A Better Bag of Groceries

Cooking With Catherine Katz: Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies

Friday, January 27, 2012 at 07:13 AM

Welcome to Cooking With Catherine Katz! If you haven’t tried one of Catherine’s recipes yet, today is the day! Every recipe she gives me is simply amazing. These Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies are to die for. And they are so easy.

Catherine (second from right in this photo of Gorgeous Katz’s) is married to NuVal visionary, Dr. David Katz. Together they have 5 (count ‘em!) children.

It’s hard to believe that Catherine and I have been collaborating on this blog/recipe project for almost 2 years now. Where does the time go? Anyway, she always seems to send me the perfect recipe. This time was no exception.

This cookie recipe has only 4 ingredients! Actually, Catherine informed me that the original recipe called for baking soda and salt, but that she eliminated them to make it more nutritious. She’s absolutely right. You don’t need those ingredients.

Ingredients

3 cups Almond Meal/Flour (NuVal score of 77)

6 Tablespoons canola oil (NuVal score of 24)

6 Tablespoons agave nectar (NuVal score of 1)

3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips (NuVal score of 8).

This was my first time buying almond meal/flour. To keep the product fresher longer, it is suggested that you store it in the refrigerator.

I’ve had this agave nectar for a while. I was glad to put it to some use!

Directions

Measure the 4 ingredients into a bowl and mix them together.

So easy!

Bake on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 350 degrees for 8 – 10 minutes.

I found that 9 minutes was the magic number for my oven.

These were ooey, goeey and perfect! And they keep fresh for days. We made these on a Sunday and they still tasted just as good by Thursday. (It was kind of amazing that we still had some left!) They are soooooo good. You have to try this recipe!

Posted by: Melissa 4 comments

Posted in: Cookies, Cooking with Catherine Katz

Tags: Almond Flour, Bob's Red Mill, Cookies

The Thing About Salty Snacks

Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 07:15 AM

One of the things that I love best about NuVal is that we score everything – even categories that you don’t traditionally think of as “healthy.” Like salty snacks. Truth be told, I ♥ salty snacks. I usually get a craving for something a little salty in around 3 or 4 pm. Sometimes I satisfy that craving with some Triscuits (Original score a 32) and some hummus (Tribe Roasted Garlic hummus scores a 48). But technically that’s not a “salty snack”. Categorically speaking, that’s a “cracker” and a “refrigerated dip” in supermarket-speak.

Today, I’m talking about salty snacks. You know – the kind you put out when you’re having a birthday party.

Salty snacks range in score from 1 to 55 on the NuVal scale. The average score is a 15. Lay’s Classic Potato Chips score a 15.

To find out more about what drives the scores in Salty Snacks, I checked in with the NuVal dietitians. They really know their stuff!

Here’s what I found out:

Salty Snack Scores can vary depending on the amount of sodium, saturated fat, unsaturated fat, and fiber the product contains. Snacks with the lowest scores have highly varied fat and sodium content—between 0 to 9 grams of saturated fat and 30-540 mg of sodium. Snacks with the highest scores have the most fiber, least sodium, and primarily use oils with the most unsaturated fatty acids.
Snack scores at the top end of the scale often have lower sodium and saturated fat.
Many of the snacks with the highest scores are made with whole grains which contain dietary fiber. Some of the higher scoring products also contain flax seed which is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids.

Sugars can be found in snacks like coated pretzels, caramel flavored corn pops, popcorn, nuts, and kettle corns. Many snack foods combine the classic combination of sweet and salty so remember to check the NuVal score which can pick up on the snacks with added sugars.

I got more info from the NuVal dietitians on what to look out for. The dietitians comments are very professional and in regular text. My comments are in italics (and they are a little more off-the-cuff!)

Stuff to Watch Out For:

Snacks made of primarily of whole grains, such as whole kernel corn, sweet potatoes, or soy flour rank in the upper 50 percent of salty snacks on the NuVal scale. Avoid snacks with pork rinds, corn meal, corn starch, sugar and/or corn syrup listed as one of the first ingredients as these foods are more likely to have high saturated fat, sodium, and/or sugar levels as well as may contain trans fats. (OK – I will definitely watch out for anything containing pork rinds! Bleech!)

Although many of the salty snacks have 0 grams trans fat listed on the nutrition facts label, some products list partially hydrogenated oils in the ingredient list. Though there may not be enough trans fats to required it listed on the label (manufacturers can round down anything under less than .5 grams to zero), NuVal helps you spot the better choices by assigning products with trans fats with a lower score. (OK – this one always amazes me. So there can still be up to .49 grams of trans fat in a product, but it might not be listed on the label. That’s why you have to look at the ingredient list for partially hydrogenated oil! Really? See – that’s why we need NuVal everywhere! NuVal captures both the Nutrition Facts Panel and the ingredient list.)

While “Vegetable Chips” may seem like the healthier option because of their name, they may not necessarily be your best snacking choice. These products can range from a score of 46 (Terra Exotic Vegetable Chips) to a score of 25 (Flat Earth Garlic & Herb Field Baked Veggie Chips). The main differences in vegetable chips lie in the first few ingredients—the highest ranking products have vegetables as the first ingredient while the lowest have rice flour, potato flakes, and corn oil as their first. The NuVal system can help you to read beyond the catch phrases and trendy fad words to truly assess the nutritional value of a product. (I have this argument with my daughter all the time. She is always trying to get me to buy veggie chips because after all, Mom, they are VEGETABLES!)

While pretzels are praised for their lack of fat, they provide little-to-no positive nutritional value and therefore score low on the NuVal scale. The primary ingredients in pretzels are wheat flour, sodium, and sometimes partially hydrogenated oils which provide little beneficial nutrition. Instead, look for snacks made with whole grains and not hydrogenated oils. (Yes, this one, to me is a bummer. I ♥ pretzels. But most run-of-the-mill pretzels score below a 10. You can find some that score higher. Such as Snyder’s of Hanover Multigrain Pretzel Sticks, which score a 29).

So, that’s the thing about Salty Snacks.

Question of the Day

What’s your favorite Salty Snack?

Posted by: Melissa 11 comments

Posted in: Salty Snacks

Tags: chips, Pretzels, Salty Snacks

Wordless Wednesday

Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 08:12 AM

It’s Wordless Wednesday! Every Wednesday, I take a break from blog-writing and I post a simple photo. Today, it will be easy for me to remain silent because I’m out traveling. The flight attendants will be ordering me to shut off my electronic devices soon, but before they do, let me just say that the comment line is now open and that I can’t wait to hear what you all have to say about today’s photo. Happy Wednesday Everybody!

Yesterday’s Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to Commenter #49 Vanessa G! You’ve won the Bob’s Red Mill Giveaway. Please send me an email at abetterbagofgroceries@gmail.com with your mailing address so that I can ship your prize out to you. Thanks to everyone who entered.

Posted by: Melissa 9 comments

Posted in: Wordless Wednesday

Tags: Wordless Wednesday

Trade-Up Tuesday: Bob’s Red Mill Giveaway

Tuesday, January 24, 2012 at 07:09 AM

Welcome to Trade Up Tuesday! Every Tuesday, I blog about a trade-up I’ve made since learning about NuVal and I give away something for free. This week, I was looking through my kitchen pantry and perusing what I store in there these days. I was thinking that I wanted to host a giveaway that consisted of products that are completely new to me since I learned about NuVal. I’m talking about products that I had never purchased (or even heard of) before.

Quinoa: OK, full disclosure here. When I first came to work for NuVal in the fall of 2008, I thought that you pronounced it like it is spelled: “quin-oh-ah”. Wrong! It’s “keen-wah.” The NuVal dietitians taught me all these incredible things about quinoa. This seed is one of the few plant foods that contain all the essential amino acids, making it a complete protein. Quinoa is technically a seed not a grain! As a complete protein it is equivalent to the quality of animal protein – providing the amino acid building blocks needed to support your immune system, wound healing, tissue repair, hair growth, and building hormones. In addition to protein, Quinoa is also a good source of B vitamins and other minerals. The seed is gluten free, making it a great food for those who have celiac disease or gluten intolerance. Most quinoa is grown in South America and the Inca Indians have been eating the seed, which they call “Mother Grain”, for over 5,000 years. This Bob’s Red Mill Quinoa scores an 82 on the NuVal scale.
Flaxseed: I had heard of flaxseed, but what I didn’t know is that you need to eat it ground in order to reap the benefits. Yup. That’s another nutrition wonder that the dietitians here at NuVal taught me. Yes, flax is very nutritious. Two tablespoons of ground flax has about 3 grams of protein, 4 grams of fiber, and 5 grams of health-benefiting unsaturated fats – most of which are omega-3’s. Your body can only get these fantastic fats from the ground form of flax. So when you see the seeds floating around on your bread or in your cereal – know you’re getting a great fiber kick, but the body simply can’t break them down to extract the omega-3 fatty acids. Also, try to avoid purchasing already-ground seeds as the fats are highly sensitive to oxygen and will go rancid quickly. The dietitians I work with suggest grinding them with a blender or coffee grinder as you go. This Bob’s Red Mill Natural Raw Whole Flaxseed scores a 91.
Whole Wheat Pastry Flour: If you haven’t checked out my Catherine Katz recipe collection yet, you must do so. They are right up there under the recipe tab. Catherine has her own section and all of her recipes are winners. Her recipes for baked goods often call for “soft wheat flour” or “pastry flour”. This was something I could not find at my run-of-the-mill grocery store (not a NuVal-retailer, mind you). But once I found a retailer with a huge line of Bob’s Red Mill products, I found it! And now it is what I bake with all the time. I’ve replaced white flour with this whole wheat pastry flour in classic recipes, like toll house chocolate chip cookies and banana bread. And I’ve used it in new recipes, such as The Cleaner Plate Club’s Whole Grain Chocolate Chip Cookies, Runner’s World’s Sweet Potato Muffins, and Harry Potter’s Pumpkin Bread. This Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Pastry Flour scores a 91 on the NuVal scale.
Steel Cut Oats: I had made a lot of oatmeal before the Fall of 2008. And I made the real kind (in a pan, not instant). But I had no idea what Steel Cut Oatmeal was. Not a clue. Steel-cut oats are whole grain groats (the inner portion of the oat kernel) which have been cut into only two or three pieces by steel rather than being rolled. They take longer to cook and they have a different texture. I actually have made them overnight in the slow cooker. There is nothing like waking to the smell of steel cut oats wafting through your house on a cold winter’s morning. For a moment, you feel like you’ve woken up in a cozy English cottage. These Bob’s Red Mill Steel Cut Oats get a NuVal score of 58.

Today’s Giveaway

One lucky reader is going to have a great chance to stock their pantry with some fabulous high-scoring foods. All you need to do is leave a comment below telling me something that’s been new to your palate over the last year or two (or three). How did you learn about it? How do you cook it? How do you enjoy it? I’d love to hear. I’ll choose one winner at random at 8 am Eastern time on Wednesday January 25th, so don’t delay. Good Luck everyone!

Posted by: Melissa 55 comments

Posted in: Trade-Up Tuesday

Tags: Bob's Red Mill, Trade-Up Tuesday

Six Sisters’ Slow Black Bean and Corn Salsa Chicken

Monday, January 23, 2012 at 07:01 AM

Back in the day, I used to have dinner parties with colleagues and we would share recipes. That’s how I got the recipe for the Christmas Salad (Crunchy Romaine Toss) that I shared with you (and that I have received a gazillion emails about – thanks for the recipe love!) That recipe came out of a dinner party that my husband and I hosted for about 17 people that I worked with at the time. I remember it because my husband and I had to put about 3 tables together in our little house and squeeze every iota of space that we had to fit everyone in. It was a fabulous time – and we all shared recipes after the event.

It was also before we all had kids and busier lives – and before our networks became more global. Now, my recipe sharing with colleagues is more virtual – but still very cool. That same salad recipe is now being made by Dr. Tyra Carter, Corporate Dietitian for United Supermarkets in Texas. Dr. Carter writes me to say that she made the Christmas salad, that she and her family loved it, and that it made enough dressing for several salads. And I get new recipes too! Tracey Cullen, from King Kullen Supermarkets, sent me this gem. She says, “I heart slow cooking. Made this last night, very good.” And so that is how I came to be making Slow Cooker Black Bean and Corn Salsa Chicken from the Six Sisters Stuff Blog.