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The Best Vancouver Island Road Trip!

Published on June 7, 2022July 4, 2022 by unanchoredeveLeave a comment

After two canceled trips to Mexico, I racked my brain for places to recharge that would be adventurous and relaxing for a family vacation with my parents. However, horror stories of stranded travelers and increased costs prompted me to consider a local trip instead. Having driven to Vancouver Island from Edmonton, I knew the distance and rise in gas prices couldn’t compete with Flair’s $100 flight to the island.

While Victoria, British Columbia’s capital city, is most often sought out with direct flights or ferries and shuttles. However, I decided to take advantage of the lesser-known Comox, which offered a cheaper & less busy flight and a rental car; book one in advance; the checkout counter had a sign that said they were sold out! I spent a few days exploring Qualicum Beach, Parksville, Nanoose Bay, Coombs, Ucluelet, and Tofino. It sounds like many destinations, but these are quieter, smaller towns with most people found content on a beach with a picnic.

Qualicum Beach

We chose the longer ocean route to get to our hotel and stopped to have lunch on the beach. My mother packed us an entire lunch of sandwiches and fruit, which I swore we would have to throw away at security, but we were able to keep to our luck! This town has a Saturday market to check out if you fly on this day, but we were eager to check in to our resort and enjoy a drink in the sun.

Parksville

We stopped at a grocery store to pick up more snacks, smoked salmon, cheeses, and fruit. We then headed to Rathtrevor Provincial Park, a lovely park with a nice beach full of kites and picnic tables. We came here once for a walk and then the following day for a 5km run through the park before heading for lunch.

Nanoose Bay

We stayed at the Pacific Shores Resort, which was great. It has an indoor pool, hot tub, and sauna, which we enjoyed each night. My dad and I also borrowed ping pong paddles and played a few games to give my mother a break from us for an hour! There were the most beautiful sunsets in the evenings, and with outdoor propane firepits, it was a charming way to end the evening. Several families brought smore kits and roasted marshmallows with their kids. We snacked on the meat, cheese, and beer we bought in Parksville.

Activities:

Rathover Park- 5km loop to run or walk
Nanoose Loop – 2.9Km loop that we choose to run, nice gravel trail.
Notch Hill Loop Trail- 5 km loop with a view of the bay and a swing!

Coombs

A quick stop, most people come to see the goats that walk on the roof of the building; however, there is much more to discover at this stop. This pit stop was the liveliest place we found on our trip. We enjoyed a fabulous lunch at an Italian restaurant, Cuckoo. I bought some fresh doughnuts from Billy G’s doughnut shop and more snacks from the market, which was quite ample. There, were picked up heart-shaped truffle cheese, the tastiest sausages, and an apple galette. I would also recommend the cheese bread and pies if we had time and more real estate in our stomachs!

Ucluelet

We stayed at the Blackrock Resort. It is a picturesque place on the ocean, with an outdoor hot tub, and is steps away from the West Pacific trail. There is also a beach where some people had made fires and cozily eaten near- something to plan for the next time we go! We opted for a room with a kitchenette to cook breakfast in (eating out every day isn’t ideal for us); the room had high ceilings, a nice balcony to sit out and listen to the ocean on, and a large soaker tub. It is also dog friendly if you planning to bring a furry family member.

Tofino

We went to Tofino to do a bear tour via boat. Unfortunately, the covered boat was not available, so we ended up with these bright red spacesuit-looking overalls in an open boat. We have several bears in Alberta, so the sightings weren’t too eventful. But my mother wearing the red get-up was priceless. If I went again, I would do a seaplane tour, as it would be cool to see the beaches from that unique vantage point. We stopped at Shelter for lunch, which had a lovely, heated patio with a fireplace and a great view.

Tofino Eats

The catch of the day, cooked over an open fire at the Zedd hotel was our best meal of the trip!

Activities:

Atelo– recommended by our guide for seaplane tours
Ocean Outfitters– who we chose for a Bear Tour
Long Beach- nice walk, lots of surfers
Chesterman Beach-Nice beach for walking and watching surfers
Wild Pacific Trail

Road Trip Pit Stops

To break up our drive, we visited Cathedral Grove and Qualicum Falls, and they were the perfect easy hiking spots! Hope you enjoyed this post and are inspired to take your own trip to the majestic Vancouver Island!

The Route:

Comox via Flair – pick up Enterprise rental car
Stop at Qualicum beach for lunch
Stay: 3 nights in Nanoose Bay at the Pacific Shores Resort
Stay: 3 nights in Ucluelet at the Black Rock Resort
Stay: 1 night in Courtney- Bayview Hotel– close drive back to the airport

10 Reasons to Visit Jasper in the Winter!

Published on February 22, 2018June 20, 2022 by unanchoredeveLeave a comment

Ski Marmot Basin, the parking lots are staggered up the mountain so if you want to bring a cooler and come back to your car for snacks or wardrobe changes it’s convenient. Or take a shuttle from the hotel so you can enjoy some spicy Cesar’s with your lunch!

Ski Marmot Basin

2. Stay at the Whistler’s Inn, is located in the center of town and has two rooftop hot tubs.

Stay in Whistler’s Inn

3. Visit Jasper Park Lodge for Sunday buffet brunch. I’ve stayed here a few times; it’s quite the treat, but also quite the expense. If you can afford it, treat yourself! If not, pop in to enjoy their amenities, go to the spa and enjoy the outdoor heated pool, rent skates and do some loops, or enjoy a Sunday breakfast brunch. The hotel has a rustic charm and it worth visiting just to walk the grounds with a hot chocolate and enjoy a cocktail in the lounge.

4. Visit Pyramid Lake for pictures where a tight group of trees sits on a remote island circled by mountains. We went early and were lucky to get the private little island to ourselves. Strike a pose and re-create it in each season!

Pyramid Lake

You can also pick up cross country ski’s, skates or snowshoes at Pyramid Lake Resort.

5. Participate in a hike on the Maligne Canyon, make sure you purchase foot covers for the walk. You are walking on sheets of ice, pick some up at the store in town, they are worth the money. Or, if you are feeling extra adventurous, try ice climbing. I’ve visited the canyon three times now and never miss it; each visit is unique with the amount of snow or colors exposed to the frozen water. It’s an easy trek that will take about an hour, depending on how many pictures you stop to take…

Maligne Canyon

6. Spot the locals! Jasper is known for elk, bighorn sheep and moose roaming close to the roads.

Local Jasper Residents

7. Satisfy your sweet tooth at Candy Bear’s Lair . There’s a great candy shop for your sweet tooth’s with fresh fudge and chocolate bear paws.

8. Dance party? If you still have the energy to shake it at night, go to the 4peaks Night Club.

9. Enjoy a great beer at the Jasper Brewing Company, and I like the Blackeye Blueberry Vanilla Ale.

10. Um, I like photos, of any kind, go if only for the photo opportunities!

Valentine’s Paleo Chocolate Cake

Published on February 15, 2018 by unanchoredeve1 Comment

Valentine’s day is for love, and I love chocolate! Since I have a pretty big sweet tooth I decided to make my own cake and share with those I love. Mostly my Dad, he gets a lot of love this V-day since I’m still a single lady. Making something from scratch makes me appreciate and savor dessert more. This cake turned out fabulously was work the work!

I swiped this recipe from the ambitious kitchen.

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup virgin coconut oil, melted and cooled
1 3/4 cup coconut sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla almondmilk
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3 cups packed blanched fine almond flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (use a high quality version)
1/4 cup coconut flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
For the paleo chocolate frosting:
1 (14 ounce) can coconut cream
1 ½ cups dairy free chocolate chips
Pinch of salt

I used two baking pans, and yes the parchment paper is a must, easy to arrange the cake after and risk ripping it. To enhance it, I used pecans and raspberries, but you can change the fruit or add valentine’s inspired candies if you wish.

Making your frosting: Add the coconut cream, chocolate chips and a pinch of salt to a small pot and place over low heat. Whisk until melted. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to harden for 6 hours or until hard. Overnight is best!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of three 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper rounds. Spray parchment paper and side of pan with nonstick cooking spray. YOU SHOULD USE PARCHMENT PAPER or the cake is likely to stick. Please do not forget.
In a large bowl, mix together the melted and cooled coconut oil, coconut sugar, eggs, vanilla and apple cider vinegar until smooth. Add almond milk and beat once more until mixture is well incorporated.
In a separate bowl, whisk the almond flour, cocoa powder, coconut flour, baking soda and salt together. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well. Mixture will be on the thicker side.
Divide batter evenly between pans and spread out with a spatula to smooth the tops. Bake for 20-30 minutes until a tester comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached; rotating the pans halfway through baking. Let cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes then transfer to the fridge to finish cooling completely. Allow cake to cool in the fridge for at least an hour before removing from the pan and frosting. The cake should be room temperature when you frost it. This is very important. Cake can be made a day ahead if you’d like!
Finish making your frosting: Scoop the hardened chocolate coconut cream frosting mixture into a large bowl. Use a hand mixer or a KitchenAid mixer to beat frosting until peaks form and it looks nice, fluffy and creamy. Use immediately!
Layer cake, using about 1/3 -½ cup frosting between each layer, then frost the top and sides with remaining frosting. Serves 12-16! Should be transferred to the fridge.

V-Day Cake

Stuffed Peppers and my New Favorite Muffins!

Published on February 5, 2018February 5, 2018 by unanchoredeve3 Comments

Healthy eating for me means color! I went on a trip to the grocery store with my dad this weekend to grab a few ingredients. I like having a few staple items in the fridge at all times for quick, healthy meals. My father turns to me to ask “what do we need?”. My reply, get anything green! What’s your favorite color to cook with?

Here is an image of the weekends cooking. I loosely used a stuffed peppers whole foods recipe I found from the Jar of Lemons Website.

Ingredients

1/2 lb ground turkey
1 onion
mushrooms
1 cup spinach
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 green peppers
handful of Pumpkin Seeds
handful Mozzarella

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Cook the ground turkey.
While the ground turkey is cooking, cut the peppers in halves and clean out the middle of each one.
Set one pepper aside and finely chop.
When the turkey is almost finished cooking, add in the spinach and finely chopped pepper or any veggies on hand.
Add in the ground pepper, cayenne, paprika, chili powder, garlic, and cumin.
Stuff each pepper half with the turkey mixture and top with cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes (or until peppers are nearly soft).
Serve hot and enjoy!

I used green peppers and added pumpkin seeds instead of pine nuts and a dash of cinnamon to the mix. I only used half of the meat, the rest I will toss into a pasta later in the week. I also chopped up more veggies to use in weekend morning omelettes.

This is one of those recipes you can make your own. Use chickpeas, chicken, ground turkey or beef, saute some veggies, stuff and cook!

Stuffed Green Peppers

These tumeric blueberry muffins turned out soft and not too sweet. I like to take time and arrange my foods to practice some photography skills. I copied the recipe from the Green Kitchen food blog.

Healthy Tumeric Blueberry Muffins

Turmeric & Blueberry Breakfast Muffins with a Granola Topping
Makes 12 large or 15 smaller

Dry ingredients
100 g / 1 cup walnuts
85 g /1 cup rolled oats, use gluten free if intolerant
90 g / 2/3 cup buckwheat flour + 2 tbsp arrowroot (or potato starch)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp turmeric (use a little less if you are not used to the flavor)
1 tsp freshly ground cardamom
½ tsp sea salt
a pinch black pepper

Wet ingredients
160 ml / 2/3 cup buttermilk or plant yogurt
80 ml / 1/3 cup olive oil or butter
2 ripe bananas, mashed
5 fresh dates, mashed
3 large eggs (or 3 tbsp chia seeds mixed with 9 tbsp water)

A large handful blueberries, frozen or fresh

Granola topping
1/3 cup rolled oats
2 tbsp olive oil/coconut oil
1 tbsp runny honey

Preheat the oven to 400°F / 200°C. Line a muffin pan with paper liners or grease the pan with oil or butter. Add walnuts and rolled oats to a food processor or blender (or mortle) and mix quickly into a coarse flour. Transfer to a large mixing bowl together with the rest of the dry ingredients. Add buttermilk, oil, bananas and dates to the food processor or blender and mix until smooth, then transfer to the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients. Crack the eggs in a separate bowl and beat them for about a minute before adding them as well. Use a spatula to carefully fold everything until combined. Divide the batter into the muffin tins, drop a bunch of blueberries on top of each muffin and gently push them down a bit. Mix together the granola crumble in a small bowl and add it on top of the muffins. Bake for about 18-20 minutes. Best enjoyed still warm from the oven.

I’d love to know, what’s your favorite healthy muffin recipe?

Veggie Lasanga

Published on January 8, 2018January 9, 2018 by unanchoredeve1 Comment

This is my second attempt at going sugar-free! Inspired by the current book I’m reading, Year of No Sugar, by Eve O. Schaub, I opted to try a new recipe. A vegetarian lasagna, both sugar-free and gluten-free, as a way to get more veggies and sharpen my culinary skills. I started out with making the veggie base, and it consisted of roasting a few vegetables in the oven, then adding a container of pumpkin puree and turning it into a puree in a Vitamix.

Tons of green veggies, ricotta, and mozzarella cheese were the main staples for this healthy meal! I found the recipe when I signed up for the 8 week, I quit sugar program.

Voila!

A Photo Throwback To Mendoza

Published on January 4, 2018January 4, 2018 by unanchoredeve1 Comment

Wine tasting in the birth place of the Malbec. The layers of landscapes are a perfect pairing for wine tasting in the remarkable region of Argentina.

10 Images That Make you Book a Trip To Hvar!

Published on August 3, 2017August 3, 2017 by unanchoredeveLeave a comment

12 Images to Make You Want to Visit Dubrovnik!

Published on July 20, 2017July 20, 2017 by unanchoredeveLeave a comment

The Desire of Dubrovnik!

Published on July 18, 2017August 3, 2017 by unanchoredeveLeave a comment

Hello, a few words about my first city stop in Croatia! Once the shuttle into town took off, and the views of the Adriatic sea appeared I knew I was in love. I was dropped off at the Pile gate and took a taxi to a lovely Airbnb with an exceptional view. I spent the evening exploring the old town, a huge stone palace, a perfect setting to get lost.

Dubrovnik’s Ideal Sunset Spot: Busco Bar

Sit at the bar for a drink to watch the sunset. Tip, if there is no place to sit, venture further down and sit on the rocks below

Surrounded by the Sea

Take a day trip to Lokrum island. Take a 10 min ferry ride to break away from the excitement and bustle of the city center. Here you will find an ideal space for tranquil day.