Welcome! I am a mom of a busy 8 year old and an adventurous 6 year old. I also happen to work for a great 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.
Thanks to The Wiggles, every parent I know follows up the phrase “Fruit Salad” with “Yummy Yummy.” And then that song gets stuck in your head. In case you’ve never heard it, here it is:
We’re at that time of the year when there is a party every weekend and if there are kids there, I am likely to bring a Fruit Salad. (Yummy Yummy). Sorry, I just can’t help it!
All kids love fruit salad. And when the buffet table is laden with hot dogs, macaroni and cheese and potato chips, it’s comforting to know that you can get some fruit into your kids’ bellies. Plus, check out these NuVal scores on my fruit salad, pictured above:
Canteloupe: 91
Grapes: 91
Pineapple: 99
Strawberries: 100
Blueberries: 100
This week, I had my daughter’s Five Year Well Check. When her pediatrician asked if my daughter was eating five fruits or vegetables a day, I could proudly say yes. One thing we started doing recently, was using a little white board to keep track.
There are some days, when you realize that your kids only got two servings of fruits or vegetables. Oops! Time for a snack of apples, celery and carrot sticks!
Anyway, my kids are digging their Fruit and Veggie Board. I’m sure the novelty will wear off. The novelty of everything does, sooner or later. Even the novelty of The Wiggles. My kids have informed me that they are too big for them. Thank Goodness!
Somehow, this has turned into Friends and Family Week on A Better Bag of Groceries! First, I featured my family and our outdoor dinner party on Monday. My dear sorority sister Joan showed up for Trade-Up Tuesday with her old-fashioned popcorn. I went to my recipe box and made a favorite from my friend Heather on Wednesday. In keeping with that theme, today I introduce you to my Wonderful Friend and Constant Savior, Kit!
Behind every working Mom, there is a Stay-at-Home Mom who saves her life on a regular basis. When I was growing up, my Mom returned to nursing school and then worked as a registered nurse. That meant that she had to be out of the house and on her way to work somewhere in the vicinity of 6:30 am. Lucky for us, there was Odette, a stay-at-home mother of three children who lived upstairs from us. Every morning, we headed up to Odette’s where she made us our instant oatmeal and watched over us until it was time to walk to school. I always wondered how I was going to handle working and being a Mom, but somehow I knew that there would be an angel like Odette in my life. For me, it is Kit. She is always willing to lend a hand as taxi driver, impromptu babysitter, shoe-lender, and today, food blogger!
Kit and her husband, Greg, have been on a mission to lead a healthy life after a busy couple of years with their two young boys. Kit will admit to you that she does not have that innate love for the gym that some people (like me) have, but she is doing an amazing job these days of getting there on a daily basis. I am so proud of her! After dedicating herself to small group training, TRX classes and cardio workouts, she is looking slimmer and trimmer than ever.
The other day, Kit’s husband put in a request for a light dinner, so Kit found this recipe for Greek Diner Salad on EveryDayHealth.com. Funny, Kit and I both thought it was a “Dinner” salad, but according to the web-site, it’s a “Diner” salad. I guess you might find this kind of a salad in a Greek diner. Who knew?
For exact measurements and instructions, check out the original recipe here.
Kit also added some grilled chicken (NuVal score 39) and sliced avocado (NuVal score: 89). I stopped by on my way home from work to check out Kit’s concoction and it smelled yuh – mmy!! She even gave me her extra radishes so that I can make it for my husband too. What a friend!
Question of The Day
What’s your favorite recipe that you’ve gotten from a friend?
My good friend, Heather, will get requests for her Chinese Vermicelli. Fortunately for me, Heather has shared this recipe, so I can make it in my own home. And, boy, do I at this time of year. It is cool and delicious. And now that I know that I can make it with a super-high scoring pasta, it goes down even easier!
You remember Heather, don’t you? She is one of my Fit Friends at Forty!
Heather and Her Daughter
Heather is one of the best cooks I know! She has taught me a lot over the years – like how to make the most decadant chocolate cake ever – but that is a post for another day.
Back to the Chinese Vermicelli
Ingredients:
1/4 cup sesame oil (House of Tsang Pure Sesame Oil scores an 8 on the NuVal scale)
1/4 cup black soy sauce (I used Kikkoman regular soy sauce which scores a 9. I should have used Kikkoman less sodium soy sauce, because it gets a 23)
2 T sugar (NuVal score: 1)
2 T balsamic vinegar (not scored)
1 lb vermicelli (I used Dreamfields spaghetti, which scores an 87)
1/2 cup sesame seeds, toasted (Simply Organic sesame seeds score an 82)
1 cup green onions (NuVal score: 100)
2 T chili oil (we have not yet scored the brand that I used, but Sun Luck makes one that scores a 24)
Mix sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, chili oil and vinegar. Cook vermicelli in boiling water until barely tender. Drain. Rinse with cold water and drain again. Toss the pasta with the dressing. Add sesame seeds. Top with onions before serving.
This recipe is so quick and easy. Seriously, the only hard part of toasting the sesame seeds without burning them. The blend of flavors that come from combining sesame oil, chili oil, balsamic vinegar and sugar is so unique. And it is even better the next day. The colder this pasta is, the better it tastes. So a night in the fridge really brings out the flavor. Make this for your next cookout and you will be asked to bring it again – promise!
Question of the Day
What is your most requested recipe?
Popcorn Giveaway Winner
Congratulations to Commenter #27, Amanda! You’ve won some Old-Fashioned Popcorn and a NuVal t-shirt. Please email me at abetterbagofgroceries@gmail.com with your mailing address and t-shirt size. Thanks to all who entered!
Hello! Welcome to Trade-Up Tuesday, a great day here on A Better Bag of Groceries because I tell you about a Trade Up I’ve made since learning about NuVal and I give away something nutritious and delicious.
For me, one of the coolest things about writing A Better Bag of Groceries is meeting people and hearing about the changes they’ve made since reading my blog. This happened just recently when I attended a sorority reunion of sorts. It was actually a retirement party for Mecky, our housemother who spent 21 years at Alpha Chi Omega, Gamma Sigma Chapter at the University of Rhode Island.
Mecky and Me
At the party, it was amazing to catch up with my sorority sisters, especially my dear friend Joan, who said, “Oh My God! I am now popping corn the old-fashioned way because of you!” Truly, there is no better compliment.
Joan (the Old Fashioned Corn Popper) with MaryEllen and Scarlett
Joan is just one friend of mine who is on the Retro Popcorn Revolution after finding out that Orville Redenbacher’s Original popcorn scores a 91 on the NuVal scale. All of the microwave brands pale in comparison, ranging from 1 – 28. Ouch! Yes, many a mom has approached me or left me Facebook messages to say that they have banned microwave popcorn from their households now.
That is what NuVal is all about. It’s about giving consumers the information they need to make an educated decision about the nutritional value of their food. Period. To me, it is so rewarding to see that the information that I am able to give my readers makes a difference in their lives. We all just want to choose the most nutritious foods for our families and for ourselves and I’m glad that I am able to help people do that.
Today’s Giveaway
One lucky winner will get a jar of Orville Redenbacher’s Original popcorn to pop at home. I’ve also thrown in a NuVal t-shirt. To enter, just leave a comment below telling me about a Trade Up or a change you’ve made since learning about NuVal scores. I’ll choose one winner at random tomorrow (Wednesday) morning at 7 am Eastern Time. Good Luck!
I love to entertain. I really, really do. In my opinion, entertaining is one of those things that you either love to do or hate to do. And I just happen to love it. I think I got the bug from my Grandma Wood. She loved to throw parties, host holidays, and serve nice dinners. She had a tiny little house, but a big wrap-around deck, and she somehow she managed to entertain large groups of people with ease. Some of my fondest memories are of get-togethers at her house.
Like Grandma Wood, my house falls a little short when it comes to entertaining inside. So this weekend, when my daughter asked for Spaghetti and Mama Melissa’s Meatballs for her 5th Birthday Dinner, we took it outside.
It was so much easier to seat 13 people out on the lawn instead of in our tiny dining room!
It felt sort of Godfather – like, eating pasta and drinking red wine on white tablecloths in the grass.
And when the kids were done, we could just hose down the table and high chair!
My daughter loved her Spaghetti dinner.
Don’t you just love my apron, by the way?
It was a gift from my Mom for Mother’s Day. It’s from Vera Bradley and it came with a matching recipe box!
But back to today’s blog topic, which is about entertaining outside. My husband and I have a few tips:
Instead of pre-cleaning inside, focus on the outside. Give the lawn a fresh cut and sweep the deck. Remember, today your yard is your dining room.
Do what you can do to control the elements. For us here in New England, at this time of the year, it’s all about the bugs. We sprayed Yard Guard about an hour before guests arrived and had some Insect Repellent on hand. The Yard Guard does an amazing job of keeping the bugs under control. However, we once had a wine tasting on a 98 degree day in August (my sister’s bridal shower) where we had fans set up outside under a tent. (I’m not kidding).
Be prepared for complainers. While some people will love that they are sitting on your lawn with a glass of Chianti imagining that they are in Sicily, it will throw some people for a loop. Have some sweatshirts and sweaters available and just give them another glass of wine. That usually helps!
Be prepared to take it inside. There are times when no amount of hoping or praying can keep the bad weather away. When my husband graduated from Business School, I planned an elaborate party with rented tables, chairs and tents. I even made the table cloths (this was pre-kids, after all). Even though the date of the party was in late May, it rained sideways on the day of the party. In fact, some parts of Massachusetts saw snow. Needless to say, I soon had 35 people in our smallish-house. We survived.
As long-time A Better Bag of Groceries readers know, I am a huge devotee of Robin Abrahams, the author of the Miss Conduct column in the Boston Globe. In her book, Miss Conduct’s Mind Over Manners, she writes about entertaining, “even if your home and accoutrements don’t measure up to those of others.” Robin, too, has a less-than-desirable setup for entertaining in her Cambridge apartment. And as she writes on page 65 of Mind Over Manners, “for a while I let that intimidate and shame me out of entertaining, and our social obligations started to pile up like dirty dishes. Then one magical day it hit me that our friends like us, and their enjoyment of our company isn’t mitigated by the presence of plastic forks.” So, make the most of what you do have, and throw that party. Everyone will have a good time.
And in the end, maybe she’ll remember that she made her 5th birthday wish out on the green grass with a beautiful breeze blowing in her hair…
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.
Awards
A Better Bag of Groceries was recently named by Medical Assistant Colleges as a Top 50 Blog for Understanding and Preventing Childhood Obesity. Hooray!
Yummy Yummy! 
