Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 07:21 AM
Last week, I told you that the average family tried only 5 new foods or food products per year. That’s not too many. So, I’ve challenged my family to try one new food per week! To get us going, I spent a Monday morning visiting my local Big Y this week. I combed the aisles looking for some new finds. It was easy because Big Y has NuVal scores on their shelves, so I was able to find a whole bunch of enticing new foods with high scores that we had never tried before.
I was in the Seafood department, chatting with the very nice Seafood clerk. She was telling me how many customers have been trading up when they see that different types of fish get different NuVal scores. “People will buy halibut, which scores an 82, instead of haddock, which scores a 64,” she told me. Hmmmm. Interesting. Then, I noticed that she carried Swai in her seafood case. Swai has been a very big deal at NuVal in recent months. All of our retailers wanted to get this fish scored. And for good reason. It is inexpensive! Big Y carried it for $2.99 per pound! That is cheap compared to most other seafood which retails for about $9.99 per pound. We did get it scored at NuVal. The score is an 82. So, I purchased a pound and a quarter and took it home to make that night.
So, what the heck is Swai? When you google Swai, that is the #2 result that pops up: What the heck is Swai. So, apparently, I am not the only person wondering. Swai is a river-farmed catfish that comes from Southeast Asia. The fillets that I purchased at Big Y came from Vietnam. And they were frozen. You can read more about Swai in this great article by Tightwad Todwho writes for Consumer Reports. 159 people comment on this article and tell you how they prepared their Swai, so it’s a fantastic resource.
At home that night, I followed my own favorite recipe for mild white fish.
I thawed the fillets and then rinsed them and patted them dry with paper towels.
Dipped them in a little Canola Oil (NuVal score of 24)
Dredged them in some 4C Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs (NuVal score of 25)
And placed them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. I sprinkled them with lemon juice, white cooking wine and sprayed them with cooking spray.
And baked them in a 425-degree oven for about 20 minutes or until flaky. For exact measurements and directions, see my original post on this recipe here.
My Taste Test Team
Last week, I introduced my Taste Test Team. We have 4 very different palates, ranging from me (lover of all things green and healthy) to my son (not so much). You can read more about the Taste Test Team here.
How did we like Swai?
My Husband: Loved it! Only $2.99 per pound? This is our new fish!
My Daughter: Yum. Next time make me more without breadcrumbs please.
My Son: Good. Better than chicken. Easy to chew.
Me: Loved it! Very mild and sweet. Delicate. So glad we scored it at NuVal too!
Question of the Day
Have you tried Swai?
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: New Food Challenge
Tags: Fish, Swai
Wednesday, March 9, 2011 at 08:17 AM
I spend a lot of time talking about Big Trade Ups here at A Better Bag of Groceries. I feature whole recipes with high-scoring items. I’ve made over whole breakfasts and lunches for people, trading up many different foods to round out an entire meal. But today, I introduce a new feature: Little Trade-Ups. Little Trade-Ups is when you make just one small change to improve the overall nutrition of a meal or snack. Just one. And maybe it’s not a huge multi-point jump in the NuVal score, either. It’s just a Little Trade-Up, but it’s one that you can make without feeling any sacrifice whatsoever.
That is what I discovered just this Monday night.
It was so exciting!
So, here’s what happened. I was making Fish & Fries, like I do every Monday night. Oh – and it was crazy!! My daughter needed an antibiotic prescription filled, pronto! My son and I were prepping Tuesday’s crockpot dinner (which you will see tomorrow!) I was finishing my workday, and I was about to head out to teach Monday Night Pilates. So, this is why every Monday night I make Fish & Fries. Everyone likes it, clean-up is easy – great for my husband to whom I pass the baton as I dash out to teach my beloved Pilates class.
Now, I must confess, I know that there are great breadcrumb options out there. Heck, I’ve blogged about them! There are Ian’s Whole Wheat Panko Bread Crumbs which score a 50. Or, I could make my own, like my friend Heather does. But, I admit, I’ve thrown some Progresso Italian Style Bread Crumbs into my cart. I’m so ashamed! They score a 5on the NuVal scale. 
I can’t help it. I grew up on them. They say “home” to me.
So, this past Monday, I found myself with these 4C 100% Whole Wheat Seasoned Bread Crumbs in my cupboard. I had purchased them for a special Easter recipe that I was working on for the blog.
These bread crumbs score a 25on the NuVal scale. Much better than my old standby, Progresso. So, I used them to bread my cod.
I use a very simple method for my baked cod:
Ingredients:
1 1/4 lbs cod (or haddock, halibut or other white fish) (NuVal score of 81)
1 T canola oil (NuVal score of 24)
1/2 cup bread crumbs (Nuval score of 25 for these 4C Whole Wheat Crumbs)
1 lemon (or 1/4 cup lemon juice) (NuVal score of 99)
1/4 cup white cooking wine
cooking spray
Directions:
Take out 2 dinner plates. Place the Tablespoon of oil on one plate. Spread the breadcrumbs on the other plate. First dredge the fish in oil, coating both sides. Next, dredge the fish in bread crumbs to evenly coat. Lay on a parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with lemon juice and cooking wine. Spray evenly with cooking spray. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes or until fish is white and flaky.
We have this with Cascadian Farms Shoe String fries (NuVal score of 81). I typically opt for a baked potato (NuVal score of 93) with a dollop of non-fat plain Greek yogurt (NuVal score of 94) in lieu of sour cream. Yum!
The Verdict
This fish was better than ever! I liked these bread crumbs even better than the Progresso and the score went up 20 points! So long Progresso, I am a 4C Whole Wheat Girl now!!
I forgot to take an after picture. So, I snapped it the next day when I brought some fish leftovers for lunch:
In my lunch:
Fish (Yum! Even better the next day!)
Jasmine rice (NuVal score of 57)
Steamed Green Beans (NuVal score of 100)
Cherry Tomatoes (NuVal score of 96)
Clementines (NuVal score of 94)
Chocolate Chips (Ghiradelli’s semi-sweet chocolate chips, NuVal score of 13)
Lemon, to squeeze on my fish (NuVal score of 99)
So that’s it: just one little trade up to make this a more nutritious meal. And I don’t feel like I’ve sacrificed anything. I’ll be leaving my the rest of my Progresso crumbs out by the curb with a sign on them marked “Free”.
Question of the Day
Have you made just one little trade up that made you feel oh-so-good?
Yesterday’s Winner
Congratulations to Commenter #16 Tami. You’ve won the Pancake 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: bread crumbs, Fish, Little Trade-Ups
Tags: 4C, bread crumbs, Cascadian Farms, Fish, Little Trade-Ups
Monday, December 27, 2010 at 07:25 AM
Every Monday, we have fish for dinner. Of all the proteins you could choose (beef, pork, poultry, etc), fish gets the highest NuVal scores. After the holiday weekend we just had, I would say that this is a good Monday for fish!
You see, in my own personal, humble opinion (I’m not a registered dietitian and I don’t pretend to play one on my blog), you’re doing OK, if you look at a holiday as a “day”, not as ten. So, seeing that Christmas is over, it’s a good day to clean out the fridge (bye bye leftover lasagna!) and go buy some nice healthy fish for dinner.
Check out these NuVal scores for fish:
- Atlantic Salmon: 87
- Tilapia: 82
- Halibut: 82
- Cod: 82
- Swordfish: 81
- Haddock: 64
Yes, my kids do eat fish. How did I get that to happen? Well, I started them young (around age 4, once I felt it was safe) and I breaded it. So, I used a small amount of canola oil (NuVal score of 24) and then dipped the fillets in bread crumbs. Four-year-olds will eat anything if they think it’s like a chicken nugget! I’ve learned a lot about bread crumbs and their low NuVal scores, so these days we’re dipping in Panko, and I’m not getting any complaints. Actually, my daughter likes her fish plain.
The accompaniment is always Cascadian Farms Shoe String Fries (NuVal score of 81!) – yes there are French Fries that score an 81! We all love them. Or the kids go for the fries while my husband and I have baked potatoes topped with non-fat plain Greek yogurt. Finish the dinner off with some steamed vegetables, and the Crown Roast or Prime Rib that you ate on Saturday will be a distant memory. You’ll feel like you went to Confession and said all your Hail Mary’s. Redemption.
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Fish
Tags: Fish
Wednesday, February 17, 2010 at 06:44 AM
Happy Ash Wednesday! Well, I don’t think “Happy” is really the appropriate word there, but you know what I mean. Today, marks the beginning of the Lenten season for many Christians. Now, my mom always taught me not to discuss religion or politics, and that’s a great rule for a blog too. But Fish & Chips during Lent is a cultural phenomenon to me, so I will try to do this in a non-polarizing way! If Lent is something unfamiliar to you, here are some FAQs that I found to get you up to speed.
Growing up in Rhode Island, it seemed that everyone was Catholic. I was one of about six Episcopalian kids in my school. While some Episcopalians do give up certain foods or luxuries during Lent, it is not Church Law for us – that I know of, anyway. However, during my childhood and teen years, I was surrounded by friends and neighbors who did give up certain things for Lent and who did not eat meat on Fridays. It was almost catchy, and so I have, from time to time, decided to give up something (chocolate, cursing) or to go meatless on Fridays as well.
In my hometown of Lincoln, RI, there was a small Fish & Chips shop that did only that: they made Fish & Chips. On Fridays during Lent, the line of customers went out the door and around the corner. It is interesting to note that the first Fish & Chips shop was opened in 1860 in London by Jewish proprietor, Joseph Malin.
Fast forward to today and you find me making a healthy Fish & Chips dinner every Monday night in our house. The reason it has become a Monday night tradition is three-fold:
- My kids like fish (I know, I’m lucky) so they eat it without compaint
- The clean-up is super-easy
- A plate re-heats nicely a couple of hours later
You see, on Monday nights, I dash out at the dinner hour to go and teach Pilates. It is not an easy hour to leave and it means that my husband has to oversee dinner, clean-up, bath and bedtime solo. But teaching this class is something that I truly enjoy doing, so we make it work.
Every Monday, I head to my local seafood store and choose one of the following:
- Tilapia (NuVal score of 82)
- Haddock (NuVal score of 64)
- Cod (NuVal score of 81)
To prepare the fish, I first wash it and pat it dry. Then, I use my Pampered Chef oil mister to spray a light coating of canola oil on the fillets, dredge them in bread crumbs, and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Next, I drizzle some lemon juice on the breaded fillets. Finally, I spray the fish with cooking spray to make it a little crunchy. My daugher prefers her fish sans crumbs, so I put it in a little foil packet with just the oil and lemon juice.
As for the “Chips,” we always have Cascadian Farms Shoe String Fries which get an incredible NuVal score of 81. These too go in the oven on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
To round it out this nutritious meal, we complete it with a favorite vegetable such as broccoli (NuVal score of 100) and skim milk (NuVal score of 91). The only thing that scores low is the ketchup – it gets a 3. Ouch!
So, if you abstain from meat for religious reasons (or non-religious reasons!), try out this healthy option. I’m quite sure it is more nutritious than the deep fried Fish & Chips they were serving at the popular shop in my hometown!
Trade-Up Tuesday Winner
Congratulations to Commenter #7, Leena, of Living Leena Loca (love the name of her blog!). She has won my Fat Tuesday/Winter Olympic GiveAway!
Question of the Day
What, if anything, are you planning to give up for Lent?
or
If you had to give up something, what would be the hardest for you to give up?
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Fish
Tags: Fish, Fish & Chips
