Welcome! I am a mom of a busy 7 year old and an adventurous 5 year old. I also happen to work for a great new company called NuVal. NuVal is a nutritional scoring system that rates foods on a scale of 1-100, based on how nutritious they are. We are implementing NuVal in grocery stores around the country.
NuVal may not be in your area yet. But I see the scores while they are "hot off the press" and because of that I am able to make better decisions about what to feed my family.
I am not a registered dietitian. I am just a mom who happens to work for NuVal. I am also an AFAA-certified Group Exercise Instructor. NuVal is a system designed to lead customers to the most nutritious food choices. It is not a diet or weight-loss plan. Before starting a diet, you should always consult your personal physician. The opinions expressed in this blog are the opinions of the writer and not the opinions of NuVal LLC.
Johnson & Wales University, a college known for it culinary arts program, has a great museum for every foodie and cooking fanatic. I actually learned about it while reading an article about kitchen design in the Boston Globe Magazine. I was intrigued by the idea of exploring cooking through the ages and seeing a little Julia Child memorabilia, so while our kids headed to Grandma & Papa’s one recent Saturday afternoon for a sleepover, we checked out the Culinary Arts Museum in Providence, RI.
My husband looks so like he would rather be going someplace else, doesn’t he? He is such a good sport!
I just love a museum in winter, especially on bitterly cold days when there is absolutely nothing you could do outside.
One of the first things that we learned at the museum is that food labeling is not such a new concept after all. The Blue Goose Buying Guide originated in 1935 to instruct consumers on how to purchase fruits and vegetables. It is even blue and white, just like NuVal!
There was some famous chef memorabilia, including an apron signed by Julia Child. But the best part of the museum came after all the famous chef stuff.
My husband and I have been researching a kitchen redesign for our house, so we were interested in checking out how kitchens have evolved through the ages.
There was a colonial kitchen:
I learned that the Number 2 cause of death for women in Colonial times (after childbirth) was cooking. Apparently, it was very dangerous. We don’t know how good we have it!
There was an 1880’s kitchen:
A 1909 kitchen:
And my favorite, a Country Fair Demonstration Kitchen.
I can’t remember the year of that kitchen, but from the looks of it, I would say it’s Pre-MadMen. It reminds me of the kitchen that was in my Great-Grandmother’s house.
I also loved this – a very early microwave, circa 1960.
The museum has some real treasures, like cooking artifacts from ancient times and Presidential China. But it also has some quirky collections, like these Pez dispensers:
My kids would have loved that.
Natives of Rhode Island would recognize the neon sign from Camille’s restaurant on Federal Hill. It was my grandmother’s favorite. It was heart-warming to see it there.
We were enjoying some peace and quiet on this Saturday, but if we had brought the kids, they would have loved this exhibit:
Like I said, my husband was a great sport. And he finally got his reward. The last exhibit in the museum is a Diner Exhibit. My husband loves, loves, loves diners.
The museum actually uses this space for various functions. In the Diner Exhibit, there are menus and other items from many, many diners, including some that my husband and I have frequented. It was so cool!
All this for only $6 with our AAA discount. If you love to cook and live in or around the Providence area, I definitely suggest a visit!
Turns out, my husband actually had a good time. We followed our museum visit up with dinner and a movie. It was a great date.
Welcome to Cooking with Kids, a new feature here on A Better Bag of Groceries. I once heard a story on National Public Radioabout getting your children involved in the kitchen. The reporter said that one of the reasons that SpongeBob SquarePants is so popular is because it airs at 5 pm. And that is when parents need to cook. So the easiest thing to do is put your kids in front of the TV while you cook. And I am guilty of using that strategy! Fortunately, I’ve been able to turn my kids on to The Electric Company and Fetch with Ruff Ruffman instead of SpongeBob.
The NPR reporter went on to give tips on how to get your kids more involved in cooking. She suggested giving them fresh green beans and teaching them how to cut off the ends. I tried that. I gave my kids a colander full of freshly washed green beans and taught them how to snip off the ends with their little kids scissors. They lasted for about 2 minutes!
But you can teach your kids to love cooking. And some kids will love it more than others. That is probably why you see more pictures of my daughter than my son on this blog. She really loves to cook. My son is not as smitten.
But the real reason to teach your kids to cook is not to get them away from the TV or away from the Wii. It is because, as they begin to get good at it, it will save you time. As I’ve blogged before, I’m a big believer in Child Labor! Start small, with something fun, and they will learn the steps of a particular dish. Soon, you will have your own little sous chef at your side! Yes, it may take more time at first, but eventually your kids will be a help to you in the kitchen. Seriously, even when making a cupcake mix these days, I find it to goes more quickly because my daughter does the measuring (with help), adding and stirring while I start clean-up.
Probably one of the easiest dishes to teach your kids to cook is English Muffin Pizzas. When my daughter turned 4, we had a Cooking Party at our local YMCA and that is what we made. Easy for all ages!
Vermont Bread Six Original Spelt Bread Organic English Miffins: 29
Wonder English Muffins: 21
Pepperidge Farms English Muffins: 20
As for the mozzarella cheese, we used Sorrento’s Reduced Fat 4 Cheese Italian with a NuVal score of 23. Ragu Pizza Quick Sauce comes in at a very respectable 53. Although, tomato sauce works just fine, so I went with my favorite these days, Pastene’s “The Chateau” Marinara Sauce, which gets a NuVal score of 66.
The key is to put this simple meal together by assembling some nutritious ingredients. Don’t get caught in the trap of buying a Pizza Kit. The Chef Boy Ardee Pepperoni Pizza Kit (Pizza Sauce with Pepperoni, Crust Mix and Grated Cheese) gets a NuVal score of 4. Ouch!
Another key to cooking with kids is to let them do as much as possible, unless it’s unsafe. Go ahead, teach your 4 year old how to crack eggs, even if it is a little messy. Obviously, putting things into hot ovens should be done by people above 5 feet tall only.
Let your kids spread the sauce and sprinkle the cheese. Then, pop them the oven or toaster oven at 450 degrees until the cheese starts to bubble.
Round this out with some cucumbers (NuVal score of 93) and a glass of skim milk (NuVal score of 91) and you have a nutritious lunch that your kids will be proud and happy to eat.
Now you’ve made a meal and a memory. Yum!
Calling All Moms (and Dads)
I want to hear from you! Tell me about your experiences in teaching your kids to cook. Channel your inner blogger, take some pictures if you’d like and share your story with me. You could be featured on A Better Bag of Groceries. If you have a story, recipe or even just a little tip you’d like to share, email me at abetterbagofgroceries@gmail.com.
Question of the Day
What is one of the first meals you remember learning to cook?
Happy Ash Wednesday! Well, I don’t think “Happy” is really the appropriate word there, but you know what I mean. Today, marks the beginning of the Lenten season for many Christians. Now, my mom always taught me not to discuss religion or politics, and that’s a great rule for a blog too. But Fish & Chips during Lent is a cultural phenomenon to me, so I will try to do this in a non-polarizing way! If Lent is something unfamiliar to you, here are some FAQs that I found to get you up to speed.
Growing up in Rhode Island, it seemed that everyone was Catholic. I was one of about six Episcopalian kids in my school. While some Episcopalians do give up certain foods or luxuries during Lent, it is not Church Law for us – that I know of, anyway. However, during my childhood and teen years, I was surrounded by friends and neighbors who did give up certain things for Lent and who did not eat meat on Fridays. It was almost catchy, and so I have, from time to time, decided to give up something (chocolate, cursing) or to go meatless on Fridays as well.
In my hometown of Lincoln, RI, there was a small Fish & Chips shop that did only that: they made Fish & Chips. On Fridays during Lent, the line of customers went out the door and around the corner. It is interesting to note that the first Fish & Chips shop was opened in 1860 in London by Jewish proprietor, Joseph Malin.
Fast forward to today and you find me making a healthy Fish & Chips dinner every Monday night in our house. The reason it has become a Monday night tradition is three-fold:
My kids like fish (I know, I’m lucky) so they eat it without compaint
The clean-up is super-easy
A plate re-heats nicely a couple of hours later
You see, on Monday nights, I dash out at the dinner hour to go and teach Pilates. It is not an easy hour to leave and it means that my husband has to oversee dinner, clean-up, bath and bedtime solo. But teaching this class is something that I truly enjoy doing, so we make it work.
Every Monday, I head to my local seafood store and choose one of the following:
To prepare the fish, I first wash it and pat it dry. Then, I use my Pampered Chef oil mister to spray a light coating of canola oil on the fillets, dredge them in bread crumbs, and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Next, I drizzle some lemon juice on the breaded fillets. Finally, I spray the fish with cooking spray to make it a little crunchy. My daugher prefers her fish sans crumbs, so I put it in a little foil packet with just the oil and lemon juice.
As for the “Chips,” we always have Cascadian Farms Shoe String Fries which get an incredible NuVal score of 81. These too go in the oven on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
To round it out this nutritious meal, we complete it with a favorite vegetable such as broccoli (NuVal score of 100) and skim milk (NuVal score of 91). The only thing that scores low is the ketchup – it gets a 3. Ouch!
So, if you abstain from meat for religious reasons (or non-religious reasons!), try out this healthy option. I’m quite sure it is more nutritious than the deep fried Fish & Chips they were serving at the popular shop in my hometown!
Trade-Up Tuesday Winner
Congratulations to Commenter #7, Leena, of Living Leena Loca (love the name of her blog!). She has won my Fat Tuesday/Winter Olympic GiveAway!
Question of the Day
What, if anything, are you planning to give up for Lent?
or
If you had to give up something, what would be the hardest for you to give up?
Welcome to Trade-Up Tuesday, a weekly feature here on A Better Bag of Groceries where I tell you about Trade-Ups I’ve made since learning about NuVal and I give away free stuff. Today, I have a fantastic giveaway! In honor of Fat Tuesday and the Winter Olympics taking place in Vancouver, Canada, I am giving away pancakes and Canadian maple syrup! Oh, and the winner gets a NuVal T-shirt too! Good times!
Sorry, the skis are not included!
To learn more about why I traded up to Aunt Jemima’s Whole Wheat Blend Pancake mix, check out my Youtube video.
To Enter Today’s GiveAway:
Leave a comment and tell me something that you learned on the video, such as:
The NuVal score for Aunt Jemima’s Whole Wheat Blend Pancake Mix
The NuVal score for regular Aunt Jemima’s Pancake Mix
The NuVal score for the frozen mini pancakes that I used to buy
What I do now so that I have easily accessible pancakes during our busy weekday mornings
What it says on the back of my T-shirt
What my son’s drawing is on the front of my refrigerator (you get bonus points for that one!)
My favorite brand of chocolate chips
Don’t cheat! No fair if you just look at the other commenters. However, if you are at work and can’t really watch a video right now, I’ll take a comment on your favorite Winter Olympic sport!
One winner will be randomly drawn from all the comments. The contest closes at 11:59 EST on February 16th. Be sure to check back here tomorrow to see if you’ve won!
Every Christmas morning, I have a bagel and cream cheese – a big, yummy Ray’s New York Style Bagel slathered with cream cheese. It’s my own way of celebrating that I made it through the Christmas season to Christmas Day. I know – I live on the wild side! But a big giant bagel really is a splurge.
I think that bagels are one of the things that got me in a little trouble – especially in college. There was a great cafe on campus where I would get an onion bagel with herbed cream cheese – probably about three time a week. Oy! Back then, bagels had sort of a health halo around them. People thought they were healthy because, after all, they weren’t doughnuts. And this was pre-Atkins, so carbs weren’t of a concern. Now, we know better.
I must confess, I am a bagel snob. After living and working in Manhattan back in the mid-1990’s, I came to love true New York
Style bagels. They’re kind of crusty on the outside and chewy on the inside. I guess it’s something about how they boil them. As Tina would say, Holy Yum. So, when I go for a bagel, I go big and I eat a Ray’s New York Style bagel. Here’s the bad news: a Ray’s Everything bagel only scores a 4 on the NuVal scale. That’s right – a 4. Ouch! So that’s why this is a once a year kind of thing for me.
As for the cream cheese, it does a little bit better on the NuVal scale. Regular Philadelphia Cream Cheese scores a 20. 1/3 less fat cream cheese scores a 22. Fat-free cream cheese (of which I’m not a fan) scores a 28. Since this is a splurge thing for me, I go for the Regular cream cheese.
Although, the bagel eating is just a once-a-year splurge for me, having them in the house got my kids on a big bagel kick. They have quickly become fans. Who can blame them?
They like to make them look like smiles.
But I worry that I’m giving them a breakfast of nutritious nothingness. What is a guilt-ridden Mom to do? Look to NuVal for a little bit of guidance, of course! So, I did some research and found that Lender’s Whole Grain Bagels score a 37 on the NuVal scale. That’s a huge improvement from a 4! Lender’s bagels may not have that authentic New York kind of taste to them, but my kids have never been to Manhattan, so they won’t know the difference.
Now, all I need is for my beloved Ray’s to come out with a whole grain version. I wonder how it would score? Time will tell!
The NuVal Nutritional Scoring System gives nutritional guidance to consumers frustrated with complicated nutrition labels and misleading packaging promises. Under NuVal, all foods and beverages are rated on a scale between 1 to 100. The higher the score, the higher the overall nutrition.
