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On Plan in Yellowknife
As a Canadian, you've probably never visited the Northwest Territories. In the latest feature in our "On Plan Series", we take you to Yellowknife, the capital city of this region. Although isolated and subject to long, cold, dark winters, we found plenty of quality restaurants and recreational activities to help Weight Watchers members stay on plan in Yellowknife.
Northern Dining
Yellowknife is fortunate to have outstanding cultural and recreational facilities. Its citizens enjoy the best of both worlds when it comes to modern and traditional Aboriginal foods.
Fresh fish supplement the diets of many northerners. Arctic Char, undoubtedly the most precious gem of the region, is an official banquet food for many affairs of state in Canada, including the Queen of England! With a succulent texture and a distinctive flavour somewhere between salmon and trout, Arctic Char provides an excellent source of nutritious omega-3 fatty acid. Use it in any recipe that calls for salmon or trout - it's delicious baked, broiled, grilled, poached, pan-fried or smoked!
However, the real stars of northern dining are "country foods." Caribou is a staple meat among the Inuit, Dene and Metis which is traditionally eaten raw, frozen, aged, cooked or dried. An important source of Vitamin A for Aboriginal people, it is rich in protein and very low in fat (1%) when compared to 12-20% for beef, pork and poultry. For a healthy meal, you may want to try roast caribou along with oven-roasted potatoes and stir-fried broccoli. Other popular foods in this category include Arctic hare (fat content of 1%), goose (excellent source of B vitamins, protein, iron and fat), duck (excellent source of protein, iron and Vitamins A and B), and ptarmigan (low in fat and an excellent source of B vitamins and protein).
To stock up on these and other fresh fare, there are three major grocery retail outlets including the Yellowknife Direct Charge Co-op, which gladly places special orders. There is also a small Asian specialty outlet, a host of convenience stores, and Marie's Organic, the newest shop which caters to health conscious eaters.
Best Bets on Restaurants
For those who prefer dining out, Yellowknife has at least five fine restaurants that provide conscientious diners with wholesome meals.
Chef Pierre LePage's L'Héritage Restaurant Français, perhaps the finest and most expensive restaurant in Yellowknife, offers elegant and classical French cuisine. L'Héritage was awarded two stars in the 2001 edition of "Where to Eat in Canada" and received an Honourable Mention in the August 2002 issue of Wine Spectator Magazine for its wine cellar. Weight Watchers members and subscribers can easily stay on Plan by selecting grilled Arctic char in a gooseberry habanera salsa, Caribou chops, Prince Edward Island mussels in chicken broth or a veggie platter, all of which are regularly featured on the menu.
The Millwright Restaurant, located in Chateau Nova Hotel, offers salads including a local favourite Arctic char and spinach option with a lemon juice, olive oil & pepper dressing. Barkley's Restaurant in the Explorer Hotel and The Office Restaurant also offer lighter menu items while Our Place Restaurant carries a variety of vegetarian dishes. The TeePee Bannock Restaurant, located in N'Dilo, offers traditional Dene food. The menu changes from day to day but includes whitefish, trout, fresh bannock, soups, salads – and awesome caribou stew!
Of course diners can also feast on Asian, Chinese, French, Mexican and Vietnamese cuisine or enjoy sushi at Restaurant Sakura. There's also pub food and the usual fast-food outlets that can be found throughout North America.
Recreation
Yellowknife is an active community whether it's under the midnight sun or the shimmering Northern Lights. From archery to underwater hockey and volleyball – Yellowknifers do it all!
Yellowknife's indoor recreational facilities include the Ruth Inch Memorial Pool, a curling club, two arenas with three ice surfaces, a bowling alley, and numerous school gymnasiums. There are also three commercial fitness centres: Break Away Fitness Centre, Body Works Training and Rehab Centre, and the Yellowknife Racquet Club.
Outdoor recreational facilities include tennis courts, a skateboard park, a mini-golf course, the 18-hole Yellowknife Golf Club, ballparks, soccer pitches, playgrounds, basketball courts which do double duty as skating rinks during the winter, Long Lake beach, and a cross-country ski and biathlon facility.
For those who prefer to walk, run and/or cycle close to home, there are four excellent trails within city limits. The Frame Lake Trail (about 7 kilometres) and the Niven Lake Trail (about 1.3 kilometres and a bird watcher's paradise!) are both located in the heart of Yellowknife. There is also the Range Lake Trail (2.1 kilometres) in the southwest end of the city and the Prospectors Trail (about 4 kilometres) which is near the Yellowknife airport and is mostly a wilderness trail.
There are also numerous hiking trails within a short drive of Yellowknife. Local favourites include the Bighill Lake Trail which is a 6.5-kilometre trail starting near Madeline Lake about 20 kilometres from Yellowknife. The Prelude Wildlife Trail takes about 90 minutes to walk and is located in Prelude Lake Territorial Campground about 30 kilometers from the city. A "must" for all hikers is the Cameron Falls located just under 50 kilometres from Yellowknife. It's a one-kilometre trail with some steep sections which leads to beautiful Cameron Falls.
The blue lakes and rivers of this Canadian Shield country are also paradise for canoeists and kayakers who can spend years on the water and never repeat the same trip twice. The most popular trips include Cassidy Point to Yellowknife River Bridge (one-day trip), Hidden Lake Trip (one or more days with three portages each way), the Tibbitt Lake Loop (an easy weekend tour), and the Lower Cameron River (a one-day trip for experienced paddlers).
For more information on where to visit and what to eat in Yellowknife, you can visit http://city.yellowknife.nt.ca.
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