Tuesday, May 18, 2010 at 06:51 AM
Hello! Welcome to Trade-Up Tuesday, a great day here on A Better Bag of Groceries because I tell you about a Trade Up I’ve made since learning about NuVal and I give away something nutritious and delicious.
For me, one of the coolest things about writing A Better Bag of Groceries is meeting people and hearing about the changes they’ve made since reading my blog. This happened just recently when I attended a sorority reunion of sorts. It was actually a retirement party for Mecky, our housemother who spent 21 years at Alpha Chi Omega, Gamma Sigma Chapter at the University of Rhode Island.
Mecky and Me
At the party, it was amazing to catch up with my sorority sisters, especially my dear friend Joan, who said, “Oh My God! I am now popping corn the old-fashioned way because of you!” Truly, there is no better compliment.
Joan (the Old Fashioned Corn Popper) with MaryEllen and Scarlett
Joan is just one friend of mine who is on the Retro Popcorn Revolution after finding out that Orville Redenbacher’s Original popcorn scores a 91 on the NuVal scale. All of the microwave brands pale in comparison, ranging from 1 – 28. Ouch! Yes, many a mom has approached me or left me Facebook messages to say that they have banned microwave popcorn from their households now.
That is what NuVal is all about. It’s about giving consumers the information they need to make an educated decision about the nutritional value of their food. Period. To me, it is so rewarding to see that the information that I am able to give my readers makes a difference in their lives. We all just want to choose the most nutritious foods for our families and for ourselves and I’m glad that I am able to help people do that.
Today’s Giveaway
One lucky winner will get a jar of Orville Redenbacher’s Original popcorn to pop at home. I’ve also thrown in a NuVal t-shirt. To enter, just leave a comment below telling me about a Trade Up or a change you’ve made since learning about NuVal scores. I’ll choose one winner at random tomorrow (Wednesday) morning at 7 am Eastern Time. Good Luck!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Popcorn, Trade-Up Tuesday
Tags: Popcorn
Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 10:05 AM
Oh, how I love popcorn! My kids do too. How happy am I that we are beyond the stage of “popcorn is a choking hazard.” It is true that parents of children age 4 and below need to be wary of popcorn (and other foods, such as whole grapes, hot dogs, peanut butter, and baby carrots) since it can cause choking in pre-schoolers and toddlers. We used to break up popcorn into tiny pieces (a very tedious task) so that our kids could eat it when they were that young. But now, our kids are on the cusp of five and seven and they love their popcorn and they chew it well!
I get a lot of questions about the NuVal scores for popcorn. It is a pretty simple category. Think of it this way: If you are buying popcorn kernels in a jar, they score very well. Orville Redencacher’s Original scores a 91.
If you are buying microwave popcorn, they score much, much lower (scores range from 1 – 28). It’s all about the additives!
This Orville Redenbacher’s Smart Pop Kettle Korn scores a 12.
This Pop Secret Butter 94% Fat Free scores a 24.
Some of the highest scoring microwave popcorns include:
- Act II 94% Fat Free Butter Flavor scores a 28
- Newman’s Own 94% Fat Free Butter scores a 28
- Jolly Time Healthy Pop scores a 27
I am not a fan of microwave popcorn. Bleeechh!! It’s way too salty and fake-buttery tasting for me. We never have it in the house. We make popcorn the old fashioned way – with a pan and a very small amount of canola oil and salt. The only downside to this strategy is that when babysitters come to our house and the kids ask for popcorn, they don’t know what to do. They grew up in the Microwave Popcorn Generation.
I, however, grew up before microwave popcorn became All The Rage. First, we had our 1970s popper. And it looked exactly like this!
Thanks to the PR Mama for this digital image that brings back such memories! This popper used hot oil to pop the corn. And it got very hot! In fact, I think this popper is so memorable to me because my sister, while eagerly awaiting the corn to finish popping, pressed her nose against the plastic lid and burned it! That is a story my own kids have heard many times as they try to peer though the oven door!
As we moved into the 80s, we graduated to a hot air popper that had a little metal dish on top so that you could melt your butter from the heat of the popper while the popcorn popped. While hot air popping is undoubtedly the healthiest way to pop the corn since nothing is added, I find it kind of chewy.
Fast forward to now and you find me making popcorn the old-fashioned way.
First, I get out a large pot fitted with a cover, place it on the burner, and turn the heat to medium-high to high. Every stove is different so you have to experiment with your settings to figure out which works best for you. Next, I place 1 to 2 Tablespoons of canola oil (NuVal score of 24) in the bottom of the pan. I also add a dash of salt. Once the oil is heated (but not smoking), I add my test kernels, place the lid on and wait for them to pop.
Once these kernels pop, you are good to go. I add about 1/2 cup of kernels. Honestly, I never measure. I just pour. Again, place the lid on top, and wait for the pops. If you can manage to keep your lid slightly ajar, try to do so in order to let the steam escape. The popcorn will be drier and crisper, and less chewy. Shake the pan rigorously over the burner so that the popcorn on the bottom does not pop. Once the popping slows to several seconds between pops, remove the lid completely and pour the popcorn into a large bowl.
Next, I add about two Tablespoons of melted butter and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and I mix it well in this big bowl. Finally, I divide it into smaller bowls (again, to avoid the inevitable arguments that will erupt between my two children). These territorial fights can also break out between my husband and me if we share a bowl while enjoying the latest Netflix arrival (these days, Weeds and Madmen). The Individual Bowl Method also helps in the effort to keep germs in check.
So, there you have it – my tried and true method for popcorn bliss. Now get yourself a great DVD and try it tonight!
Yesterday’s Winner
Congratulations to Commenter #19, Don! You’ve won the Central Market Classics and Lindt Chocolate GiveAway! Send me an email at abetterbagofgroceries@gmail.com and tell me your mailing address. Thanks to everyone who entered I loved all the dinner ideas!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Popcorn
Tags: Popcorn
Friday, December 4, 2009 at 07:05 AM
Hooray for Friday and Pizza Mooooooooovie night! Perhaps you took one look at the title of my post today and thought that I was going to talk about NuVal scores for milk again. No, it’s Friday. I’ll give you all a break. The reason for the plethora of “o’s” in “movie” is that it is exactly how my 4 1/2 year old says it. It’s one of the things about her that I will be so sad to see go as she grows older. That and the way she runs. She truly prances like a fairy. It’s almost superhuman.
My kids are big on Pizza Moooovie night on Fridays. And this week, we are too! We have several tools to organize our family’s schedule (monthly calendars, Blackberry calendars, filing cabinets) but one of the most important is my little weekly planner from the Dollar Bin at Michael’s craft store that is on the front of the refrigerator. Every Sunday night, I sit down and plan out the activities, events, dinners and daily to dos. It’s where I remember that Thursday is Show ‘n’ Tell Day or that the school library book is due this Wednesday. This week, all of the “stuff” almost didn’t fit. I’m not usually a “cross the day off” kind of girl. But this week, getting through each day was an accomplishment.
So, we are excited for Friday night: Take-out pizza followed by home-made popcorn and the original Disney’s Peter Pan. We took the kids to the Foxboro Orpheum to see the theater version the night after Thanksgiving and they loved it. So it made sense to make it this week’s Netflix pick.
Even though it’s Pizza Moooovie night, and it’s my time to kick back and relax, I can’t help but try to make it a little healthier. My kids (only 6 and 4, mind you) can put away an entire cheese pizza, if I let them. So, I make them these “Kooky Faces” as we like to call them with whatever vegetables I still have left in the refrigerator before grocery shopping day.
I would like to take the credit for this creative idea, but really it comes from one of my daughter’s favorite books, Elmo’s First Babysitter. In the book, Elmo and his babysitter make these Kooky Faces for dinner.
Giving the kids some vegetables keeps their pizza intake down. As for my DH and I, we both have a couple of slices of veggie pizza with salad. In case you’re wondering, regular popcorn gets a great score: 91 for Orville Redenbacher plain. If you air-popped it, the score would stay the same. I admit, I make it the old fashioned way – in a big pan with a little vegetable oil in the bottom. And yes, we put some butter on it. Hey, it’s Friday. We never eat microwave popcorn. Yuck! I am not a fan. And the scores hover in the 20’s and below.
The best part of Pizza Moooooooovie night is the family togetherness. Joanna Weiss, one of my favorite Boston Globe columnists, wrote an Op-Ed piece last weekend entitled “Family Fusion: Generation Gap Shrinks.” In it, she cites a Nickelodeon study that found that across various demographics “parents want to hang out with their kids, and kids want to hang out with their parents.” She goes on to describe how many families spend their “together-time” watching television or movies as a family. Shows like “American Idol” have brought many families together in front of the TV. You know, when I bought the theater tickets last week for Peter Pan, I worried that I would regret that decision. Even though the tickets were relatively inexpensive (it was a community theater), anything for four people adds up. I worried that the kids would be tired from Thanksgiving and maybe we were pushing it by attending an evening performance. On the contrary, it was a magical night. We dressed up, we went to TGIFriday’s for dinner, the kids were completetly mesmerized throughout the performance and we were thoroughly entertained. I remember sitting there thinking, “This is almost better than a date with my husband!” I am loving that we can all enjoy the same entertainment together. The time spent together – just the four of us – is what memories are made of.
The Day Care that we’ve used since the birth of our son has a semi-annual tradition. Near Mother’s Day and again near Christmas, you can drop your child off from 5:30 – 9:30 pm for “Pizza Movie Night”. The kids have a pizza dinner, they all put on their pajamas and have a huge “slumber party” as they watch a movie together. Parents have a chance to go out to dinner or finish their Christmas shopping. Our kids attended last spring and they loved it. And we enjoyed a dinner out, sans guilt, knowing that our kids were having such a good time. Next Friday, our Day Care is having this Pizza Movie Night and I was all set to sign the kids up again. But this time, they said, “No, thanks. We want to spend Pizza Movie Night here at home – with you and Daddy.” Awwwwwwww! My daughter will soon lose her cute pronounciation of double-o’s and her baby-girl prance will become a sprint, but I’m cherishing that we are beginning a whole new chapter of enjoying the same things and the same entertainment - together.
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Pizza, Popcorn
Tags: kooky faces, Pizza
