Tuesday, August 9, 2011 at 06:51 AM
Welcome to Trade Up Tuesday, a great day here at A Better Bag of Groceries! Every Tuesday, I blog about a trade up I’ve made since learning about NuVal scores and I give away something for free. This week, I’m talking about granola because it seems to be taking up permanent residency in our kitchen pantry.
As a former Weight Watcher, I think I have some version of the Weight Watchers Points system permanently hard-wired into my brain. That means I know that a one cup serving of granola can pack a lot of calories. So, I’ve shied away from it for many years. I would only eat it in small amounts, maybe mixed into some yogurt or sprinkled on top of something, never as a main course. It just was not one of my Go To foods. But NuVal has helped me to find some high-scoring granolas. And my husband is a fan.
Most recently, you might remember that our whole family tried Chappaqua Crunch granola as part of our New Food Challenge, so now the kids are loving granola too.
I think the thing to keep in mind is that most of the time, the serving size for granola is only 1/4 cup or 1/3 cup. So, your bowl should look something like this:
Granolas really vary on the NuVal scale. And that is my point with this Giveaway. Check out these scores:
- Kashi Mountain Medley: NuVal score of 28
- Chappaqua Crunch Blueberry Banana Nut Granola: NuVal score of 31
- Bear Naked Fit Granola Vanilla Almond Crunch: NuVal score of 91
Maybe the winner will try them all and report back to us. How does the higher score affect taste?
Today’s Giveaway
One lucky reader will win today’s giveaway. All you need to do is leave a comment below answering the following question. I’ll select one winner at random at 8 am Eastern on Wednesday August 10th. Here is the question:
What do you enjoy – but do you have to remind yourself not to eat the entire bag/box/container in one sitting?
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Giveaway, Granola, Trade-Up Tuesday
Tags: Granola
Friday, July 29, 2011 at 07:55 AM
Wow! I can’t believe we’re 14 weeks into our New Food Challenge! My husband and kids have been really good sports – trying a new food every single week. It’s been awesome to see them expand their palates.
Weekday summer breakfasts for us are almost always cold cereal, with fruit and some protein on the side. If it’s my day to get the kids off to camp, I make them Smoothies with Greek yogurt. If it’s my husband who is on breakfast duty, he makes scrambled eggs. Typically, the kids eat Cheerios, which get a great cereal score of 37. (The average NuVal score for cold cereal is a 27.) My husband and I like to eat Muesli in the summer, such as Swiss Muesli, No Sugar Added, with a score of 46. But when I was out at Big Y this week, this granola caught my eye.
Chappaqua Crunch Simply Granola gets a NuVal score of 43. And I thought, “Hmmm. It would be fun to try and we’d all we eating the same cereal. Plus, I’d get the kids to go up in score a little more.”
Now, I know that looks like a pretty hefty price tag for a small bag of granola. But you have to remember that the serving size of this granola is only 1/3 of a cup. So this bag would last a long time.
It’s just a little cereal…
Some fruit (NuVal score of 100 for both strawberries and blueberries)…
And about one cup of skim milk (NuVal score of 91)…
Yum!!
This Chappaqua Granola was a huge hit for all four of us. We are all fans!
My kids tried theirs in smaller bowls. These bowls are so old – they are from the first Cars movie!!
Look how sleepy my kids are on summer mornings.
Sleepy but smiley!
So, this is good. Now our kids have a cereal choice: Cheerios or Granola. They are expanding their palates, trying new things. I am very proud of them – my adventurous little eaters.
Happy Weekend Everybody!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Granola, New Food Challenge
Tuesday, December 28, 2010 at 07:00 AM
Welcome to the last Trade-Up Tuesday of 2010! For those who are new here, every Tuesday I blog about a Trade Up I’ve made since learning about NuVal scores and I give away something for free. Today’s topic? Granola.
My favorite granolas are the homemade kind. My sister-in-law, Christine, makes a fantastic recipe, which I’ve featured here on A Better Bag of Groceries. And, for the last Spin Class Before Christmas, my favorite instructor Alicia makes up a batch of her delicious Holiday Granola and gives it out to everyone. Ordinarily, I would have been at Alicia’s 5:30 am Spin class just before Christmas, but this has been a December to Remember. Yes, this was the Christmas that Nothing Went According to Plan. I won’t go through all the gory details, but sickness went through our house like wildfire and then a Blizzard dumped two feet of snow on us. We missed a Christmas party, Christmas Eve services and our family’s dinner, the Boston Pops at Symphony Hall, even a family wedding. And yes, I missed the Granola Spin Class. Boo!
But it was good to know that I could get some really delicious granola in my supermarket cereal aisle. There are some brands that I had never even heard of until I found them in our NuVal database, like Udi’s and Erin Baker’s.
How do they score? Well, these three granolas score better than the average score for cold cereal, so that’s pretty good!
- Erin Baker’s Homestyle Peanut Butter Granola: NuVal score of 36
- Kashi Mountain Medley Granola: NuVal score of 28
- Udi’s Original Granola: NuVal score of 29
Not bad for such a tasty and satisfying cold cereal. I like my granola mixed into plain or vanilla non-fat Greek yogurt. Yum!
As for our little family, I do believe we’re on the mend. Hopefully, everyone will be well enough to get outdoors and enjoy some of this snow that has been dumped on New England. Fevers are going down and the 7-day forecast is full of smiling suns.
Today’s Giveaway
One lucky commenter will win all three packages of Granola. All you need to do is leave a comment below telling me how you like to enjoy your granola and you will be entered to win. I’ll choose one winner at 9 am on Wednesday (Eastern Time), so don’t delay. Good Luck!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Granola, Trade-Up Tuesday
Tags: Granola, Trade-Up Tuesday
Tuesday, October 12, 2010 at 06:53 AM
Welcome to Trade-Up Tuesday, everyone’s favorite day here at A Better Bag of Groceries because on the 2nd work day of each week, I blog about a trade up I’ve made since learning about NuVal and I host a special giveaway. Today’s topic comes via ABBG reader and Twitter follower, @amyablue who sent me a tweet last week asking me if I could write a post on granola, specifically Nature’s Path Pumpkin Flax Granola . Ask and ye shall receive, Amyablue! Not only do you get a post on the granola that you are oh-so-curious about, you get a giveaway!
Personally, my favorite granolas are the homemade kind. My spinning instructor, Alicia, made us her fantastic mix at Christmas-time and we still talk about (hint, hint, Alicia! – Christmas is coming!) And my sister-in-law, Christine, also shared her granola recipe here on ABBG. But of course, busy times call for boxed granola, right? So, here are some of the best-scoring brands:
- Bear Naked Fit: 91
- Udi’s Hawaiian: 52
- Zoe’s Granola: 47
- Bear Naked Peak Protein: 45
- Enjoy Life Cranapple: 41
- Bob’s Red Mill Whole Grain Apple Blueberry: 40
- Nature’s Path Pumpkin Flax: 36
Alas, Amyablue, Pumpkin Flax was at the lower end of that scoring list. But it is still higher than average for cold cereals (the category in which granola resides). Cold cereal scores range from 2 – 100 and the average is a 27. So, your beloved Nature’s Path Pumpkin Flax granola scores better than average.
Today’s Giveaway
One lucky commenter will win all three packages of granola that you see pictured above. All you need to do is leave a comment below telling me what you’d like me to blog about and giveaway next here at A Better Bag of Groceries. Now remember, it has to be something that I can ship through the mail. That means it needs to be shelf stable. It cannot require refrigeration. So, like I can’t ship Greek yogurt through the mail - unfortunately! But just as Amyablue gave me a topic, I’d like to hear some suggestions from YOU for the next Trade-Up Tuesday. I’ll select one lucky commenter at random by 8 am Eastern time on Wednesday morning. Good Luck!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Granola, Trade-Up Tuesday
Tags: Granola, Trade-Up Tuesday
Friday, July 9, 2010 at 07:05 AM
My sister-in-law, Christine, is one lucky lady. She lives in beautiful Rutland County, Vermont in close proximity to a Price Chopper supermarket. She is having tons of fun checking out all the NuVal scores and making new recipes with high-scoring ingredients. She is so kind as to take pictures and keep me apprised of her latest concoctions – even writing this blog post below! She shows how sometimes, by making your own, you can get higher NuVal scores and save money. This week, while hosting my husband’s other sister and her family, she whipped up a batch of this fabulous granola, even creating a nut-free version for our niece with food allergies. Way to go Christine!
On one of the last “Trade Up Tuesdays,” I noticed that many A Better Bag of Groceries readers are also avid granola lovers. Myself included. I love the diversity and flavor that granola can bring with all sorts of food.
But the one thing I’m not a fan of is paying a lot of money for small portions of things. Especially given today’s economic situation. To be honest, I’m tighter than bark to a tree when it comes to money. So with granola it was a love/hate relationship. If I found it on sale/or on special I would definitely buy it. Otherwise I would wait till the next sale/special. But good news – I started making my own granola. That definitely helps cut costs. Not only do I save money but I also know exactly what goes into it.
I love this recipe especially because it uses one of Vermont’s finest ingredients-Maple Syrup. Although maple syrup doesn’t score well, I feel I’m helping out local economy and it tastes sooo good.
MAPLE-NUT GRANOLA
3 ½ C Quaker Old-Fashioned Oats(Not the quick Oats): Nuval score 57
¼ C chopped pecans: Nuval score 65 (I actually use Walnuts because they score higher-82)
¼ C chopped almonds: Nuval score 81
¼ tsp coarse salt
5 tsp vegetable oil: Nuval score 16 (You can “trade up” to canola oil-Nuval score 24)
5 tbsp Pure Maple Syrup- NuVal score 1
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
**You can use any nuts that you like, it might change the scoring**
You can also add Sunmaid Golden raisins (Nuval score of 91) or Sunmaid regular raisins (Nuval Score of 87)
Pre-heat oven to 325. In a large bowl, toss all ingredients together in order that they appear above. Spread oat mix on a rimmed baking sheet.
Bake until golden brown 25 to 30 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. Let cool completely. To store, cover and keep at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
This recipe yields 4 cups-1/2 cup servings.
(But if you buy the 1 lb container of the old fashioned oat container, it yields about 7 of these batches)
This recipe is incredibly easy for kids and adults to make. My niece Danielle, helped me with a nut free version(she has nut allergies).
As you can see, my home-made granola contains mostly very high-scoring ingredients. I compared some store brands of granola to see their scores:
Back to Nature Granola-Classic: NuVal score of 28
Cascadian Farms Organic Maple-Brown Sugar: NuVal score of 16
The homemade version is well worth the effort!
Question of the Day
Would you make your own granola?
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Granola, Guest Bloggers
Tags: allergies, Granola, nut-free
