Jamie's Italian

A couple weeks ago we took the kids to Yorkdale for lunch at Jamie's Italian.
Louis and I are huge Jamie Oliver fans and have been dying to try this restaurant.
We have a couple of his cook books & make regular trips to Sobey's just to buy his products.
Upon arriving, we were instantly wowed by the atmosphere and design.
Lots of rustic wood and subway tiles had me dreaming up all kinds of future renos for our home.

We decided to order a couple of appetisers and a pizza to share amongst the five of us.
We ordered the Crunchy Italian Nachos, Spicy Meatball Bruschetta and the Patate Pizza topped with marscapone cheese, balsamic onions, bacon, rosemary and thinly sliced potatoes.

I had read some pretty bad reviews before trying this restaurant myself, but I'm glad I didn't listen. They seated us in a small room upstairs that was next to a rustic looking kitchenette complete with white subway tile, dark grey grout and barn wood that made us feel like we were back in Italy eating dinner in Nona's kitchen.
The food was simple and rustic with just the right amount of flavour.
Not too overwhelming, but just enough.
My only complaint would be that the nachos could have used a bit more cheese as I could barely taste it, but we still really enjoyed them.
We will definitely be coming back for a date night in the near future.

Royal Majesty Espresso at Blue Mountain

Happy Mother's Day!
I know this day is supposed to be all about me, but I have to say a HUGE thank you to this man right here. 

 He woke up early with the kids and got them showered and ready to go out for a walk so that I could sleep in and get ready in peace. 

This wasn't even a one off for mother's day - this guy seriously takes over when he's not at work and I am so thankful the kids have such a loving and devoted father.
After he came back from his walk with the kids he told us to get in the car because he was taking me somewhere special for Mother's Day.

 

The kids had fun guessing where we may be going.
I decided to actually vlog today, so I'll leave it at the end of this post so you can hear the silly places we thought we were going.
As soon as Louis started driving I knew exactly where he was taking us.
We live about 45 minutes away from Blue Mountain so it is somewhere we try to visit as often as we can and I can pretty much get there with my eyes closed we've been so many times.
Don't worry, calm down people - I won't ever attempt that ;)

When we got to the mountains it was FREEZING.
We did not dress for the weather at all but luckily I had left my leather jacket in the van from the day before.
We spotted the cutest little cafe in the Blue Mountain Village called Royal Majesty Espresso Bar.
It was the first time we have ever been and it was basically love at first glance of all the pretty tile. 

The kids ordered grilled cheese with a shot of the most delicious tomato soup I have ever tasted.
(yep, totally stole their soup - sorry kids)
Louis ordered the big breakfast sandwich (which you can see in the Vlog below) and I had the ham and cheese croissant with a caffe americano.
Both were absolutely delicious, but I wish I was a little more adventurous and ordered the Smores Latte because I can't get it out of my head...looks like I have the perfect excuse to go back.
Not only is the food scrumptious the cafe had such a delightful ambiance.
Next time you're visiting the mountains be sure to stop in and thank me later ;)

Don't forget to subscribe and watch our Vlog to see more from our day.

Kelsey,
Ox.

BLT Pita Pizza

Lunch time is a busy time of day for me and I'll be the first to admit that grabbing a burger and fries through a fast food drive-thru is much more appealing than making something healthy and cleaning up after myself.

With Summer fast approaching, I have been trying to be more intentional about what I put into my body.
I've been making sure my fridge is stocked up with food so that I can whip myself up a quick lunch.
I've been experimenting with different recipes (that involve little cleanup) with what I have on hand and last week I came up with this delicious BLT Pita Pizza.
I'm sure this isn't as healthy as a big leafy salad, but this is a lot better than those drive-thru combos that have been my go to for quite sometime.
They are super easy to make and only take 15 minutes start to finish!

 

 BLT Pita Pizza
Ingredients

Small Whole Wheat Pita 

Cream Cheese 

Cherry Tomatoes 

2 Slices of cooked Bacon chopped

Spring Mix 

Balsamic Vinegar (I used a maple flavor) 

Directions

Heat Pita in 350 degrees for 5-6 minutes.
Let cool for 1 minute.
Spread desired amount of cream cheese on pita.
Sprinkle a handful of spring mix on top of cheese.
Add cooked bacon.
Drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Enjoy :)

Mother's Day Dinner with The Keg Steakhouse + Bar

They say you don't truly appreciate your mother until you have your own child, and this couldn't be more true in my case.

If I'm being honest, my mother and I were not close growing up.

I was a typical preteen/teen who thought she knew everything and was sure my mother knew nothing.

She was the victim of all my eye rolls and attitude.

There were many days that I swore I would never speak to my mother again, but regardless of my empty threats, I was expected to be at the dinner table at 5pm to eat together as a family each night. 
It was tradition and my mom is big on tradition.

As a mother of three now, I can truly appreciate the importance of tradition and have created a yearly Mother's Day tradition with my mama.
Each May, my mom and I get together just the two of us to celebrate Motherhood.

This year for Mother's Day I took my mom to the Keg Mansion for a special Mother's Day dinner as a Thank You for all she has done for me and continues to do.

Growing up, our family dinners were spent around the kitchen table at home, but on special occasions The Keg Steakhouse + Bar was our favourite place to celebrate.

My favourite part of going to The Keg Seakhouse + Bar as a kid was ordering a few different starters and sharing them with my mom and brother.
This time we shared the baked garlic shrimp and calamari which were both absolutely delicious.
My mom already has plans to try to replicate the Greek feta sauce that came with the calamari, but I think we just need to make a trip back to The Keg Steakhouse + Bar ASAP.

For dinner we both had the Sirloin Oscar and OH MY GOODNESS.
It was SO good.
I usually get my steak done Medium Well but my mom insisted that I try it medium rare.
I can't believe I've been eating my steak wrong my whole life - medium rare is THE way to go.

We finished off the night with a coffee and mini creme brule which was the perfect size because I was SO full by the end of our meal but still wanted something sweet.

If you are looking for somewhere to take your mama out for Mother's Day this year, give your local Keg Steakhouse + Bar a call and make those reservations, your mama will thank you.

This post is part of the YummyMummyClub.ca and The Keg Steakhouse + Bar #TheKeg sponsored program. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. This post reflects my personal opinion about the information provided by the sponsors.