Trade-Up Tuesday: Muesli!
Hooray for Trade-Up Tuesday! This is the day where I tell you about a Trade-Up I’ve made since learning about NuVal scores and I give something away for free.
This summer, my new obsession is Muesli. You see, when the weather gets warm, I crave fresh fruit and nice cold skim milk all atop some kind of cereal. In summers past, that cereal would likely be Rice Chex or Corn Chex, both of which score a 24 on the NuVal scale. That is below the average score for all cold cereals (27). Fast forward to this summer, and I find myself at work, reviewing scores for one of my clients. I spy some scores for Muesli. Whoa, high 80s!! I also see the boxes of Muesli on the store shelf, because they are near some of the different hot cereals I tried out over the cold winter. Hmmmmmmm. I get brave. I buy some Muesli.
As my friend Tina would say, Holy Yum!
First of all – what is muesli? Well, according to www.wisegeek.com, muesli is a cereal made from toasted whole oats, nuts, fruit and typically wheat flakes. Since it uses whole grains, it is high in dietary fiber, and because it relies on the natural sweetness of the fructose in fruit, it is also low in sucrose. Depending upon the proportion of nuts, it can also be relatively high in protein, unlike most other breakfast cereal.
Interestingly, the term Muesli, of which there are many variant spellings, derives from the Swiss German word mus, which means ‘mixture’. Dr. Maximilian Bircher-Benner, who ran a sanatorium in Switzerland, invented muesli at the beginning of the 20th century. Bircher-Benner was keenly interested in promoting healthy diet and exercise. Along with eating nutritious foods like Muesli, and forgoing much if not all meat in their diet, Bircher-Benner’s patients had regular physical exercise and spent a portion of each day gardening. Their behaviors were modeled on the life of Swiss shepherds, who Bircher-Benner felt had the healthiest lifestyle. (Thanks to www.wisegeek.comfor this fascinating info!)
I found more info on the origins of Muesli on the back of the boxes:
So, how does this Muesli score? Much better than the Chex I used to eat all summer long!
- Bob’s Red Mill: 87
- Alpen: 87
- Familia: 43
The thing to know about Muesli is that once you add milk, it expands – a lot! It’s like when you put too much Orzo or Ditalini into soup. It becomes a bowl of mush. The serving size on most Mueslis is only 1/4 cup. You might be tempted to put more in your bowl. Don’t.
Stick to the 1/4 cup:
I know – it doesn’t look like much!
Add some blueberries (NuVal score of 100!)
Some strawberries (NuVal score of 100!)
Some nectarines (NuVal score of 93) and some cold skim milk (NuVal score of 91).
And you have a breakfast that will hold you ’til lunchtime!
Today’s Giveaway
One lucky A Better Bag of Groceries reader will win all three Mueslis to try at home. Just leave a comment below telling my your summer breakfast of choice. You can enter twice by leaving a second comment with a NuVal score. You can find some sample scores by searching this blog, www.tradingupdowntown.com, or on the NuVal website. Those of you lucky enough to shop at Price Chopper, Hy-Vee, Meijer, Kroger in Lexington, KY, United Supermarkets and Brookshire’s, can find NuVal scores on your store shelves. I will choose one winner at random at 7 am EDT on Wednesday (it really is random – my kids get to pick the number). Good Luck!
Special Wednesday Giveaway This Week!
Be sure to stop by here tomorrow. Thanks to the kind people at www.csnstores.com, I am hosting a special cookware giveaway. Don’t miss it!
Posted by: Melissa 74 comments
Posted in: Trade-Up Tuesday
Tags: Muesli
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 7:17 am
Summer breakfast of choice – plain, nonfat yogurt with muesli! bob’s red mill is my favorite.
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 7:23 am
Wow…. that looks intriguing! Normally, I make overnight oats (the night before) with bananas and strawberries. Yum!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 7:24 am
This morning’s breakfast is your sister-in-law’s granola recipe mixed into Chobani! Its fabulous!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 7:26 am
Oatmeal is a 57 on NuVal and bananas are a 91! Thanks!!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 7:35 am
Love granola with milk or a smoothie in the summer.
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 7:35 am
Yay for strawberries with a score of 100!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 8:31 am
I have been scared to try Muesli too! Now that you’ve promised me it’s good, I need to get on it! I am enjoying smoothies these day. The other day I made a “peach ice cream” with protein powder, skim milk, frozen peaches and xantham gum. I swear it was really like ice cream!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 8:37 am
Yogurt and granola!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 8:37 am
My fave is an ice cold smoothie
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 8:38 am
Definitely love bananas and pb for a quick breakfast!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 8:39 am
Bananas score a 91!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 8:39 am
My wife slices strawberries and serves them in skim milk, so refreshing, especially with a tablespoon of brown sugar!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 8:40 am
Strawberries are a 100
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 8:41 am
My summer breakfast these days has been a green monster topped with cereal (usually Kashi). I love that it’s cold and I get a serving of veggies in so early.
But I also love almond butter sandwich things with a banana sliced on top.
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 8:42 am
Even in the summer, I love oatmeal and yogurt
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 8:46 am
Really love hot oatmeal even in the summer! Sometimes I’ll cool it down with berries, but it’s just so good!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 8:48 am
Oatmeal rocks the charts at a 57!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 8:48 am
Definitely chobani with a sprinkle of oatmeal or granola on top…
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 9:06 am
Thanks for the great info on Muesli, I was wondering what it was! My favorite summer breakfast lately is Special K Protein Plus (60) with Chobani NOnfat Plain Greek Yogurt (91) and blueberries (100).
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 9:07 am
Even though it’s hot out, I’m still eating hot oatmeal w/ pumpkin and cinnamon, but I also add a big dollop of greek yogurt on top. It cools off the yogurt and adds both protein and a nice tangy flavor.
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 9:08 am
Quaker Old-Fashioned Oats have a Nuval score of 57
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 9:18 am
I like to mix Fiber One with GoLean Cruch or Multigrain Cheerios and fresh berries. I drink my Fat Free Milk on the side because I can’t stand milk in my cereal. I know that’s kind of weird and I’ve passed this habit onto my son!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 9:30 am
I usually stick to fruit – like a banana.
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 9:31 am
Bananas have a NuVal score of 91!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 9:32 am
I like Kashi Go Lean with blueberries! Just had some this morning…
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 9:34 am
Kashi Go Lean scores a 47, and the blueberries are a 100!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 9:37 am
Muesli is my all season favorite breakfast!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 9:39 am
Breakfast of choice: 1 slice of toast with peanut butter and fruit, usually watermelon, peaches, strawberries, blueberries, or a little bit of each. Great post! I didn’t know muesli was so healthy!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 9:41 am
Not alot of time in the morning, so I usually have some whole wheat toast and whatever great fruit I happen to have on hand (I love summer fruit!); this morning it was blueberries and raspberries, yum.
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 10:04 am
even though it’s hot, my breakfast is still oatmeal! i’d love try switch to museli though
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 10:12 am
I like to eat oatmeal for breakfast in the summer – cold. My only gripe is that it gets a little “glue-like” in the fridge over night. I’d really like to try muesli!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 10:15 am
My summer breakfast of choice would have to be what is known as a CFY in the blog world ha…I love to use some plain greek yogurt, fresh fruit, and cereal (lately it’s been blueberry pomegranate total!) topped with some almond butter. So refreshing yet filling!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 10:15 am
I haven’t entered any giveaways since I started working with you but I have fallen in love with muesli this year and I just can’t help myself this time. I’ve been having Bob’s Red Mill Muesli (87) mixed into plain 0% Chobani (94) and topped with blueberries and strawberries (both 100) for days on end lately and it is divine
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 10:16 am
I love to see that the nonfat plain greek yogurt I use scores a 94!!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 10:24 am
I love muesli, but often forget about it when I am at the grocery store. Now that I know how high certain brands score, it is on my list for my next trip to the store!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 10:25 am
Muesli with blueberries (Nuval score of 100) sounds like the perfect summertime breakfast! Yum!!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 11:18 am
In the summertime, my breakfast of choice is a “yogurt mess”. I make my messes with Oikos Greek Yogurt, blueberries, strawberries,banannas and either raw oatmeal or a bit of granola.
If I need a breakfast on the go, I just take a my yogurt mess, add it to a blender, and turn it into a smoothie.
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 11:31 am
I LOVE Greek yogurt with lots of berries and flax:-)cc
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 12:03 pm
My fav summer breakfast is plain, unsweetened yogurt with fruit (try to vary the fruit each week). I should try to add muesli one of these days…
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 12:16 pm
Lately I’ve been taking a Larabar to work since I’m so busy and don’t want to make a mess in the kitchen.
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 12:28 pm
My favorite summer breakfast is a protein smoothy. But lately I have also been eating a lot of Kashi-U cereal..it is delicious.
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 12:49 pm
I love greek yogurt and berries which will pair great with muesli
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 12:50 pm
Greek yogurt (91) and Blueberries (100) is a great scoring breakfast!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 1:02 pm
We enjoy a sliced banana topped with stonyfield yogurt and topped with granola. Serve with Orange juice. Yum!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 1:18 pm
My breakfast of choice is Old fashioned oatmeal with a banana cooked in.
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 1:19 pm
Oatmeal scores a 57 and the banana scores an impressive 91.
Awesome Giveaway!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 1:21 pm
My breakfast consists of whole grain cheerios (Nuval score of 34) and top it with a banana (Nuval score of 91). I loved reading the post on Muesli, especially because I used to live in Switzerland and eat it regularly with fruits and yogurt/milk. I usually buy the Familia brand but should trade up to one of the others because they are higher scoring.
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 1:42 pm
I’m still eating oatmeal for breakfast on most occasions. I know, I’m crazy!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 1:43 pm
Oatmeal clocks in at a 57, and I have to have a banana (91) with breakfast too.
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 2:15 pm
Oatmeal! But Muesli sounds like a must-try!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
I love eating plain yogurt with fresh blueberries!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
Plus, blueberries score a 100!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 2:24 pm
Great giveaway! In the summer, I love to eat raisin bran cereal with strawberries!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 2:25 pm
And, strawberries have a NuVal score of 100!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 2:38 pm
My favorite is chobani nonfat greek yogurt with strawberries and blueberries!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 2:38 pm
greek yogurt (91), strawberries and blueberries both score a perfect 100!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 3:21 pm
Overnight oats has become my go to breakfast this summer.
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 3:39 pm
I have always been a banana eater for breakfast. With my Teddie Peanut Butter win from last week I have been enjoying that with a whole wheat english muffin too!! Yum!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
Plain yogurt with fresh peaches or nectarines…yummy!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
Peaches and nectarines score a 93!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 4:48 pm
My go to summer breakfast is plain greek yogurt, kashi go lean, & whatever fruit I have at the time. Lately its been blueberries – but its also great with peaches, bananas, or pineapple!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 4:50 pm
Right now I am loving greek yogurt with fresh berries
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 4:51 pm
And most berries score a 100!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 5:42 pm
overnight oats with almond milk
or plain greek yogurt and lots of fruit
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 5:43 pm
overnight oats: NuVal 57 and I’m not sure about almond milk
greek yogurt, plain is a 91
fruit (bananas, berries, nectarines…) ranging from 91 to 100!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 6:26 pm
My favorite breakfast is Old Fashioned oats with berries and some kind of nut butter! Yummy
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 6:29 pm
My oats score a 57, berries score a 100.
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 8:28 pm
oatmeal w/skim milk blueberries, chopped walnuts..however I have never tried muesli and it’s time for a change up in my breakfast.
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 9:06 pm
My summer breakfast is shredded wheat with bananas, soy milk, and blueberries!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 9:10 pm
And shredded wheat scores 91, bananas score 91, soy milk (Silk Light Plain) scores 82, and blueberries score 100!
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 10:14 pm
I love a bowl of plain greek yogurt (91), some kashi go lean, berries, and peanut butter
on Jul 13th, 2010 at 11:33 pm
Cantaloupe with cottage cheese.
on Jul 14th, 2010 at 12:05 am
I love my breakfast smoothie.
on Jul 14th, 2010 at 12:06 am
These days I look forward to having a bowl of overnight oats.