Trade-Up Tuesday: Annie’s High-Scoring Mac & Cheese
Welcome to Trade-Up Tuesday – my favorite day here on A Better Bag of Groceries! Every Tuesday I blog about a Trade-Up I’ve made since learning about NuVal and I give away something for free. It’s a lot of fun!
Today’s Trade-Up was a last-minute idea – quick and easy. One thing that I’ve learned from motherhood is that life throws you curveballs and all the planning in the world cannot guarantee sanity. So it was this weekend when we found ourselves without Internet service – for four long days!!! While my husband tried to work the problem out with Verizon customer service representatives “somewhere in Asia” (they refused to say where), I found myself unable to blog (aaaaaaaaagggggghhhhhh!!!) and unable to connect to the WiFi in my home, my neighbor’s home, or even the WiFi at our Pool Club. I had this great Trade-Up Tuesday post all planned, with a recipe and pictures, but no way to write it.
And so, I took a deep breath, scrapped the complicated recipe post, and did what any experience mother would do……I opted for macaroni and cheese. I hightailed it to Stop & Shop, roamed the aisles desperate for a new Trade Up Tuesday post, when I saw it on the shelf. Yes! I can give away macaroni and cheese!! Suddenly, my whole outlook on life changed. Woo hoo! And, I remembered that I just discovered last week that Annie’s Whole Wheat Shells and White Cheddar scores even higher than the mac & cheese I’ve been giving my kids for the past year. That’s right, the Annie’s Whole Wheat Shells and White Cheddar scores a 21. Now the key is that you have to buy the WHOLE WHEAT Annie’s. Not the regular kind.
Check out these scores:
Annie’s HomeGrown Cheddar Cheese Regular Macaroni and Cheese: 5
Annie’s HomeGrown White Cheddar Shell Macaroni and Cheese: 5
Annie’s HomeGrown Whole Wheat Shell Macaroni and Cheese: 21
See what I mean? You have to buy the Whole Wheat kind. My kids usually get Kraft Whole Grain Elbow Macaroni and Cheese, which scores an 18. But last week, they did agree to putting some of Annie’s in the basket instead.
So, with this whole new quick and easy plan, I zipped over to Borders. Can I just say that I Heart Borders?? I really do. I took this lovely photo right outside the cafe door:
found a seat inside at a cool and quiet table near a power source and was soon, blissfully connected!
My Border's Office
I whipped out this quick and easy Trade-Up Tuesday blog post for all of you. Disaster averted! You didn’t arrive here today to see yesterday’s post still sitting here. Whew!
Can I just say that I loved blogging from Border’s? The smell of the coffee, no one yelling “Mom!!”, good people watching. This might become a regular thing!
Now, full disclosure here, my kids haven’t actually tried this Annie’s Whole Wheat Mac & Cheese yet. (Hey! There’s only so much a Mommy Blogger can do in a day!) No, they were happily (I hope) munching on one of my homemade dinner recipes with my husband while I blogged from Borders. But we will. And the winner of today’s giveaway can give us a review as well!
Today’s Giveway
Leave a comment below telling me the dinner or food you turn to when all plans get turned upside down (hint: it’s OK to say takeout!) You can enter twice if you know (0r can find) the NuVal score for that food. I will randomly choose a winner at 7 AM EDT on Wednesday (I hope – let’s see if we can get this Internet problem figured out!) or a little later if we are still not connected. Good Luck!
Posted by: Melissa 37 comments
Posted in: Macaroni and Cheese, Trade-Up Tuesday
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 8:07 am
Big fan of breafast for dinner when the going gets tight. I always have eggs, toast & PB and some fruit, which make it a complete meal!
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 8:47 am
We love Boston Market
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 8:48 am
Sorry about your internet!!! My pick is always breakfast for dinner as well–eggs are so versatile and easy to make…
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 9:00 am
Definitely love chinese take out, it’s a guilty pleasure
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 9:09 am
I totally pop in a Lean Cuisine on nights when I’m too busy or too tired to cook a proper meal…I don’t want to know the NuVal score–ignorance is bliss when it comes to those meals!
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 9:15 am
My pick is Subway sub, you can customize it to make it healthy!
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 9:16 am
I always have at least one box of pasta in my pantry, so that’s any easy fix for dinner.
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 9:22 am
i tend to run to the whole foods hot bar! so many options!
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 9:32 am
I love eating a breakfast for dinner if I don’t have the time for anything better.
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 9:38 am
We go to the cereal box!!
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 9:45 am
My mom’s go to dinner on crazy nights was pasta with butter and scrambled egg, its actually delicious. Today I usually go to something frozen like a Boca veggie burger. Sorry your weekend was so hectic
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 9:57 am
Probably a salad of some sort with a baked sweet potato!
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 9:59 am
A sweet potato gets a great score of 96!
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 10:16 am
When all else fails, whole wheat pasta definitely does the trick!
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 10:44 am
Pizza, that’s the alternative if all else fails!
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 10:48 am
Eggs are always in the fridge and a quick spinach tortilla is a go to meal! Plus its very healthy and nutritious!
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 10:53 am
I keep whole grain Naan flat breads in the freezer. It is so simple to make great pizza. Either w olive oil and garlic and frozen shrimp or sauted veggies or just sauce and cheese. I put the flat bread directly on oven rack. Delicious and 15 min tops
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 11:17 am
I always turn to peanut butter and jelly! I always have the ingredients, and it only takes one minute to put together.
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 11:37 am
I always have yogurt in the fridge, and I add whichever fruit I have! Quick and healthy!
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 12:01 pm
My go-to dinner is to make an egg dish, either a frittata or baked eggs in tomato sauce. With some bread and a simple salad, it’s a perfect quick and easy meal.
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 12:03 pm
Eggs score between 26-67 with a median score of 33!
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 12:07 pm
I love Annie’s Whole Wheat Shells and White Cheddar! It’s only marginally more expensive than the Kraft, so I like to keep at least one in my cupboard at all times. I mix might with lean ground beef and broccoli!
When things go awry, we tend to either grab sandwiches from the Walmart deli, Subway, or go to Taco Bell. I get something off the “Fresco” menu.
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 12:32 pm
My usual go to dinner is pretty boring actually. If i’m really in a pinch I grab 2 bananas slice them open and fill with almond butter. LOL
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 12:33 pm
Bananas score an impressive 91! That makes me feel slightly less guilty….
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 12:43 pm
Can’t go wrong with the classic natural peanut butter and jelly sandwich, with a glass of skim milk!
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 1:28 pm
Taco Bell – I love thier Fresco Menu!
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 1:29 pm
My go-to in a pinch meal is usually breakfast – either cereal, oatmeal, or eggs. Either that or a “rice bowl” which is me throwing whatever I can get my hands on into a bowl with some brown rice.
I’m sure your kids will love Annie’s Mac n Cheese. Even my ex-boyfriend who was a junk food junkie liked it!
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 1:49 pm
I love breakfast so if I don’t feel like cooking for dinner- I usually make a nice bowl of oatmeal with Whole foods unsalted pb and pumkin seed granola and three egg whites. That dinner is seriously heaven to me.
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 2:21 pm
I’m a big fan of using a Boboli pizza crust in a pinch. It’s quick, easy, and tasty!
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 3:06 pm
I hate to admit this but when things get all turned upside down. It’s McD’s Happy Meals. UGH I know that they aren’t good, but we skip the fries and always get apples and white milk.
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 3:28 pm
When dinner plans fall through, I am fully okay with relying on Light Select Harvest soups! Bulk them up with a frozen veggie bag that I always have in the freezer, and it makes for a 1/2 decent meal!
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 3:30 pm
Nuval Score 48 http://www.abetterbagofgroceries.com/2010/01/a-visit-to-price-chopper/
Not too shabby?
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 5:00 pm
egg white and veggie omelets! (veggies 90-100)
or I make a quick kitchen sink veg. soup with canned beans (organic: 91) and lots of veggies!
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 5:05 pm
I love to eat a huge bowl of oatmeal. I’ll add nuts, peanut butter, berries, and some toast and maybe a an egg on the side. I could eat breakfast foods for all three meals.
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 5:45 pm
It is blueberry pancakes for us. Could eat them any time.
on Jul 27th, 2010 at 11:26 pm
Baked chicken. It’s quick, easy, and tastes great!
on Jul 28th, 2010 at 12:46 am
That rarely happens here so not sure what I would do. Hope I had some leftovers.