Thursday, March 4, 2010 at 07:31 AM
First of all, don’t you just love my lunch bag? It’s new! My old one, which I purchased at LL Bean last year, was looking a little too mom-frumpy. Like it was the lunch bag equivalent of a fanny pack. Not a good look – even if you’re just carrying it, not wearing it. So this weekend, I found myself in Staples, trying to decide how to use my about-to-expire Rewards check for $24. I probably should have spent it on something practical, like an ink cartridge for my printer, but I couldn’t resist this new bag. You can also find it here on the Built NY website.
So what’s in my lunch bag? A good, healthy lunch. Every Day. I am a Bringer, not a Buyer. It is definitely the way to go. It keeps nutrition up and costs down. My husband, who takes the train every day from our house in the ‘burbs to his office in Boston, tells me that lunch bag carrier-ship is definitely on the rise. It is a sign of our recessionary times.
Since my own lunch gets made after my son’s and my daughter’s, it is usually very quick and simple. Today’s fare is a pretty good example.
- Joseph’s Flax, Oat Bran & Whole Wheat Flour Pita Bread (NuVal score of 65) with Boar’s Head Buffalo Chicken and Cheddar Cheese
- Steamed yellow squash, leftover from last night’s dinner (NuVal score of 98)
- Cherry Tomatoes (NuVal score of 96)
- Clementine (NuVal score of 94)
- Ghiardelli Double Chocolate Chips (NuVal score of
I eat a lot, don’t I?
You may be wondering about the scores on the Boar’s Head deli products. NuVal has not yet scored items from the full service deli, but we will. We will score everything that you find in the grocery store. In the meantime, I feel pretty good knowing that the rest of my lunch gets a super NuVal score. Well, except for those chocolate chips. But I have a thing for chocolate. It gets me through the day.
Looking at this photo of my lunch makes me realize that I sort of have a high-rent lunch. The Boar’s Head deli items are pricey, but I am really picky about cold cuts, so they are the only kind I like. I buy the Nature’s Sweetest Cockail Tomatoes (2 bags for $5 at my local supermarket), but they are absolutely delectable. Worth the price of admission. Clementines, as you may have noticed, only got cheap for about 2 weeks this winter. Most of the time, they’ve been averaging $8 per box. But again, the sweet goodness is worth it to me. It is still cheaper than eating out every day – and SO much healthier. My lunch is an investment in my health and it deserves to be carried in style!
Or at least that’s what I told my husband when I came home from Staples with a cool new lunch bag instead of ink cartridges!
Question of the Day
Are you a Buyer or a Bringer? And if you’re a Bringer, what’s in your lunch bag today?
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Lunch
Tags: Lunch Bag
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
Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 06:52 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 and give away free stuff.
Every category has a Rock Star. In cold cereal, it’s Shredded Wheat with a NuValscore of 91. In cookies, it’s Kashi TLC Oatmeal Raisin with a score of 40. And in Salty Snacks (just the title of that category makes my mouth water – I love salt), it’s Garden of Eatin No Salt Added Blue Chips. They get a NuVal score of 52. That’s pretty amazing when you consider that the median (half are above it, half are below it) score for salty snacks is only a 13. I buy these chips all the time now. There just is no other. And what I love about them, is that they don’t seem like a healthy alternative, if you know what I mean. They taste like a chip. You don’t feel like you’ve sacrificed.
I couldn’t give away chips without something to dip them in, so I picked up some salsa. In the Healthy/Organic section of my grocery store. And guess what? This Green Mountain Gringo Salsa only gets a 9! This is why I so need NuVal in a grocery store close to my house. It’s so easy to pick up the wrong thing. And to think that you’re picking up the right thing. Because, ya know, it’s in the Healthy/Organic section of the supermarket! There are some better choices to be made:
- Ortega Original Salsa, Medium: 35
- Newman’s Own Chunky Roasted Garlic Salsa, Medium, All Natural: 32
- Taco Bell Home Thick and Chunky Medium Salsa: 26
And I could have picked those up in the regular old Salty Snack aisle.
So to make up for the low-scoring salsa, I’m throwing in a NuVal t-shirt too! Woo hoo!
To Enter:
All you need to do is leave a comment below telling me your favorite Salty Snack. Easy! I’ll choose one winner at random. The contest closes at 11:59 pm tonight, so don’t delay! Good luck!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Trade-Up Tuesday
Tags: Garden of Eatin'
Monday, March 1, 2010 at 07:23 AM
It’s Monday and time for Cart Confessions, where I ‘fess up and tell you all about a product with a lowly NuValscore that somehow made it into my shopping cart. I have to say, in general, my pantry is looking pretty good these days. It certainly looks a lot different than it did when I first started working at NuVal. I’ve learned so much about the true nutritional value of food. Dr. Katz himself could come to my house and I would not be ashamed to show him what products we’re buying these days. So, when I went shopping this week, I had to look kind of hard to find something with a low score. And there it was – Hood Ice Cream Sandwiches. We were out of them and they were on the list. NuVal score: 2. Yup, a 2.
I personally do not eat ice cream sandwiches. I get up too early in the morning to work out to blow it all on an ice cream sandwich. However, my husband loves them and they have been an absolute must-have in our freezer for all of our 13 years of marital bliss. He has passed his adoration for “sandwiches” on to our offspring. They are the Number 1 requested dessert item in our house. My husband insists on Hood Ice Cream Sandwiches, probably because they are a local Massachusetts company and ya know, Hood rhymes with Good. In any event, they are in our freezer – always.
It’s hard to blame them. They do look good, don’t they.
I have to admit, I had a bite after that photo shoot. OK, it was really half.
And how can I resist this happy kid?
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I’m not sure if I can get my husband and kids to kick the Hood habit. There are some better alternatives in the Ice Cream Novelty category:
- Fudgesicle (No Sugar Added with Calcium): 64
- Healthy Choice Premium Fudge Bars No Sugar Added: 51
- Skinny Cow Vanilla & Chocolate Lowfat Ice Cream Sandwiches: 24
I guess it’s OK for everyone to have a treat once in a while. Even a Mom taking pictures of food for her blog!
Question of the Day
What is your favorite ice cream novelty?
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Cart Confessions, Ice Cream Sandwiches
Tags: Ice Cream Sandwiches
Friday, February 26, 2010 at 07:11 AM
Growing up, we called it a Crock Pot. I’m not sure how my mom, who worked as a nurse (and still does today), would have made it through our childhood without it. A slow-cooker is a Mom’s best friend. Whether you work outside the home or not, it can be a lifesaver. There’s nothing quite like walking in the door after a long day at work, or a long afternoon of shuttling kids between school, sports, and dance, and smelling the delicious aroma of dinner already done.
The thing about slow-cooker recipes is that they are often for high-fat, high-calorie comfort food. But they don’t have to be. You can assemble a nutritious meal in minutes and let the slow-cooker go to work for you.
I’m not sure where I originally found this recipe. It’s in my recipe box on a piece of paper with no reference to the source. So, I put all the ingredients into the Recipe Builder on the Weight Watchers website. Turns out, it’s 8 Weight Watchers points per serving (without the pasta). Believe me, it’s point-worthy! And it’s all about sanity preservation. The prep time is only 20 minutes and in our family, we get at least 2 nights out of this one. Two other selling points for this recipe:
- It is so easy. My husband, who can hold his own in the kitchen, but does so more for breakfast, made this batch that you see in the photograph.
- The kids will eat it. Beef can be difficult for little mouths with baby teeth, but the slow-cooker makes the meat extra tender.
My slow cooker has a removable pot that can go right into the fridge. So, I prep my ingredients at night. Then, in the morning, I move the pot from the refrigerator, place it on the slow-cooker base, and plug it in before I leave for work.
I am waiting for an invention that would move dishes from the refrigerator to the oven or stove-top at a specific time while I’m not at home. You know, like something you would see in the Jetson’s. If anyone hears of such an invention, please let me know!
Italian-Style Steak
6 Servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 9 – 10 hours on low, 4 1/2 – 5 hours on high
1 1/2 pounds boneless beef bottom round steak, trimmed and cut into 1 inch cubes (NuVal score: 34)
2 medium carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (NuVal score: 99)
2 stalks celery, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (NuVal score: 96)
1 cup quartered fresh mushrooms (NuVal score: 99)
1/2 cup sliced green onions (NuVal score: 100)
1 14 1/2 ounch can Italian-style stewed tomatoes, undrained (NuVal score for Del Monte: 37)
1 cup beef broth (NuVal score for College Inn: 2) I know, so low. My mom was shocked when I showed her that one!
1/2 cup dry red wine, white wine or beef broth
3 Tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca (NuVal score: 4)
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
Hot cooked whole wheat pasta (optional) Barilla Plus gets a NuVal score of 91and Dreamfield’s gets an 87.
Directions:
- Place meat in a 4-quart slow cooker. Add carrots, celery, mushrooms, green onions, undrained tomatoes, broth, wine, tapioca, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and bay leaf.
- Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 9 – 10 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 1/2 – 5 hours. Discard bay leaf. If desired, serve with hot cooked pasta.
Question of the Day
What is your favorite meal to make in the Slow Cooker?
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Slow Cooker Recipes
Tags: Italian Style Steak
