Re-discovering Toronto as a mom: June 2014

We’ve heard tall the excuses haven’t we?

- I’m too busy to focus on eating well

- There’s just no time to make a lunch or snacks

- I can’t be bothered carrying a lunch let alone making one

- I’m on the road a lot and have limited options

- I’m not sure what is considered healthy
- ...

My tip for you is: Find and stop at the grocery store – not a fast food drive through!

Most big chain grocery stores now days offer a decent variety of foods you can grab on the go. It is well priced considering you are eating out, and usually made fresh the same day. If you can venture into a european or middle eastern style market, you'll find and even more interesting variety to chose from. You still need to be cautious on your choices but at least the healthy options are there.

These pre-made salads are a good size and if you chose the dark leafed ones with the most colourful variety of vegetables, you can't really go wrong... unless you chose the wrong dressing! Pick a vinaigrette style dressing (or don't use any at all) and use about a table spoon's worth.

If you're a big sushi lover, don't bother getting your hopes up with grocery store sushi. However, if you're not too picky, this could be a decent option as long as you pick the ones that aren't covered with sauce and filled with too much processed crab. Stick with the basics like salmon, avocado, cucs & carrots if you want to keep it somewhat lean & healthy.

Yes!

Stick to colourful salads with signature grain, bean or lentil blends. They may seem a little pricier but you will not need much as they are usually pretty filling.

Things like cheeses, olives, nice breads, humus or smoked salmon are also usually available near this section of the grocery store.

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One of my faves - Loblaw's quinoa roasted corn & spinach salad

Avoid anything that consists of mayo being the main ingredient like these potato and macaroni salads. They are full of empty calories and will likely make you feel heavy and hungry again quickly. Roasted chicken is something I always like to get at the grocery store when I eat there on the go. Just make sure you can tell the difference between roasted and deep fried ;-)

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Looking for a snack? Walk through the nuts and dried fruit aisle instead of the chips and candy.

When I was a little girl, we travelled quite a bit as a family driving across the states, usually to spend a couple weeks in either Florida or California – the sunshine states! My parents were not very wealthy so when we travelled, it was on a budget. We packed a cooler full of fresh food we could eat on the road (pita bread, tomato, cucumber, feta – Best combination ever BTW!) and made the car cozy because chances were, we would likely be sleeping in there. Funny, I always wondered why motels on the road were always so booked up… It’s not that they were booked, my father just wanted to keep costs low. This way, he can afford to buy a new pair of ostridge or alligator skin cowboy boots. He also wanted to spend less time sleeping and more time behind the wheel to get there, so he said.

We would pack the station wagon, seats down in the back covered with blankets, basically turning the back into a huge bed for us to sleep and play on. We placed our bags around the perimeter of this cozy mattress on wheels. Big items like the cooler were somehow secured in the back and this soft square space in the middle was left for us to relax on (“mom, what’s a car seat?”). It was nice because the view out the window was pretty neat as we drove through desert, Rocky Mountains and big state cities.

Once we arrived to our destination, my parents would usually spend about an hour or two knocking on a few doors of local beach motels to see what was the best deal we can get for a small family “suite” for the week (this was Florida – we mostly stayed with family friends in California). My father was pretty good at talking them down to a steal and he knew taking cash out of his pocket to pay up front for the whole week would get us the room he wanted. Of course, our room had to have a little kitchenette because we would only eat out a couple of times during our holidays and when we did, it was an all you can eat buffet that served children food for free. We didn’t care. It was all you can eat and we were eating out!

Making your own food on vacation means you need to get groceries. So after our first day on the beach, we’d get cleaned up, finish whatever was left over from the cooler and head to the local supermarket. Although Florida had amazing local fruits, I don’t recall grocery stores being anything spectacular. The tastiest juiciest peach I have ever eaten was in Florida. I was probably about 8 and still remember the huge and flavorful peach that crunched my thirst. My dad bought a big basket on the side of the road from a local farmer. L.A. however was no doubt ahead of the game in terms of what they had to offer in their grocery stores. I remember walking into a huge Armenian supermarket in Glendale (I think it was Vons) and loving all the options of pita breads, baklavas, specialty meats and cheeses and huge piles of local fresh produce.

Though Toronto has come a long way, it has been very slow at developing high caliber grocery stores that provide plentiful produce and healthy foods at a reasonable price. Often, I find myself having to make a few different stops to get a complete grocery done with all of the specialty items I’m looking for. Well, I was happy to find out from a good friend of mine that Toronto finally opened an enormous Middle Eastern grocery store (long overdue) about 15 minutes from my house!

Adonis – started out as a family owned business in 1979 serving a growing Middle Eastern population, and has since grown into a successful chain with 2 new stores in the GTA (Scarborough & Mississauga). They have partnered with Metro and from what I’ve read on their website, have shown to live up to their warm, friendly values, and knowledgeable expertise.