Author: Jen

A Day at Davison’s

Today we spent another lovely day at our Okanagan favourite, Davison Orchards.  If you know me well, you know that my love of Davison’s has been around since I moved to the Okanagan when I was 11 years old.  It was a place I loved visiting as a kid, a place I took the kids I babysat and nannied during high school and university, and it’s now a place I love bringing my own daughter.  Delicious produce, beautiful views, and endless family-fun aside, I love Davison Orchards because it’s constantly growing and improving while staying true to it’s family-run farm roots – not an easy feat.

IMG 9911Grandma Sue and Rorie joined us today and despite our {very} regular visits, we tried two completely new-to-Gracen things this time around. First off, we jumped aboard the hourly tractor train ride and took a tour of the orchard while learning about its history and different fruits and veggies that are grown there.  It’s been a few years since I last took the tour, and I have to say that I love hearing how passionate Grandpa Davison is about his orchard, even after all of these years.  While the sitting quietly during the chatting part wasn’t Grae’s favourite part, she did love the ride and hearing about each of the plants/trees as we passed by.

IMG 9929IMG 9931IMG 9933IMG 9938Afterwards, while playing in the Crazy Cow Kid’s Corral, Gracen got to experience her first ever duck race after Grandma Sue gave her a toonie to buy a little rubber duckie.  She’d plunk him into the tube, start pumping water, and as soon as he started moving, race to the end of the track to retrieve him.  Such fun!

IMG 9919After a good long play, a visit to the animals, and some lunch at Auntie May’s Deep Dish Cafe, we picked up a big jug of Davison’s famous apple juice and headed home with our happy and tired girl.  Another great day at Davison Orchards!

♥

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Pool Time

IMG 9889IMG 9893IMG 9896Top knots, ruffled bathing suits, backyard pools, and vacation time… These are the things summer is made of.

♥ 

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Farm Life {Through my New Lens}

One of the things I was spoiled with on my recent birthday was a camera lens I’ve been lusting after for a long while now.  Though I’ve only had it a few hours, I must say – I think I’m already in love!  I took it along on a walk of the family farm tonight and here are some of the images I was able to snap…

IMG 9789IMG 9815IMG 9796IMG 9798IMG 9808IMG 9806IMG 9821IMG 9818IMG 9830IMG 9836IMG 9848As far as my new challenge goes, I have to say I’m loving it!  My camera has remained in manual mode since the day of our workshop and every single photo I’ve taken since this post has been shot manually.  They certainly haven’t all been good (in fact many have been pitch black), but after two months of practice, I can say without a doubt that I’m so glad I took the leap.  My photos are slowly getting better, shooting in manual is much more natural now, and I have a ton more control on what my photos actually turn out like.  And I can almost guarantee that this new lens will make the transition that much more fun.

♥ 

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Backyard Hammock

IMG 9767IMG 9770IMG 9769IMG 9776After an easy breezy 6 hour road trip up to the Okanagan (seriously, this new colouring obsession is pretty awesome, especially during car trips) we arrived to Brad’s parents place where a new hammock was waiting to be set up.  Gracen helped her Papa put it together and they jumped in immediately afterwards.  These photos I was able to catch are some of my new favourites.

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The First Puppy

IMG 9743Recently Grae’s interest in drawing and colouring (especially colouring) has absolutely taken off.  While she’s really into drawing people right now, today she drew her first ever dog.  I get such a kick out of these things! ☺

♥ 

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A Local Favourite: Maple Grove Pool

IMG 9694IMG 9685IMG 9690Today we took our little fish to one of our very favourite summer spots in the city… Maple Grove Outdoor Pool.  Gracen seriously loves this place.  The pool’s fairly shallow, so there are lots of areas where she can easily wade around without assistance, there’s a little slide which she zooms down on repeat, and there’s a island in the middle of the deeper end for her to jump off of.  We also love the fact that it’s surrounded by grassy areas and big trees and there’s a playground just outside of the gates.  It’s the perfect spot to escape to when our house is 32 degrees and we need to cool down, asap.  I’m guessing  we’ll be visiting a lot during the month of July.

Maple Grove Pool is open from 10:15 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. daily, with the closing time being an hour earlier after August 21st.  Admission is as follows: munckins 2 and under are free, children 3 to 18 years are $1.50, and adults are $2.50. Concession items are available and the facility operates on a cash only basis.

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{3 Ingredient} Swirly Strawberry Creamsicles

Swirly 3 Ingredient Strawberry Creamsicles | Mama Papa BubbaWe’ve been making super simple {and healthy} strawberry creamsicles since Grae was a wee little thing, and they’ve always been a summer favourite.  Today, with our fridge still brimming with freshly picked berries, we made our best version yet with the addition of a simple ingredient… dates!  

IMG 9708I must admit that though I’ve known about the awesome sweetening power of dates for a long time now, I’ve been a little hesitant to jump onboard…  But, I’m so glad I did!  Using them in our cookie dough boys and our wholewheat strawberry shortcake recently has made me realize that they really aren’t all that intimidating.  Simply soak, puree, and use like honey.  Easy enough, right?  Plus they allow these popsicles to be perfectly sweet even though they’re made with plain yogurt.

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Healthy 3 Ingredient Strawberry Creamsicles

(makes 12 – 14 large popsicles)

  • 3 cups of fresh strawberries, cleaned and hulled
  • 4 majool dates
  • boiling water
  • 2 cups of plain organic yogurt, greek or regular

Before beginning this recipe, put the 4 majool dates into a small bowl and cover with boiling water.  Let sit for 15 minutes.

Pop strawberries into a food processor (or good blender) and puree until smooth or nearly smooth.  Pour the puree into a glass measuring cup and set aside.

Without worrying about washing your food processor or blender, blend your pitted dates and about a tablespoon of the soaking water until smooth (this may require you to stop the processor and scrape down the sides with a spatula a few times).  Add the yogurt and blend to combine.

Using a large spoon, scoop some of the yogurt mixture into each of the popsicle moulds.  Gently pour enough strawberry puree on top to cover the yogurt.  Continue to layer the two until the moulds are full.  

Freeze overnight and enjoy!

♥ 

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Canada Day {2013}

While we spent Gracen’s first two Canada Days in the Okanagan at the lovely Davison Orchards, today was our first Canada Day in Vancouver as a family of 3.  As usual, there is tons of fun, family-friendly stuff happening around our vibrant city, but we decided to spend the day at one of our favourites – Granville Island.  We arrived early, while parking still wasn’t an issue, picked up a couple of little treats from the public market, and walked along the boardwalk to the water park and playground.  Brad and Grae zoomed down the water slide a few times, Grae got a tattoo and her face painted, and we enjoyed some lunch in the park while taking in some jazz.  To say that it was lovely would be an understatement.  Here are some photos of our day…

IMG 9619IMG 9632IMG 9623IMG 9641IMG 9649Minus RandosIMG 9659

♥ 

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Summer Strawberry Shortcake {with Wholewheat Date-sweetened Biscuits}

Strawberry Shortcake with Wholewheat Date sweetened biscuits | Mama Papa BubbaNothing says summer quite like fresh strawberry shortcake, and since our kitchen is currently overflowing with berries after this morning’s trip to Krause Berry Farms, I thought Miss G and I would experiment with a healthier, wholewheat, sugar-free version this afternoon.  The unfortunate part is that our little old house was sitting at 31 degrees, so turning on the oven to bake shortcakes certainly wasn’t our best plan, but you gotta do what you gotta do when you have fresh berries begging to be gobbled up! ☺

IMG 9613While I don’t mind baking with small amounts of honey and pure maple syrup, our recent {and delicious!} cookie dough boys have peeked my interest in baking with dates {and other sweet fruits} instead of the alternative sweeteners I usually turn to.  I’m happy to report, that our first experiment was a total success!  These shortcakes turned out soft, moist inside, and perfectly sweet!  Plus the tiny hint of coconut flavour from the coconut oil made them even more delicious.  

IMG 9617Brad loved them, and I think Gracen thought she’d died and gone to heaven went she saw a little plate stacked with cake, sliced strawberries, and freshly whipped cream coming her way.  

Here’s the recipe to our new favourite summer dessert….

Strawberry Shortcake with Date-sweetened Biscuits (adapted from this recipe)

  • 2 1/2 cups of wholewheat flour
  • 2 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
  • 2/3 cup of buttermilk (you can make your own by adding 3/4 of a tablespoon of vinegar to 2/3 of a cup of regular milk and letting it sit for 5 or 10 minutes)
  • 8 tablespoons of coconut oil (in its liquid state)
  • 1 egg
  • 4 majool dates, soaked and pureed
  • 1 1/2 cups of whipping cream
  • 1 tablespoon of pure maple syrup
  • strawberries, sliced

Before starting this recipe, place the dates into a small bowl, cover them with boiling water, and let sit for about 15 minutes.  Remove pits and place dates, along with a tablespoon or two of the soaking water in a food processor or blender and process until smooth {or nearly smooth}.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.   If you’re making your own buttermilk, mix the milk and vinegar together and set it aside.

Whisk together the wholewheat flour, baking powder, and sea salt.

In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk, coconut oil, egg, and pureed dates until as smooth as possible.

Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until just barely combined.  Divide the dough in 8 to 10 balls and bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 15 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and the tops are slightly golden.

Whip cream until peaks begin to form, then add maple syrup and whip for an extra few seconds to combine.  

Slice strawberries.

To assemble, cut shortcakes in half horizontally, placing the tops aside temporarily.  Place a heaping scoop of strawberries on each shortcake bottom, then top with a generous spoonful of freshly whipped cream, and place the tops back on.  Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

♥ 

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Strawberry Fields {A Visit to Krause Berry Farms}

Today we did something I’ve been wanting to do with Miss G for a long while…  We went strawberry picking!  After asking local parents for their favourite strawberry farm recommendations, we decided to head out to Langley to visit Krause Berry Farms.  Promises of giant fields filled with berries, a gorgeous market selling fresh produce and baked goods, playground fun for kiddos, wine tasting for adults, and a farm animal petting area sounded too good to pass up.

IMG 9547IMG 9548IMG 9556We arrived early and the farm was already bustling with visitors.  We got our buckets weighed, put down our loonie deposit for a wagon, and headed out to the furthest corner of the strawberry patch.  

IMG 9561IMG 9559IMG 9565The berries were plentiful and our buckets filled quickly, though strawberry picking isn’t easy work.  It was hot (really hot) out and by the time we were about halfway through our hour and a half long picking session, Grae and I gave up on crouching and full-on sat down in the strawberry field (slightly less glamourous, but oh so much more comfy!)

IMG 9568While my little helper was interested in berry picking and very patient about it all, she didn’t so much want to pick the strawberries herself.  She did pick a few here and there, but sitting beside you while you filled her bucket for her was much more her style.  That and sneaking a semi-clean strawberry into her mouth every once and a while…

IMG 9580IMG 9583With two extra-large sand pails full of ripe strawberries, we decided to have them weighed, pay for them, and check out the rest of the farm.

IMG 9584IMG 9585IMG 9587First stop – the playground.  Grae loved the tractor-shaped play apparatus, and even though it was cooking by this time, it did provide some shady spots to play in.

IMG 9593Next up, we visited the market.  Oh my goodness, this may just be my favourite part of the farm.  Not only can you purchase all kinds of local produce both from the farm and from other local farmers, but the bakery is stocked full of delicious breads, shortcakes, cookies, and cakes too.  Plus there’s a fudgery stocked with over 40 different kinds of fudge and all sorts of canned goods and fun kitchen gadgets too!

IMG 9604After a quick stop to see the animals out back (there weren’t that many and the enclosures didn’t really allow for easy petting, but G enjoyed it anyways), we stopped to take a couple of photos along the raspberry bushes.  By this time, we were all hot, sweaty, and tired, and Gracen was feeling straight up silly.  For one reason or another, she decided that the only way she’d have her photo taken was if her tongue was out, and by that time, I really didn’t blame her. Sometimes joining the crazy is just more fun.  ☺

It was a lovely day and I’m already trying to figure out if we’ll have time to make another trip out when Krause’s u-pick blueberries are ready in mid-July… Though next time we’d do things a little differently as by the time we got home, most of our berries were already pretty mushy.  

Notes to self:  

1) Stacking fresh, ripe strawberries in big, tall buckets leads to severe strawberry smushing – bring big, shallow containers next time instead.  

2)  Locking your berries in a hot vehicle on a 30 degree day doesn’t help the situation – next time, play first, pick last.

♥

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Second Beach Outdoor Pool

IMG 9512Gracen has been very anxiously awaiting this day since we first visited the Second Beach playground back in February.  From the opposite side of the park, she immediately spotted the seal-shaped water slide in the outdoor pool enclosure and has asked when we’d be able to visit ever since.  Sadly, when it opened at the end of May, we had a long bout of rainy, dreary weather, so that prolonged our visit even further…  But when we woke up to a gorgeous, sunny day this morning and asked the little lady what she wanted to do, the first thing out of her mouth was “Go to the pool with the seal slide – WOOHOO!”  Her fist shot into the air in celebration and our adventure for the day was set.

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IMG 9523Surprisingly, the much talked about seal slide was not the hit of the day today…  Instead, she was all about this much larger, much faster turtle slide over in the deeper end of the pool. The truth of the matter is that she loved this slide so much that very little swimming actually took place – it was simply slide after slide after slide for pretty much our entire visit, which was totally fine with me.  Watching the anticipation as she climbed the steps and the absolute joy as she sped down and splashed into the water melted my heart and filled me with pride.  I’m so, so glad our little lady loves water as much as she does.

IMG 9542IMG 9543IMG 9528The only slight downside to our morning was that it was chilly.  Very chilly, in fact.  Despite the fact that the pool is heated and it truly was a beautiful day, the wind off of the ocean sucked away the warmth and made you shiver the moment your shoulders left the water. And while Grae didn’t seem bothered in the least by it, at a certain point we knew it was time to get out, dry off, and warm up.

IMG 9530But that won’t stop us from returning very soon – Miss G’s already asking when that’ll be!

Second Beach {Outdoor} Pool is located on the west side of Stanley Park.  For more information, including schedules and rates, click here.

♥ 

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