Trip to La Belle Province Is Not All Eat, But Also Play...

Our annual family trip to Montreal has always been about food and family, but this time over Canada's Day weekend we had the privilege to couple it with active play! We all know that eating well and exercise goes hand in hand. Being a busy mom with a go-go career as an avid advocate of cooking, food education & healthy eating, and teaching people of all ages to cook, it is essential that I keep up my energy, find ground to centre myself, and stay in tip top shape. Yoga has been my beloved regular practice for close to three years and I kick-box once a week. I like to pass the ball with my soccer-loving son and hop onto the tennis court when the day is nice and I have a partner. I hope to inspire as a role model to the young and old alike that living a happy, healthy lifestyle is within reach. And it starts by balancing a good diet by cooking and eating fresh foods along with regular activity and movement.

So happy to present to you.... Decathlon. The world's largest sporting goods retailer, just opened its first store in North America founded by Michel Leclercq in Lille, France in 1976. Over 1100 stores in 38 countries, how lucky are we to have our premier Canadian store in Brossard, Montreal opening their doors just two months ago!

I was so impressed walking through this massive store staffed with lots of friendly help. Decathlon's brilliant concept- the one we already love with other markets such as food and cosmetics-- Try Before You Buy! Yass!!! More than 70 sports are available under one roof with economically-priced, quality material and made products, making activity accessible, affordable and attractive to everyone! For those looking to try a new sport for the first time, you quickly see the spectrum of products and apparel as each sport is organized separately, and on top, you can actually test things out in this massive 60,000 sq.ft space. You can expect the exact same products in the stores wherever you travel around the world so you can bank on their reliability and accessibility. And they are in 38 countries and counting! Hope they have plans to expand into our Ontario market.

The smart lay out of the store is arranged in categories for each type of sport or activity. You want yoga pants and mat straps, it's all down one aisle. Same goes for tennis, soccer, gym, camping... they even have a section for equestrian. Pick a sport, any sport and they have it covered. Unlike sporting good shops like Adidas, Sporting Life or Canadian Tire, where all the different kinds of shoes and clothing are sold together, here every sport has their own dedicated section (from clothing, accessories to equipment) so you can completely immerse and know what is available or required at a glance. Unbranded, reliable, great quality material and craftsmanship makes their products affordable world-wide.

Recreated stone walks to mimic outdoor settings, especially for those buying hiking boots.

My youngest son getting help from his dad on this stretching equipment.

The Brossard store spans about 60,000 square feet in a retail space once occupied by Montreal-based fashion retailer Les Ailes de la Mode. Necessary in massive size to allow for various active and safe play such as bouncing on trampolines, riding on kayaks in simulated ponds, and a huge gymnasium for squash, basketball, volleyball and track.

Testing out the waters in a real kayak.

A safe space for youngsters rollerblading, biking and skateboarding.

Teeing off...

My sons trying archery for their first time! So much fun!

A giant gym to test out all kinds of racquets, balls and even shoes.

My kids' favourite of them all-- a simulated move-with-you wall climber to test out shoes, climbing accessories and endurance :D. So many fun activities all under one roof, where you can test and try before you buy, at affordable prices that makes exercise and sports accessible and attractive to all regardless of age. Let's get moving and improving our fitness health! Shred those excuses.

A cute-looking mobile cafe for drinks and snacks after all the moving around.

haha... a little levitation meditation at new heights! 

Now onto feeding the belly... Comfort homey Vietnamese cuisine and family welcome staple every time we venture to Montreal. Grilled lemongrass pork skewers, homemade spring rolls with shredded lettuce and fresh herbs over vermicelli (bun), drizzled liberally with seasoned fish sauce (nuoc mam) and topped with crushed peanuts.

Kids posing with my fabulous niece Kathia as she shows off her family's edible garden.

My sister-in-law's herb garden brimming with dill, Vietnamese cilantro (rau ram) and perilla leaves. Yes, they've got little cherry tomatoes growing too and much more!

My sweet mother-in-law treated us to seven beautiful lobsters, stir-fried classic Cantonese-style with ginger and green onions. Her first time making it and boy, were the flavours on point. To try making them at home, follow along with my step-by-step recipe.

Lobster fried rice and pork & vegetables stir-fry.

A dinner out with the family at a nearby restaurant where we were staying. L'Étoile de L'Océan located on Rachel street since 1971- it's building over 100 years old is regarded as one of the oldest Portuguese restaurants in Montreal. It's interior old-world charm (love those signature blue and white wall tiles) spills over into their classic beloved traditional dishes of fish and seafood. Here, enjoying a meal of scampi shrimps in garlic sauce and starter tapas of marinated sardine fillets over toasted baguette and grilled octopus simply dressed with good extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, chopped vegetables and a splash of lemon. So deelish!

Classic Portuguese cuisine at L'Étoile de L'Océan

Fisherman's Plate pour deux (fish and seafood grilled chef-style)

Photo Credit: L'Étoile de L'Océan

A morning fuel rendezvous at a nearby French cafe...

Alas... a trip to la belle province is never complete without picking up a case of maple syrup from my sis-in-laws' uncle's sugar shack farm, and a trunk half-full of Montreal bagels. The cherry on top always is a stop at an artisanal bakery Première Moisson location (opened since 1992) for a quick family breakfast of freshly made French viennoiseries, baked breads and patisseries, and a hot cuppa' before hitting the road back home 🍰☕

I learned something new. Always categorizing danishes, croissants and muffins as pastries, these delectables are actually Viennoiseries. Viennoiseries are baked goods made from a yeast-leavened dough similar to bread, or from puff pastry. The added ingredients gives them a richer, sweeter character, closer to pastry, and the dough is often laminated.

A gorgeous array of freshly prepared gourmet sandwiches to ogle at and to devour!

Just love meat and liver pate in jars.

Happy Canada Day meringue!

I recalled meeting then Executive Chef Peter Alléguède for Première Moisson and digged up an old photo also with food writer & Spanish cuisine expert Gerry Shikatani when we did a gig at then popular Dish Cooking Studio. So glad to have always been camera-happy to mark amazing food people memories from my past...😁📸

With Gerry Shikatani and Chef Peter Alléguède in 2001

#eatloveplayrepeat to the mostest!