Having a whale of a time in Monterey!

It seems so far ago now but on our last day in the Monterey area we went on a Whale Watching Trip for a half day before heading up to Santa Cruz.  After having our original trip cancelled due to the rough weather we felt lucky to have got a new trip booked for 9am on Sunday morning.

We travelled out on the water for about an hour.  While getting to an area where there was whales we saw otters and dolphins (lots of them swimming around the boat). We then got to the area where there was whales and that's where the experience started.  It was incredible!!

We could not believe the amount of whales we saw. Our guide said that there was about 50 in the area although you only see about 1 or 2 at a time as once you see them dive with their back fin you know they are going under water for about 5 mins.  

Aswell as seeing so many we so them doing so many things.  We we even saw one come completely out of the water and throw their self back in that iconic whale pose!  I also saw one come up out of the water with it's mouth open which was very cool looking.

We were awed by nature and I will have amazing memories of this trip forever.

Whale Watching in Pacific Grove in the Martine Inn

We are staying in the Martine Inn in Pacific Grove near Monterey. This is the stunning view out the front dining room where breakfast is served along with hot hors d'oevres and wine in the evening. The view is fabulous (it's a million dollar view) but what is even more amazing is the wildlife that we have spotted in the water as we are enjoying our breakfast.  We have seen dophins, otters but best of all whales!!!  
It's been hard to keep up a conversation with whoever you are with because when you see a whale you have to immediately say Wow and point it out to others near you!

Here's the table laid out for the Wine & Cheese which is on at 5.30pm every evening.

The inn is full of antiques and we have played pool on the 1890's table every night which has been fun.

The inn is quaint and charming with a few nice touchs like fresh fruit available throughout the day along with freshly baked goods and coffee from 3pm.  First day there was delicious chocolate cookies (I brought a few to Starbucks yesterday) and then there was an oatmeal raisin bite type bar.  I wonder what will be made today?!

Speaking of Starbucks, that is where we are currently, we were up at 6.30am this morning so the jet lag is easing.
Look at these cookies - how cute are they!!  They are in the shape of  Starbucks Frapuccinos!

Beach food!

Yesterday we were due to go on a Whale Watching trip from Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey at about 1pm.  When we arrived at 12.30pm we discovered that all the trips out had been cancelled due to windy conditions.  We rescheduled for Sunday morning so hopefully that works out.

Having spent an enjoyable morning at Lovers Point Beach we decided to return for the afternoon.  I suggested we go to the beach cafe to get some calamari as I had seen it on the menu that morning and I had a craving for some.

Ciaran got the burger which was so good that I may get it today!  I got the calamari which was so tasty and the sauces with it were delicious too.  All in all, really great casual beach food!

Is there anything as nice as eating fresh fish on the beach front?!

On my holidays!

I'm in California!

And it is amazing!! The beaches are stunning and the weather is perfect.  We will spend a few days in Monterey and then make our way to Santa Cruz.

We spent our first night in an airport hotel (after travelling for a long time from Ireland we were in no fit state to drive any distance).  We had a small plate of sushi and slept from 8pm.......but then of course were awake early with the jet lag.  I was awake from 4am and Ciaran finally got up at 6am.  Luckily breakfast was served from 6am in this particular hotel.  We then hit the gym for a stretch and a small core session.  After all of that we chilled out by the pool for a little - after the bad Summer in Ireland you can't believe how good it felt to have some sun on the skin!! 

And then we got on the way to Monterey in our rented Toyota Yaris (the sales agent in the car rental tried to get us to upgrade by calling us out on the size of car we reserved "You guys need to enjoy your vacation with a bigger car" - we laughed and we were like "Yeah, we're cool, we drive a Smart Car at home!!".  In fairness, with all of our luggage (Ciaran has loads of rackets and sports gear for his squash tournament) the car is pretty full.  We needed to put the seats down in the back to get everything in.  It is definitely only a car for two!

Currently it is 6am and we are in the local Starbucks in Pacific Grove (largest one in Monterey).  Breakfast is served at 8am in our Bed and Breakfast.  After brekkie we plan to go to the beach and then go on a Whale Watching Trip at lunch time.  Although warm we have been advised to wear warm clothes on the boat as it can be cold on the water.  Once the sun is shining it is warm but currently I am in jeans and a heavy jumper.  All of the locals are in full clothes but we are in shorts and tshirts to try and get as much exposure as possible!!  I need my vitamin D fix ;-)

How similar does this Starbucks on Lighthouse & David look to the Starbucks at home in Dublin on Waterloo Road?!

It looks very new to me and seemingly it was a former KFC - it has a drive thru to get your coffee on the go.  

For snacks and drinks we shopped in Nob Hill.  It is pretty cool from the outside (kind of reminded me of Faustos in Key West) but insides is a regular supermarket.  I'll take a picture later during the week and will post it.

I will probably post intermittently but do look out for a few more pics of our trip over the next short while.

Hello Autumn!

 

On the hunt for a pizza stone my younger sister Katie, and I, went searching in TK Maxx.  However, we got a little sidetracked when we saw all the Halloween and Autumn decorations.

 

I love the Autumnal colours!

I'm happy to see all of this seasonal decorations on display......because it means that soon they will have their Christmas stock on display!

And just before we went home we called in to Starbucks on Chatham street for a double espresso machiatto.  This drawing on the chalkboard made us laugh.  Never a truer word written!

Cauliflower Crust Pizza That Does NOT Fall Apart! Low Carb Pizza

I saw this video on Youtube and decided I'd make my own Low Carb Pizza.  


To make my base I followed the instructions in the video but used Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese and egg to mix with the cauliflower to make the base.  I also used oregano, basil and chilli flakes in the base mix.


Here's the pics of how it turned out.  Let me know what you think!

Here is the pizza base when I took it out of the oven.

I was going to make my own tomato sauce but saw Janet's Just Delicious Pizza Sauce in Supervalu in the Food Academy and thought it looked it good (it was very tasty).

Here is the sauce spread on the base - next time I will use more sauce.

 Then I covered the sauce in Mozzarella cheese

Ciaran got in on the act - he said it needed more cheese

In to the oven with it after it got topped in pepperoni

 This is the finished product.  My verdict is that it was fairly tasty but next time I will add more sauce, cheese and pepperoni.......that probably says a lot about the cauliflower pizza base!!!

As a regular pizza substitute this Cauli-Crust Pizza is not too bad. However, it does take a lot of preparation.  Perhaps if you are used to making homemade pizza you may not think it takes too long to make.  For me, pizza means picking up the phone and getting a delivery of a Domino's Pizza in 40 minutes so I found this to be a lot of work.........but definitely worthwhile to do!

Banting "Kung Pao Chicken on Coconut Cauli-Rice" from Real Meal Revolution Book

I borrowed The Real Meal Revolution from the library yesterday.  It is a Banting or LCHF (low carb high fat) cookbook and the recipes are amazing!!

I decided that I would try to cook the Kung Pao with Coconut Cauliflower Rice.  It looks so good in the cookbook and from the video you can see that it seems fairly easy to cook.

 I'm intrigued to see what the Coconut Cauli-Rice tastes like.  Cauliflower Rice is a low carb alternative to rice - have you ever tasted it? 

 I had to buy every single ingredient as I had nothing in my pantry. 

And voila - here is the finished dish!

It was very tasty but next time I will add less water to the cauli-rice as it was a little watery.  But definitely a success and was given the thumbs up by my husband......even though he spotted straight away that there was not real rice on the plate.

The Real Meal Revolution is available from Amazon - if you are looking for a Low Carb High Fat cookbook I would think this is a good buy.  As well as including lots of great recipes with super pics, all the science behind Banting or LCHF and why fat doesn't cause obesity but Carbohydrate does is explained thoroughly at the back by Professor Tim Noakes.  It's a whopper of a book and I think it is the LCHF bible!