By the time J and I arrived at Bend we were already starving and we were lucky that our sweet friend Taya had already picked The McKay Cottage for brunch!

Iâ€m not sure how the parking works for weekdays but there was plenty of street parking during this past weekend.  McKay Cottage is a lovely small restaurant. They give you hot coffee and samples of sweet pastries while you wait for your table. We had no problems waiting for our tables 10 minutes on Saturday and 20 minutes on Sunday while sipping our hot coffees.

On Saturday J ordered the Veggie Omelette, Taya had a Mango-Orange Mimosa with eggs Benedict. I ordered buttermilk pancakes and sausage. We shared strawberries creme filled crepes. Their cottage potatoes were boasting in savory and crispiness, I really enjoyed them.

J and I wished the crepes were a bit thinner and toastier, but thatâ€s a personal preference.  The whipped cream and strawberries were just perfect in quantity and sweetness, so yes I would order them again.

I tried Tayaâ€s egg benedict special with the spicy hollandaise sauce and Andouille sausages. It was very flavorful and the portion very generous.

On Sunday morning we decided to try McKay Cottage again. Not only did I enjoy their pancakes, but the place has such a positive vibe and clean ambiance you canâ€t help to feel happy while youâ€re there.  We had to try that butter scone again, the marion berry marmalade and butter complimented great along with a cup of coffee.

This time I ordered my pancakes with a side of ham, as you can see on the picture it is a very generous piece.  It was salty enough to make a great contrast with the sweetness of the pancakes and strawberries.  I liked the ham over the breakfast sausage links.

Taya started her Sunday with the Croissant Stuffed French Toast with Italian mascarpone cheese and strawberry compote, she shared some of it with us. It was like an explosion of sweet flavors.  She ordered it with a side of sausage, which makes sense considering this dish was like a dessert!  I think it is a great dish to share, just like the crepes.

J preferred his Sundayâ€s dish ‘McKay Cottage Potatoes†over Saturdayâ€s omelet. He was very pleased with it and as a personal preference he would have liked a side of sour cream.

We will be returning for more brunches, this time Iâ€ll make sure to join Taya with a Mango-Orange Mimosa and order butter scones to go for the road trip back to Portland.

¡a comer!

Sundays gives me sweet and sour feelings, it makes me think a lot about the things I want to do that I didn’t get to do on Saturdays and at the same time I think to myself ‘heck tomorrow is Monday so I want to do nothing today’.  Today has felt different and I’m sure the fact that it isn’t freezing cold outside has a lot to do with it.  I played tennis and started the day with a fruity shake so I was hoping to not ruin the ‘healthy’ approach, yet I also enjoy my non-so-healthy meals on weekends.  I know it’s not good to reward yourself with food, but if you have met me for even a few hours in life, or read my tweets, or even looked at my instagram, by now you should know that I love food, and lots of it.

The other day on Twitter a friend shared her meal, and it had Kale Chips in it, she told me how easy in 9 minutes you can bake them, drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper.  I did the same thing, I used purple kale, removed the thick stems and broke the leaves with my fingers, drizzle the oil and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, salt and fresh pepper and yes, it was that easy!

Before I placed the kale inside of the oven, while pre-heating at 375F, I got my Lemon/Limeade going on, then reserved in the fridge.   Sliced my Sweet potatoes in cubes and put inside a deep dish, covered in plastic and cooked in the microwave for 5 minutes.  Sliced the Onions and used some leftovers cooked mushrooms to add once the onions were sauteed in the pan.  The Kale inside of the oven now, while my other pan is hot enough to drop my burger patties, cooked them with 1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil.  Removed onions and mushrooms from the other pan, reserved in a plate and then added more coconut oil into the pan to sautee my now soft sweet potatoes. Removed burgers from the other pan and then toasted my bread with oil left in the pan.

This post isn’t about sharing a recipe since there was a lot going on and I didn’t actually take the time to write anything, I took pictures as the dishes were ready to eat, and since the boy was very hungry I only took a few shots!

Though this menu is completely vegan I have to share with all of you that I’m not a vegan anymore.  If anyone has a question please feel free to post under the comments, tweet, post on facebook, email, no faxes please! : )  just kidding.  Anyways I wanted to share this with you and if a recipe I post isn’t 100% vegan I’ll always try to share suggestions for substitutions.  I’m not sure I’ll be blogging more details on my change of diet, but for now I thank everyone who has supported me through this journey, I wouldn’t change it for a bit and my life is much better thanks to it.

Now I need to finish some of the fruit leftover and I’m already planning dinner, because it is a Sunday after all!

Peace.

Oven Baked – Kale Chips

Sweet Potato Home Fries

Crispy Veg Burger w/ Sauteed Mushrooms & Onions

Fresh Mango & Papaya Chunks