Illustration by Kat Frick Miller
Welcome to The Globe’s series, What’s In My Cart?, where we’re asking Canadians how they stock their kitchens. If you’d like to tell us your story, fill out this form or e-mail reporter Daniel Reale-Chin at: realechin@gmail.com
Natalie Syrmopoulos describes her two young girls (ages 11 and 8) as gladiators: strong-willed and full of energy. In her own career as a parenting coach, the 46-year-old has been using her own experience as a mother and a wife, coupled with her background in psychology and education, to help other parents raise their children and promote harmony at home.
The dinner table tends to be a common point of contention for a lot of families, she says. As a parent and parenting expert, she says getting children to eat protein and vegetables over sugary snacks can be difficult, given how sweet treats are readily available.
To combat that, Syrmopoulos keeps a continuing grocery shopping list, finds healthy snacks that her children enjoy, and plans a rotation of meals for the week along with her husband and kids to give them a sense of choice.
“You’re less likely to hear ‘no’ when your kids feel like they had a say in the meal that’s on the table,” she says.
In her own home, Syrmopoulos has a rule of three: at least three bites of protein and vegetables. She makes sure her daughters begin their day with a high-protein breakfast – an egg-white omelette is a family favourite. Her family must always sit down for dinner together, which she describes as a time to connect with her kids, learn about their joys and challenges, teach them about nutritional intake and pass on good eating habits.
Here is how the Syrmopoulos family shops for groceries.
How I save money on groceries: I buy staple items that I know we’ll use, such as wraps, eggs and cheese, whenever I see them on sale. I know they’ll get used in my house, so I don’t mind buying extra.
How I splurge on groceries: We splurge on protein like eggs and egg whites, organic poultry that is free of antibiotics and good cuts of meat like flank steak that we usually enjoy with my husband’s homemade chimichurri.
The hardest shopping habit to keep up: Healthy snacks can be hard to find, especially ones that my kids will enjoy eating or that are easy to pack for school. Made Good bars have become a staple, as well as yogurt drinks. I feel confident about giving them to my kids because I’ve read the label and I know what I’m feeding them is healthy.
How I’ve changed my eating habits recently: I’ve learned to simplify the meals that I make. We’re all busy, so I don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen cooking. I try to find simple meals that would satisfy everyone, and we’ve learned to cook on a rotation each week. So we’ll always have a taco night, for example, and eat out once a week. It gives you something to look forward to and makes things easier to prepare.
Five items always in my cart:
- Chicken bone broth – Imagine – $3.97: I like this bone broth. It’s non-GMO, gluten-free and made in Canada. I use it to make an easy chicken lemon soup with rice, a good olive oil, garlic, lemon, chicken breast, carrots and spinach and some feta, or an easy minestrone. My kids enjoy it, and I know it’s healthy.
- Rapini (broccoli rabe) – $3.97: I grew up eating rapini, it’s a staple in southern Italian homes. I usually blanch them and fry some garlic in olive oil and sea salt and throw that on top for an easy side dish.
- Tortilla chips – Que Pasa – $4.80: We usually eat these tortilla chips on taco night, and I might make them as nachos with organic ground beef and cheese for another treat. I can even find them unsalted if I’m looking to reduce our sodium.
- Smoked wild sockeye salmon – President’s Choice – $8.99: My girls love smoked salmon, we usually eat it about once a week. It’s a good source of protein, and it’s also easily available and easy to prepare.
- Brazil nuts – Elan – $8.79: This is my snack. Nuts are a good healthy fat, and I love Brazil nuts specifically. I like these because they’re organic.
This interview has been edited and condensed.