Victoria Day long weekend came and went. With the weather warming up and BBQ grills roaring this past weekend, it’s clear to see why this is the unofficial start of Summer!
We take BBQ season very seriously over here!
Here are some tips to ensure you throw a fabulous Victoria Day long weekend BBQ!
- Mmm…is for Marinade! The filipina part of me knows all too well that if you want the best results for perfectly flavoured BBQ, you need to let it marinate! Marinate for a few hours is what most people say, but my Mama will tell you to “Let it marinate overnight. Always.” Oh, and don’t throw out your marinade when you’re BBQing! Reserve some of your marinade to baste your meat, fish, or veggies while they’re grilling! This will prevent your BBQ masterpiece from going dry and it will add a lovely caramelized look too! My Mama always says, “the secret is in the sauce”!
- Feelin’ hot, hot, hot! Make sure you have your temperature absolutely perfect for whatever it is you’re cooking. You don’t just cook food in the BBQ at whatever temperature and hope for the best! Make sure to control the heat just as you would with an oven. There is a temperature gauge there for a reason! Preheat your grill about 15-20 minutes before cook time. You want to ensure your BBQ has reached your desired cooking temperature (plus, the heat will kill off any bacteria). Before grilling, make sure to scrub grills for a clean start.
- Grease up! Before grilling, brush grill grate with oil. This will prevent sticking.
- Know your veg! It’s important to know your vegetables in order to prevent burning and make sure vegetables are cooked-through correctly. Some vegetables take only a minute or two to cook, while others (like potatoes) take longer. You don’t want to burn your veggies!
Speaking of veggies, this time of the year is when I have to buy the bulk of my fruits and vegetables at the grocery store. We grow our own fruit and veg on our farm, but at this time of the year, we don’t have any leftover veg from the previous harvest and planting season has just started.
While shopping for the perfect BBQ ingredients for the long weekend, I noticed that some of the items at our Independent Grocer had stars on their shelf labels. I had noticed them before, but didn’t know what they were all about.
I noticed that in the produce section, all of the fruits and vegetables I wanted to pick up for our long weekend had three stars! As I walked up and down the aisles, I noticed more and more stars on the shelf labels. One star, two stars, three stars…The PC Guiding Stars were everywhere!
Well, not really everywhere. Some products didn’t have PC Guiding Stars. There’s an explanation for why some items do not have stars. You’ll find out when you view the video below.
What are Guiding Stars®?
Guiding Stars on shelf labels can be found for various products in the store. It’s a rating system where three stars is the highest rating a product can receive.
You can keep track of your PC Guiding Stars by creating a profile. Simply visit your store’s website (my closest store is Independent) and log in. You need to log in on your store’s site and not on the PC Plus site. Where your name is (there’s a drop down option beside the PC Plus logo), drop down to “My Guiding Stars Profile”. Once there, you can view your personalized Guiding Stars profile. You will be able to see your trends, how many products/food items you bought that were 3 stars, 2 stars, 1 star. You’ll also have access to tips and featured products. When I logged in last, the featured 3 star product was the PC Market Trio Tomatoes.
Guiding Stars is an impartial nutrition navigation program that uses stars on store shelves to highlight nutritious food choices. Just because a product is a PC® brand, doesn’t always mean it will earn a higher rating than a competitor’s brand.
Food items are credited for vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre, whole grains and omega-3s, and debited for saturated fats, trans fats, added sodium and added sugars. Items are rated impartially using an algorithm based on information from the food package or a Canadian nutrition database.
When you shop at Supermarkets featuring the Guiding Stars program, you can find Guiding Stars throughout the store. Once I became aware of the stars, I noticed them everywhere! I found the Guiding Stars in all the aisles (produce, packaged food, seafood, dairy, the meat counter, bakery).
You can see on the shelf label that the PC Whole Wheat English Muffins have a 3 star rating. Even if you don’t see the stars on the shelf label, you can note the ratings at the bottom because they are indicated. For example, the S3 signifies 3 stars.
My Challenge
Now that I’m know about the Guiding Stars, I am curious to see whether following the Guiding Stars® Program is actually going to help my family eat a healthier diet.
If I increase my purchase of more nutritious foods my family will eat a healthier, more nutritious diet.
Tracking Our Healthy Eating Progress
I am going to use the NEW! Guiding Stars® Personal Profile to track all of my food purchases that I make at my local Independent Grocer.
Legumes, beans, pastas, rice, and all items we don’t grow on our farm are all things I purchase at the grocery store. I want to see how we fare when it comes to picking better-for-us food options.
Next time you’re at your local Loblaws, Fortinos, Zehrs, Valu-Mart, Independent, Real Canadian Superstore or whatever your favourite PC grocery store, make sure to take a look at the Guiding Stars. I had noticed them, but didn’t really know what they meant until now. Now I’m very conscious of spotting the stars!
Do you want to know more about the PC Guiding Stars?
This video explains PC Guiding Stars in depth.
I learned something new while shopping at Independent for our Victoria Day Long Weekend BBQ! Now that I am aware of the Guiding Stars, I’ll pay more attention when I pick up items for my family. I was pleasantly surprised to see that 94% of my purchases were 3 stars!
Disclosure – This is a sponsored post, however, all thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are honest and my own.
I love this program! Great for me and my diet and great for the kids to keep them focused on making those better choices and to understand why the other options aren’t good for you!
This is such a great idea! I had noticed stars at our Loblaws but never really gave much thought to them. Now I know what they are all about. Thanks!
Yes the longer the marinate the better! Can I come for dinner? I absolutely love that the PC Plus program tracks my shopping habits = BRILLIANT! I cannot wait to log in and see what PC thinks about my purchases.
Haha! You know you are ALWAYS welcome to come for dinner, Tammy!
My girls’ Guide group went for a tour of Loblaw’s and learned about this program recently. I appreciate the emphasis on nutrition and good health.
Heidi, that is so great that the Guide group did a Loblaw’s tour! Little One’s Sparks group also did a healthy eating unit but didn’t do a tour. That might be something to discuss for future!
Wow! 94% is awesome!! I’ll be happy if I get to 80%
Katrina, it helps that we grow most of our food on our farm and that my kid does not like anything sweet or greasy/junky! lol 3 stars by default!
i love this program great post
Thanks, Jamie! Love the program too!
Thanks for the info! I love shopping at my local Loblaws and now I will know how to look for the stars (or no stars) on the price tags. 🙂
Great post Christine! I’m looking forward to jumping feet first into this one as it’s high time I look more into the nutritional value of the products I put in both my mouth and my families.
Such a great program, right Matthew? So easy for the kids too.
I really love how you walked us through the process! I can’t wait to start using this program! Woo!
Thanks, Christella! I LOVE your video!
what a great system! it really makes shopping healthy a breeze! its almost addicting trying to get 3 stars on everything lol
Paula, the funny thing is that I had been getting 3 star products all along and hadn’t even realized it!
I love that this program makes it easier for me to choose healthier options for my family, while still purchasing the things that we love to eat! Great post!
Thanks, Jessica! I really like the 3 star program too. Really easy to see at a quick glance which products make good choices!
I love the Guiding Stars program, it makes shopping for nutritious foods so easy. It was fun to check out my Guiding Stars Personal Program. Found that we were only at a 3 out of 5. I am challenging myself to up that score!
Me too, Monica! The funny thing is that I had noticed the stars before but never really looked into them. I only recently discovered what the program was about! Such a great idea.
This is wonderful!! Such a great way to stay on track for better nutritional choices 🙂
Agreed, Brandi! Love how easy this makes it to shop for healthier choices.
thanksforthe great information! 🙂
Thanks, Jaimee! I am so glad to have learned about this too.