Gluten Free Vegan Adventures in Leslieville & Riverside

On Saturday after my meetings, I asked Joey if he wanted to grab some lunch and offered a suggestion of a new restaurant to visit: Pulp Kitchen.

Pulp Kitchen used to live where Lady Marmalade now resides. I had always wanted to go when it was still there, but it was never open for dinner and it seemed we could never get there for breakfast on a weekend. I had noticed that they had been doing construction at a new location in the past couple months, and earlier in the week Lori had mentioned that it was their grand re-opening this weekend. Perfect timing!

We waited about 5 minutes for a table and were greeted by cheery flowers and the brunch menu.  They also have a lunch menu, but our server told us that for their opening weekend they were only giving brunch a go. I noticed some specials on the board and decided to inquire about a black bean burrito that sounded delicious. The conversation went something like this:

Me: Could you tell me what the black bean burrito is wrapped in?
Server: A wrap.
Me: What sort of wrap?
Server: Flour.
Me: Do you know what ki--
Server: Are you looking for something gluten free? Because we don’t have any for the wraps.
Me: Oh okay.

Super.

I opted for the egg-free omelette instead. An egg-free high-protein sensation stuffed w/ roasted portobello mushroom, soy cheese, caramelized onion, roasted red pepper & fresh baby spinach. I ditched the soy cheese and Joey and I decided to split an order of sweet potato fries.

Our food took a little bit long, but it was opening weekend so we didn’t really think too much of it. Everything looked quite yummy when it arrived, although the plating of my omelette left something to be desired. I feel like it should have been centered, or maybe just on a smaller plate? I really enjoyed the filling of the omelette and it was rather large so I let Joey finish it off after eating roughly 2/3 of it. The sweet potato fries were actually more like wedges and I have to say that they were pretty mediocre. They were pretty hit and miss as some were cooked perfectly and others were undercooked. Boo. Joey said his “gourmet” grilled cheese was just okay and nothing to write home about, especially since he missed having a non-vegan option on the menu.

I’d be lying if I said that I hadn’t been eying the dessert menu from the minute we sat down. The coco-lime cake sounded right up my alley, so I decided to indulge. It did not disappoint. So while I doubt we’ll be going back to Pulp Kitchen for brunch anytime soon, I may very well go back for the cake on a rainy day. It was moist, flavourful and I loved how much the lime shone in the icing.

We’re happy that we went during opening weekend since it was 30% off (our bill was about $$25 with the discount including tax, tip and a root beer for Joey) Overall – great cake, good omelette, and iffy everything else. I think we’ll stick to Lady Marmalade for breakfast in that neighbourhood. Has anyone else in Toronto been and had a different experience?

After Pulp Kitchen, I decided I would take advantage of all the sunshine and take a nice walk through Leslieville and Riverside. There is some wonderful shopping in this neck of the woods! I stopped in at some of my favourite stores including Doll Factory by Damzels (amazing dresses), Common Sort (fantastic used and vintage clothing) and a great used book store, of which the name escapes me now.  When I was nearly ready to call it a day, I stopped in at LPK’s Culinary Groove.

I couldn’t help but notice that they were carrying even more gluten free and vegan goodies in their shop, which brought me a lot of joy!! There was a woman at the counter inquiring about some gluten free vegan focaccia and when I saw it, I knew I had to have it. The flavour of the day had roasted garlic baked into it and smelled absolutely divine. I wasn’t sure what we were going to do with it, but I figured that I could figure something out. I was so excited to bring it home and share it with Joey and I was not disappointed. It was flaky and rich and tasted like bread!! We enjoyed it with some brown rice pasta, broccoli & tomato sauce on Sunday evening (after I had munched on little bits of it on Saturday night) I had talked to the chef about whether or not I could freeze it, but it actually didn’t make it that far. Between Joey and I, we consumed it over the last few days with various meals. I will definitely be picking that up again as a special treat and will perhaps indulge in some other gluten free vegan goodness.

Just Dance

After Wednesday’s feelings of uncertainty and negativity, I pushed my negative thoughts to the curb and just danced.

On Thursday night I lit some candles, hauled out a mirror and practiced for a couple of hours in my living room. I did it with the music. Without. I worked on small sections to make sure I understood the flow and drilled a couple of moves that needed work.

By Friday I felt much more secure and ready to shine. I reviewed my notes on the streetcar on my way into work (I feel bad for whoever was sitting next to me aka the weird shaking girl on the streetcar) while listening to the song on my ipod. When I arrived at the theatre, everyone was excited and our class was one of the first groups to get onstage to run our piece.

Our class has been together for quite awhile now and we’ve become very close. Everyone in that class is so supportive and we were all excited to be onstage doing the beautiful choreography that Zahira created for us.

To be honest, I wasn’t nervous.

After running it on the stage, I got myself ready, ran it with the girls and ran it on my own with my ipod a few times, but I wasn’t stressing! I knew the choreography to the best of my ability and regardless of what was going to happen in those 2 minutes and 41 seconds onstage, no one was going to die. I felt good. To kill some time, we took lots of pictures while we waited for our turn.

   Betcha you didn’t know that I have a tattoo AND a navel piercing?

When it was finally our turn, the girls and I were buzzing!! There was a beautiful solo right before us, and as we watched from backstage, I felt the excitement of the performance building inside of me. There was no turning back now!

Performing the routine was exhilarating. With all my performance experience in musical theatre, I love being onstage and just revel in an opportunity to smile and shimmy in front of people (and not have to worry about music, lyrics or lines)!! Our dance was extremely well-received and we got some great comments from audience members. One of our classmates (who decided not to perform, but watched the show instead) approached me and asked how I had learned the choreography so quickly, even though I had missed a bunch of classes. I felt so proud of myself and the performance I gave!!

What can I take away from this experience?

I love belly dancing! It makes me feel confident, sexy and very comfortable in my body, crop top and all!! One of my goals for next year (a list which has already been created) is to perform a solo in one of the student hafla shows at the studio – so excited!! I’m also looking forward to continuing class with these beautiful women and wonderful teacher.

The negative self talk really needs to go. There’s no reason for it even to creep in and make a guest appearance in my thoughts. My teacher commented the following to me last week after my amazing thought post:  “One of the most valuable lessons I learned from her was to: yes take my dance seriously but NOT take myself too seriously at all... meaning: you practice and practice and practice, and that's great and that brings you to do and achieve new horizons on your dance but only if you don't get in the way of your own growth with constant unhealthy negative thinking. We're our own worst enemies most of times, and it is paramount to cut the crap of self-bashing...”

I was talking with many of the girls in my class before our performance about this same premise, and I talked about it in my meetings on Saturday again. We can be our own worst enemies when we stand in the way of our own success by thinking and believing our negative thoughts. Cut the crap and turn it around into something positive. You have nothing to lose but a lifetime of unnecessary self-loathing.

How do you feel when you’ve accomplished something or have reached a goal? Any other performers out there? Do you enjoy being onstage?

Think an Amazing Thought

Last night at my belly dancing class I couldn’t get out of my own head:

“Idon’tknowwhatI’mdoing.I’vebeenawayandIhaven’thadanytimetopractice.HowthehelldoIdothefastundulationwithareverserightafterPeoplearegoingtolookatmeandthinkthatI’mnotasgoodastherestofmyclass.Idon’tfeelconfidentinwhatI’mdoingshimmyshimmyshimmyfigure8whatthehellcomesnext?Ohmygodthisisgoingtosuck”

Um. Yea.

Friday is our belly dance recital and our class is perfoming. I knew going into Annie that I was going to miss 2 rehearsals, because our class falls on Wednesday, which is typically a show night. Then I had to miss a third one because I was stuck at work until 6:30, when my class started a 6:00 the week before Annie started – bummer.
Last Tuesday my beautiful friend Krystle came over and practiced with me for over an hour. She showed me the ending of our routine and gave me the music so I could listen to it and practice before our class this week. I got bogged down with Annie and was unable to practice due to various commitments, so the first time I was really able to think about the choreography again was last night at 5:20 on the streetcar on my way to class. Around 5:35, I called Joey, nearly in tears because I had convinced myself that I shouldn’t do the recital because I didn’t know the choreography, wasn’t prepared and was going to look terrible.

Isn’t it amazing what we can convince ourselves of?

I’ve been reading Byron Katie’s A Thousand Names for Joy lately, and she talks a lot about this concept of getting so caught up in believing our thoughts, that we create stress for ourselves.

Last night I convinced myself that I would fail, even before the class began. By believing that I wasn’t capable or confident, I set myself up for failure. Does this ever happen to you in life?

For over an hour in class we ran the choreography repeatedly. Our teacher gave us some helpful feedback (mostly on poise and ensuring that we were smiling), but allowed us to run it over and over again. In the midst of our rehearsal she told us about one of her teachers. The teacher constantly reminded her students to always be amazed at what they were able to do: an undulation, shimmy, or even a simple hand gesture. By projecting this sense of wonder and amazement, the teacher advised her students that the audience would feel the same sense of amazement – almost like telepathy – and be truly captivated by the performance.

Thinking the thought “I don’t know the choreography” made me believe that I didn’t know the choreography, regardless of the fact that I had learned 90% of the choreography in class and had been able to practice it with everyone for a few weeks. There was nothing to be amazed at. It threw me off my game and caused me a lot of stress and tears. Without the thought, I am free to enjoy myself. I feel more confident. I smile more and I dance better.

This idea of amazement rings true in all aspects of our lives, not just dance or performance. We cause ourselves stress when we start to believe our negative thoughts (or project the negative thoughts of others). We could accomplish so much more if we just stopped believing our own thoughts and let ourselves be free and amazed, and that is exactly what I intend to do.

This week I will be amazing. Tonight I will drill the choreography in anticipation of Friday’s recital. I will be proud of how far I’ve come; 18 months ago, I couldn’t shimmy, let alone walk and shimmy at the same time. Belly dance is the first type of dance that I’ve ever really felt good at, and on Friday I will share that with my audience. Because of my new schedule in January, I probably won’t be able to take class again until the spring, so I will enjoy every minutes of this performance with my beautiful classmates and teacher.

I will smile and I will be amazed.

What negative thought will you rid yourself of today?
How do you feel without that thought?
What amazing thought will you have instead?

Catching Up on Foodie Goodness, Wordless Wednesday Style

DOING IT In December

Brain cells have not returned, so “Doing It in December” it is.

With 31 days left until the New Year,
what are you going to do to make 2009 count?

This month is going to be about getting back into some sort of normal routine. November was crazy with my show and changes in my life. I had a bit of a scary moment at the beginning of the month, when I did my monthly weigh in and was down over 2 lbs. Most people would rejoice, but my loss had not been intentional, and it had put me at the very bottom of my BMI and actually sort of scared me. After monitoring my eating for a week, I realized that I wasn’t eating enough. My stress had gotten the better of me and it took some effort to get back on track.

My activity levels went pretty much down the tubes once the show opened. The last time I visited the gym was on the 14th for zumba & Flow. Even though I was still active during the show (running around the stage, dancing and walking to the theatre a few times a week), I feel really out of sorts.

All of that changes today.

I’ve already printed off my activity calendar, and have written in my goals as well as the classes I plan to attend this month. I started tracking diligently on Saturday and will get some groceries into the house and get back to cooking dinners at home (hooray!) I will be hitting the gym and attending the classes I love, especially since I want to look and feel great for my new headshots that are going to be taken in January. I feel fantastic both physically and mentally when I do activities that I love, so I’m going to use that as motivation!!

December is also going to be about making my dreams a reality. As of today, I start school in 37 days!! I can hardly believe it. I know that the time is going to fly by, so this month is going to be all about preparing myself for my new life!!

What are you going to do with the remaining 31 days of the year?
What are your goals for the month?