Welcome! I am a mom of a busy 8 year old and an adventurous 6 year old. I also happen to work for a great company called NuVal. NuVal is a nutritional scoring system that rates foods on a scale of 1-100, based on how nutritious they are. We are implementing NuVal in grocery stores around the country.
NuVal may not be in your area yet. But I see the scores while they are "hot off the press" and because of that I am able to make better decisions about what to feed my family.
I am not a registered dietitian. I am just a mom who happens to work for NuVal. I am also an AFAA-certified Group Exercise Instructor. NuVal is a system designed to lead customers to the most nutritious food choices. It is not a diet or weight-loss plan. Before starting a diet, you should always consult your personal physician. The opinions expressed in this blog are the opinions of the writer and not the opinions of NuVal LLC.
Welcome to Trade Up Tuesday, everyone’s favorite day here at A Better Bag of Groceries. Every Tuesday, I blog about a trade up I’ve made since I learned about NuVal scores and I give away something for free. It’s a great deal! Today, I have a super Movie and Popcorn Giveaway.
I must admit, after spending a week at Walt Disney World, I came home and thought about this week’s giveaway and I was leaning towards doing something all princessy and for kids. But I snapped out of it real fast. After a week of non-stop Disney soundtrack music playing wherever I went, I was ready for a change. Truth be told, I was ready for a movie that had no princesses and that was about a woman spending time solo. After all, I just did a vacation that had zero alone time, zero down time. A little praying in solitude sounds like heaven to me. While I haven’t seen the Julia Roberts film, I did read the book, and it was great. I’ve heard that the scenery in Eat, Pray, Love is fantastic. And hey, it isn’t Pixar, so it seems like it would be a refreshing diversion to me.
In our house, no movie gets watched without popcorn. While we were in Florida, we had two days of torrential weather. We’re talking tornado warnings. Luckily, our hotel had a movie rental desk and as my husband and I headed out to Walgreen’s, my mom called out, “Pick up some microwave popcorn!” That we just cannot do. Call me quirky, but I make my popcorn the old fashioned way – in a pot on the stove with a little canola oil. Walgreen’s did not have Orville Redenbacher, so we bought what we found on the shelf (to the tune of about $4) and a small bottle of canola oil (for another $4), but like I said, we just can’t do micro. We brought the goods back to our condo and made our popcorn. And now I know why I always buy Orville Redenbacher. The other brand that I bought in Florida (can’t remember what it was) was sooooooo chewy. Bleech!!
Now, normally, when I make my Orville Redenbacher on the stovetop, things go swimmingly. And this Orville Redenbacher gets a super NuVal score – a 91!! Compare that to microwave brands. Orville Redenbacher’s Smart Pop gets a 26. Orville Redenbachers’s Natural Gourmet scores a 12. Not only does the old fashioned popcorn taste better, it scores better.
Today’s Giveaway
One very lucky reader will win today’s Giveaway. Included is the DVD of Eat, Pray, Love with Julia Roberts, Orville Redenbacher’s Original Popcorn and 4 very cute popcorn containers. All you need to do is leave a comment below telling me which of the three vacations you would want to take most (hint, she Eats in Italy, Prays in India and Falls in Love in Bali). I’ll choose one winner at random at 8 am Eastern time on Wednesday so don’t delay. Good luck!
This week, I was out at Price Chopper, meeting and talking with customers with my friend and colleague Ellie Wilson, RD. We were in the salty snack aisle, admiring Price Chopper’s beautiful new shelf tags and showing customers how to trade up for better nutrition when a product caught my eye. Wise Reduced Fat White Cheddar Popcorn. It had a NuVal score of 25.
OK, why was this oh-so-exciting to me? Well, my kids are Smartfood fanatics. They love the stuff. But regular Smartfood only scores an 11 on the NuVal scale. That’s below the average score of 15 for other salty snacks – and way below the average score of 21 for popcorn. (I guess it depends if you consider Smartfood a salty snack or popcorn!) In any event, my kids love Smartfood, so sometimes I buy them them the Reduced Fat version, which scores a 19.
I was curious about this Wise product with a score of 25. So, I did what any other Grocery Geek Mom would do. I bought a bag of each and brought them home and had a little taste test!
So, as you saw, my kids found that they tasted exactly the same. I can tell you that Audrey, our afternoon sitter, whose voice you can hear on the video, felt that the Wise brand was a little less salty. My husband seconded that opinion. I think adult taste buds are a little more sophisticated! But if my kids think that these two products taste exactly the same, why not trade up to the higher-scoring brand? A little less salt is good for everyone. Thanks to Wise for making a wise product. I hope I can find these on a store shelf close to my home!
What were your Thanksgiving traditions? I vividly remember spending time at my Grandmother’s 1940′s ranch-style house, spending the morning watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade on her big color cabinet style television set (no remote back then) while we colored paper placemats with Crayola crayons. Every now and then we’d sneak into the kitchen to steal a black olive or a stick of celery filled with cream cheese, while the delicious aroma of roasted turkey began to fill her little house. These days, so many parents I know (the kind who are blowing out 40 or so candles on our birthday cakes) are enjoying watching all the Peanuts holiday specials with our kids. I think it’s because they take us back to that time gone by. It was a big night when A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving was on TV. You only had one chance per year to watch it back then!
Now, we own the DVD and my kids love all the Peanuts specials, but there is something about the Thanksgiving episode that is so calming, so peaceful. I even have music from the Thanksgiving special (not just the Christmas music – which is also awesome) on my Ipod. I think it is the calm before the storm that the Christmas frenzy has become. I just love that moment when all the kids climb into the back of the station wagon (without seatbelts!) and sing “Over the River and Through the Woods” on the way to Charlie Brown’s Grandmother’s condominium. What an awesome grandma, he had, by the way! Sure, Charlie Brown – bring all your friends over to my tiny condo on a major holiday with no advance notice!
So, for all you Peanuts fans out there, I have a fun activity to do with your kids: re-enact A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving! We did this last year – on Thanksgiving Day, for lunch, actually, because we were having a late dinner. And this year, we will do it on the Weekend Before The Big Feast. Or, my friend Jodie Fitz, suggests, hosting another family for Movie Night, watching A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, and serving this for dinner. Fun!
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Dinner (with NuVal scores, of course!)
Wheat Toast (choose a 100% Whole Wheat bread, such as Sara Lee Heart Healthy Plus 100% Whole Wheat Bakery which scores a 44on the NuVal scale. Most butters and spreads score a 10 and below, so add sparingly).
Popcorn (you want to make it the old-fashioned way, just like Snoopy did. See my blog post comparing regular popcorn to microwave versions. The score differences are amazing. Orville Redenbacher’s Original scores a 91. Microwave popcorns all score a 28 and below).
Pretzel Sticks (Ok, pretzel lovers, you are not going to like this. Most typical pretzel sticks score under a 10. However, I researched the scores and I found that there are some multi-grain and whole grain pretzel sticks that score better. Try Utz Organic 7 Whole Grain Pretzel Sticks with a NuVal Score of 29or Snyder’s Of Hanover Multi Grain Pretzel Sticks Lightly Salted with a NuVal Score of 31)
JellyBeans (Those you see pictured are Mike and Ike’s which get a whopping NuVal Score of 1. So do Jelly Belly’s, Brach’s and pretty much all the jelly beans I researched. Pure sugar.)
Yes, this year, we’ll be having our 2nd Annual Re-enactment of A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Dinner. I guess it’s become a tradition. So, someday, maybe my kids will be blogging about how they remember making toast and popcorn and eating jelly beans every year on Thanksgiving!
Question of the Day:
What is it (food, smells, television) about Thanksgiving that brings you back to a time gone by?
Hello! Welcome to Trade-Up Tuesday, a great day here on A Better Bag of Groceries because I tell you about a Trade Up I’ve made since learning about NuVal and I give away something nutritious and delicious.
For me, one of the coolest things about writing A Better Bag of Groceries is meeting people and hearing about the changes they’ve made since reading my blog. This happened just recently when I attended a sorority reunion of sorts. It was actually a retirement party for Mecky, our housemother who spent 21 years at Alpha Chi Omega, Gamma Sigma Chapter at the University of Rhode Island.
Mecky and Me
At the party, it was amazing to catch up with my sorority sisters, especially my dear friend Joan, who said, “Oh My God! I am now popping corn the old-fashioned way because of you!” Truly, there is no better compliment.
Joan (the Old Fashioned Corn Popper) with MaryEllen and Scarlett
Joan is just one friend of mine who is on the Retro Popcorn Revolution after finding out that Orville Redenbacher’s Original popcorn scores a 91 on the NuVal scale. All of the microwave brands pale in comparison, ranging from 1 – 28. Ouch! Yes, many a mom has approached me or left me Facebook messages to say that they have banned microwave popcorn from their households now.
That is what NuVal is all about. It’s about giving consumers the information they need to make an educated decision about the nutritional value of their food. Period. To me, it is so rewarding to see that the information that I am able to give my readers makes a difference in their lives. We all just want to choose the most nutritious foods for our families and for ourselves and I’m glad that I am able to help people do that.
Today’s Giveaway
One lucky winner will get a jar of Orville Redenbacher’s Original popcorn to pop at home. I’ve also thrown in a NuVal t-shirt. To enter, just leave a comment below telling me about a Trade Up or a change you’ve made since learning about NuVal scores. I’ll choose one winner at random tomorrow (Wednesday) morning at 7 am Eastern Time. Good Luck!
Oh, how I love popcorn! My kids do too. How happy am I that we are beyond the stage of “popcorn is a choking hazard.” It is true that parents of children age 4 and below need to be wary of popcorn (and other foods, such as whole grapes, hot dogs, peanut butter, and baby carrots) since it can cause choking in pre-schoolers and toddlers. We used to break up popcorn into tiny pieces (a very tedious task) so that our kids could eat it when they were that young. But now, our kids are on the cusp of five and seven and they love their popcorn and they chew it well!
I get a lot of questions about the NuVal scores for popcorn. It is a pretty simple category. Think of it this way: If you are buying popcorn kernels in a jar, they score very well. Orville Redencacher’s Original scores a 91.
If you are buying microwave popcorn, they score much, much lower (scores range from 1 – 28). It’s all about the additives!
This Orville Redenbacher’s Smart Pop Kettle Korn scores a 12.
This Pop Secret Butter 94% Fat Free scores a 24.
Some of the highest scoring microwave popcorns include:
Act II 94% Fat Free Butter Flavor scores a 28
Newman’s Own 94% Fat Free Butter scores a 28
Jolly Time Healthy Pop scores a 27
I am not a fan of microwave popcorn. Bleeechh!! It’s way too salty and fake-buttery tasting for me. We never have it in the house. We make popcorn the old fashioned way – with a pan and a very small amount of canola oil and salt. The only downside to this strategy is that when babysitters come to our house and the kids ask for popcorn, they don’t know what to do. They grew up in the Microwave Popcorn Generation.
I, however, grew up before microwave popcorn became All The Rage. First, we had our 1970s popper. And it looked exactly like this!
Thanks to the PR Mama for this digital image that brings back such memories! This popper used hot oil to pop the corn. And it got very hot! In fact, I think this popper is so memorable to me because my sister, while eagerly awaiting the corn to finish popping, pressed her nose against the plastic lid and burned it! That is a story my own kids have heard many times as they try to peer though the oven door!
As we moved into the 80s, we graduated to a hot air popper that had a little metal dish on top so that you could melt your butter from the heat of the popper while the popcorn popped. While hot air popping is undoubtedly the healthiest way to pop the corn since nothing is added, I find it kind of chewy.
Fast forward to now and you find me making popcorn the old-fashioned way.
First, I get out a large pot fitted with a cover, place it on the burner, and turn the heat to medium-high to high. Every stove is different so you have to experiment with your settings to figure out which works best for you. Next, I place 1 to 2 Tablespoons of canola oil (NuVal score of 24) in the bottom of the pan. I also add a dash of salt. Once the oil is heated (but not smoking), I add my test kernels, place the lid on and wait for them to pop.
Once these kernels pop, you are good to go. I add about 1/2 cup of kernels. Honestly, I never measure. I just pour. Again, place the lid on top, and wait for the pops. If you can manage to keep your lid slightly ajar, try to do so in order to let the steam escape. The popcorn will be drier and crisper, and less chewy. Shake the pan rigorously over the burner so that the popcorn on the bottom does not pop. Once the popping slows to several seconds between pops, remove the lid completely and pour the popcorn into a large bowl.
Next, I add about two Tablespoons of melted butter and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and I mix it well in this big bowl. Finally, I divide it into smaller bowls (again, to avoid the inevitable arguments that will erupt between my two children). These territorial fights can also break out between my husband and me if we share a bowl while enjoying the latest Netflix arrival (these days, Weeds and Madmen). The Individual Bowl Method also helps in the effort to keep germs in check.
So, there you have it – my tried and true method for popcorn bliss. Now get yourself a great DVD and try it tonight!
Yesterday’s Winner
Congratulations to Commenter #19, Don! You’ve won the Central Market Classics and Lindt Chocolate GiveAway! Send me an email at abetterbagofgroceries@gmail.com and tell me your mailing address. Thanks to everyone who entered I loved all the dinner ideas!
The NuVal Nutritional Scoring System gives nutritional guidance to consumers frustrated with complicated nutrition labels and misleading packaging promises. Under NuVal, all foods and beverages are rated on a scale between 1 to 100. The higher the score, the higher the overall nutrition.
Awards
A Better Bag of Groceries was recently named by Medical Assistant Colleges as a Top 50 Blog for Understanding and Preventing Childhood Obesity. Hooray!
