Thursday, April 29, 2010 at 07:08 AM
There’s nothing like a healthy lunch to make me feel good. That is something I’m trying hard to pass along to my kids as well.
Here’s a sneak peak inside two lunches that went out the door at our house today.
First, my son’s lunch for school.
In his Transformers lunch box, you will find:
- Ham and Cheese sandwich on Freihofer’s 100% Hearty Whole Wheat bread (NuVal score of 33 for Freihofers)
- Chobani Champions Strawberry Banana Greek yogurt (not yet scored – I am eagerly awaiting the score on this new Chobani product for kids)
- Del Monte Fresh Cut Green Beans with No Salt Added (NuVal Score: 100)
- Horizon Organic Reduced Fat Milk (NuVal Score: 55)
- One Lunch Box Note reminding my son to pay it forward
More about those Lunch Box Notes later in this post!
He also took some Chocolate Teddy Grahams (NuVal Score of 25) and a Minute Maid Fruit Falls (NuVal Score of 41) for his afternoon snack. It’s always a challenge to pack something that will sit in his warm backpack until the 2 pm snack time!
I took some extra time to pack a nice healthy lunch for myself as well.
This is actually my morning snack and lunch. I eat a lot of food!
Morning Snack
- Strawberries (NuVal Score: 100)
- Chobani Fat Free Plain Greek Yogurt (NuVal Score: 94)
Lunch
- Romaine Lettuce (NuVal Score: 100)
- Red Leaf Lettuce (NuVal Score: 100)
- Cucumber (NuVal Score: 93)
- Cocktail Tomatoes (NuVal Score: 96)
- Goya Cannellini Beans (NuVal Score: 57)
- Dressing of Olive Oil (11), Balsamic Vinaigrette, Kosher Salt and Black Pepper)
- Cedar’s Red Pepper Hummus (NuVal Score: 61)
- Central Market Toasted Whole Grain Wheat and Flax Crackers (NuVal Score: 36)
- Orange (NuVal Score: 100)
- Ghiardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips (NuVal Score: 8)
I was a little disappointed by the score on the Cannellini beans. I thought they would be higher. I’ve been spoiled by the Beans That Scored 100!
Those Central Market Toasted Whole Grain Wheat and Flax Crackers were a great find!
The average score for crackers is a 16. So a cracker that scores a 36 is great. And they taste great too! I found them on my last visit to Price Chopper.
Packing a healthy lunch is no easy task! And in my case, it takes a lot of containers. My lunch bag was bulging!
Today’s Bonus Giveaway
As you know, I usually reserve giveaways for Trade Up Tuesday, but the nice people at www.sayplease.com were kind enough to send me some Lunch Box Notes to give away after I wrote about them in Two of My Favorite Things. They sent me Volumes 1, 2, 3, and 4 of Lunch Box Love for Kids:
I love these notes! There are even some blank ones inside so that you can personalize your message. And if you are not a Mom, you could win these and give them away to a Mom that you love for Mother’s Day. Also check out their site for:
- Lunch Box Love for Girlfriends
- Lunch Box Love for People You Work With
- Lunch Box Love for Those You Appreciate
To enter, leave a comment below telling me what’s in your lunch bag today. You can enter twice by leaving a second comment with the NuVal score for something in your lunch bag. Check out the NuVal site for some sample scores. I’ll pick one winner at random by 7 am EDT Friday. Good Luck!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Chobani, Crackers, Lunch, Salad, bread, tomatoes
Tags: Lunch Box Love
Monday, October 5, 2009 at 08:58 AM
This weekend I heard that the Chobani website has some great recipes that use one of my favorite ingredients: Greek yogurt. Now, let me just say up front, that NuVal is not partnering in any way with Chobani nor am I being compensated by Chobani for blogging about them. I just really like the stuff. When I saw that there was a recipe that included two of my favorite ingredients (Greek yogurt and avocados), I had to try out this recipe: Holy Guacamole!
I bought my ingredients on Saturday during my regular shopping trip which was sans kids thanks to cancelled soccer. Woo hoo! I carefully chose my avocados. My sister Julie, a Mexican food aficionado, once explained to me that you should try to make a dent in the avocado with your thumb. If the dent stays, you’re good. The avocados I chose passed the test, but I also put them in a paper bag over night so that they would ripen just a bit more.
Sunday proved to be busy with church, my DH working on remodeling our downstairs bathroom, and me getting ready for FNCE, the American Dietetic Association conference coming up in a couple of weeks. However, since this great recipe took only 15 minutes, I whipped it up around just as the New England Patriots were winning their game and called The Neighbors Most Likely to Drop Everything and Come Over for a Cocktail at a Moment’s Notice. Since it suddenly felt like summer again, we paired it up with frozen margaritas for the Moms and cold Guinness for the Dads.
Other than the cocktails, our little Happy Hour got a great NuVal Score. The recipe consists mostly of Avocados (Score of 89) and non-fat plain Chobani yogurt (score of 94). While I could have gone for Garden of Eatin No Salt Blue Corn Tortilla Chips, the highest ranking Salty Snack with a score of 52, I like salt. Instead, we had Price Chopper Tortilla Chip Blue Corn Flax (score of 46), which I had picked up during my trip to Price Chopper last week.
The verdict? We all loved Holy Guacamole. It is a little creamier than your usual guacamole, but it went down quick with our blue chips. We also thought that it would make a great spread on a tortilla with grilled chicken or in a wrap for a sandwich. So, I’m off to buy 2 more avocados to make some more. You will find me in the produce aisle poking my thumbs in the veggies!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Chobani, Holy Guacamole, avocados
Tuesday, August 25, 2009 at 09:09 AM
As I’ve mentioned in the past, I work for this amazing company called NuVal. We are analyzing thousands of foods and scoring them on a scale of 1-100, with 100 being highest. This process is eye-opening, to say the least, and there have been many “Ah-ha!” moments along the way. One of the most interesting categories so far has been yogurt. Considered by many to be one of those universally healthy foods (It’s yogurt, it must be good for you!), yogurt actually has a huge range of scores, from 14 – 99.
We used to be all into Activia in our household. I guess we thought we’d try the whole digestive health thing to see if it made our tummies happier. The Activia scores are all over the board, with Dannon Activia Light Fat Free Blueberry scoring an 89 and Dannon Activia Low Fat Mixed Berry scoring a 23. So, my DH and I ate our yogurts, but not with gusto. We just ate them because, you know, it’s yogurt and it’s good for you.
And then, on the advice of my super-healthy, Pilates-studio-owning sister, I tried Greek yogurt. Well, I just thought I had died and gone to heaven. Yum, yum, yum. I love it. It is smooth and creamy and filling. When I was growing up, we actually made our own yogurt. We bought a yogurt-maker with S&H Green Stamps (I am so dating myself here) and made delicious plain yogurt that we ate with strawberries. I think that experience gave me my taste for plain, thick yogurt, which I much prefer to thinner, fruity varieties. I love that Chobani Non-Fat Plain Greek yogurt scores a 94.
Here are some things I’m doing with my Chobani plain these days.
1. Mixing it with blueberries, strawberries and/or bits of nectarine
2. Serving it on baked potatoes in place of sour cream
3. Layering it in our Healthy Fajitas (we use a whole-grain tortilla, slices of lime grilled chicken, my famous Avocado salsa, and of course some Chobani plain)
A well-mannered foodie friend of mine mixes her plain Greek yogurt with cold boiled new potatoes and fresh dill for a delicious potato salad.
Another structured foodie friend makes a great salad dressing with plain (not Greek) yogurt, a little feta cheese and fresh or dried dill. It is my new favorite dip. I even had the kids fooled for a while until they demanded they get their Ranch back.
What fun things are you doing with yogurt these days? I’d love to hear your comments.
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Activia, Chobani, yogurt
Thursday, August 13, 2009 at 08:20 PM
As I learn more about NuVal scores, I am rethinking what I put in my mouth. When I walk in the door some nights with 2 kids, lunchboxes to unpack, dinner to make and everyone starving, I’ve stopped reaching for a handful of Cheez-its or pita chips. With their low scores, they’re just not worth it. As I approach my one year anniversary of working for NuVal (which I love!), I realize that I have a new Top Ten Favorite Food List that is different than what it was one year ago. Here it is:
1. Chobani Non-Fat Plain Greek Yogurt: Score of 94
I love this plain, thicker-than-regular yogurt so much. I mix in some fresh nectarine and blueberries. I also put it on baked potatoes. And when my neighbor called looking to borrow sour cream for a recipe she was making (none in my fridge), I gave her the yogurt instead and she said it turned out great. This yogurt is filling and substantial. It’s my quick fix on Monday afternoons when I need an energy boost before teaching my 6:30 pm Pilates class.
2. Almonds: Score of 81
My boss and friend got me hooked on these. I opt for the roasted, unsalted brand and my husband loves them too. Since I work out early (5:30 am), I often need a post-breakfast, mid-morning snack. These do the trick.
3. Frozen Grapes: Score of 91
Someone brought frozen grapes this year to the 4th of July cookout. And boy did it bring back memories. I ate a lot of frozen grapes back in my obsessive Weight Watcher days (circa 1996) because they kept me from eating ice cream. My husband affectionately called them frozen eyeballs. So I resurrected them this summer. They are so easy – just rinse and throw them in a ziploc bag in the freezer. They still look like frozen eyeballs, but they are so tasty and the kids love them too. But this post is about MY top ten. The kids’ will be next week. Moving on…
4. Special K with Protein: Score 0f 60
As I mentioned in my Adult Rated Cereal post, I don’t have time for a lot of munching in the morning. So bye-bye to some of my more laborious cereals and hello Special K with Protein. But it MUST say Protein on the box. My DH has mistakenly bought the regular one (which scores only a 23) and we had to return it. It is a little sweet, very filling, and it lasts me until Almond Time.
5. Joseph’s Flax, Oat Bran & Whole Wheat Flour Pita Bread: Score of 65
These very flat pitas are so satisfying. We go through at least two packages of these a week because everyone in our house seems to like them. And the score is much better than most other breads or pita products.
6. Skim Milk: Score of 91
This is just one of those perfect foods. You get some protein, your Vitamin D and your Calcium. I’ll admit, I probably was not getting the recommended number of dairy servings per day until we switched to milk delivery in glass bottles. I was even able to get the kids to switch to skim. There I go talking about them again. This post is about MY favorites.
7. Tropicana 50 Pulp-Free with Calcium Orange Juice: Score of 81
This is a recent find from when I blogged about juice. We were drinking Tropicana Pure Premium Orange Juice with Calcium and Vitamin D with a score of 51. Now we’re drinking 30 points higher because the Trop 50 has less sugar. I really think they should change the name though. It makes me think that it is juice for people over age 50. And I’ve got 11 years before I get there. Note: Make sure you buy the one that says “with Calcium and Vitamin D”. The other Trop 50 right next to it scores much, much lower.
8. Quaker Steel Cut Oats: Score of 60
They take a long time to cook, so I often make a big batch and reheat them on busy weekday mornings. These oats are for Mommy only. My daughter loves oatmeal, but not this kind. Even the purple container could not win her over. But I love their sticking power. It’s all about getting me to Almond Time.
9. Chick Peas: Scores vary
And this is why I need NuVal in my grocery store. Because while I do have access to the scores because I work there, I can’t remember them when I am trying to pick out the chick peas that have the best score. Progresso chick peas get a 58, but the Food Club organic brand that I can buy at my local Roche Brothers store, get an 82. Yes, I’ve had a long-time love affair with chick peas. A friend and colleage of mine dubbed me the Queen of Leafy Greens and Chick Peas back in the ’90s. They are just the protein you need on salad.
10: Vegetables: Scores vary, but they are really high
Yes, I am a veggie lover and I have been one since early childhood. I used to ask my mom, “Can I have lettuce for my treat tonight?” and she’d say, “Well, OK. Only if you’re good.” When I get back from traveling or a vacation where veggies were scarce, I feel the difference. And it makes me crabby. My favorites are asparagus (100), arugula (100), broccoli rabe (100) and brussels sprouts (94). My husband knows to just let me order that $6 plate of one of these when we go out to dinner. The good news is that frozen vegetables without additives score really well too. I always have a bag of frozen brussels sprouts in my freezer in case we run out of fresh veggies before that weekly shopping trip.
So that is what is on my shopping list each week. Next week, I’ll post on my kids’ Top Ten list. What’s on your Top Ten List? I’d love to hear about it.
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Chobani, Greek yogurt, Special K, Top Ten (Mommy), Trop 50, almonds, chick peas, flax pita, frozen grapes, skim milk, steel cut oats
