Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 07:11 AM
Welcome to Trade-Up Tuesday! Every Tuesday, I blog about a trade-up I’ve made since I learned about the NuVal scoring system and I give away something for free. It’s a great day and lots of people tune in. Today is a special edition of Trade-Up Tuesday because I wanted to celebrate! I just discovered that this little blog is shattering its readership record! Yup, it’s true. The top number of readers ever (in a month’s time) used to be a little over 12,000. And usually, the monthly readership hovers somewhere around 11,000. Well, this month (January 1st through January 31st, 2012), we broke that record. As of yesterday, 13,991 people had read A Better Bag of Groceries in the month of January. So, thank you all for reading – and for recommending ABBG to your friends.
I’m pretty sure we’ll go over the 14,000 mark by the end of the day today. So, to celebrate, I put together some of my favorite things for today’s giveaway. They are all high-scoring foods in their categories and they are all something that I discovered thanks to NuVal.
There are LaraBars…
Kind Bars
and Chocolate Twilight Delight
LaraBars are a staple in our kitchen pantry, but just a couple of years ago, I was asking, “Lara Who?” After my co-worker Tina introduced them to me, I was hooked. And they get great NuVal scores for a snack bar. In this giveaway, there is:
- Apple Pie LaraBar: NuVal score of 53
- Pecan Pie LaraBar: NuVal score of 40
- Cashew Cookie LaraBar: NuVal score of 32
My kids now love LaraBars too – especially the Apple Pie flavor.
Kind Bars are the snack that I am most likely to grab when I am at an airport or convenience store. I like them for a quick energy boost on the go. These also get great NuVal scores.
- Kind Nut Delight Bar: NuVal score of 66
- Kind Fruit and Nut Delight Bar: NuVal score of 28
- Kind Almond and Apricot: NuVal score of 23
To put those scores into perspective for you, the average score for a snack bar is a 24. So, all of these scores are at just about average – and some are much higher.
And then, there’s my favorite food group: chocolate! I need to have a little nibble every day. I remember the day that I found these Twilight Delight bars at Price Chopper with a NuVal score of 21. I was so excited! After all, the average score of candy is a 4. Here was a dark chocolate (my favorite kind of chocolate) bar with a NuVal score of 21. I was jumping up and down with excitement.
Now to continue my blog celebration here, I threw in one of our new NuVal long-sleeved t-shirts and a NuVal water bottle.
Isn’t this a great giveaway?
Today’s Giveaway
One lucky reader will win today’s giveaway with all of the goodies included. All you need to do is leave a comment below telling me what favorite goodie you would have included if it were your giveaway. In honor of the blog record-breaking today, I’m also asking readers to “pass the blog” on to a friend, relative or neighbor who may not know about A Better Bag of Groceries or NuVal yet. It’s an honor system kind of thing, but you can let me know if you passed it along. I’ll choose one winner at random at 8 am Eastern time on Wednesday. Good Luck!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Trade-Up Tuesday
Tags: Trade-Up Tuesday
Monday, January 30, 2012 at 07:14 AM
Flat Out. It’s a great name for a flatbread, isn’t it? They must have some smart people working in the marketing department over at the Flat Out Factory. A friend of mine turned me on to Flat Out a while back. I think, at the time, we had only scored one or two of the Flat Out varieties. So last week, when I was touring a Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, NY, I was excited to see NuVal scores on a bunch of Flat Out products now. And they all score high – when compared to other breads and wraps.
There’s the Flat Out Light Original…
with a NuVal score of 59.
Flatout Light Italian Herb…
also with a NuVal score of 59.
There’s Flatout Foldit 5 Grain Flax…
with a NuVal score of 49.
And Flatout Foldit Rosemary & Olive Oil…
with a NuVal score of 29.
All those Flatout breads (even the Rosemary/Olive Oil) score better than your average bread. The average bread, roll or wrap scores a 27 on the NuVal scale. So Flatout scores are great!
Flatout even makes these baked flatbread crisps.
They score a 39 on the NuVal scale.
That’s a fantastic score when compared to other crackers. The average score for crackers is an 18.
The great thing about NuVal is that we’re working hard every day to score more and more products. So, if you don’t see a score on a product (especially a new product) just yet, know that we’ll probably get to it real soon. Just like we did with these Flatout breads.
And now you know the skinny on Flatout!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Tops
Tags: Flatout, Tops Friendly Markets
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 07:13 AM
Welcome to Cooking With Catherine Katz! If you haven’t tried one of Catherine’s recipes yet, today is the day! Every recipe she gives me is simply amazing. These Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies are to die for. And they are so easy.
Catherine (second from right in this photo of Gorgeous Katz’s) is married to NuVal visionary, Dr. David Katz. Together they have 5 (count ‘em!) children.
It’s hard to believe that Catherine and I have been collaborating on this blog/recipe project for almost 2 years now. Where does the time go? Anyway, she always seems to send me the perfect recipe. This time was no exception.
This cookie recipe has only 4 ingredients! Actually, Catherine informed me that the original recipe called for baking soda and salt, but that she eliminated them to make it more nutritious. She’s absolutely right. You don’t need those ingredients.
Ingredients
3 cups Almond Meal/Flour (NuVal score of 77)
6 Tablespoons canola oil (NuVal score of 24)
6 Tablespoons agave nectar (NuVal score of 1)
3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips (NuVal score of 8).
This was my first time buying almond meal/flour. To keep the product fresher longer, it is suggested that you store it in the refrigerator.
I’ve had this agave nectar for a while. I was glad to put it to some use!
Directions
Measure the 4 ingredients into a bowl and mix them together.
So easy!
Bake on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 350 degrees for 8 – 10 minutes.
I found that 9 minutes was the magic number for my oven.
These were ooey, goeey and perfect! And they keep fresh for days. We made these on a Sunday and they still tasted just as good by Thursday. (It was kind of amazing that we still had some left!) They are soooooo good. You have to try this recipe!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Cookies, Cooking with Catherine Katz
Tags: Almond Flour, Bob's Red Mill, Cookies
Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 07:15 AM
One of the things that I love best about NuVal is that we score everything – even categories that you don’t traditionally think of as “healthy.” Like salty snacks. Truth be told, I ♥ salty snacks. I usually get a craving for something a little salty in around 3 or 4 pm. Sometimes I satisfy that craving with some Triscuits (Original score a 32) and some hummus (Tribe Roasted Garlic hummus scores a 48). But technically that’s not a “salty snack”. Categorically speaking, that’s a “cracker” and a “refrigerated dip” in supermarket-speak.
Today, I’m talking about salty snacks. You know – the kind you put out when you’re having a birthday party.
Salty snacks range in score from 1 to 55 on the NuVal scale. The average score is a 15. Lay’s Classic Potato Chips score a 15.
To find out more about what drives the scores in Salty Snacks, I checked in with the NuVal dietitians. They really know their stuff!
Here’s what I found out:
- Salty Snack Scores can vary depending on the amount of sodium, saturated fat, unsaturated fat, and fiber the product contains. Snacks with the lowest scores have highly varied fat and sodium content—between 0 to 9 grams of saturated fat and 30-540 mg of sodium. Snacks with the highest scores have the most fiber, least sodium, and primarily use oils with the most unsaturated fatty acids.
- Snack scores at the top end of the scale often have lower sodium and saturated fat.
- Many of the snacks with the highest scores are made with whole grains which contain dietary fiber. Some of the higher scoring products also contain flax seed which is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids.
- Sugars can be found in snacks like coated pretzels, caramel flavored corn pops, popcorn, nuts, and kettle corns. Many snack foods combine the classic combination of sweet and salty so remember to check the NuVal score which can pick up on the snacks with added sugars.
I got more info from the NuVal dietitians on what to look out for. The dietitians comments are very professional and in regular text. My comments are in italics (and they are a little more off-the-cuff!)
Stuff to Watch Out For:
- Snacks made of primarily of whole grains, such as whole kernel corn, sweet potatoes, or soy flour rank in the upper 50 percent of salty snacks on the NuVal scale. Avoid snacks with pork rinds, corn meal, corn starch, sugar and/or corn syrup listed as one of the first ingredients as these foods are more likely to have high saturated fat, sodium, and/or sugar levels as well as may contain trans fats. (OK – I will definitely watch out for anything containing pork rinds! Bleech!)
- Although many of the salty snacks have 0 grams trans fat listed on the nutrition facts label, some products list partially hydrogenated oils in the ingredient list. Though there may not be enough trans fats to required it listed on the label (manufacturers can round down anything under less than .5 grams to zero), NuVal helps you spot the better choices by assigning products with trans fats with a lower score. (OK – this one always amazes me. So there can still be up to .49 grams of trans fat in a product, but it might not be listed on the label. That’s why you have to look at the ingredient list for partially hydrogenated oil! Really? See – that’s why we need NuVal everywhere! NuVal captures both the Nutrition Facts Panel and the ingredient list.)
- While “Vegetable Chips” may seem like the healthier option because of their name, they may not necessarily be your best snacking choice. These products can range from a score of 46 (Terra Exotic Vegetable Chips) to a score of 25 (Flat Earth Garlic & Herb Field Baked Veggie Chips). The main differences in vegetable chips lie in the first few ingredients—the highest ranking products have vegetables as the first ingredient while the lowest have rice flour, potato flakes, and corn oil as their first. The NuVal system can help you to read beyond the catch phrases and trendy fad words to truly assess the nutritional value of a product. (I have this argument with my daughter all the time. She is always trying to get me to buy veggie chips because after all, Mom, they are VEGETABLES!)
- While pretzels are praised for their lack of fat, they provide little-to-no positive nutritional value and therefore score low on the NuVal scale. The primary ingredients in pretzels are wheat flour, sodium, and sometimes partially hydrogenated oils which provide little beneficial nutrition. Instead, look for snacks made with whole grains and not hydrogenated oils. (Yes, this one, to me is a bummer. I ♥ pretzels. But most run-of-the-mill pretzels score below a 10. You can find some that score higher. Such as Snyder’s of Hanover Multigrain Pretzel Sticks, which score a 29).
So, that’s the thing about Salty Snacks.
Question of the Day
What’s your favorite Salty Snack?
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Salty Snacks
Tags: chips, Pretzels, Salty Snacks
Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 08:12 AM
It’s Wordless Wednesday! Every Wednesday, I take a break from blog-writing and I post a simple photo. Today, it will be easy for me to remain silent because I’m out traveling. The flight attendants will be ordering me to shut off my electronic devices soon, but before they do, let me just say that the comment line is now open and that I can’t wait to hear what you all have to say about today’s photo. Happy Wednesday Everybody!
Yesterday’s Giveaway Winner
Congratulations to Commenter #49 Vanessa G! You’ve won the Bob’s Red Mill Giveaway. Please send me an email at abetterbagofgroceries@gmail.com with your mailing address so that I can ship your prize out to you. Thanks to everyone who entered.
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Wordless Wednesday
Tags: Wordless Wednesday
