What I Bought This Week #32

Staycation week was a huge success!! We'll definitely be doing that again. We spent most of our time exploring different neighbourhoods and trying a variety of eateries. As a result, we didn't bring much into our home this week -- but there were a few things.

We went trampolining for the first time at Sky Zone and had a blast!! You have to buy Sky Socks (regular socks but with grippy stuff at the bottom) to be allowed on the trampolines so hubby and I each added a pair of socks to our collection. They weren't too expensive at $3.50 per pair and we'll be able to use them the next time we go to Sky Zone.

We bought a few groceries as we had family over yesterday -- after a successful escape from Bad Blood: Death Row at Escape Manor, we played Catan on our building's terrace while munching on mostly healthy snacks. One of my sister's friends brought durian so hubby was a very happy camper. I didn't like durian the first few times I tried it but this one was sweeter, creamier, and less pungent so I didn't mind it at all! My sister gave us all souvenirs from her recent trip to Portugal -- the five of us choosing which key chain we wanted was entertaining in and of itself.

Overall, hubby and I had a great staycation week, but it's back to our regular routine after one more family dinner tonight. I plan to catch up with a lot of my creative endeavours, meet up with friends, and get back to healthy eating. My first August vlog will be posted very soon! Hope you've all been enjoying your August!

What I Bought This Week #31

This was a very light week in terms of purchases for the home, but hubby and I are a couple days into our staycation so we've been going out a lot. Full disclosure: we made an exception in our alcohol no-buy today. We went to Left Field Brewery as part of our east end exploration today, but there was a 20-30 minute wait for the tap room. We didn't fancy waiting in the sun (and we had already drank a bunch of beer earlier in the day), so we decided to visit the bottle shop and pick out 6 cans to try instead.

Our staycation has been amazing so far and I'll be posting a new vlog shortly on Authenblissity. In the meantime, I started a couple new Instagram accounts to document our food adventures:
• @eatsabound chronicles our eat-at-home adventures -- this account features food we make at home and takeaway we bring home.
• @threehungrywongs is a collaboration with my sisters -- this account features food from eateries around the world.

HAPPY AUGUST!

What I Bought This Week #30

We made a Costco run yesterday, and it was a pretty typical week in terms of what we've been bringing into our home. We bought a lot of groceries, restocked some toiletries and probiotics, and nabbed a few freebies from the grand opening of the new Tim Hortons Innovation Cafe. The gift cards are empty now, but I'm keeping mine to remind me that eating a half dozen donuts in one sitting does not make me feel good. The other card belongs to hubby. We're going to be cooling our jets this week in terms of food to prepare for our upcoming staycation!

Donut Taste Test • Tim Hortons Innovation Cafe

Since Hubby and I both enjoy doing taste tests, we figured we'd try the entire lineup of Dream Donuts from the Tim Hortons Innovation Cafe that just opened up in Toronto. We love donuts, so this was really just an excuse to eat 12 of them. These donuts are a bit "fancier" than the regular Tim Hortons donuts, but not as amped up as the $3-5 fancy donuts that are out there now. These donuts are currently priced at $1.99 each, $9.99 for 6, or $18.99 for 12.

Our favourite Dream Donuts from the Tim Hortons Innovation Cafe were:

Maple Bacon. The combination of a yeast donut base with a simple maple dip, topped with pieces of candied bacon was fantastic.

PB&J. This yeast donut filled with raspberry jam and topped with a peanut butter glaze and peanut pieces was decadent, peanut-y, and delicious.

Hazelnut Buttercream. This was one of my husband's favourites -- he doesn't normally gravitate towards chocolate donuts but he loved the buttercream and hazelnuts on this cake donut. I was ok about it.

Brown Butter & Sea Salt. This cake donut, topped with house-made brown butter icing and sea salt flakes, was simple yet had a "Je Ne Sais Quoi" quality to it. I wish it had a bit more sea salt though.

A bit about my tastes: I'm not a huge fan of fancy donuts. I prefer donuts that are easy to eat and don't have a lot going on. I usually prefer cake donuts (unless they're the dreamy Krispy Kreme Original Glazed variety). Please let us know if you like donuts and what your favourites are... and if you've tried any of the Dream Donuts, we would love to hear your thoughts. :)

If you're interested, please feel free to follow me on my new IG account where I'll be chronicling my eat-at-home adventures.

Not sponsored.

What I Bought This Week #29

This was a very low spending week in terms of the things we brought into our home. We were busy eating all our Costco goodies (hubby picked out a HUGE piece of salmon last week), so I only needed to grab a few things from the grocery store. And yes, I know we are on an alcohol no-buy, but they were giving out free cider on the street! I love cider and I've never tried this one -- I couldn't didn't say no.

What I Bought This Week #28

This week was a relatively big shopping week. We are starting to run low on a few things -- shampoo, dish soap, groceries, and pet supplies. One thing we're not running low on is alcohol, yet we keep buying more! We don't drink booze nearly as quickly as we purchase it, so our stock has become rather inflated. In an attempt to course correct, effective immediately, we're going to implement an alcohol no-buy until the end of the year. We may still purchase some as gifts or if we're visiting friends... or if we go out of town, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. In the meantime, we'll slowly enjoy what we currently have -- I'm sure it will last us quite some time.

What I Bought This Week #27

It's been a hot and sticky week in Toronto. The air is much lighter today, but the rest of the week has felt humid and downright stifling. I've been craving fruit and cold drinks -- preferably enjoyed on a shady patio -- which is the theme of this "What I Bought This Week." Besides having fun meals on our condo's communal terrace, hubby and I have been enjoying downtown TO's many patios. We've become Happy Hour aficionados, and this has allowed us to derive maximum enjoyment out of our summer restaurant dollars. :) I hope you've been making the most of this lovely weather!