Oh! For Convenience Sake!!

 

It is day four of driving kids to activities, cleaning the house, dropping kids at school. I'm heading into day three of volunteering this week and I'm getting ready to host two play dates tomorrow afternoon at an indoor playground, where I too will need to run, jump and climb like a ninja. I'm tapped out My Friends! This mama needs an easy dinner! 

Buying convenience food is a necessity. Everyone needs a break from time to time. Convenience foods, however, are not all created equal. I have a few tips and tricks up my sleeve that will help you find healthier options for you family. 

My first recommendation is find a grocery store that makes food on site, from healthy and wholesome ingredients. Living in a city, I'm very fortunate. Some of my favourite stops for healthy and convenient food are places like Soffrito's, a local oil distributor that sells fantastic homemade pizzas, pastas, casseroles and salads. It'll cost you more than a trip to McDonald's, but your kids need fuel to get through their evening activities after a full day at school. These "homecooked meals" are no different than something you would prepare in your own kitchen, full of fibre, nutrients, proteins and healthy fats. The mess, however, is in someone else's kitchen.  You get all of the glory and the credit for something that someone else prepared! 

 

Another favourite stop is my local Italian Market. Spinelli Italian Centre is a grocery store, a bakery, a deli and a Cafe. Which means I can fuel my body on the best and most affordable cappuccino in town, while picking up healthy ingredients and meals for my family. Better yet, I can book a coffee date with a friend and then bumble through the store. 

I grabbed so many awesome and convenient foods at the market today. When I'm shopping for convenience, I'm looking for minimal ingredients. A short list. Ingredients I know by name. 

 

I picked up these potatoes on a recommendation from my Bestie. She's says they're super delicious, can't wait to munch on my potatoes cooked in duck fat, which by the way crisps up a potato like no other potato.  They'll be lovely alongside some chicken, served with broccoli or a bagged salad. 

 

This sweet kale salad is so good I forgot to photograph the bag. All I'm saying is convenient doesn't need to be unhealthy, it just needs to be quick!

I keep Coco Brooks frozen pizzas in my freezer. I love to pick up the kid's cheese flavoured one. This is a locally made pizza, from a company that offers tons of fundraising opportunities for charities, schools and organized sports. 

 

A cheese pizza is a perfect jumping off point for kids. A great lesson in simple cooking. Sure you could have it plain or you could add your favourite toppings before you cook it up. Your favourite pepperoni, salami or even mushrooms. 

Today we're having Meatball Subs, garlic buttered with marinara sauce, spinach, a sprinkle of parsley and Parmesan Cheese. This recipe is simple especially when you don't need to prep the meatballs!  I purchased these meatballs at the Italian Market, they cost me about $13.00 and they're fantastic. 

 

How about if you don't even need to cook your marinara sauce? Even more simple, right? As you can see the sauce was $6.25, I only needed half of it, I'll freeze the rest for a later date!! I'll use it on a pizza, as a pretzel dip or over pasta. 

 

I picked up torpedo buns for our sandwiches. Mmmm. They were made in the bakery at the market. I buttered the buns with my favourite garlic butter, which I always keep on hand. 

 

I had a few extra minutes, as you can see in this pic, its only 5:09. My first sport drop off was at 6pm. Lots of time! I sautéed some zucchini in my favourite olive oil...Soffritto's Garlic Infused Olive Oil. I buy as much of it as I can, as often as I can! I also added some sea salt, some pepper and some oregano. 

 

These zucchini rounds were a nice touch! I served my kids meatball sandwiches on toasted torpedo buns, with sautéed zucchini, spinach and fresh parsley. They may or may not have removed the zucchini...but I definitely enjoyed it! They did partake in the side Caesar Salad and the heirloom carrots. They even left their spinach on their subs. 

 

There you have it!! Quick, convenient and relatively low cost. I'm calling this one...#winning. 

If you have any questions, comments or you just liked this Big Idea, feel free to comment below! Thanks for reading!!