Wednesday, December 30, 2009 at 07:11 AM
Black-Eyed Peas. The legume – not the band (although we are big fans in our household and there’s nothing like THE E.N.D. to get the kids dancing).
Back in the Days B.C. (Before Children), I had a roommate who grew up in Virginia. She had a fiance who grew up in Tennessee. These were my friends who introduced me to the Southern tradition of eating Black-Eyed Peas on New Year’s Day. According to Southern folklore, Black-Eyed Peas are the first food to be eaten on New Year’s Day for luck and prosperity throughout the year ahead.
There are a lot of variations on the Black-Eyed Peas for New Year’s Theme, including:
- Eat them with leafy greens. The beans represent coins and the greens represent paper money.
- For lots of luck in the New Year, one must eat 365 Black-Eyed Peas on New Years’ Day.
- Add a shiny penny or dime to the pot. The person whose bowl contains the coin receives the best luck for the New Year.
On the last one, all I can think of is “Ewwwwww! Germs!” My second thought (as a Mom, of course) is “Choking Hazard!!!”
Since meeting my dear Southern friends so many years ago, I still make my Black-Eyed Peas on New Years’ Day. Hey, why not? I’ve got nothing to lose! I do have to admit, however, that I’ve never made them well. I usually end up with a big pot of mush. So this year, I’m setting out to find a good healthy recipe for Black-Eyed Peas.
The good news is that I already have a great starting point with this super legume. Dried Black-Eyed Peas score a 92 (remember, 100 is best) on the NuVal scale. Awesome!
So, I set off to find me a tasty recipe. First, I found Soulful Black-Eyed Peas. Check out these ingredients:
Soulful Black Eyed Peas
1 pound of smoke pig tails
1 pound bag of black eye peas
1 1/2 cup of chopped onion
1 cup of chopped green pepper
1/2 cup of butter
1/4 cup of flour
1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
Salt to taste
Whoa! A 1/2 cup of butter. And I’m not quite sure where to find Smoke Pig Tails. I think I’ll pass on this one!
Then I found Black-Eyed Pea Pate.
| 6 ounces |
Cream cheese; softened |
| 2 pounds |
Blackeyed peas; canned, drained |
| 1 medium |
Onion; quartered |
| 2 |
Cloves garlic |
| ½ cup |
Picante sauce; medium |
| 3 tablespoons |
Worcestershire sauce |
| 1 teaspoon |
Tabasco sauce |
| 2 |
Envelopes gelatin powder; unflavored |
| 2 tablespoons |
Water; cold |
| ¼ cup |
Fresh parsley; minced |
| |
Red and green bell pepper pieces |
| |
Yellow bell pepper pieces |
Not sure about cream cheese with my Black-Eyed Peas. And who wants cold gelatin on New Year’s Day? No Thanks!
So, it was back to my auld acquaintance Cooking Light for some inspiration. I found Black-Eyed Peas with Swiss Chard.
1 pound Swiss chard
1 1/2 cups dried black-eyed peas
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice.
Wash Swiss chard thoroughly. Remove and chop stems. Slive leaves into 1 inch strips.
Please peas in a large Dutch oven; cover with water to 2 inches above beans. Bring to a boil; cook 5 minutes. Drain peas; set aside. Wipe pan with a paper towel.
Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add onion; saute 2 minutes. Add tomato paste and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in peas and broth; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until peas are tender. Stir in chard stems and cheese; cover and cook 4 minutes. Stir in chard leaves, oregano, salt, and pepper; cover and cook 2 minutes. Stir in lemon juice.
Now, the interesting thing about this recipe is that it does not include a photograph of the finished dish. Instead, it has a lovely picture of this fork and spoon.
It’s a beautiful photo. But it suggests to me that Black-Eyed Peas with Swiss Chard might not be the most photogenic dish. I take a lot of pictures of food, so I know that you can make almost anything look appetizing. But there are no pictures of the finished beans and chard here. Hmmmmmm.
Still, it must be prettier than the recipe that called for smoke pig tails.
So, bring on 2010 – a new decade, the year in which I will turn the big 4-0 (gasp!), a big year for NuVal. We’ll ring it in in our little house eating our black-eyed peas and dancing to some Black-Eyed Peas. Happy New Year everybody!
Winner of the New Years’ GiveAway
Congratulations to Commenter #19, Lori of Finding Radiance. You are the winner of yesterday’s GiveAway! Enjoy the Special K Protein Plus and the Joseph’s Pita!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Black Eyed Peas
Tags: New Year's Tradition
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 at 06:55 AM
Welcome to Trade-Up Tuesday, my weekly feature where I tell you about a Trade-Up I’ve made since learning about NuVal and where I give away Free Stuff! Today I’m featuring two products that were not in my pantry on January 1st of 2009, but will most certainly be there on January 1st of 2010.
First, what would a New Year be without Special K? Have you turned on the TV lately? December 26th begins the unofficial “Diet Season” and all the commericials begin. I don’t watch a lot of regular TV (I’m a Netflix fan) but I suspect that this Special K commercial will be airing. Did you know that Special K, while low in calories, only scores a 23 on the NuVal scale. Special K with Protein, however, scores a 60! I find it to be much more filling and satisfying too! That’s why it made my Top Ten Favorite Foods. So, if you’re getting sucked in my seductive Special K commercials, be sure to pick the box that says “protein plus.”
Next, since it’s a holiday and all, I’m throwing in my favorite pita: Joseph’s Flax, Oat Bran & Whole Wheat Flour Pita Bread. This Super-Pita, which also made my list of Top Ten Favorite Foods, gets a NuVal score of 65, better than most whole grain wheat breads. My husband and our kids love this pita also and we go through at least 2 packages every week.
Today’s GiveAway:
Since I’m giving away not one but TWO fabulous prizes on this Give Away, I’m asking you to do Two Things. To enter the drawing, just:
- Tell me one of your New Years’ Resolutions
- Go to www.nuval.com, find a score that you find interesting, and come back here to tell me about it
Enter both of these things in the Comments section and you will be entered to win TWO boxes of Special K Plus Protein and TWO packages of Joseph’s Pita. The contest closes at 11:59 pm Eastern Time tonight! Good Luck!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Special K, Top Ten (Mommy), Trade-Up Tuesday
Tags: New Years' GiveAway
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 01:30 PM
2009 has certainly been an interesting year! In July, I suggested to my colleagues at NuVal that we begin a blog project to promote the NuVal message. In fact, I volunteered to write about my experience as a busy mother of two young children, striving to choose the most nutritious food for my family. What a fabulous experience it has been! What started as a small blog on blogspot, has now grown to A Better Bag of Groceries and well, you know the rest! I am thankful to my colleagues, friends, family and neighbors who have inspired me with recipes and ideas and who have given me permission to write and photograph them.
One thing that nags me, though, is that I have not always been prompt in answering questions that sometimes pop up in your comments. My New Year’s Resolution (drum roll please) is to get back to your questions within 24 hours. There are times when I need to consult the nutrition and scoring experts on the NuVal team to answer your questions, but 24 hours should be enough time.
To get me started on the right foot, I’d like to answer some of your questions that have been left hanging. So, here goes….
1. What is the score for Almond Butter?
In response to Trade-Up Tuesday: Peanut Butter, Marisa from Loser for Life and Anne from The Doctor Takes a Wife both asked about the score for Almond Butter. Maranatha Creamy Almond Butter scores a 24 on the NuVal scale.
2. Does Price Chopper carry Teddie Peanut Butter?
Peanut Butter was indeed a popular topic among ABBG readers. My loyal reader from Food Makes Fun Fuel asked if she could buy Teddie Peanut Butter (which scores as high as a 49 for the No Salt brand) at Price Chopper. Maureen Murphy, Manager of Consumer Services and Trends for Price Chopper (and a wonderful person, I might add!) got right back to me on this question. According to Maureen, “Price Chopper sells Teddie Peanut Butter in all stores and it is on our Good Till Easter program at $2.79. It should be available in your store as well. If you can’t find it please ask the Grocery Manager.”
3. Does NuVal score items differently if nutrients are added in? Or is the item scored based on total amount of nutrients both added and natural?
Lily from Lily’s HealthyPad asked this excellent question in response to Tyler Trades Up. I sought the counsel of Annette Maggi, MS, RD, LD, FADA, Sr. Director of Nutrition for NuVal LLC for this one! Annette says, “Both natural and added nutrients are factored into the NuVal score. However, nutrients that are added are capped to prevent micronutrients like vitamins and minerals from overinfluencing the scores. Certain nutrients are not capped. These include fiber (because so few Americans get enough of this important nutrient) and omega-3 (due to the flavor profile, this nutrient is really “self-capping”). Nutrients that are naturally occurring are not capped. This is also true for nutrients that may have negative impacts on health. For example, the sugar that naturally occurs in fruits is not penalized, but added sugar lowers a product’s NuVal score.”
4. Why do roasted red pepers only get a 7 on the NuVal scale?
Great question! I love roasted red peppers, and like Nicole from preventionrd.com and Elina from healthyandsane.com, I thought they were a great way to get extra veggies in. The roasted red peppers that I used for Miss Conduct’s Easy Greek Casserole and for The Incredible Vegetable Sandwich were Pastene’s Roasted Red Peppers (which come in a jar). Again, Annette came to the rescue and analyzed this product for me. “The product has 5 calories per serving (80% come from sugar) and 85 mg of sodium, so the sodium for the calories is what is driving the score down. Additionally, while there is some vitamin C in the product, it has very little positive nutrition.” Alternatively, you could use Miss Conduct’s awesome suggestion to roast your own if you have a gas stove. I do not have a gas stove (a tragedy, really) but I do have a gas grill!
5. Why is the NuVal score for ground turkey (33) so low?
Rachel from Good Taste, Healthy Me asked this great question in response to my Venus Soup post. Another Rachel (Rachel Rodek, MS, RD, LDN and NuVal’s new Communications Manager) was kind enough to help me with this answer. “When scoring a food, over 30 nutrients and nutrition factors are taken into account, some which positively impact health and others that negatively impact health. Ground turkey is lean meat; however it does have saturated fat which brings the score down. Additionally, ground turkey has very few “positive” nutrients to drive the score up. The range of scores for frozen poultry is 14 – 39 and the median is 29.”
6. Why does olive oil score so low?
This excellent question came from Rhodey Girl (whom I love, because I am also originally a Rhodey Girl) in response to Miss Conduct’s Easy Greek Casserole. Again, I enlisted the help of Annette (since I am not a dietitian and I do not even try to play one on my blog!) According to Annette, “The real differentiator in liquid oil scores is omega-3 fatty acid content. Canola oil has more than 9 grams omega-3 per 100 grams of oil, followed by soybean oil with 6.8 grams omega-3, corn oil with 1.6 grams and olive oil with less than 1 gram of omega-3 fatty acids.” Who knew?
These last 3 questions are a little easier for me to handle!
7. When is NuVal coming to Miami, FL?
As soon as we can! The Customer Management Team at NuVal is working hard to get more retailers to adopt NuVal. You can currently find NuVal scores on the shelves of Price Chopper, Meijer and Hy-Vee supermarkets. In just a couple of months, you will also be able to find them in United Texas Markets. One way that you can help to get NuVal scores in your local grocery store is to complete a store suggestion form on the NuVal website. So, Jessie, of Vegan-Minded, please fill out a form for your favorite Miami-area store!
8. Why can’t I see more scores on the NuVal website?
We recently redesigned the NuVal website, and yes, there are fewer sample scores than there used to be. However, we are planning to make all NuVal scores available on www.nuval.com in 2010.
And my favorite question, about one of my favorite Incredible Vegetables.
9. When you buy Brussels Sprouts on the stalk, do you just break them off the stalk?
Yup! Or you can trim them off with a paring knife. Whatever floats your boat. Thanks to Tracey of Veggies and Cake for clarifying that one!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: NuVal Questions
Tags: FAQ's
Wednesday, December 23, 2009 at 07:20 AM
It’s Confession time. We bloggers at NuVal (Tina and myself) are just a wee bit addicted to Celestial Seasonings’ collection of Holiday Teas. We’re sipping this stuff day and night. Tina’s a huge fan of Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride with a smidge of Agave nectar or honey. I can’t get enough of Candy Cane Lane, straight up, thank you very much. Tina’s been having a hard time tracking it down at her city grocery stores, but my hometown Stop & Shop is well-stocked, so I find myself texting her from my Blackberry in while in the tea aisle, taking her order.
Bagged tea is interesting in that it does not have a NuVal score. There are some categories of foods that NuVal is not scoring, including cooking sprays, teas, coffees, vinegar, salt, baking soda, water, tonic water, seltzer, club soda, lemon juice, lime juice, yeast and spices and rubs that have less than fifteen calories. The reason? I checked in with Annette Maggi, MS, RD, LD, FADA, Sr. Director of Nutrition for NuVal LLC. She explained that if a product has no calories nor nutrients, the product is not scored. This doesn’t mean these foods don’t have a place in eating habits. Water, for example, does not receive a NuVal score, but is very important to overall health.
So, is my Candy Cane Lane tea a nutritious choice? To me, it is because I drink it instead of something like hot chocolate. It keeps me warm, hydrated and feeling satisfied. There have been some very long days and nights this holiday season, and herbal tea has been my constant companion through all of them.
As we get ready for Christmas Eve, my kids are making cookies for Santa.
We will put carrots out for the reindeer and a few cookies for Santa.
Sprinkle our Reindeer Dust out on our snowy front lawn.
And make a nice cup of herbal tea for Santa, along with a glass of skim milk too (NuVal score of 91).
We always make sure to make it look like Santa and his reindeer had a great feast! 
My husband cut this comic strip out of the newspaper a couple of years ago. We fold it up and put it in the box with the Christmas decorations in January and take it out every year at the beginning of the Christmas season and put it on our refrigerator. It captures, with humor, how we both feel about the holidays.
I can’t wait for that moment Christmas Eve when the kids are tucked in bed, we have everything under the tree, and we can actually sit down together and enjoy a cup of Candy Cane Lane. Or maybe a glass of wine! Happy Holidays to all and to all a good night!
One more thing….
Congratulations to Commenter #74, Melonie of www.blogged-down.com! Just in time for Christmas, you’ve won my Peanut Butter GiveAway! Thanks to everyone for all the great Trade-Up Tuesday comments yesterday.
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: tea
Tuesday, December 22, 2009 at 07:07 AM
Welcome to Trade-Up Tuesday, my weekly feature where I tell you about a Trade-Up I’ve made since learning about NuVal and give away free stuff to one lucky reader. Today’s Topic? Peanut Butter!
When I first came to interview at NuVal, I met with Nancy McDermott, the CEO. Nancy, who I knew from my previous jobs, introduced me to the whole concept of NuVal by walking through some slides to show how the scores worked. As we talked, NuVal seemed to be just a lot of common sense at first. Spinach gets a 100, Cheetos get a 5. Made sense to me. It was when she got to the Peanut Butter Slide that I said, “No way! Get out of town!” Well, I probably said it more professionally than that, given that this was an interview and all. But it was an “Ah Ha” moment. You see, Reduced Fat Peanut Butter scores lower than regular – by a lot. Yes, you read that correctly. Jif Creamy Peanut Butter scores a 20. Jif Reduced Fat Creamy scores a 7! Ouch!
As Nancy explained it, although the Reduced Fat Peanut Butter has less Saturated Fat, it has more Sodium (Salt), more Sugar, more Calories and less Fiber than the Regular Peanut Butter. These combined factors cause the Reduced Fat Peanut Butter to have a lower NuVal Nutrition Score than Regular Peanut Butter. Now that made sense to me. There are so many reduced fat products out there and let’s face it – it’s not magic. If the manufacturer takes out some fat, they probably need to add something else to make it taste good. My peanut butter of choice at the time was Reduced Fat Jif, although my son ate Teddie Smooth
Fast forward to now and you will find only Teddie Smooth in our household - in our refrigerator. Yes, the refrigerator. Natural peanut butters are not easy. You have to stir them up – which is hard and it makes a big mess. Then, you have to refrigerate them, so they are difficult to spread. But it’s worth the effort. Natural Peanut Butter scores much better. Teddie Smooth Unsalted scores a 49. Teddie Super Chunky scores a 38. My 6-year-old son is a huge fan of peanut butter so we go through a lot!
Tina, my new colleage at NuVal, and I talk food a lot. We’re both avid cooks (and eaters!) so we trade recipes and ideas all the time. One suggestion she had was to put peanut butter in my oatmeal. I tried it out and it is delicious!
Peanut Butter Oats definitely have some sticking power and I’m finding that I can often get from breakfast to lunch without needing a snack when I eat it.
Today’s GiveAway
One lucky ABBG (that’s our acronym for A Better Bag of Groceries – like it?) reader will win my Peanut Butter GiveAway. Included is a jar of Teddie Smooth and a jar of Teddie Crunchy so you can try them out for yourself! To enter, just leave a comment telling about a Trade-Up you’ve made since learning about NuVal. And if you haven’t made one yet, check out www.NuVal.com or www.TradingUpDowntown.com for some ideas.
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Trade-Up Tuesday, peanut butter
