Grassroots Cafe at the Auto Mall

The other day I went for lunch at Grassroots Cafe, in the Alloy Collision Centre (haha what?) at the Wyant Group auto mall (haha WHAT?). Grassroots Cafe is part of Grassroots Restaurant Group, i.e. Saskatoon's claim to food fame, Chef Dale McKay. It was excellent!

I would never have even heard of this tiny cafe if my sisters didn't go to the Sage Beauty Bar in the same building for eyelash extensions. Listen, I'm as confused as you are as to why people are getting eyelash extensions at the auto mall, but I also went there and got a delicious sandwich next to what appeared to be a small car museum, so maybe we just need to accept that none of this makes sense. It almost has zero online presence and is not included on the Grassroots OR Alloy websites. It's like a speakeasy for artisanal sandwiches - it looks like you're walking into a building to ask about fixing your car but really you're just there to get lunch.

The menu is limited to a few sandwiches, a couple salads, and one daily soup. However, all three of us were really impressed by our meals, and the prices were reasonable, especially considering the food quality. Everything was extremely flavourful and fresh. I mostly work from home in Stonebridge and also have a few friends with offices in the neighbourhood, so this will probably become our new go-to lunch spot!

Sorry, new to blogging in the Instagram era, did not take pictures.

Field-Ripened Strawberries

When The Strawberry Ranch stopped growing strawberries a couple years ago, it was almost as if a death had occurred. Maybe not akin to the death of a close loved one, but perhaps that of a former co-worker or acquaintance that you enjoyed running into every so often, and felt a profound sadness when you realized you’d never see them again, even though they weren’t a critical part of your life, they still made your day better when you saw them. Is this too morbid of a metaphor?

The strawberries from The Strawberry Ranch were sublime. This is not an exaggeration. There is no contest between store berries that are picked before they ripen to ensure they can be shipped without too much bruising, and allowing the berries to fully ripen on the plant. I recall one August day at my former place of work, a cube farm mate, T, announced that she was heading over to pick up some strawberries at lunch. Another cube mate, J, began scoffing, asking what could possibly be so great about STRAWBERRIES that she had to drive out of town to get them when she could just buy them at the grocery store. T shook her head. “J,” she said, “you’ll see when I get back.”

When she returned, she placed a couple of ripe berries on his desk. Cries of “OH MY GOD. THIS IS SO GOOD. WHAT IS THIS” could be heard from J’s cubicle. And that, friends, is the story I always think of when I remember the magical natural candy that was produced at The Strawberry Ranch, and why so many of us in Saskatoon and area legitimately mourned when we found out that they were discontinuing their namesake berry. I know The Berry Barn still grows hydroponic strawberries, but whether it’s actually true or not I just don’t believe fruit tastes as good when it’s grown indoors (though I am 100% pro-hydroponic food production, maybe a hypocrite, but let me enjoy this once-per-year indulgence).

This year, I learned of a new grower in the Saskatoon area. Raina’s Organics began selling locally grown, organic strawberries at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market in early August. I arrived at the Farmers’ Market last Saturday minutes before opening to ensure I could score a container. And while I have to admit that they aren’t quite as good as The Strawberry Ranch (due I think to picking a little less ripe), they are still miles better than anything in a Driscoll’s box from California. We ate them one day with balsamic whipped cream, and another day in homemade strawberry shortcake, which honestly might have been the best thing I ever made, in my life, and I am a very good cook. Here is the recipe, and a photo that my sister took when she made it because I was too excited to even take a photo.

Strawberry Shortcake for Two

Adapted from One Dish Kitchen

Shortcake:

½ cup all purpose flour

1 tbsp granulated sugar

½ tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

2 tbsp coconut oil (solid)

3-4 tbsp buttermilk, kefir, yogurt, or sour cream

Filling:

About ½ cup heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla

About 1 cup sliced strawberries

1 tbsp brown sugar

Method:

Stir the sugar into the strawberries and allow to sit for at least 30 minutes to release juices.

Make the shortcake: Mix all dry ingredients together, and cut in oil with a pastry blender until it looks a bit like oatmeal scattered throughout the dry ingredients. Stir in the liquid until the dough comes together, it should be soft but not sticky. Do not knead. Gently shape into two balls, and flatten slightly, but not too much because you want a nice height. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

Heat oven to 400 and bake the cakes on parchment for about 13 minutes.

Beat the cream and vanilla to make whipped cream. Add more cream if the amount looks stingy.

Cool the cakes slightly, then cut in half and fill with strawberries and whipped cream.

Getting Exercise

The single best thing I’ve done for my general health and wellbeing over the past few years is finally, truly get into the habit of regular exercise. We all know that exercise is supposed to be the magical cure-all (or at least a drastic risk-lowerer) for everything from heart disease to cancer to depression, but darn it if this isn’t easier said than done. There are many forms of exercise that are just not fun and even though you know it makes you feel better after you do it, what a burden to work up the energy and willpower to actually start! Here is what helped me build exercise into my daily routine. 

1. Methodically make it a habit - I began my “daily exercise” journey with a New Year’s Resolution to get at least “some form” of exercise every day. This didn’t mean a set amount of time, just to do SOMETHING active. This could even include mowing the lawn. For about six months, I recorded my daily exercise in a spreadsheet, until I got to the point where I was remembering to exercise but forgetting to update the spreadsheet. It’s true what they say – when you start doing something healthy with the goal of doing a little, you end up wanting to do more. This began in January 2018 and I’ve maybe only missed a handful of days due to illness or injury.
   
2. Active transportation - I just said I made exercise a part of my routine, but I don’t actually have a routine. I’ve been doing a masters degree for the past two years, and working casual part time at two other jobs since early 2019. This schedule does not lend itself to a daily gym visit at 4pm, so I have worked towards incorporating active transportation into my life whenever possible. This means: if I need to go to the grocery store (three of which are within 2 km of my house), I walk or bike. If it’s possible to walk or bike to work (or even go to work a bit early and take the long way from my parking spot), I do. Not surprisingly all the excuses I used to make that “biking from my house to the university is too far” turned out to be completely unfounded. It takes only 10 more minutes to bike to campus/downtown than to drive, and upon arrival I feel energized rather than lethargic as I am no longer draining my mental energy via driving.
3. Fun, cheap exercise at home - For days where I don’t have to go to work/school/store, or if it’s pouring rain with 100km winds, I figured out out what kinds of exercise I could do at home that I didn’t hate. While we have a power rack and some body weight equipment in the basement, I just don’t like weight training (though this is my husband Brahm’s preference for habitual exercise). What I do like is yoga, and jumping on a trampoline. I bought a used mini trampoline for $30 and an annual subscription to yogadownload.com for $40, and have two very enjoyable forms of exercise I can do when I have a free half hour, without leaving the house.

In the end, like so many things we know will improve our lives but don’t do, it came down to stopping making excuses as to why I couldn’t exercise. That said, it also helps that I live close enough to walk year-round to a few places I frequent (grocery store, drugstore, library). While it might add a few minutes to a commute to bike or walk, I see it as an efficiency gain as not only am I getting from A to B, I’m also improving my health and energy levels (as well as not spending any money on gas).

I haven’t become a fitness guru by any means, and I could always be in better shape, but I feel stronger both physically and mentally, and empowered by active transportation. I hope I’ve been able to cultivate a habit that will stick with me for the rest of my life.