Fabulous New Finds

I wanted to share some of my new grocery store finds over the last couple of months.  They're not all super new finds, as I started writing this post when we got back from Vancouver in February.  So typical of me to get so side-tracked...  

Nonetheless...  

Some are delicious, healthy new finds.  And others are just plain ol' tasty treats.

1.  Kefir

I have purchased kefir before in the past, but it came in a container, like yogurt.  I didn't realize at the time that kefir is apparently always a drink.  And, at the time I tried it, I didn't love it.  When I saw this again in the grocery store, I thought I'd buy it to see if Logan might drink it.  Thinking that it's sort of like a healthy Yop (which he's never had, but I thought he would like, given his addiction to yogurt - definitely inherited from his mother). 

Turns out he didn't like the plain flavour.  So I buy one container of plain and one of strawberry or raspberry.  And I mix about 1/3 of the flavoured one with 2/3 of plain, and he'll drink it like that.  In fact, it turns out he loves it.  And begs "more fefir" all the time.  I think he just really likes that I serve it to him in a real cup with a straw instead of a sippy cup.  I particularly like that this makes for part of a quick and easy breakfast (goes nicely with the cheerios that he eats out of a bowl on the floor of the bathroom while I take my shower!).

Kefir is Logan's new favourite!
(p.s. can you tell how old this photo is already???)

2.  Greek yogurt

I've always been quite addicted to yogurt.  Recently, I've become more specialized in this addiction by focusing on Greek yogurt.  My doctor just coincidentally mentioned to me that the two newest dietary trends these days are gluten-free and Greek yogurt.  And I just had to chuckle because I'm soooooooooo on the Greek yogurt band wagon. 

Jérôme and I quite like the new Oikos Greek yogurt that has recently come out.  We particularly enjoy it with a bit of maple sugar or agave syrup stirred in, for just a little sweetness.  Perfect dessert.  

Logan doesn't like eating plain yogurt anymore.  So I've just stared buying the individual Liberty greek yogurt sold at Costco.  

I then mix one of these containers with an equal amount of plain Greek yogurt, so that the result is not as sweet as the flavoured ones sold in-store.  Since we eat A LOT of yogurt in our house, I usually mix a few of them together at the same time and just keep it in a bigger tub, so that it's readily accessible for a few days.  And when I have a bit more time, I defrost some frozen berries, purée them and stir those into the plain yogurt.  That way, we can avoid the sugar altogether.

Greek yogurt is more pricey than regular yogurt - the larger plain containers are $4 - $5 and the smaller ones come out to about $1/container at Costco.  But I figure that, given the 18g of protein per serving, it's worth the money.

3. Dark chocolate cream cheese (uh... can anyone see a dairy theme going on here yet??).

YUUUUM.  And YUM!!  Did I say yum?

I found this in the States when we were in Seattle.  And couldn't resist buying it.  Even though maybe 2 years ago I didn't even like cream cheese.  But I do now!  And dark chocolate cream cheese?? How can you go wrong with this?  It was exactly as it sounds.  

Delicious.  

I sadly ended up having to toss the rest of the container as we headed home, since we didn't manage to quite finish it during our stay.  But it was well worth just being able to try it.  Can't wait 'til this comes out in Canada.  

Imagine cheesecake made with it???

The photos are awful, as I was in a dark hotel room and breastfeeding Chloé at the same time. But I nonetheless had to share this deliciousness with you:

yes, this is the desk at the hotel - shhhhh....

4.  Liberty cream cheese

I was introduced to this by my friend Liz. Who warned me that her family finished the whole tub within a couple of days of opening it.  That is exactly what happened when I bought it as well.  Which is exactly why I don't buy this often.  But it is super yummy for a treat.  This is the light - the regular is even better!!!  But I learned my lesson after buying it once!

5.  Natrel dark chocolate milk

Did I mention dairy theme much??

I am in LOVE with this new dark chocolate milk :)

It's quite rich, so a small glass hits the spot. Y-U-M!!  I just hide from Logan when I'm drinking it, because I don't want him to start begging for chocolate milk - ya know, the whole do as I say, not as I do thing ;)

6.  Silver Hills breads

Katie introduced me to this absolutely fantastic line of bread by Silver Hills while we were out West.  It's a line of super healthy organic sprouted breads that are free of artificial preservatives.  All breads are packed with healthy, hearty ingredients and loaded with both protein and fiber. As an example, the squirrely bread has 5 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber, per slice! (100 calories).  And the bagels have 16g of protein and 10g of fiber per bagel!! 

And not only that, but they also happen to be delicious. 

These breads are obviously super healthy for anyone, but are particularly good for people with diabetes, since they are so high in protein/fiber.  The loaves are a bit pricey, at about $5.50 a loaf, but I figure that it's worth the money for the amount of protein and fiber each slice contains (and it means that Jérôme could actually eat a whole bagel, if he so desired).

These are carried at our local health food store, in the freezer section.  You can find out if they're sold in your area here.  All breads are vegan and the company also carries a few gluten-free options.

7.  Asian pears

These aren't a new, new find to me, as we've probably been buying them on and off for over a year now.  But I really, really like them for a change, when I'm getting sick of the typical winter fruits.  Logan's also just started eating and enjoying them.  He particularly liked dipping them in his blueberry-applesauce.

again, can you see how old this photo now is??

They're super juicy and always nice and crunchy, which I love.  They're a bit pricey, at about $1 or so a pear.  So we don't buy them all the time, but do on occasion as a treat.

8.  Chocolate covered blueberries and açai berries

These were also introduced to me by Katie while in Vancouver.  They're sold at Costco and are delicious.  'Nuff said!

  
9.  Le Creuset pans

I've been wanting to get these high quality Le Creuset pans for a long time now.  However, they're relatively expensive, so we've always held off.  But when we were driving home from Seattle, we came across a Le Creuset outlet, which was selling the pans much cheaper than they sell in Canada.  And they were also having a scratch and save sale.  And Jérôme snagged a 35% off coupon - the highest you could get.  Who could resist that??  (These deals are, indeed, made for people like me!). 

So we convinced ourselves that we could fit two of these super heavy pans into our suitcases, amongst all of the junk we were traveling with for two little kids.  But soooooo worth it!!!  I've been loving using them ever since.

Do you have any new, delicious grocery store finds you'd like to share??