Wednesday, June 30, 2010 at 07:10 AM
Wow, what a week we’re having. Things are super-chaotic. Thankfully, Rachel Rodek, MS, RD, LDN, CSSD and NuVal’s Manager of Nutrition Communications, whipped up this delicious Chia Bread in her kitchen before she ran off to get married. Congratulations to Rachel and thank you for blogging for me!
The Newlyweds: Fernando and Rachel
Chia seeds are the new rage in and out of the Blog world. I’ve been resisting this Chia Movement for some time now, but was recently at the Bob’s Red Mill Factory in Portland, OR – and there they were. Beckoning. So I decided to give them a try.
The first time I tried them was in “Overnight Oats.” You know; the kind of oatmeal you put in water or milk and leave ‘overnight’ in the fridge for a cool, refreshing oatmeal breakfast in the morning. But the seeds have soluble fiber that soaked up a lot of water… creating bloated, slimy, larva-like beads floating in my oatmeal.
It was unpleasant, to say the least. *Grimace*
The Chia sat in my cupboard for a while longer until I decided to give them another shot. But this time I soaked up their sliminess in bread. The quickest bread I’ve ever made, actually. And quite delicious indeed!
Nutrition Tid Bits:
- One ounce (about 3 Tablespoons) of dry Chia seeds contains: 137 Calories, 9 grams of fat (most of which is health-benefiting unsaturated), 11 grams of fiber (about ¾ insoluble and ¼ soluble), 4 grams of protein, 18% of your Recommended Daily Intake of Calcium
- Chia seeds contain a good amount of Alphalinoleic Acid (ALA), the plant form of omega-3 fatty acids. One dry ounce serving has about 4900mg ALA – which is a bit “more” than what you can get from a serving of salmon.
- Note: The omega-3 fatty acids found in Salmon are EPA and DHA, which is extremely bioavailable (the body can absorb it very well). ALA, on the other hand, has to be converted several times in the body to be useful. Therefore you need more ALA than EPA/DHA to have the same benefits.
Did you Know: Chia seeds are the same ones that are used in Chia Pets. As in, the fun ceramic animals that grow hair. Yes, it is a little gross. Just don’t think about it…
Seeded Chia Quick Bread
Adapted from a recipe from The Chia Company
Ingredients:
- 2 cups white flour (NuVal score: 77)
- 1 cup whole wheat flour (NuVal Score: 91)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1/3 cup Chia seeds (Not scored yet …)
- ¾ cup chopped walnuts (Score: 81)
- 14 oz Lowfat buttermilk (Score: 40)
Directions:
Heat oven to 400F. Grease a 3.5″ by 9″ bread pan.
Combine flours, baking soda, sugar, salt, Chia seeds, and walnuts
Mix well, then add buttermilk and stir to create a soft dough. It will be sticky.
Press dough into bread pan.
Bake for 35 minutes. Yes, you read that right, only 35 minutes. You can close your mouth now. I was just as amazed.
And yes, I took it out at exactly 35 minutes… perfectly cooked!
I must say – I was very hesitant to follow this recipe. It looked so… bland (I mean, come on, only 1 tsp sugar?!).
But I was pleasantly surprised at its savory taste and moist, spongy texture – even though the crust of the bread was pretty darn hard.
Very good with jelly or peanut butter – or both!
Enjoy!
Winner of Trade-Up Tuesday Giveaway
Congratulations to Commenter #11 (and #12) Sarah E! Smart Sarah took advantage of the Second Comment Offer yesterday and she has won herself some granola! Sarah, please send me your mailing address at abetterbagofgroceries@gmail.com. Thanks to all who entered!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Marvelous Meals
Tags: Seeded Chia Quick Bread
Friday, May 14, 2010 at 07:05 AM
Things are getting so busy for me at NuVal! We have new several retailers coming on board and it’s my job to help them implement NuVal in all their stores so it has been crazy. Look for some exciting announcements coming very soon. Things at home are also completely chaotic. Likewise, announcements on my home situation coming soon! In the meantime, my colleague Rachel came to the rescue this week with one of her Marvelous Meals. Oh, how I love it when Rachel cooks for me! Seriously, it’s like having a registered dietitian and a great chef in my kitchen. Oh, that’s right, she is a registered dietitian and a great chef! So, without further ado, I bring you another Marvelous Meal from Rachel!
Rachel with her fiance, Fernando
First, let me tell you a little bit about Quinoa. Pronounced: KEEN-WAH.
This seed is one of the few plant foods that contain all the essential amino acids, making it a complete protein. You heard me right; Quinoa is technically a seed not a grain! It explains the nice nutty flavor quinoa has. As a complete protein it is equivalent to the quality of animal protein – providing the amino acid building blocks needed to support your immune system, wound healing, tissue repair, hair growth, and building hormones.
In addition to protein, Quinoa is also a good source of B vitamins and other minerals. The seed is gluten free, making it a great food for those who have celiac disease or gluten intolerance. Most quinoa is grown in South America and the Inca Indians have been eating the seed, which they call “Mother Grain”, for over 5,000 years.
This dish is absolutely packed with nutrition. Not only does Quinoa scores an incredible 91 on the NuVal scale, all the veggies in the recipe score high from their vitamin, mineral, fiber, and flavonoid content. So eat this and smile – you’re feeding your body, and family, well!
Vegetable Quinoa with Walnut Pesto
Adapted from Food in Jars
Ingredients:
- 1 cup cooked Quinoa (cooked in 2 cups water) (NuVal score 91)
- 1 bundle asparagus, cut into bite-sized pieces (Score 100)
- 2 red pepper, chopped (Score 96)
- 1/2 red onion, chopped (Score 93)
- 1/2 English cucumber, cut into bite-sized pieces (no need to peel these cukes!) (Score 93)
- 1 can low sodium Garbanzo Beans, rinsed and drained (Score 82 due to some sodium in canned product)
- 6 oz Fat Free feta cheese (President Fat Free Feta scores a 28. Regular Feta scores a 24)
- 2-3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
Walnut Pesto Ingredients:
- 1 bunch basil (Score 100)
- 3 Tbsp olive oil (Score 11 – trade up to Canola for a 24)
- 1/3 cup walnuts (Score 82)
Instructions:
Cook 1 cup quinoa in 2 cups water. Bring to a boil then simmer for 15-20 minutes until tender and water has been soaked up.
Spread asparagus on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and toss, then roast at 425F for 10-15 minutes.
Combine chopped red peppers, garbanzo beans, chopped red onion, and English cucumber in a bowl
Walnut Pesto
Combine basil, olive oil, and walnuts in a food processor (or the Magic Bullet, what we used!)
Blend. Done!
Combine:
Whisk Pesto with 2-3 tbsp apple cider vinegar. Add quinoa to the chopped veggies, and gently mix in pesto with salt and pepper to taste.
Sprinkle with Feta Cheese
Enjoy!
Question of the Day
Have you tried Quinoa yet?
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Marvelous Meals
Tags: quinoa
Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 10:02 AM
Today’s post comes to you from my friend and colleague Rachel Rodek, MS, RD, LDN, CSSD. Rachel is Manager of Nutrition Communications for NuVal. Lucky for me, she sits just a stone’s throw away from me at the office. We have a great time sharing our cooking stories and I love this one that she wrote and photographed about The Night That Her Fiance Made Dinner. So, without further ado, I bring you Rachel!
Ah, the beauty of letting go of the reigns in the kitchen. A rare yet beautiful bird. That’s right, Fernando was the cook tonight – and boy does he know how to spice it up. Who doesn’t love watching someone else work their magic with food?
On the menu tonight: Eggplant Frittata with Roasted Broccoli.
The eggplant, also known as aubergine, is another only modestly-loved fruit. Yep – you read it right: Eggplant is botanically classified as a berry. Quite a big one at that. And although it’s not dangerous, this fruit is related to the nightshade family along with tomatoes, potatoes, and sweet peppers.
Eggplant scores a 96 on the NuVal scale and is packed with fiber, potassium, and flavonoids (another name for antioxidants). So though you may be intimidated by this large, alien-shaped purple knob – it’s an incredible addition to the diet.
Back to dinner. As you know, sometimes dinner doesn’t go as planned. What was the plan? To try and flip the L-A-R-G-E LeCreuset pan of eggplant frittata like a pancake. What?? My thoughts exactly. But I wasn’t in charge tonight, so I let The Chef man the helm. You would have enjoyed being a fly on the wall.
*Splat* Eggplant Frittata everywhere. Did we eat it? Of course – it was delicious! But dinner was more of an eggplant scramble than an open-faced omelet.
To help ease the cooking anxiety of a Frittata Flop, I took over the Roasted Broccoli. Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable that contains a type of flavonoid called glucosinolate, which is responsible for its sharp-taste. These powerful little substances act like Scrubbing Bubbles for your body; helping to activate enzymes in the liver that eliminate toxins. Other cruciferous veggies include Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, collard greens, turnip, radish, and wasabi.
Ingredients:
1 Large eggplant, cut into ½ inch cubes (NuVal score 96)
1 Onion, chopped (NuVal score 93)
2 Plum tomatoes, diced (96)
4 whole eggs (33. Trade up to 660mg omega-3 eggs for a score of 42)
4 egg whites (26. Trade up to Egg Beaters egg substitute for a score of 58)
1 Tbsp olive oil (11. trade up to Canola oil for a score of 24)
1 Pound broccoli, cut into florets (NuVal score 100)
2-3 Garlic cloves, diced (91)
Olive oil (11. Trade up to Canola oil for a score of 24)
Salt & Pepper
½ a Lemon zest and juice
Eggplant Frittata:
Whisk eggs and egg whites together.
Saute eggplant in ½ Tbsp oil until cooked through, remove from pan. Saute onions in ½ Tbsp oil until translucent, then add tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes.
Stir back in eggplant and cook for another 5-8 minutes. Pour eggs over vegetables, cover, and cook for about 12-15 minutes.
Lift edges with spatula occasionally to allow uncooked egg to flow to bottom of skillet.
Heat broiler (So that you don’t have to attempt the “flip”!) and broil frittata for 2-3 minutes until golden.
Optional: Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top of frittata before broiling.
Roasted Broccoli:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Spread broccoli onto a cookie sheet, drizzled oil, and toss with salt, pepper, and diced garlic.
Roast in oven for 20-25 minutes until crisp, tender, and some floret tips are browned.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with zest and juice of ½ a lemon.
Optional: sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
Enjoy!
Winner of Yesterday’s Giveaway
Congratulations to Tiffany from adantatslife.wordpress.com. She guessed correctly (as many of you did) that Newman’s Own makes the highest scoring salsa. But here’s the catch: It’s Newman’s Own Black Bean and Corn Salsa Medium All Natural that gets the high score of 48. Newman’s Own All Natural Chunky Salsa Medium only gets a 15. Interesting, huh? Thanks to everyone who entered.
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Marvelous Meals
Tags: Broccoli, eggplant
Wednesday, March 24, 2010 at 10:05 AM
Welcome to Marvelous Meals with Rachel, a regular feature here on A Better Bag of Groceries. Rachel Rodek, MS, RD, LDN is Manager of Nutrition Communications at NuVal. Rachel and I are headed out to NY this weekend to represent NuVal at Price Chopper’s Healthy U Open House. We are looking forward to a fun and busy trip. In the meantime, Rachel and her fiance, Fernando, got in the kitchen this week and collaborated on this wonderful recipe. I love how it brings their families and backgrounds together – much like their wedding will this June! So without further ado, I bring you Rachel!
Have you ever started out on a path where you thought you knew the end point, but by the time you arrived you were in a completely different spot?
Well, that was this past dinner. You see, I’ve had this butternut squash sitting on my counter for the last month, not knowing what to do with it. So I started looking up recipes and came across a beef stroganoff with butternut squash. What an interesting twist to a family favorite. My mom used to make this dish all the time (minus the squash, of course) – and we enjoyed every bite. But then again, everything my mom made (makes!) is simply wonderful.
What I loved best about my mom’s cooking, other than its utter deliciousness, was how it brought everyone to the table. Family meals were a fundamental part of my childhood – helping to create the eater and nutrition-lover I am today. Did you know that lifelong nutrition habits are formed by the time a child is around four years old? That’s why it’s so important to role-model good eating habits and continue to introduce new foods – even to a picky eater. For someone who used to hate it if my pork chop touched my lima beans (intermingling of foods was never allowed in my tiny world – I’m not even sure I ate those lima beans even if they didn’t touch), I now have adventurous taste buds and an appetite to experiment. Thanks Mom!
But back to this past dinner. I realized upon searching my cupboard and fridge that not only did I not have mushrooms (a staple for beef stroganoff), I also didn’t have sour cream. And where did those noodles disappear to? Hmmm. Time for experimentation!
Instead of mushrooms I used water chestnuts, adding a nice crunch; and instead of sour cream I added spaghetti sauce. Then we had it all over polenta (my fiancé’s specialty!). As Tina from NuVal’s TradingUpDownTown would say: Holy Yum! It’s basically a hearty spaghetti sauce with the boost of veggies over mushed up spaghetti.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground turkey (I used 99% lean, however we only have a score for 93% lean [33], but skinless turkey breast scores a 48)
1 yellow onion, diced (NuVal Score 93)
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed (Score 100)
1 jar Classico Tomato Basil (Score 43) Or your favorite high-scoring spaghetti sauce
1 (8oz) can sliced water chestnuts (Score 83)
½ cup Quaker Enriched Corn Meal (Score 89!)
2 cups water
2 tsp olive oil (Score 11)
2 tsp canola oil (Score 24)
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp garlic powder
Salt & pepper to taste
Directions:
Saute chopped onion in 2 tsp olive oil until translucent. Add ground turkey and cook through. Add butternut squash cubes, water chestnuts, spaghetti sauce, paprika, salt and pepper, and cook until squash is tender, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium-sized pot, bring 2 cups water to a boil with salt, pepper, garlic, and 2 tsp canola oil. Add corn meal and whisk on high until thick.
Pour polenta (corn meal) into the bottom of 4 bowls, and spread to cover the bottom. Let cool until firm, but not cold.
Top with Butternut squash mixture.
Enjoy!
Nuts About Nuts Winner
Congratulations to Commenter #39, Stacie! You have won yesterday’s giveaway. A care package of almonds, walnuts and a NuVal t-shirt is coming your way. Just email me at abetterbagofgroceries@gmail.com with your mailing address and t-shirt size.
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Marvelous Meals
Tags: Butternut Squash
Wednesday, March 3, 2010 at 10:06 AM
Welcome to Marvelous Meals with Rachel, a regular feature here on A Better Bag of Groceries.
Rachel Rodek, MS, RD, LDN is my wonderful foodie friend and co-worker at NuVal. In fact, Rachel is Manager of Nutrition Communications (is that a great job, or what?) for NuVal, so she is someone who I consult with regularly when my blog-readers have nutrition questions that I don’t know how to answer.
Rachel, who is getting married in three short months, loves to spend time in her kitchen with her fiance, creating delicious new recipes using ingredients with high NuVal scores. For today’s post, she prepared a recipe centered around Acorn Squash that makes a well-rounded main meal. Honestly, it doesn’t get any better than this!
So, without further ado, heeeeerrrrree’s Rachel!
Everyone has their go-to dinner veggies. The ones you pick up just about every week because they’re tried and true. I rotate between broccoli and asparagus, and always have a bag of frozen stir-fry vegetables on hand (the kind with the tasty water chestnuts). But this can get boring – I mean, how many ways can you actually cook broccoli before you get tired of it?
Not only that, but vegetables and fruit are like nature’s multi-vitamin. Each type contains a different array of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients (more commonly known as antioxidants), so sticking with the same vegetable over and over again limits the variety of nutrients in your diet. Produce is the highest scoring category in the NuVal system, reflecting the overall positive nutrient density and lack of substances that affect health negatively.
And yet picking up a new vegetable is almost risky. How do you cook it? How will it taste? Will it take too long to cook?
Only recently have I become more experimental with my cooking. I take the chance because you never know if you’re going to like something until you’ve put it to the test. And the right recipe can work wonders.
Boy did I find a good one for acorn squash! The recipe, which I found at www.eatingwell.com, also calls for chard, but I’ve made it with kale too and it’s equally enjoyable (yes, I’ve made it twice now). Both the chard and acorn squash had never entered my kitchen before, but just as with the Brussels sprouts, these veggies will now start filtering into my veggie line up.
It’s quick, simple, and truly delicious.
Ingredients:
1 medium acorn squash, halved and seeded (NuVal score 99)
1 small onion, chopped (NuVal score 100)
1 garlic clove, minced (Score 91)
1 small can (4oz) of tomato sauce, no salt added (Score 82)
4 cups chopped chard leaves (Score 100)
¾ cup canned white beans, rinsed (Score 57. Dried without added ingredients scores a 92, sodium brings the score down in canned beans )
3 Tbsp kalamata olives, chopped (Score 10)
3 Tbsp breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper
1 ½ teaspoons olive oil (Score 11. Trade up to canola oil for a score of 24)
Optional: 2 chicken sausages, chopped (Score 22)
Pre heat broiler.
Cut a small slice off the bottom of each squash half so it rests flat.
Lightly sprinkle insides with salt and pepper. Place in a microwave safe dish, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave on high for 12 minutes or until the squash is fork-tender.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, stirring until starting to brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce and pepper to taste. Stir in chard, cover and cook until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in white beans and olives (and chicken sausage if you want), cook until heated through, about 1 to 2 more minutes. Remove from heat.
Fill each squash half with a generous amount the chard mixture. Place on a baking sheet or keep in baking dish from the microwave. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
Broil in center of oven until breadcrumbs are browned, 2 to 3 minutes.
Enjoy!
Trade-Up Tuesday GiveAway Winner
Congratulations to Commenter #42, Anna. You’ve won some yummy chips and salsa and a fabulous NuVal T-shirt. Thanks to everyone who entered!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Marvelous Meals
Tags: acorn squash
