Friday, October 29, 2010 at 06:55 AM
Welcome to the Halloween edition of Cooking with Catherine Katz! Catherine is the wife of Dr. David Katz, the founder of ONQI, the algorithm which fuels NuVal scores. Together, she and David have created a collection of healthy recipes in a cookbook titled The Flavor Full Diet. About a year ago or so, I discovered that Catherine was a fan of A Better Bag of Groceries and we’ve been collaborating on the blog ever since. We have a lot of fun!
This past week, both of our families got ready for the big holiday this weekend. I am happy to unveil the beautiful pumpkins that the Katz family carved at their annual Pumpkin Carving party in Connecticut.
Gorgeous! Just like the Katz family!
Meanwhile, back in Massachusetts, my 5-year-old and 7-year-old were preparing for the big Halloween weekend. In our new neighborhood, we were “ghosted“. So, one evening, our doorbell rang, and when we answered it there was no one there, but there was a bag of Halloween treats left on the doorstep (all non-edible actually). So, we then “ghosted” a different family in the neighborhood. Very fun!
Now that the Big Weekend is upon us, I need to get my energy up. Here’s what’s on the agenda:
- Halloween Costume Bingo Party at School
- Wear your Costume to Ballet Class
- Karate Graduation
- My Sister’s Halloween Costume Party for Grown-Ups
- Teach Church School
- Town Halloween Costume Parade
- Neighborhood Block Party (Costumes, Of Course!)
- Trick or Treating
Whew! I’m wondering if the costumes will be in one piece by the time we get to trick-or-treating. I know I’m not alone with this hectic weekend schedule.
With all that going on, I need a good energy boost, so I turned to Catherine’s Pumpkin-Allspice Smoothie for a real pick-me-up.
Ingredients
1/4 cup canned pumpkin (NuVal score of 94)
1/4 cup fat-free vanilla yogurt (NuVal score of 73 for Chobani)
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk (NuVal score of 91 for Organic Valley non-fat dry milk)
3/4 cup fat-free milk (NuVal score of 91)
1/2 cup crushed ice
Pinch of ground allspice
Directions
Measure ingredients.
Place the pumpkin, yogurt, dry milk, fat-free milk, ice, and allspice in a blender and process until smooth.
Yum! This was so delicious. I just might bring them to the neighborhood block party for all the other moms who will be sure to need an energy boost. Much better than a candy bar!
Catherine’s secret ingredient is the non-fat powdered milk.
Catherine says, “I use fat-free powdered milk to sweeten this smoothie without adding more sugar. The lactose in the milk is a natural sugar that does the trick without adding all those empty calories and adds calcium to boost!” Remember that before you reach into your child’s Halloween bag, OK?
Happy Halloween everybody! Enjoy!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Cooking with Catherine Katz, Halloween, Pumpkin, smoothies
Tags: energy, Halloween, Pumpkin, smoothie, smoothies
Thursday, October 28, 2010 at 07:24 AM
It’s Pumpkin Week here at A Better Bag of Groceries! Pumpkin gets an incredible NuVal score of 94 and it certainly is the season, so today I have another fantastic recipe that I just made this week in my own kitchen.
The winds of change are blowing for my family this autumn. Not only did we move just three short weeks ago, but back in September, I switched from working part-time for NuVal to working full-time again. It’s been about four years since I’ve been a full-time working mom, so it’s been a bit of an adjustment for me and my family these past few weeks.
There are some secrets to being a successful Full-Time Working Mom. (Since I’ve done a few different working arrangements since becoming a mother, I can tell you that these secrets work very well for moms who work part-time, moms who do not work outside the home and for women who do not have children too!)
Melissa’s Seven Secrets to Being a Successful Full-Time Working Mom*
*The asterisk means that this applies to the other working and family arrangements mentioned above.
- Plan as Much As You Can
- Try Not to Freak Out When Things Don’t Go as Planned
- Get Really Organized
- Find Solutions for Things that Make you Disorganized
- Get Really Good Help
- Outsource Stuff You Just Can’t Do (You Do Make Money, After All)
- Get a Slow-Cooker or Crock-Pot and Learn How to Use It
Those first 6 items are definitely a blog post for another day. But today’s blogpost is about how I am trying to find new ways to use my crock-pot. Because these days, we find ourselves coming in the door after 6 pm – four people with backpacks, lunchboxes and work bags to empty and put away. The stove is cold. Dinner is not even started. There is so much to do – homework, lunches to make for the next day – how to get it all done? So this weekend, when I was Menu Planning (See Melissa’s Secret to Success #1), I unearthed my ancient slow-cooker cookbook.
The Low Carb claims are a pretty good indication that this cookbook is dated! The copyright is 2003.
I love the part where they say, “these slow cooker recipes will save the day.” So true!
So, I flipped through and of course, it being Pumpkin Week and all, this recipe caught my eye.
This looked easy and the cooking time looked just right. One thing to check for when using a slow cooker is to match your recipe with the number of hours you will be away from home. For example, if you will be out of the house for 10 hours, don’t choose a recipe that requires only 7 hours of cooking time. Or you will be eating mush.
Beef and Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes (the NuVal score for Beef Stew meat ranges from 24 to 34 depending on whether it’s chuck, shank or tips)
1 10 ounce package frozen whole kernel corn (NuVal score of 91 for Bird’s Eye frozen corn)
1 1/2 cups 1/2 inch pieces peeled and seeded pumpkin or butternut squash (NuVal score of 94 for Pumpkin, 100 for Butternut Squash)
1 1/2 cups water
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce (I used The Chateau Marinara Sauce by Pastene, NuVal score of 66)
3/4 cup chopped onion (NuVal score of 93)
1/2 cup chopped green sweet pepper (NuVal score of 94)
1 clove garlic, minced (NuVal score of 91)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 ounces dried whole wheat macaroni or other small pasta (I used Dreamfield’s Rotini, NuVal score of 87)
1/4 cup snipped fresh parsley (NuVal score of 99)
Oops, I forgot to use the parsley. And I bought it for the recipe when I went grocery shopping! Oh, well (See, Melissa’s Secret to Success #2 – Do Not Freak Out When Things Do Not Go As Planned). No big deal, right?
Directions
- In a 3 1/2 – to 5-quart slow cooker combine meat, corn, pumpkin, water, tomato sauce, onion, sweet pepper, garlic, salt, black pepper, and nutmeg.
(Note: I actually browned the meat with the garlic and onions first. I like to brown things! Then I put everything in my slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 10 to 12 hours or on high-heat setting for 5-6 hours.
- Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Stir pasta into the soup. Ladle soup into bowls;
sprinkle each serving with parsley.
Well, the claim on the back of the cookbook was true. This recipe did save the day! It took me just a little time the night before to assemble the ingredients into the crock pot (probably longer than necessary because of my Browning Habit). Then, in the morning, I just placed the crock pot on the burner, set it on low, and went to work. When we all walked in after 6 pm, the aroma of beef, pumpkin and tomatoes was wafting through the house. So delicious! The best thing about this recipe? The kids loved it. They gobbled it up and asked for seconds.
Question of the Day
What is your Secret to Success?
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Dinner Recipes, Dreamfield's, Pumpkin
Tags: Dinner Recipes, Dreamfield's, Pumpkin, Slow Cooker
Wednesday, October 27, 2010 at 08:10 AM
Welcome to Cooking With Catherine Katz, a frequent feature here at A Better Bag of Groceries. Catherine, who is married to Dr. David Katz, the founder of ONQI, the algorithm that fuels NuVal scores, is a fantastic chef and she and I have a blast collaborating on the blog. This week is really fun because Catherine and I both love all things Halloween. So, even though we live a state apart and our children are different ages, we are having a little Pumpkin Carving Cook-off between our two households.
Over at the Katz’s house in Connecticut, Catherine and David held their annual Pumpkin Carving party with their teenagers.
Catherine tells me that it is a tradition in the Katz household to hold a marathon pumpkin carving party every Halloween season. “There was pumpkin and goo all over the dining room table,” says Catherine. “Afterwards we made a bonfire and had yummy soup and homemade bread for dinner. It was such a special evening!”
Meanwhile, in Massachusetts, my sister, Pilates Julie (you met her yesterday in the Almond Milk giveaway) gave me this beautiful pumpkin soup tureen for a housewarming gift.
It was the perfect thing for my new kitchen!
As soon as she gave it to me, I just had to find a recipe for pumpkin soup. I was flipping through Dr. Katz’s cookbook, The Flavor-Full Diet, working on another recipe for the blog, when I discovered that he and Catherine had a Pumpkin Soup recipe in the book. Who knew?
The first line of the recipe reads, “This soup takes 8 minutes to make from opening the cans to putting it on the table.” That’s my kind of soup!
So, I gathered my kids:
and the ingredients:
and together we made Pumpkin Soup.
I love how the kids get to practice measuring when they cook!
And for the record – my kids made a mess in the kitchen too!
The amazing thing about this soup? Not that it only took 8 minutes and yes, it is dinner party material. Not just dinner party – you could serve it at Thanksgiving Dinner and feel proud. The amazing thing about this soup was that my kids gobbled it up!!! They loved it. I’m not sure if they thought it was cool that they were eating pumpkin or they were just so proud that they had made it, but they really loved it.
Recipe for Catherine’s Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil (NuVal score of 11)
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger or garlic (NuVal score of 87 for ginger and 91 for garlic)
4 cans (15 ounces each) pumpkin (no added salt or sugar) (NuVal score of 94)
3 cups fat-free vegetable or chicken broth (NuVal score of 2)
2 cups fat-free buttermilk (NuVal score of 36 for Hood Fat Free Buttermilk)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup light unsweetened coconut milk (NuVal score of 30 for So Delicious Coconut Milk)
Directions:
- Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the ginger or garlic and saute for 1 minute.
- Add the pumpkin, broth, buttermilk, and salt and stir. Simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, or until hot.
- To serve, ladle the soup into 4 bowls and drizzle a swirl of coconut milk on top of each.
Yesterday’s Giveaway
Congratulations to Commenter #61 Ellen! You’ve won the Almond, Soy and Rice Milk Giveaway. Please send me an email at abetterbagofgroceries@gmail.com so that I can mail your prize to you. Thank you to everyone who entered!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Cooking with Catherine Katz, Halloween, Pumpkin
Tags: Halloween, Pumpkin, Pumpkin Soup
Tuesday, October 26, 2010 at 06:57 AM
Hello Blog Friends! Welcome to Trade Up Tuesday, everyone’s favorite day here at A Better Bag of Groceries, because I blog about a trade-up I’ve made since learning about NuVal scores and I give away something for free. It’s a big hit and we’ve been doing it every Tuesday for well over a year now! A couple of weeks ago, I asked all of you to send me your Trade Up Tuesday requests. Last week’s Nut Butter Giveaway broke records. Wow, you all LOVE nut butters! The second most requested item on the list? Almond, Rice and Soy Milks. I will admit, I don’t usually purchase these – unless I am making a Green Monster Smoothie - but my sister, Pilates Julie , is lactose intolerant, so she does.
So, I checked in with Julie to see what she had to say about almond milk, soy milk, and rice milk. Here’s what she had to say:
When I was first diagnosed with lactose intolerance, my Go To milk was pretty much Lactaid. However, when I read your post about the Green Monster Smoothie, I was introduced to Almond Milk. Yum! I’m now hooked! I love it because it’s only 60 calories and it has a lot of Vitamin E. I put in in cereal, smoothies and I also just drink it plain. It’s perfect in coffee because it’s just a little bit sweet. I recommend it to all of my students and they love it too.
I did some research on some of the highest scoring, shelf-stable almond, rice and soy milks and here’s what I found:
- Pacific Natural Foods Organic Almond Lowfat: NuVal score of 56
- Blue Diamond Almond Breeze: NuVal score of 81
- Soy Dream Enriched Soy Milk: NuVal score of 88
- EdenBlend Organic Rice and Soy Beverage: NuVal score of 82
Today’s Giveaway
One lucky reader will win all four of these milks – and they are shelf-stable, so I can ship them through the mail! All you need to do is leave a comment below telling me which of these milks you would prefer and how you would like to enjoy it. I will choose one lucky commenter at random at 8 am Eastern time on Wednesday. So don’t delay! Good Luck!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Uncategorized
Tags: Uncategorized
Monday, October 25, 2010 at 06:57 AM
For many people, fall means football. Whether your football-watching takes you to the high-school stands, to a tailgate party at your college or home team stadium, or just to your living room couch, there’s nothing like chili for a game-time menu.
I will confess here – my husband and I have never really been football fans. But since we live a stone’s throw away from Gillette stadium, home of the New England Patriots, it’s hard not to be a football fan. We live in a town of season-ticket-holders and die-hard football watchers, not to mention the actual players that you sometimes bump into in real life (not that I would know who they are!) This autumn, which is even busier than any we can ever remember since we have moved houses, my husband and I have made a little resolution to take some time out to actually sit down and watch the Patriots play, because you know what – it’s kind of fun to watch! And the kids like to watch too. So, my plan last Sunday, was to make this awesome Hearty Turkey Chili recipe so that we could come home from church and spend some time on the couch watching football and eating this healthy chili.
I have been making this chili recipe for years – as you can tell by my tattered recipe!
I got it from Weight Watchers. It’s 4 points per serving for all you point counters out there!
Hearty Turkey Chili
Ingredients
1 tsp oil (NuVal score of 24 for Canola oil)
1 large onion, chopped (Nuval score of 93)
2 cloves garlic, minced (NuVal score of 91)
2 carrots, thinly sliced into rounds (NuVal score of 99)
1 lb lean ground turkey (NuVal score of 33)
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp hot red pepper flakes
2 tomatoes, chopped (NuVal score of 96)
1 cup tomato sauce (Oops – the Tuttorosso sauce you see pictured only scores a 16 on the NuVal scale! Could have picked a better sauce!)
1 cup fat-free chicken broth (NuVal score of 2 for College Inn broth)
1 1/2 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups kidney beans, rinsed and drained (NuVal score of 61 for Goya Dark Kidney Beans)
1 green pepper, chopped (NuVal score of 94)
Directions:
Heat a large pot coated with cooking spray over medium heat.
Add oil and onion, saute onion until soft. Add garlic and carrots and cook until garlic is softened.
Add ground turkey and brown meat, about 5 minutes. Stir to break up lumps.
Add chili powder, paprika, cumin and red pepper flakes, tomatoes and tomato sauce, broth and vinegar. Bring mixture to a boil and reduce heat.
Cover and simmer until meat is tender, 30 – 45 minutes.
Add beans and pepper.
Simmer, uncovered, until peppers are done, about 10 minutes.
Divide into 1-cup servings and serve.
Oh, this chili is sooooo good. Now, as you can see above, I did not pick a very high-scoring sauce. That is because I was shopping blind at one of my local grocery stores that does not have NuVal scores on the shelf. Grrrrrr. I should have gone to Big Y!!! Then, I would have known to steer clear of the low-scoring sauce. There are many other high-scoring sauces to choose from. Next time!
So, like I said, my plan was to be on the couch, cheering on our home team for at least a little while on a cozy fall Sunday afternoon while enjoying this chili. And then, my three sisters called to tell me that they were coming over with my two nieces to see our new house. Needless to say, with that much estrogen in the house, we ended up gathered around my new kitchen island instead of the football game – chatting about weddings, honeymoons, cooking, kids and decorating. I don’t even know who won the game. My husband gave up and ended up doing some yard work instead. I guess that’s why we’ve never been football fans. When you grow up with three sisters (which my husband and I both did), you just don’t watch a lot of football. But you can still eat a lot of chili.
Chili Toppers
I topped this chili with:
- A dollop of non-fat plain Chobani Greek yogurt: NuVal score of 94
- A sprinkle of shredded Cheddar cheese: NuVal score of 22 for Cabot Extra Sharp
- Chopped avocado: Nuval score of 89
Question of the Day
Are you a football fan? Or are you more apt to be found around the kitchen island talking girl-stuff?
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Dinner Recipes
Tags: Football, Hearty Turkey Chili, Weight Watchers
