Tuesday, December 29, 2009 at 06:55 AM
Welcome to Trade-Up Tuesday, my weekly feature where I tell you about a Trade-Up I’ve made since learning about NuVal and where I give away Free Stuff! Today I’m featuring two products that were not in my pantry on January 1st of 2009, but will most certainly be there on January 1st of 2010.
First, what would a New Year be without Special K? Have you turned on the TV lately? December 26th begins the unofficial “Diet Season” and all the commericials begin. I don’t watch a lot of regular TV (I’m a Netflix fan) but I suspect that this Special K commercial will be airing. Did you know that Special K, while low in calories, only scores a 23 on the NuVal scale. Special K with Protein, however, scores a 60! I find it to be much more filling and satisfying too! That’s why it made my Top Ten Favorite Foods. So, if you’re getting sucked in my seductive Special K commercials, be sure to pick the box that says “protein plus.”
Next, since it’s a holiday and all, I’m throwing in my favorite pita: Joseph’s Flax, Oat Bran & Whole Wheat Flour Pita Bread. This Super-Pita, which also made my list of Top Ten Favorite Foods, gets a NuVal score of 65, better than most whole grain wheat breads. My husband and our kids love this pita also and we go through at least 2 packages every week.
Today’s GiveAway:
Since I’m giving away not one but TWO fabulous prizes on this Give Away, I’m asking you to do Two Things. To enter the drawing, just:
- Tell me one of your New Years’ Resolutions
- Go to www.nuval.com, find a score that you find interesting, and come back here to tell me about it
Enter both of these things in the Comments section and you will be entered to win TWO boxes of Special K Plus Protein and TWO packages of Joseph’s Pita. The contest closes at 11:59 pm Eastern Time tonight! Good Luck!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Special K, Top Ten (Mommy), Trade-Up Tuesday
Tags: New Years' GiveAway
Friday, December 18, 2009 at 07:32 AM
Meet Tyler, one of my talented colleagues at NuVal. Tyler, now a Business Analyst for NuVal, played rugby for Boston College. While he no longer has time for rugby, he still works out daily, before work, following the Navy Seal Cross-Fit Regimen. Tyler is a healthy, well-balanced eater, packing in lots of fruits and veggies. In fact, at NuVal, we call him the Salad Shaker. You know it’s time for lunch when you hear Tyler shaking his big salad in his oversized plastic container.
Recently, I bumped into Tyler in the NuVal kitchen, where we were both hunting for a mid-morning snack. Tyler was so excited. “Guess what, Melissa!” he said. “Check out the orange juice I bought. I read about Trop 50 on your blog and now I’m buying it all the time. It’s so awesome! I can’t believe it gets a NuVal score of 81!” He was so gleeful. And then, I burst his bubble. I do that to people. Just ask Josie over at YumYucky. You see, Tyler had made a very common mistake. He had grabbed the wrong Trop 50. Horrors! The Amazing Trop 50 of A Better Bag of Groceries Fame with a score of 81 has added Calcium and Vitamin D. The one that Tyler purchased only gets a score of 49.
That is why we need NuVal on our supermarket shelves.
Even when you are familiar with the scores. Even when you work with them every day. Even when you read about them on my blog or on TradingUpDowntown. Because most of us are in a hurry, it is so, so easy to grab the wrong juice.
So many people have written to me asking when NuVal will be in their grocery stores. We are currently in Price Chopper, Meijer and Hy-Vee grocery stores. Soon, we will be in United Texas stores. We are working hard to get more retailers to partner with us. You can help by going to the NuVal website and completing a store suggestion form.
In the meantime, if you are a Trop 50 fan, be sure to grab the one with the blue top when you are at the grocery store!
Question of the Day:
In which grocery stores would you like to see NuVal scores?
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Top Ten (Mommy), Trop 50
Tags: NuVal Staff
Thursday, August 13, 2009 at 08:20 PM
As I learn more about NuVal scores, I am rethinking what I put in my mouth. When I walk in the door some nights with 2 kids, lunchboxes to unpack, dinner to make and everyone starving, I’ve stopped reaching for a handful of Cheez-its or pita chips. With their low scores, they’re just not worth it. As I approach my one year anniversary of working for NuVal (which I love!), I realize that I have a new Top Ten Favorite Food List that is different than what it was one year ago. Here it is:
1. Chobani Non-Fat Plain Greek Yogurt: Score of 94
I love this plain, thicker-than-regular yogurt so much. I mix in some fresh nectarine and blueberries. I also put it on baked potatoes. And when my neighbor called looking to borrow sour cream for a recipe she was making (none in my fridge), I gave her the yogurt instead and she said it turned out great. This yogurt is filling and substantial. It’s my quick fix on Monday afternoons when I need an energy boost before teaching my 6:30 pm Pilates class.
2. Almonds: Score of 81
My boss and friend got me hooked on these. I opt for the roasted, unsalted brand and my husband loves them too. Since I work out early (5:30 am), I often need a post-breakfast, mid-morning snack. These do the trick.
3. Frozen Grapes: Score of 91
Someone brought frozen grapes this year to the 4th of July cookout. And boy did it bring back memories. I ate a lot of frozen grapes back in my obsessive Weight Watcher days (circa 1996) because they kept me from eating ice cream. My husband affectionately called them frozen eyeballs. So I resurrected them this summer. They are so easy – just rinse and throw them in a ziploc bag in the freezer. They still look like frozen eyeballs, but they are so tasty and the kids love them too. But this post is about MY top ten. The kids’ will be next week. Moving on…
4. Special K with Protein: Score 0f 60
As I mentioned in my Adult Rated Cereal post, I don’t have time for a lot of munching in the morning. So bye-bye to some of my more laborious cereals and hello Special K with Protein. But it MUST say Protein on the box. My DH has mistakenly bought the regular one (which scores only a 23) and we had to return it. It is a little sweet, very filling, and it lasts me until Almond Time.
5. Joseph’s Flax, Oat Bran & Whole Wheat Flour Pita Bread: Score of 65
These very flat pitas are so satisfying. We go through at least two packages of these a week because everyone in our house seems to like them. And the score is much better than most other breads or pita products.
6. Skim Milk: Score of 91
This is just one of those perfect foods. You get some protein, your Vitamin D and your Calcium. I’ll admit, I probably was not getting the recommended number of dairy servings per day until we switched to milk delivery in glass bottles. I was even able to get the kids to switch to skim. There I go talking about them again. This post is about MY favorites.
7. Tropicana 50 Pulp-Free with Calcium Orange Juice: Score of 81
This is a recent find from when I blogged about juice. We were drinking Tropicana Pure Premium Orange Juice with Calcium and Vitamin D with a score of 51. Now we’re drinking 30 points higher because the Trop 50 has less sugar. I really think they should change the name though. It makes me think that it is juice for people over age 50. And I’ve got 11 years before I get there. Note: Make sure you buy the one that says “with Calcium and Vitamin D”. The other Trop 50 right next to it scores much, much lower.
8. Quaker Steel Cut Oats: Score of 60
They take a long time to cook, so I often make a big batch and reheat them on busy weekday mornings. These oats are for Mommy only. My daughter loves oatmeal, but not this kind. Even the purple container could not win her over. But I love their sticking power. It’s all about getting me to Almond Time.
9. Chick Peas: Scores vary
And this is why I need NuVal in my grocery store. Because while I do have access to the scores because I work there, I can’t remember them when I am trying to pick out the chick peas that have the best score. Progresso chick peas get a 58, but the Food Club organic brand that I can buy at my local Roche Brothers store, get an 82. Yes, I’ve had a long-time love affair with chick peas. A friend and colleage of mine dubbed me the Queen of Leafy Greens and Chick Peas back in the ’90s. They are just the protein you need on salad.
10: Vegetables: Scores vary, but they are really high
Yes, I am a veggie lover and I have been one since early childhood. I used to ask my mom, “Can I have lettuce for my treat tonight?” and she’d say, “Well, OK. Only if you’re good.” When I get back from traveling or a vacation where veggies were scarce, I feel the difference. And it makes me crabby. My favorites are asparagus (100), arugula (100), broccoli rabe (100) and brussels sprouts (94). My husband knows to just let me order that $6 plate of one of these when we go out to dinner. The good news is that frozen vegetables without additives score really well too. I always have a bag of frozen brussels sprouts in my freezer in case we run out of fresh veggies before that weekly shopping trip.
So that is what is on my shopping list each week. Next week, I’ll post on my kids’ Top Ten list. What’s on your Top Ten List? I’d love to hear about it.
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Chobani, Greek yogurt, Special K, Top Ten (Mommy), Trop 50, almonds, chick peas, flax pita, frozen grapes, skim milk, steel cut oats
