3 times per week last year and really enjoyed it.

Summer days

Hope everyone is having a lovely summer thus far! All the best.

Molly xx

Ps. I’m wearing Tonic Lifestyle Apparel in these photos and am actually an ambassador for this brand! I fell in love with them the first time I tried on their gear. Tonic is Vancouver based and they have a huge focus on sustainability- really awesome company!

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“It’s not about the goal. It’s about growing to become the person that can accomplish that goal.”

– Tony Robbins

Veganism in France

Published by Molly Catherine

Irek and I recently spent 2 weeks in France and we divided our time between Paris, Nice and Cannes. We originally planned to spend some time in Monaco as well, but the trip ended up being quite hectic so we figured it was best to do Monaco next year.

Coming from my vegan bubble in Vancouver, I was quite disappointed and discouraged to discover how lacking the country is when it comes to plant-based options (call me ignorant / naive – going into the trip, I was both). Now, when I say my ‘vegan bubble’, what I mean is that Vancouver is super progressive in terms of the acceptance and continual growth of people leading fully plant-based, cruelty-free lives. There are tons and tons of vegan and vegetarian restaurants all around Metro-Vancouver as well as the outskirts. Vancouver actually ranks in the top 3 cities of the world in regards to the amount of vegan restaurants we have…

I will clarify that in Paris you can definitely find vegan restaurants – they exist and they’re lovely. But if you simply walk down of the streets of Paris and look on the menus for vegetarian options (nevermind vegan) you will find basically none. This happened to Irek and I multiple times, and in all 3 cities we visited.

When we arrived in Nice after our time in Paris, we did some research and found a few nice vegan places but one of the locals actually told me that in the entire city of Nice there are only 4 fully vegan restaurants! And then, there’s Cannes… Not even one single vegan restaurant – not one. Supposedly veganism is picking up a bit in Nice now, and 2 more vegan restaurants opened within the last year, so there is hope. But I think the entire trip opened our eyes to the fact that animals will continue to be exploited and treated as commodities for years and years to come. The fire in me to continue the fight for animal justice has only grown and I will continue to spread the vegan message and educate whomever will listen.

Irek and I now realize that veganism truly is a generational thing. It’s up to us to ensure that our kids, and their kids, understand that there is no room for violence or for this idea that animals belong to us… All life deserves freedom. It’s so absurd to me that we continue to hold animals hostage and believe that it’s our right to choose when it’s their time to die. We will never find peace through this mentality.

I know a lot of you who read this blog are vegan – and I truly thank you for your courage to stand up and do the right thing regardless of how you’ve been raised, or what people think of you. Veganism is not a radical idea – what’s radical is killing beautiful, innocent souls simply so you can please your tastebuds.

On our very last day in the country, Irek and I were heading to grab lunch at Le Speakeasy (the first vegan restaurant to exist in Nice) and we happened to walk right into the middle of a vegan protest (peaceful of course but strong and intense). I felt like the universe put me there – for some reason we happened to walk on that exact street, during the exact half hour that it was taking place… It gave me hope and tears welled up. These beautiful people (young and old) all came together to show their support for the animals; to band together as a community who will NOT stand for violence anymore. That moment changed me, it restored my faith in humanity and I know I am not alone.

The road to a peaceful world will be a long and painful one… The worst part is that until we reach the point where plant-based diets are all that exist, so many more lives will be lost and so many will continue to suffer. It’s not fair, it’s cruel and it’s vicious. But we have to continue to spread the word, and ensure we raise our kids to understand right from wrong. I will always have hope, for like the Dalai Lama XIV once said “There is a saying in Tibetan, ‘Tragedy should be utilized as a source of strength.’ No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful experience is, if we lose our hope that’s our real disaster”.

Thanks for reading… and if you’re still eating animal products, here are two resources that were so impactful in my journey to veganism. I ate meat, eggs and dairy once too but when I learnt the truth, I changed. You can too. 🙂

YouTube – “Best Speech You Will Ever Hear” by Gary Yourofsky

Cowspiracy – you can download for $5.00 here: www.cowspiracy.com

All the best,

Molly xx

Ps. At some point this summer I will put together a post that goes into depth on my personal vegan journey – what made me go vegan, the initial transformation to fully plant-based living, educational resources that affected me deeply, etc. Chat soon!

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“Truly man is the king of beasts, for his brutality exceeds theirs. We live by the death of others: we are burial places! I have from an early age abjured the use of meat, and the time will come when men such as I will look on the murder of animals as they look on the murder of men.”

– Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519)

Paper Plane Restaurant

Published by Molly Catherine

On our last day in Nice, Irek and I found this little vegetarian brunch spot, called Paper Plane, which also had some decent vegan options. It wasn’t the most amazing food we’ve ever eaten, but it was tasty and it hit the spot…

I wasn’t able to eat the second portion of my meal because although they said there were no peanuts in the food, we could clearly see that there were… Since I have an anaphylactic allergy to peanuts I obviously had to pass. If you’re traveling abroad and have a peanut allergy you need to be so careful. Even if they tell you that there aren’t peanuts in the dishes you still need to be skeptical and super cautious. It’s safest to eat at places where they do not have any peanuts on the premises at all. If you are skeptical or have any hesitations, just walk away. It’s not worth the risk.

Now, all this being said, if you do not have any food restrictions, Paper Plane is a good option for vegan brunch in Nice. The avo sandwich was quite delicious and it was nice to start the morning with freshly squeezed orange juice + lovely organic passionfruit tea.

Paper Plane Restaurant Nice

Hope you all have a beautiful day on this 23rd day of June, 2016 (aka my 27th birthday)!

Cheers,

Molly xx

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“The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.”

– Charles Darwin