Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at 06:50 AM
Welcome to Trade-Up Tuesday, a great day here on A Better Bag of Groceries. Every Tuesday, I blog about a Trade Up I’ve made since I’ve learned about NuVal scores and I give away something for free.
You know, I’ve done so many Trade Up Tuesdays now. Truth be told, it’s getting a little harder to think of shelf-stable items that I have truly traded up to and that I can package up for you and send to you in the mail. It’s not easy. As I was wracking my brain, trying to figure out what this week’s Trade Up Tuesday should be, it suddenly dawned on me. I have made a huge change in one area of the supermarket: Salad Dressing. I absolutely no longer buy the bottled stuff. Not. At. All.
When I saw the abysmal scores for salad dressings, it made me re-think the whole idea of buying bottled dressing. Not to mention, the ingredients list is pretty pathetic. For example, here are the ingredients for Wish-Bone Light Ranch:
Water, Corn Syrup, Natural Flavors (Milk), Soybean Oil, Modified Corn Starch, Salt, Sugar, Garlic Juice, Onion Juice, Cellulose Gel, Lactic Acid, Distilled Vinegar, Chives, Monosodium Glutamate, Onion Powder, Xanthan Gum, Garlic Powder, Garlic, Color Added.
Ewwwww.
Soon after I began working for NuVal, I found myself no longer buying salad dressing. Instead, I make a simple mixture of extra virgin olive oil, Balsamic vinegar, Kosher salt, and black pepper. That’s it. Nothing more. The only downside to my dressing is that it tends to solidify in the refrigerator. So, you need to take it out and stick it in a measuring cup of warm water before serving. No big deal.
Now, if you are interested in knowing which of the bottled brands get the best NuVal scores, I can tell you:
- Full Circle Organic Raspberry Vinaigrette: 21
- Emerill’s Vinaigrette: 23
- Kraft Light Creamy Reduced Fat: 28
- Annie’s Natural’s Raspberry Vinaigrette Light: 23
Today’s Giveaway
Today, I’ve assembled the ingredients I use for my very basic salad dressing: olive oil, Balsamic vinegar, Kosher salt, and black pepper. Also included is the Good Seasons Italian All Natural Cruet Kit. It has a couple packets of salad dressing mix in it, which you could use – or not. But the reason I included this kit is for the glass cruet. This is what you need to make your own homemade salad dressing. It’s healthy and eco-friendly! One lucky commenter will win my salad dressing kit. Just leave a comment below, telling me what you would put in your salad. You can enter twice by telling me the NuVal scores for those items. Hint: you can find some sample scores by searching this blog or www.tradingupdowntown.com or at www.nuval.com. I will choose one winner at 7 am EDT on Wednesday morning, so don’t delay!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Salad, Salad dressing, Trade-Up Tuesday
Tuesday, August 24, 2010 at 07:11 AM
Welcome to Trade Up Tuesday, a weekly feature here on A Better Bag of Groceries, where I tell you about a trade up I’ve made since learning about NuVal and I give away something for free. Full disclosure here – today’s giveaway is not a personal trade-up of mine. While I’ve started to delve into the Gluten-Free world (I’m so into quinoa), I haven’t actually tried these three products. However, when I was out at NuVal’s Latest Retailer-Partner (a.k.a., the Mystery Market), the large Gluten-Free section that they have caught my eye. So did the high NuVal scores on a few of the items.
Like these Gluten Free Blueberry Breakfast Bars with a NuVal score of 40…
these Gluten Free Herb Crackers with a NuVal score of 37…
and this Gluten Free pasta with a fabulous NuVal score of 82!!
So many people have gone gluten-free for a variety of health reasons. It’s great to know that they can find Gluten-Free sections in their grocery stores. What a bonus when they have NuVal scores too.
Today’s Giveaway
One lucky commenter will win all three Gluten Free products. Just leave a comment below telling me who the Mystery Market is! I can’t wait to see all your responses. I will choose one winner at random at 7 am EDT on Wednesday AND I will reveal the identity of the Mystery Market! So you will want to tune in on Wednesday. Good Luck!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Trade-Up Tuesday
Tags: Gluten Free
Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 06:53 AM
Welcome to Trade-Up Tuesday! Every Tuesday, I blog about a Trade-Up I’ve made since learning about NuVal scores and I give away something for free. Today’s Topic? Coffee! Not any old coffee. Coffee With Kick. Since I started working for NuVal just about two years ago, my coffee has gotten much darker! Yes, NuVal is really beginning to take off. It’s a very exciting time, with NuVal getting national attention in the Wall Street Journal and on Good Morning America. But that means that we have been working incredibly hard. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not complaining. I absolutely love it. I’ve just turned up the caffeine level in my brew!
So is this a trade up? Um, no. It’s just a really good giveaway – so just go with it! You see, NuVal is not scoring coffee. We’re not scoring certain things that have no nutritional value and no nutrition facts panels (like coffee, teas, vinegars, cooking sprays, baking soda, lemon juice, lime juice, plain water, gum and corn starch). But that doesn’t mean I can’t give it away on a Trade Up Tuesday!
These are two brands that I have been buying recently. Growing up in Rhode Island and living in Massachusetts, there is a Dunkin Donuts on every corner. I have a whole bunch of distant family members who work for the company. It’s part of the culture here. But as I said, my taste for coffee has changed, so I was so happy when Dunkin came out with Dunkin Dark. I love it – especially Iced. This is a good compromise for me and my husband, who does not need his coffee as jacked as I do.
When I worked in Chicago, back in the late 1990’s, there was a Starbucks on every corner. I would visit the shop in my building every day, but I always went for one of their lighter roasts. Not these days. I take it dark, thank you very much. I recently saw this Morning Joe in my local Stop & Shop and we’ve been brewing it ever since. Good stuff!
Today’s Giveaway
One lucky commenter will win both the Starbucks and the Dunkin Dark coffee. Just leave a comment below telling me how you like your coffee (if you like it at all). Good news – you have all week to enter! I’ll choose the winner on Monday morning August 23rd. Good Luck!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Trade-Up Tuesday, coffee
Tags: Dunkin, Starbucks
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 at 06:57 AM
Welcome to Trade Up Tuesday – everyone’s favorite day here at A Better Bag of Groceries because every Tuesday I rattle on about a Trade Up I’ve made since learning about NuVal and I give away something for free. Today, I’ve changed things up a bit. These two cereals are not my Trade-Ups. Rather, they are two varieties that I have noticed people just go crazy about – no matter what the NuVal score!
First, let’s talk about Kashi Autumn Wheat.
Back in March, you may remember that I spent the day out at Price Chopper’s Healthy U Open House. I had such a fun day, helping shoppers trade up for better nutrition using NuVal scores. Seriously, while my husband was back at home, single-handedly shuttling the kids through the Saturday routine of basketball, ballet, Cub Scouts and birthday parties, I was having a blast chatting it up with the Price Chopper Shoppers. That day, Price Chopper had a special coupons – I believe you had to buy 4 boxes of any Kashi cereal – and it was then that I noticed that people go crazy over Autumn Wheat. Really crazy! Every shopper who came down the aisle was looking for Autumn Wheat. Price Chopper could hardly keep it in stock. With a NuVal score of 40, it does pretty well for cereal. Cereal scores range from 2 to 100, and the average score is a 27. There are other Kashis that score better than Autumn Wheat, but I wonder if they are as popular?
Carrots N Cake fans remember when Tinacame on board with NuVal last October. One of the very first questions she asked me was how Peanut Butter Puffins scored on the NuVal scale.
Turns out – she’s a big fan. Tina has this Oprah-like effect. That means, if she likes it, so do her readers. So, I imagine that there are a whole lotta CNC fans out there munching on their PBPuffins as they get their daily dose of Tina. Unfortunately, these fav Puffins score a little under average. Boo! Add some skim milk (NuVal score of 91) and fresh blueberries (NuVal score of 100), and you’ll feel a whole lot better about that!
Today’s Giveaway
One lucky reader will win these Favorite Cereals. All you need to do is leave a comment below telling me your favorite cereal. You can leave a second comment (and enter twice) if you know the NuVal score for that cereal. I’ll choose one lucky winner at 7 am EDT on Wednesday. Good Luck!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Cereal for Grown-Ups, Trade-Up Tuesday
Tags: Trade-Up Tuesdays
Tuesday, August 3, 2010 at 06:55 AM
Welcome to Trade-Up Tuesday! It’s the best day here on A Better Bag of Groceries because I tell you about a Trade-Up I’ve made since learning about NuVal scores and I give away something for free. Today, it’s some Winners from the Bread category. Since we’re in prime picnic and sandwich-making season, I’ve chosen some of my favorite high-scoring breads for Dads, Moms and the kids.
First, let’s talk about a great bread for Dads. My husband, who takes the train into Boston every day, tells me that he is not the only one who brown bags it on a daily basis. In this down economy, everyone is doing it. So we make a lot of sandwiches and Arnold Double Fiber bread is hearty and sustaining for my hubby’s healthy appetite and speedy metabolism. Plus, it gets a 40 on the NuVal scale.
40, by the way is well-above-average in the Bread Category. The average score for Bread is a 26.
This bread that I’ve chosen for Mom’s is high-scoring and low in calories too. Alvarado Street Bakery’s Essential Flax Seed Bread is only 50 calories per slice and it gets a 56 on the NuVal scale. Woo hoo!
As for the kids, mine love Freihofer’s 100% Whole Wheat and I do too, knowing that it scores a 34 on the NuVal scale. That is much better than Wonder 100% Whole Wheat, which scores a 26.
Wow, that’s a lot of dough (pun intended) for one family, isn’t it? It is. But as I said, whether we’re at work, at the pool, at the beach, or just having a picnic in our own backyard, we make a lot sandwiches in the summertime, so it doesn’t go to waste. Just to make sure it stays fresh, I store our bread in the freezer and make our sandwiches on frozen slices in the morning. This works well when spreading natural peanut butter, which tends to tear regular bread.
Today’s Giveaway
One lucky reader will win all three breads in today’s giveaway. Just leave a comment below, telling me what you like to put on your bread or in your sandwich. You can leave a second comment and enter twice by telling me the NuVal score for that sandwich item. You can find scores by searching this blog, Trading Up Downtown, or the NuValwebsite. You can also find scores on the shelf at the following grocery stores: Price Chopper, Hy-Vee, Meijer, United Supermarkets, Kroger (in Lexington, KY), Brookshire’s, and Festival Foods. I will choose one lucky winner at 7 am EDT Wednesday so don’t delay. Good Luck!
By the Way…
NuVal has been getting some awesome press lately. Check out what the Wall Street Journal had to say about NuVal. Or watch the clip about NuVal that was on Good Morning America on Monday!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Trade-Up Tuesday, bread
Tags: bread, Trade-Up Tuesdays
