Welcome! I am a mom of a busy 8 year old and an adventurous 6 year old. I also happen to work for a great company called NuVal. NuVal is a nutritional scoring system that rates foods on a scale of 1-100, based on how nutritious they are. We are implementing NuVal in grocery stores around the country.
NuVal may not be in your area yet. But I see the scores while they are "hot off the press" and because of that I am able to make better decisions about what to feed my family.
I am not a registered dietitian. I am just a mom who happens to work for NuVal. I am also an AFAA-certified Group Exercise Instructor. NuVal is a system designed to lead customers to the most nutritious food choices. It is not a diet or weight-loss plan. Before starting a diet, you should always consult your personal physician. The opinions expressed in this blog are the opinions of the writer and not the opinions of NuVal LLC.
Every now and then, I let you all take a peek inside my lunch bag. When you work for a Nutritional Scoring System, people are always curious about what foods you choose.
Like so many parents – and non-parents (is that a word?) – I have a really long day. I’m up between 4:30 and 5 in the morning – just so that I can squeeze in some exercise before my day really starts flying. I either go to the gym, I run with neighborhood friends, or I work out at home. After getting everybody ready for school and work, my breakfast is typically a whole grain English Muffin and egg sandwich that I eat while commuting to work. I know, I know. It’s not ideal to eat and drive, but Boston-area commutes are brutal, so somethings gotta give.
I prep my lunch and snacks the night before. Always. There is zero time for lunch-prepping in our morning routine. The only prep that I do in the morning is that I move lunches from little holding containers in our refrigerator into the actual lunchboxes/lunch-bags with ice packs. That’s it.
About an hour into my workday, I’m already hungry again! I’ve been up for over four hours, I’ve worked out, I’ve gotten kids ready for school and I’ve battled Boston traffic. That’s enough to make a girl hungry. Even if she has already eaten an egg sandwich! So I nosh on some almonds and a banana.
What do I like to eat for lunch? Funny, my six-year-old daughter asked me that same question recently. “What’s your favorite lunch, Mom?” I told her that it was salad. But I would also say that dinner leftovers are a strong favorite as well. For the record, my daughter’s favorite lunch is soup.
This lunch is leftover cod baked with whole wheat bread crumbs, cous cous and grean peas. For dessert, I have an orange and dark chocolate chips.
Atlantic Cod: NuVal score of 81
4C 100% Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs: NuVal score of 25
Near East 100% Natural Plain Cous Cous: NuVal score of 48
Food Club Frozen Green Peas: NuVal score orf 96
Orange: NuVal score of 100
Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: NuVal score of 13
In the afternoon, my tummy starts to grumble – usually around 3 pm or so. I always want something crunchy. And a little salt would be good.
Tribe Red Pepper Hummus: NuVal score of 48
Carrot Sticks: NuVal score of 99
Celery Sticks: NuVal score of 96
I would also love a cup of coffee, but instead, I opt for some caffeine-free tea.
Time to head home. Traffic again! And when I get home there is a big danger zone lurking – that time when I’m in the kitchen making dinner. I’m starving – the kids are too! So, I eat a pear either right before I leave the office or on my way home so that I don’t eat an entire box of crackers while making dinner.
I really love my pear packer!
Pear: NuVal score of 96
So, that’s what’s in my lunch bag. That lunch bag, by the way, was sent to me courtesy of the nice people at Built NY. I love it and I throw it in my washing machine now and then when it gets icky. It holds my giant lunch and it never lets me down!
Guess what showed up in my mailbox over the weekend? A 4-pack of Lunchbox Love notes to give away to one lucky A Better Bag of Groceries reader!
Yes, the nice people at www.sayplease.com know how much I love these notes. And my kids adore them, too! So, they sent me some to give away on the blog.
They are little notes that I put in my kids lunch boxes now and then. In fact, my kids love these so much, that I just purchased a six-pack of these notes so that I can put them in their lunches every day. They have so many different messages, showing love, encouragement or just fun. This one is perfect for a Monday.
This is a great message for all kids.
And I just love this one. Awwwww!
There are a couple of blank notes too, so that you can write you own personal messages.
On the flip side of each note, there is a trivia fact. My kids come home each afternoon talking about these facts. They love them!
Wow, who knew?
By the way, there are other Lunchbox Love sets too. For co-workers, girlfriends, tweens, etc.
I have so much fun rummaging through to find just the right message for each child. “You’ve been so helpful lately – thank you!” goes into my daughter’s lunch box. “I knew you could do it” goes into my son’s. Just having these little notes near my lunchboxes helps me to remember to praise my kids (and mention the specific things they did well) – or give them some extra encouragement when they need it.
To Enter:
One lucky reader will win the 4-pack of Lunchbox Love for Kids (Volumes 9, 10, 11 and 12). All you need to do is leave a comment below telling me something that is in your lunch bag today. You can enter twice by leaving a second comment and telling me the NuVal score for that item. You can find sample scores on the NuVal website or by searching this blog. I’ll select one winner at 8 am Tuesday Eastern time, so don’t delay. Good luck!
My kids went back to school last week. The day after school began, I received an email from a mom-friend of mine asking for help. She was reviewing the school lunch menu that had come home in our children’s backpacks and she was dismayed. There was just nothing on the school lunch menu that she found appealing.
I know with busy schedules juggling work, school, sports and social commitments, sometimes it would be nice not to pack a lunch everyday but we have no choice. You have a voice about healthy eating. Is there any way to change this? To get the word out? To change the menu? Can you direct me or know of people in our community that would help me take on this challenge? I am tired of standing by year after year.
Well, I am no Jamie Oliver, but through this blog, I have definitely found the people in my community who are passionate about finding the most nutritious foods for their families. And through my role at NuVal, I keep on top of some of the latest news in the world of nutrition. Plus, I have opportunities to network with dietitians and leaders in the world of health and nutrition on a regular basis, so here are some ideas.
First, I suggested to my friend that she check out Chef Ann Cooper, aka the Renegade Lunch Lady, best known for her work in the Boulder, Colorado school system. Chef Ann has created an online web portal that provides free and accessible tools, recipes and community connections to support school food reform.
I recently read about Chef Ann Cooper in the King Soopers magazine.
King Soopers officially launched NuVal in their Colorado stores this week!
So, Chef Ann’s Toolbox is a great place to get started. But I also cautioned my friend that taking on school lunch reform is not easy. I suggested to her that she read up on the new school nutrition law that Congress passed in 2010: the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. Nutrition and public policy expert Marion Nestle explains in this article why reform will take a while. Due to lobbyists, details and funding, our kids may graduate before change really gets implemented.
Marion Nestle also has a bibliography for people who are interested in reforming their school lunch programs.
OK. I suggested some tools and gave my friend some direction as to where to go to understand the politics of school lunch reform. What else? Well, I figured she needed some help. I remembered that my dentist sits on the Board of Health for our town. (He is also a huge NuVal fan and an avid cyclist, so I thought he would be a could candidate for her task force). Also (thanks to this blog) was able to refer her to several Moms in our town who I know care passionately about nutrtition and children’s health. And of course, I’ll join this task force too!
In the meantime, what’s the lunch strategy in our house?
Well, you see that menu at the top of the page? As you can see, that means we pack almost all of the time.
In fact, somehow my son went through all of first and second grade without ever requesting to buy school lunch. Not even once. But that’s my son. He eats to live. Food is just nourishment for him. He eats when he’s hungry. He’s perfectly happy just eating what is in his lunch box. He doesn’t really notice the hot lunches surrounding him in the cafeteria.
And then there is my daughter. Future Food Blogger (or Chef, or Restaurant Owner – something). When she came home after her first day of school, all she could talk about was the food in the cafeteria. We heard colorful descriptions of every item on the school lunch menu. She wanted so badly to buy school lunch. So badly. So, we made a deal. She can buy lunch one day a week. Together, we sit down with the menu and we try to choose a day that appeals to both of us. This week, she had a hamburger on a whole wheat roll with baby carrots, lowfat ranch dressing, a fruit cup and lowfat white milk. I know that a lunch brought from home would have been more nutritious, but it’s one day a week, and I need to teach her how to live in the real world where sometimes you buy lunch. Now, of course, my son wants to buy lunch too. And so we do the same.
As for packing lunches the other four days of the week, please do take a moment to head on over to the fooducate blog. I’ll wait. Dr. Dina Rose (who I love) wrote a guest post there this week about packing lunches. And it really is the best lunch article I have ever read. If you are tired of seeing those carrot sticks come back home in your child’s lunch box, click on over to read this article. Dr. Rose is a genius.
One last thought: we do have NuVal scores in the Independence, Missouri school district. It is very cool! You can see how it works in this 1-minute video on youtube.
I wish we had them in every school sytem in America!
Question of the Day
How are the school lunches in your school district?
Good Morning Blog Friends! Every now and then, I like to give you all a glimpse inside my lunch bag. Well, it’s not just my lunch – it’s my food for the day.
I have a big food bag every day! I remember once, back when I worked for a very large corporation here in the Boston area, I was walking into my office building in the morning when I was accosted by a crabby woman. “YOU,” she said with a sneer, “have a HUGE lunch bag.” Yup. I do. But it is filled with nutritious foods for a morning snack, a healthy lunch and an afternoon snack. And it keeps me away from any vending machines. So, what can I say?
I try to pack lots of fruits and veggies throughout the day. Remember, MyPlate! The recommendation is now that half your plate should be fruits and veggies. And I try to get some protein.
Since I start my day so early (up at 4:45 am), I definitely need a morning snack. An hour into my workday, I’m already hungry, even though I had breakfast. Today, my snack is Freihofer’s 100% whole wheat bread (which I toast in the toaster in the NuVal breakroom) smeared with some Barney Butter (my favorite almond butter). Seriously, I could eat the whole jar.
For lunch, I brought my standard salad mix (romaine lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers), topped with chick peas:
I also brought a little cheddar cheese to add…
and an avocado. Which I slice up and put on my salad.
And a little of my simple balsamic vinaigrette.
It’s just olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Kosher salt and black pepper.
And of course, my daily dose of chocolate chips.
Later in the afternoon, around 4 pm, I’ll munch on these carrot sticks
dipped in hummus
So, how does my lunch bag score?
Freihofer’s 100% Whole Wheat Bread: NuVal score of 36
Barney Butter Smooth Almond Butter: NuVal score of 36
Romaine lettuce: NuVal score of 100
Cherry tomatoes: NuVal score of 96
Cucumbers: NuVal score of 93
Eden Organic Garbanzo Beans No Salt Added: NuVal score of 100
Cabot Cheddar Cheese: NuVal score of 23
Avocado: NuVal score of 89
Olive Oil: NuVal score of 11
Balsamic Vinegar: not scored
Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate Chips: NuVal score of 17
Carrots: NuVal score of 99
Tribe Roasted Red Pepper Hummus: NuVal score of 48
Hello from Chicago!! Well, actually hello from Boston/Logan International Airport where I will soon be boarding my flight to Chicago. Yes, I will be in the Windy City all week at the Topco Supershow promoting NuVal. This is a show where a bunch of supermarket retailers get together, so I will be doing my best to get more grocery stores to come on board with NuVal this week. I will be working hard!
Also as part of my job with NuVal, I work with all of our supermarkets to help them to teach their store employees about NuVal. One of our supermarkets, Coborn’s, a chain in Minnesota, came up with a fun game that they play with their store employees called NuVal My Lunch. Basically, store employees take out what’s in their lunch bag and try to figure out what the NuVal scores are on all the items in it.
The other day I whipped up a quick pita with some things that I found in my refrigerator – just some things that I thought would go well together. Not only did they taste incredibly delicious together, they did pretty well in the NuVal My Lunch Game.
Here’s what I assembled:
Pita (Weight Watchers Pita scores a 43 on the NuVal scale)
Guacamole (avocados score an 89, and my recipe for guacamole adds plain Greek yogurt, NuVal score of 94) Look for this recipe later this week!
This is one of those sandwiches that would need a name if it were on a Sandwich Board at a sandwich shop. I don’t think anyone would buy a Grilled Chicken-Asparagus-Guacamole Pita. But trust me, these four things tasted great together. And I guess I would do well in the NuVal My Lunch Game too.
The NuVal Nutritional Scoring System gives nutritional guidance to consumers frustrated with complicated nutrition labels and misleading packaging promises. Under NuVal, all foods and beverages are rated on a scale between 1 to 100. The higher the score, the higher the overall nutrition.
Awards
A Better Bag of Groceries was recently named by Medical Assistant Colleges as a Top 50 Blog for Understanding and Preventing Childhood Obesity. Hooray!
