Monday, July 12, 2010 at 06:59 AM
First let me just say that this is not a Cart Confession. I have never purchased a Lunchable in my life nor do I intend to. My children know not to ask for them when we are grocery shopping. We whisk right past that section of refrigerated casing when in the supermarket.
But last week at NuVal, while I was reviewing a list of scores for one of my clients (Price Chopper in Schenectady, NY), I came across the score for a Lunchables product. Scoring Lunchables takes a lot of effort because they are complex – there is more than one product in the packaging. So we are just beginning to score them at NuVal. This was the first Lunchables product I had seen scored. Like a bad car accident on the side of the highway, I just had to look.
Lunchables Lunch Combinations – Ham & American – NuVal score of 5. Ouch! Included in the package are Cracker Stackers, Lean Ham, Kraft American Cheese, Ritz Crackers, Butterfinger Bar, and Capri Sun Roarin Waters Wild Cherry.
The amazing thing is that when I was googling this product to try and find an image to include for this blog post (since I obviously do not have these in my refrigerator), I came across a Mommy Blogger who was raving about how happy she was that there was now a healthier Lunchable. I do not want to embarass that Mommy Blogger so I won’t include a link here to her silly post.
If you are the kind of person who enjoys horror flicks and gore, you probably want to see more. So here you go…
Lunch Combinations – Bologna & American – NuVal score of 6! Wow, the Bologna version actually scores better than the “Lean Ham” version. Included in this package are Cracker Stackers, Bologna made with chicken & pork, Kraft American cheese, Ritz crackers, and Nabisco Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookies.
In doing more research on the Lunchables phenomenon, I found a great blogpost from the Washington Post about the new “more wholesome” Lunchables.
Back in the days B.C. (Before Children), when I worked for Big Supermarket Company, I once spent a day “riding stores” with one of the company’s most experienced marketing managers. We were in a very wealthy area of Connecticut when he told me about Lunchables. You see, the store we were in was #1 in the entire supermarket chain for Lunchables sales. Lunchables are not cheap and in this particular high-rent town, the Lunchables just flew off the shelves. They were the Designer Lunch for privileged children.
Fast forward to today and I don’t hear my kids asking for Lunchables too much. I don’t think they have a huge presence in our elementary school or summer camp. However, we do see some children eating Uncrustables.
Guess what? They score just as low. They get a 5.
I know that most of my loyal A Better Bag of Groceries readers are not the Lunchables- or Uncrustables-buying type. But it’s kind of fun to look a the scores – in a sick sort of way – isn’t it?
Now get off your laptop and go make your kids (or yourself) a nice healthy lunch with whole grain bread, lean protein, fresh fruits and vegetables!
Question of the Day
Have you ever purchased a Lunchable or an Uncrustable?
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Lunch
Tags: Lunchables, Uncrustables
Monday, June 28, 2010 at 07:10 AM
For my 40th birthday, my husband took me on a mini-getaway to Cape Cod. We enjoyed some of the things that we used to do before we became a family of four – like bike-riding at a pace faster than a slow snail. The Cape Cod Rail Trail runs for 22 miles through the towns of Dennis, Harwich, Brewster, Orleans, Eastham and Wellfleet. After a morning of biking, we stopped at The Local Flavor Lunch and Bagel Shop after noticing the sign announcing that it was voted Best Sandwich Shop on the Cape by Cape Cod Life Magazine. It was well worth the stop!
I ordered a sandwich called “The Hippie”: hummus, Swiss cheese, avocado, baby spinach, roasted red peppers,
tomato & onion on your choice of bread, all for $6.39. No onions for me, thanks and put it on a wrap. Delicious!
Since coming home, I have been recreating The Hippie in my own kitchen.
I use a Wrap-Itz tortilla, which scores a 32 on the NuVal scale.
I add roasted Cedar’s Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, Nuval score of 61, the highest of all hummuses we’ve scored.
Then I add:
- A slice or two of Boar’s Head sliced cheddar (we haven’t scored the items in the Service Deli department yet, but we will!)
- Roasted Red Peppers (NuVal score of 7 for Pastene)
- Sliced Avocado (NuVal score of 89)
Then, I top it off with whatever is in my salad bowl in the refrigerator – usually the following:
- Romaine lettuce (NuVal score of 100)
- Red leaf lettuce (NuVal score of 100)
- Cucumbers (NuVal score of 93)
- Tomato (NuVal score of 96)
Now all I need is a Tie Dyed T-shirt and some bell bottoms and I will really be a Hippie. Peace, Man!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Lunch
Tags: avocado, avocados, Hippie Sandwich, hummus
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: bread, Chobani, Crackers, Lunch, Salad, tomatoes
Tags: bread, Chobani, Crackers, Lunch Box Love, Salad, tomatoes
Friday, April 23, 2010 at 06:32 AM
Happy Friday! Here in Massachusetts, this is the last day of School Vacation. While these no-school days can be tough to figure out when you live in a two-income family, it’s nice to take advantage of the sunny weather and enjoy a break in routine. One of my blogging goals for this Spring Break was to arm Moms with some fresh ideas for lunch-making as we head into the last weeks of the school year. Yesterday’s post had some Favorite Things and today, I bring you the Infamous Hummus and Cheese Sandwich!
How did this sandwich become a favorite in our house? It all started when my son started pre-school at age three. A peanut-free, all-day, no heat-ups pre-school. We had been spoiled. Until that time, my son had attended a small daycare where the staff was very flexible about food. For lunch, they would heat up whatever healthy food I sent with him, including veggie burgers, homemade casseroles with vegetables, soups, etc. So the thought of a cold lunch with no peanut butter option definitely limited the choices. While my son will eat lean deli ham or turkey and cheese, it’s not his favorite. So, we started spreading hummus on 100% whole wheat bread and added some American cheese.
Soon, my son became known among the Pre-School Teachers and Teacher Aides as The Boy Who Eats Hummus and Other Healthy Things. Literally, as I was dropping off and picking up my son in the Pre-School Car Line, the teacher aides would ask me, “Can you make my lunch too?” It was interesting to watch my son develop an awareness of food and what was healthy and what was not. He would say, “Danny eats Doritos. They’re junk!” My son is now about to turn seven and he is finishing the first grade. While most of the time his first choice for lunch is Peanut Butter and Jelly, Hummus and Cheese comes in at a close second.
So, how does his sandwich score on the NuVal scale?
Cedar’s Roasted Red Pepper Hummus: 61(the highest of all hummuses we’ve scored!)
Freihofer’s 100% Hearty Whole Wheat: 33
Land O’Lakes Cheese from the Deli: Not Scored Yet
Not Scored Yet. What does that mean? NuVal is scoring just about everything in the grocery store. While our efforts started (and continue) in the Produce, Meat, Seafood, Grocery and Frozen departments, next we are embarking on scoring items in what we call Outlying Departments (like Deli, Bakery, Prepared Foods). When we’re done, you will be able to see which deli items score the highest. Pretty cool, huh? In the meantime, I feel pretty good giving my son this sandwich.
There are other breads that score higher than the 33, by the way. For example, sometimes I buy Arnold’s Flax and Fiber, which gets a 48. However, the Freihofer’s is the right size and consistency for my kids. They also like this sandwich on pita. Since I buy Joseph’s Flax, Oat Bran & Whole Wheat Flour Pita Bread which gets an incredible NuVal score of 65, that is a great choice.
But back to the hummus. What an incredible creation! I love to dip carrots, Stacey’s Naked Chips, and Wheat Thins in it. I bring it with some Joseph’s pita and have it alongside my salad for lunch. We’re big fans of red pepper hummus in our house, and as I mentioned above, Cedar’s gets the best score at 61. Tribe (the Hummus Formerly Known As Tribe of Two Sheiks) gets a 52. Sabra Hummus only gets a 26. Bummer. That’s the one I like to buy when we’re having company. It looks so chic, with red peppers and a little olive oil drizzled on top.
The lowest scoring hummus? Sabra Green Olive with a score of 23.
So Moms, gear up for one last stretch of lunch-making, homework-helping and school bus stop-sprinting. It’ll be sure to fly by. And children of all ages, try a Hummus and Cheese Sandwich today. You will soon be known at That Healthy Person Who Eats Hummus For Lunch!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Lunch
Tags: hummus
Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 06:47 AM
You have to sing that to the tune of Happy Days Are Here Again. Here in the Northeast, we are finally enjoying some beautiful spring time weather. And there’s nothing like some sunshine and mild temperatures to make me start eating salad for lunch again. It is such a refreshing feeling to have salad cravings!
I made that one while lunching at home.
- Green leaf and romaine lettuce (NuVal score of 100)
- Cucumbers (NuVal score of 93)
- Cocktail tomatoes (NuVal score of 96)
- Grilled asparagus (NuVal score of 100, but the olive oil we used to grill it only gets an 11)
- Full Circle Garbanzo beans (NuVal score of 82)
- Boar’s Head sliced cheddar cheese (not yet scored)
- Newman’s Own light Italian dressing (NuVal score of 3)
I paired it with 2 Ryvita crackers (NuVal score of 87) and some Cedar’s roasted red pepper hummus (NuVal score of 61). It was so good, I had to make it in a bring-to-work version.
This time I swapped my Ryvita for some Joseph’s Flax, Oat Bran & Whole Wheat Flour Pita Bread (NuVal score of 65), added a clementine (NuVal score of 94), and finished up with a cup of Mint Medley tea and a few dark chocolate chips.
My office partner, Rachel, is on a salad kick too.
Between Rachel, Tina, and myself, there’s a lot of noisy crunching going on!
Remember my cool new lunch bag? Well, the kind people at Built NY sent me one to give away to one lucky ABBG reader!
The bag is called the Gourmet Getaway. So, today, in honor of the new beautiful Spring weather, I’m having a Gourmet Getaway Giveaway!
I love my lunch bag. Our Office Manager here at NuVal stopped by my office today and spied it. She thought is was a purse, not a lunch bag! She agreed that it is The Bomb!
The nice people at BuiltNY also sent me a laptop sleeve. For me – sorry, not to give away. Isn’t it cool though?
It’s made of neoprene (the wetsuit material) and it is checkpoint friendly so you can get through airport security faster. And, best of all, it matches my running shoes!
If you love BuiltNY stuff too, you can become a fan on Facebook. I know that next, I am shopping for one of their camera cases for my poor abused digital camera.
To Enter the Gourmet Getaway Giveaway:
All you need to do is comment below and answer the following question:
- If you won the Gourmet Getaway, what would you put in it and what is the NuVal score of that item?
For ideas, check out this blog, or our other two NuVal blogs: Trading Up Downtown or Nutrition Outlook. You can also find interesting scores on the NuVal site.
But wait, there’s more!
I am also throwing in a limited edition NuVal water bottle!
You get all this for one low price of leaving a little comment! You can’t go wrong. Hurry, the contest closes at 11:59 pm Eastern time tonight! I can’t wait to hear what you have to say! Happy Spring!
Winner of the Dreamfields GiveAway
Wow! It’s a big week for GiveAways! Congratulations to Commenter #16, Christina. You’ve won yesterday’s Trade-Up Tuesday GiveAway!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Lunch, Salad
Tags: BuiltNY, Salad
