I’m a huge fan of The County (aka Prince Edward County) so when I was invited a few weeks ago to spend the day exploring the area and eating and drinking my way through some of the amazing vineyards and purveyors who will be taking part of TASTE Community Grown (the County’s annual wine and culinary fest taking place September 24, 2016 — this is it’s 15th year!), there was no question I was going to attend. I’d last visited the County last year (and my previous visit was probably a good 10 years ago!) and fell in love with it all over again. (I wrote about last summer’s jaunt for Vitamin Daily).
This time around, I got to check out a slew of places I hadn’t been to before. We made our way early in the morning on a luxe private shuttle from Foley Bus Lines (and I was very much appreciative for the chance to stretch out and catch some zzz’s). We didn’t hit much traffic, though, and our first stop was at Pyramid Ferments where a tasting of their kombuchas and kimchis jolted us awake in the most delicious way. My favourite, though, was these sun-aged lemons, which are beautiful to look at and unlike anything I’ve ever tasted before. Oh, and btw, their Gut Shots? I hear they’re good as a hangover cure.
Next, we stopped into Three Dog Winery where the dogs weren’t available to greet us but the lovely John and Sacha Squair were, and we tasted wines (my favourite was the Dog House Red), and we nibbled on pizzas (one featuring some delectible Seed to Sausage sausage) on the lovely verandah. I’m definitely adding a stop here to my itinerary the next time I visit as I’d love to take one of Sacha’s yoga classes in the enclosed desk being built; the view of the vineyard during sun salutations will be fantastic (and, well, so will enjoying some wine after shivasana!).
Bellies full of pizza, that didn’t stop us from eating on. We popped into Pink Lunch Pail, where apple pie lovers will need to try their version (I adored the shortbread crust). The bakery is also known for their lemon desserts, and I’m saving my appetite to try this next time.
From there, we stopped into two wineries, Karlo Estates and Trail Estate. Karlo Estates is the first vegan certified vineyard in the world (and the grounds are beyond pretty and romantic, check out the beautiful bridge in my first photo on this post). Trail Estates I enjoyed because their focus is on small batch craft wines, and by small, that can mean even smaller than a barrel; so there’s always something new in the lineup as they’re always experimenting.
OK, so I’m a lightweight when it comes to wine…but the tour continued!
Thankfully (as I was in need of some food to balance the wine), our next stop was at Guapo’s Cantina, which is at Traynor Vineyard. And I think after my trip to Sayulita a few months ago, I’ve become pickier when it comes to my tacos, and I was a very happy camper here because the tacos at Guapo’s Cantina were incredible, and the yucca fries were just the perfect crispness, and the couple behind the cantina (Lance and Ashley) just so fun and friendly. And since we had been drinking wine all day, Traynor Vineyard served up some icy cold cocktails including margaritas, sangria and a paloma. This is a definite PEC must-stop for me.
I know, you’re probably thinking how much more can one girl eat and drink in one day? But we all persevered and visited Keint-He Winery & Vineyards (I enjoyed the balance of acid and sugars in their Voyageur Riesling) and finally, dinner at East & Main Bistro, where it’s nice and cozy (and we all shared the bison special and a bunch of appetizers as we were plenty full from the day of tasting).
The good news is you can taste from all of these lovely PEC purveyors (along with upwards of 40 others) at Taste Community Grown, and I’ve got a pair of tickets to give away! The prize includes two tickets (valued at $40 each) along with tasting tickets for the event. Taste Community Grown takes place on Saturday, September 24, 2016 at Crystal Palace (Picton Fairgrounds). You can get more info on the fest here.
To enter this Taste Community Grown giveaway, which is open to Canadian residents (but you’ll have to get yourself to PEC on the 24th for the event), you can enter once in each of the four entry methods:
Email: Write me at healthandswellness@gmail.com with your name and phone number. Please put “Taste Community Grown” in the email’s subject line.
I want to #TastePEC at TASTE Community Grown by winning these tickets from @healthswellness and @PECwines! http://bit.ly/2chlCXU
Instagram: Follow @healthandswellness Instagram; like my Instagram post for this giveaway (posted on September 7th), and tag a friend you’d like to attend Taste Community Grown with.
Facebook: Like the Health and Swellness page on Facebook (at the top of the page), and then leave a comment on the photo of this Taste Community Grown giveaway — tell me what your favourite thing to do in PEC is!
This giveaway will close at 11:59 p.m. EST, Wednesday, September 14. 2016. Please note that this giveaway is open to Canadian residents only. The one winner will be chosen at random and their name will be announced on this blog post once confirmed.
Cheers and bon appetit! (Wish I could join you at TASTE, but I’m traveling that weekend!)
(*This giveaway is now closed. Scroll down for the winner’s name.)
It’s the wonderful time of year again: When the Lay’s Do Us a Flavour chip flavours are in store (but available for a limited time only!). This year’s three flavours available in Canada are Lay’s Bacon Poutine (for Canada, obvs), Thai Sweet Chili, and Cheese & Onion (from the UK).
If you’re like me, aka a potato chip fiend, you check out what unique chip flavours are available when you travel (in Greece last month, we scored oregano chips for our sailing trip). Now, while a trip to Quebec, Thailand or the UK would be absolutely lovely, what I like about the Lay’s Do Us a Flavour campaign is that you get to take a flavour vacation right at home wherever you are in Canada. Share that flavour vacay with friends and family on social media with #WorldFlavourites like they have here in this video. You may have not gone anywhere all summer or year yet…but you can play like you have:
While I have been traveling a ton this summer, I got to host some friends for a World Flavourite dinner last week while at home in Toronto (I ended up holding it at my lovely friend’s place since the picnic I had planned got rained out). I went with the theme of home sweet home, that is, a Canadiana theme and got loads of dishes the included maple syrup (such as a to die for cornbread), a few of my fave Canadian cheeses, a few dishes including thick slabs of bacon (including as a topping to a deliciously garlicky caesar salad), one hefty full slab of ribs, sticky, tender Miami ribs, and some sweet Ontario peaches for dessert. And if you’re wondering where the poutine is, well, I didn’t have to get any poutine, because I was covered on that French-Canadian classic with the Lay’s World Flavourite Bacon Poutine chips in all of their smoky goodness. What a fun summer evening with friends with a feast of comfort foods (with a side of the meat sweats by the end of the night!).
If you haven’t had a chance to try the three flavours yet, they are available now in stores for a limited time where Lays products are sold, and come September, the Lay’s World Flavourites will also be available in 40g bags at Subway restaurants across Canada, making it even easier to enjoy a virtual getaway.
But I’ve got some good news: I can help one of you with your own Flavour Vacation! I’m giving away one Lay’s World Flavourites prize pack, which includes the three winning flavours plus a $100 VISA giftcard (which I hope you’ll use toward an actual getaway, or with your own World Flavourite-inspired dinner of your own!). Or how about spending it entirely on Lay’s chips? Hello!
To enter this giveaway, which is open to Canadian residents, you can enter once in each of the four entry methods:
Email: Write me at healthandswellness@gmail.com with your name and mailing address (it just makes it quicker for us to send you the prize if you provide me with your address off the bat). Please put “Lay’s World Flavourites” in the email’s subject line.
Twitter: Follow me @healthswellness and @LaysCanada on Twitter, and then tweet:
Who wants to take a #flavourvacay with Lays Canada?! Here’s how you can enter this @healthswellness #giveaway! http://bit.ly/2bwWrjB
Instagram: Follow @healthandswellness and @LaysCanada on Instagram; like my Instagram post for this giveaway (posted on August 29th), and tag a friend (or friends) who you’d like to take a flavour vacay with!
Facebook: Like the Health and Swellness page on Facebook (at the top of the page), and then leave a comment on the photo of this Lays Canada giveaway — tell me where you ultimate flavour vacay destination would be!
This giveaway will close at 11:59 p.m. EST, Tuesday, September 6. 2016. Please note that this giveaway is open to Canadian residents only. The one winner will be chosen at random. If I cannot reach the winner within five days, another winner will be selected. The winner’s names will be announced on the blog here on this post once confirmed.
Can’t wait to see if you win this giveaway to try the three World Flavourites from Lays? Pick them up now in stores — I’d love to hear which of the three is your fave! Mine is the UK Cheese & Onion.
This promotion is solely sponsored by Health & Swellness and has not been endorsed or approved by PepsiCo, Inc. or its subsidiaries or affiliates. By entering, you agree to look solely to HealthandSwellness.com for any claims in connection therewith, and not to PepsiCo, Inc. or its subsidiaries or affiliates.
(sponsored post)
Congrats to Gayle B. of Ontario, she’s the lucky winner of this Lays World Flavourites giveaway! Thanks to everyone who entered!
First things first: Products were provided to me by Colgate-Palmolive, but the opinions expressed here are my own.
** THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.**
Alright, alright, so in theory I generally aim to take better care of myself. But in reality, sometimes my healthy habits could use some improvement. I could drink more water. I should establish a consistent sleep schedule. And I could floss more, and I probably could brush for a longer period of time (I’m currently using a manual toothbrush that doesn’t have a built-in timer so it’s likely not the recommended two minutes. Who am I kidding? It’s definitely not the recommended two minutes!).
Why am I ‘fessing up on on what I could be doing more of to improve my health? Well, because I’ve partnered with Colgate to challenge myself to reveal the health upgrades I could be doing more of.
So yes, I slack on flossing. And on brushing time. I also don’t use mouthwash regularly. Geez, I’m not doing very well on this little personal evaluation, am I?
With my focus right now on healthy intentions, Colgate sent me the Colgate Total* Advanced Health* Daily Repair Toothpaste and Colgate* Slim Soft™ Toothbrush (oh yeah, changing my toothbrush every few months, something else I don’t do regularly, oops!). I was happy to break into them and add them to my daily routine because it helps pick up the slack since I’m now very clearly and very much aware that I’m not the greatest when it comes to good mouth health habits. Colgate Total* Advanced Health* Daily Repair Toothpaste contains a multi-active formula that helps not just maintain but repair early teeth and gum damage. It does this by remineralizing weakened enamel (so this means your teeth become stronger), preventing cavities, and boosting gum health thanks to how it fights plaque- and gingivitis-causing bacteria.
So while it certainly doesn’t entirely make up for those areas of healthy dental habits where I’m failing somewhat, it does put me a little more on team healthy.
Now, don’t let me do all this on my own, folks! Confess what you could be doing better when it comes to your health and you’ll be entered into my giveaway with Colgate with the prize being one $250 CAD giftcard to Fairmont Hotels. (You can find rules and regulations here.)
Need more incentive? Well, share your #ColgateDailyRepair confession here via Rafflecopter and you’ll be entered into my giveaway courtesy of Colgate of a $250 CAD giftcard to Fairmont Hotels.
No purchase necessary. The Contest is open to legal residents of Canada, excluding Quebec, who have reached the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence as of the date of entry. Must correctly answer, unaided, a mathematical skill testing question to be declared a winner. Entries for the contest must be received between July 25, 2016 and August 1, 2016. For a complete list of rules and regulations, please click here.
**CONGRATULATIONS TO DONNA TROWBRIDGE OF ONTARIO, THE WINNER OF THIS COLGATE TOTAL ADVANCED HEALTH DAILY REPAIR GIVEAWAY! **
