Ottawa highlights, On Paper day and anew blender... My thrilling life!

Ottawa was what some May regard as rough - we only even placed for overalls in the novice category, walked away with no (equivalents to) platinum awards, only got a few awards the next level down and only received a handful of special awards. The kids were, at worst of times, extremely discouraged and it started to show onstage.

But at the end of the night, perhaps after we had determined that we had nothing left to lose, things perked up. We had some dance parties backstage, got all silly with one another and the girls just remembered the most important fact:  that they love to dance.

For me, Ottawa was a major success. I ate healthily (and got the kids into roasted chickpeas and chia seeds in their water, yay!), found a sweet vegan cafe where I could enjoy a quiet beer with some of the best tacos I've ever eaten, and happened upon some sweet galleries and gift shops. I just walked around Parliament Hill for awhile, dreaming of the day I'd be a journalist there. I'm seriously considering a move to Ottawa, when the time comes for me to move on from my current studio (and magazine).

Yesterday was one of my favourite days on the calendar - "On Paper Day." What is that? If you have to ask, you clearly aren't a fan of Hamilton's Arkells. They're pretty much inarguably my favourite band. I've seen them live six times now and have been obsessed with them since back in the Jackson Square days. "On Paper" is also one of my favourite songs by them (nothing will beat "Pullin' Punches" though!), so last year when my buddy Luis pointed out the date of May 14, I thought it would be nice to celebrate.

How does one celebrate "On Paper" day? It's really up to you. One mandatory act is listening to the song (I highly recommend the "In The Dark" remix as well). But then, what should you do beyond that?

Pull out a piece of paper. Draw a picture, write a story, make a puzzle. But I think whatever you do it should be a true expression of how you feel, maybe an outpouring of things you wouldn't normally be able to say.

So I did that. I've been trying to not only write more fiction these days but to write it out by hand instead of on my computer, where I'm far too distracted. It's actually been going well - I think getting over my own embarrassment at my handwriting was key.

In the most boring (but not!!) news of all, I am now the proud owner of a Ninja blender, after accidentally smashing my old blender and relying on my too-tiny Magic Bullet for months. I made my first smoothie this morning and it was the closest thing I've ever had to a religious experience. Take me, consumerism and brand loyalty, I'm yours!!

Off to the capital!

Tomorrow morning I set off on a very exciting drive to Ottawa where I will be accompanying my dance students to Terpsichore Dance Celebration. I'm very excited for them — they've never attended Terpsichore before, but I have, and I was always impressed by how professional and fast-moving it is.

I've just whipped up a bunch of juice, smoothies and breakfast food so that I can keep myself full and full of energy at the competition. My students always respond well to my energy, so I don't like to fake it.

I should mention that I'm currently cooking my way through the Oh She Glows cookbook and am loving every minute of it! As much as I love cooking, I have a special talent for messing up almost everything I make, but OSG is quite Bree-proof (it helps that I've committed to actually measuring things accurately and not making careless substitutions).

I've also found that Angela wasn't kidding — her recipes make me feel and look great. My skin is responding well, my head feels clearer, my energy is high without being uncomfortable. My teeth haven't been as white as they used to be (I was always praised for having super white teeth when I was younger). I might be from the increased amount of tea I've been drinking, so I'm currently taking a lot of extra measures to try and whiten my teeth (I have yet to find an over-the-counter whitening treatment which is vegan). I've never had too much of an issue with flossing (even though I have to use Superfloss — thanks, permanent retainer!) but I need to keep my floss on me since 95% of my eating is done away from home. Other than my teeth, I feel like I'm looking better than ever (bonus — I've stopped biting my nails for the fifth time in a few years).

Tomorrow I'll be hitting up a climbing gym in Ottawa and also seeing an old friend from high school, on top of accompanying my little monkeys around the city!

Making it ahead — my meal plan for Ottawa (and then some)!

In the year and a half since I've been vegetarian and six months since I've been vegan, the one thing I've learned more than anything is that group excursions involving food are a huge chore.

When we get lunch catered at work (a few times a month during production) my co-workers usually have their hearts set on something awesome, meaty and cheesy. Then they glance over at me and very sweetly say, "Oh, but we have to find something Bree-friendly."

Being the only vegan in a medium-sized department makes me feel more than a bit guilty sometimes. Though I obviously advocate for veganism, I usually end up bowing out and going to the Freshii down the road to grab something. It ends up becoming a little inconvenient because I can't always eat the most healthy choices (okay, I'd never call Freshii unhealthy... but sometimes it's more like Taco Bell)!

Because I work full-time in Toronto and then usually head off to Whitby for the night, I end up having to pre-make a lot of my dinners and lunches. I didn't mind this when I had my own place, but while I'm temporarily living in my parents' house it's a little inconvenient. I sometimes take my Magic Bullet into the basement so I can pre-blend my morning smoothies at night without waking anybody up (including their dog and cat, or my cranky cat Benny).

I'll admit, sometimes the "make it ahead!" method takes some of the magic out of cooking — I love sitting down to a "reward" after slaving away in the kitchen. But the convenience is definitely a plus.

This weekend I'm heading off to Ottawa with the team. Competition days will be long so it'd be wise to keep some food with me. Fortunately, I have a plan!

I'm going to take with me two jars of juice, two smoothies, two jars of overnight oats, and a tray of home-made Clif bars. Maybe, if I'm not too tired after making all that, a jar of tex-mex dip!

Is it maybe a bit over-ambitious? Oh, undoubtedly. But being over-ambitious has gotten me where I am. Thursday night is cookin' time — better get a good playlist and take my bullet to the basement!