Friday, August 27, 2010 at 07:02 AM
This is the question my seven-year-old son asked this morning as we were rushing around to get the kids to summer camp, my husband to his train on time and me to the office. It definitely made my husband and I stop and have a good laugh for a minute.
I can see why my son would think that ravioli comes from cows. My kids love ravioli and by Thursday – when I am dead tired from a long week – it’s a meal solution that sounds great to me. Boil some water, open bag, plunk it in, stir. Also, our milk delivery service comes on Thursday – in a truck that is painted like a cow.
In addition to glass-bottled milk and Rhode Island farm fresh eggs, we often buy ravioli from our milk man because they get it from the famous Venda Ravioli on Federal Hill in Providence. So, it makes sense that my son would think that ravioli comes from cows, since we get ours from our milk man!
We have not scored Venda ravioli at NuVal. It is a local product that is not stocked at any of our Retailer partners (yet!). However, as you might guess, most run-of-the-mill ravioli does not do so well on the NuVal scale:
- Mama Rosie’s Round Cheese Ravioli: NuVal score of 4
- Louise Frozen Cheese Ravioli: NuVal score of 9
However, if your kids are huge ravioli fans and you would like to trade up for better nutrition, you could consider the following:
- Mama Rosie’s Low Fat Cheese Ravioli: NuVal score of 27
And sometimes I buy that kind at the supermarket too.
My son’s question this morning did make me think, though, while driving to work. Do our children really know where their food comes from? Should we have spent more time visiting some farms this summer instead of swimming at the pool? I always get so frustrated with teenage cashiers who don’t know their asparagus from their Belgian endive, but my son just asked me if ravioli comes from cows!?! I think that we all have a lot of educating to do.
Interestingly, my son has also started to read nutrition facts panels on products this summer. He likes to read calories and vitamins, but he is most focused on calcium and he believes that the more he can get in his diet, the sooner we will become a true Jedi fighter. Yesterday, he was sipping a juice box and he said, “Hey Mom. This box says that is is a good source of calcium on the front. But it only says 10% on the side.” Hmmmmmm. He may think that ravioli comes from cows, but he is one smart cookie.
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Uncategorized
Tags: ravioli
Thursday, August 26, 2010 at 07:08 AM
So, last week, we packed up our family of four and headed to West Harwich, MA on Cape Cod, where we rented a beach cottage for an old-fashioned family vacation. We did it all: played mini golf, rode the Cape Cod Rail Trail, drove go-karts, jumped on trampolines, drove bumper boats, took a whale watch, strolled the streets of Provincetown during Carnival, relaxed on the beach and swam in the waves. What we did not do was hit the All You Can Eat Buffet and slurp frozen margaritas all week. For me, vacation is about taking a break from the usual and spending much-needed quality time with my little family of four. It is not about undoing the benefits a daily healthy lifestyle with a week-long binge-fest.
That being said, I do find it fun to let my hair down a little and eat a few treats that I normally don’t have in my kitchen at home. When I hit the Harwich Star Market on Saturday, I could not resist some of Ray’s Everything Bagels (NuVal score of 4)…
and some of my favorite Ben & Jerry’s Low-Fat Cherry Garcia Frozen Yogurt, NuVal score of 15.
and some Frontera Gourmet Mexican Salsa Jalapeno Cilantro (NuVal score of 8).
But for the most part, my shopping cart looked pretty much the same as it does when we are at home. Even though we were on vacation, we still ate healthy. While bagels for breakfast were a treat, we accompanied them with lots of fruit and ate outside on the patio in our pajamas.
We wrapped up hummus, avocados, veggies and sliced chicken with Joseph’s Oat Bran & Whole Wheat Lavash Bread (NuVal score of 68) and brought the wraps on our bike rides and to the beach.
For vacation dinners, we typically eat 3 nights out and 4 nights in. While I enjoy a break from the kitchen, I don’t love the cost of 7 family dinners! Not to mention – it’s tough to find healthy choices. To make things easy, we brought three Dream Dinners with us, so I really didn’t have to “cook”. As always, we paired our Dream Dinners with a beautiful salad:
As for our nights out, we did one at a traditional Cape Cod family restaurant called The Weatherdeck. OK, not really my favorite. Almost everything was fried. I settled on a broiled scallop plate. But when on the Cape….
Better was Land Ho!, a new restaurant in Harwich Port, recommended to us by our photographer when we had our family portrait taken on the beach. I had swordfish on top of a bed of spinach. Yummy and nutritious! And I didn’t have to do dishes.
But my favorite dinner of all was in Provincetown. After a breathtaking Whale Watch on the Dolphin VIII, we strolled the streets of P’town where everybody was celebrating Carnival. In P’town, employees stand outside the restaurants and tell you all about the menu to try to get you to come in. And that is how we landed in a South African restaurant, Karoo Kafe. I played it safe and ordered the Vegetarian Plate: hummus, stuffed grape leaves, Falafel, Tabbouleh and Power Salad (chick peas, lentil, quinoa and couscous).
My husband enjoyed an Antelope burger. Amazingly, we have scored Antelope at NuVal. It gets a 39! I tried a bite. I loved it. It tasted like very lean beef. The kids had hot dogs (of course!) and sweet potato fries. Overall it was my favorite meal of our vacation.
We came home, got on the scale and found no extra vacation pounds upon us. Whew! Our kids are still chattering on about all the fun they had. I’ll never forget this face after my son’s first hole in one:
and I will cherish the memories of our healthy family vacation on Cape Cod.
Question of the Day
What did you eat on your summer vacation? Do you know the NuVal score?
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: vacation
Tags: vacation
Wednesday, August 25, 2010 at 06:58 AM
Big Y!!!
Yes, I know. I’ve been teasing you for far too long. The newest supermarket to put NuVal scores on their shelves is none other than Big Y, headquartered in Springfield, MA.
I have been just dying to divulge this secret to all of you. We have been working on this launch for months now, but we had to keep it top secret. Finally, on Monday, Big Y held a press conference announcing that they will launch NuVal on September 6th. I headed out to the press conference along with some of my NuVal colleagues.
When we arrived, the people at Big Y had really decked out their headquarters NuVal-style. It was amazing to see all of the beautiful signs, pamphlets and marketing pieces the team at Big Y had created. They have done a super job.
Dr. David Katz gave an outstanding presentation to all of Big Y’s Store Directors. He always wows the crowd! Here he is with Big Y’s Registered Dietitians, Andrea Samson and Carrie Taylor.
If you are in the Big Y area, you might see Carrie on TV or hear Carrie, Andrea and Dr. Katz on the radio talking about NuVal. Very cool!
After the Store Director Presentation, we headed back up the stairs to Big Y’s beautiful atrium to meet members of the press. Television, radio and newspaper reporters were there to hear Dr. Katz and Big Y’s CEO, Charlie D’Amour announce the big NuVal launch.
Dr. Katz talked about how thrilled he is to finally have a supermarket close to his home in Connecticut with NuVal scores on shelf. Me too! There is a Big Y in Walpole, MA – just about a 15 minute drive from my house – and so worth the trip!
Yesterday’s Giveaway
Congratulations to Commenter #34, Paul W! While you didn’t guess Big Y, Paul, you are the winner of the Gluten-Free Giveaway. Please send me an email at abetterbagofgroceries@gmail.com with your mailing address so that I can send your prize to you. Thanks to everyone who entered. I loved reading your guesses!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Big Y
Tags: Big Y
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
Monday, August 23, 2010 at 07:12 AM
Welcome to Cooking With Catherine Katz, a regular feature here on A Better Bag of Groceries. Catherine is married to Dr. David Katz, founder of the ONQI algorithm which fuels NuVal scores. Catherine, a native of France, is an incredible cook and I love the recipes that she and David have created together in their book The Flavor-Full Diet. I am amazed every time I try one. Everything is healthy and delicious.
Catherine is a mother of 5! Whew! Catherine sent me this picture after their recent trip to the Caribbean.
What a gorgeous family!
While I had tried some breakfast and dinner recipes, I had not yet tried any of the wonderful lunch recipes that Catherine and David offer in the book. So one recent Sunday morning, with the kids watching Star Trek Revenge of the Sith (or something like that), my husband and I made Almond, Green Bean, and Quinoa Salad.
This recipe only serves 1. We didn’t realize that, but after we made it – and loved it – we quickly made another quadruple batch!
1 1/2 cups frozen French-cut green beans
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch of salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1 teaspoon crumbled feta cheese
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped almonds
First we had to cook the quinoa – and this was our first time doing that. We chose Ancient Harvest Traditional Quinoa, which scores a 91 on the NuVal scale:
Beautiful grains!
It cooked up quickly and easily.
With the quinoa cooked, and the onions sliced…
we could focus on the rest of the recipe steps:
- Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in medium saucepan. Add the green beans and cook for 2 minutes (do not overcook). Drain and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the mustard, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper.
- Add the green beans and toss to coat.
- Add the quinoa, cheese, onion, and almonds and toss to combine.
While David and Catherine intended this recipe to be an everyday lunch sort of thing, I must say that you could bring this to a party. And people would definitely ask you for the recipe!
I am hooked on quinoa!
Thank you Catherine for another wonderful recipe!
Coffee Giveaway
Congratulations to Commenter #93, Mollie! You’ve won last week’s coffee giveaway. Please send me an email at abetterbagofgroceries@gmail.com with your mailing address so that I can get your prize out to you. Thank you to everyone who entered!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Cooking with Catherine Katz, Lunch
Tags: quinoa
