A Better Bag of Groceries

Fit Friends at Forty – Meet Kalli!

Thursday, April 1, 2010 at 07:14 AM

Happy April Fool’s Day!  I briefly thought about doing a prank blog post, where I give out wrong scores (like, guess what everybody, Fruit Loops now score 100!) but I thought it would give Rob, our media director at NuVal, a heart attack.  So, instead, I opted to introduce you to one of my Fit at Forty Friends.  As you may recall from an earlier post, I am turning the big 4-0 this year.  To mentally prepare myself for the Big Day, I decided not to focus on celebrities born in 1970, but rather real people who I know are handling this big milestone with grace and an attitude towards healthy living.

I met Kalli through my new friend Tina Haupert.  Kalli turned 40 on March 12th of this year and as part of her 40th year celebration, she began her blog Fit and Forty Something.  Kalli teaches math and science to 7th-graders in her small beach town in Southern California.  She and her husband Bill are avid cyclists.  Kalli also enjoys running, doing yoga, and walking her Black Labrador, Pepsi.

I asked Kalli some questions about turning 40.

Me:  What is your strategy for keeping fit at forty?

Kalli:  Execise consistently and easily.  What I mean by that is you should find something you enjoy doing so it does not feel like a chore.  Also, find friends who like to do the same things and work out with them.  And, fit in working out in your daily life though walking to work, walking to do errands and walking the dog. Enjoy good food but in moderation, never have second helpings and enjoy a glass of wine

Me:  How did you feel on your 40^th birthday?

Kalli:  Good on the actual day but I was nervous counting down the last days of my 39th year. 

Me:  Ugh, me too!

Kalli:  Forty signaled an end to some things for me and a new beginning as well.  I started my blog, for that exact reason.  I started it on January 1st which was 2 1/2 months before my 40th but I needed something to help me transition to that age.  It really helped!  I was ready on March 12th to accept and embrace my age.

Me:  Is anything different now that you are technically “in your 40s”?

Kalli:  I realize, “this is it,”  you must live your best life NOW.  There are no do-overs. 

Me:  What do you think of NuVal?  Have you found anything surprising in the scores? 

Kalli:  Yes!  I have been reading other NuVal blogs as well as yours and I am learning so much about “healthy”  food.  I think NuVal really opens up your eyes to what is nutrient dense and good for you.  No misconceptions there!

So, without further ado, I bring you Kalli!

I tend to consider myself fairly healthy but wonder occasionally if my “healthy” food is really so healthy.

That is why when Melissa from A Better Bag of Groceries emailed me to do a guest post on her blog I was ecstatic!

Melissa works for NuVal.  You may have heard of NuVal from another “famous” blogger-Tina from Carrots and Cake.

I learned that NuVal scores your food based on its “healthfulness.”

I decided to test out my famous Green Monster Shake which I adapted from Angela at Green Monster Movement.

Here is what typically goes into my shake:

Baby Spinach

1 1/2 Cups Almond Milk-organic, regular flavor

1 Scoop Vega Chocolate  Whole Food Optimizer

1 Banana

1/2 cup frozen Mixed Berries

1 tsp Flax Seed

I wonder how this shake will rate

Melissa here again!  Kalli’s Green Monster Shake incorporates ingredients with very high NuVal scores.  While we have not yet scored the Vega Chocolate Whole Food Optimizer or flax seeds yet, check out these scores:

• Baby Spinach gets a 100
• The Almond Milk scores a 90 if you choose Blue Diamond Growers Smooth & Creamy Unsweetened Organic Non-Dairy Beverage made from Real Almonds
• Bananas get a 91
• The Mixed Berries get a 100 if you choose Dole Wildly Nutritious Signature Blend Mixed Berries.

So, Happy Birthday Kalli and thanks for the Guest Post.  Now I need to go make a Green Monster!

Posted by: Melissa 7 comments

Posted in: Fit Friends at Forty

Tags: Green Monster