Friday, August 26, 2011 at 07:25 AM
So, I was back from vacation for only one day when then I needed to hop on a plane and head on down to North Carolina for the NuVal launch at Lowes Foods. Whew! You know, I used to dread business travel because I thought it was so hard to eat right and exercise while on the road. But these days, I feel like you can hunt down some pretty good choices. Sometimes you need to go the extra mile.
Here’s an example of what I ate this week on just one of my business trip days.
11:30 am TF Green Airport, Warwick, RI, Starbuck’s
Aaaaah! Perfect Oatmeal. I love it. I loved the day that Starbuck’s put this on their menu. You get your choice of two of the following: dried fruit, nuts or brown sugar. I skip the sugar and choose the nuts and fruit. While it is almost lunch time, I am still in a breakfast sort of mood (even though I had some almond butter on whole wheat toast and a banana much earlier). This hits the spot.
I add a tall coffee with room for milk. And of course, water.
I spend a small fortune on water when I travel. But hydration is key for me.
3:30 pm, Charlotte International Airport, NC, Sushi Bar (I did not get the exact name)
After checking out my options (fast food, Chili’s, another Mexican place), the sushi bar looks like the best bet. I am wondering how fresh it will be (sushi in an airport?) so I go for a cooked variety. But I am very impressed with this sushi bar. My only complaint is that they do not have my favorite summer beverage (unsweetened iced tea). “Would you like sweet tea?” Eeeek! No thank you! I guess it’s a Southern thing! More (free!) water for me, thanks! I still have one more flight to go…
7:45 pm Carrabas Italian Grill Take-Out Window, Winston-Salem, NC
I finally reach my hotel at 7 pm only to find that they have a sort-of out-sourced room service menu. As in, I think the local pizza place provides the food. And it takes about an hour for the food to arrive. So, even though I’m tired, I head out in my rental car in search of something healthy. When I see the sign for Carrabba’s Italian Grill, I pull in and ask them for a menu.
Hooray! Salmon on the menu! NuVal score of 87!
I sit on a nice bench and the waitress brings me an unsweetened iced tea while I wait for my salad. I call home and talk to my family who has gathered around the dinner table to eat the Italian dinner I prepped before I left for my trip. I head back to my hotel room to prep for my meetings the next day and enjoy my salmon-topped salad.
Well, I don’t know if I would go that far. I mean, I think I love my family more sincerely than I love food! But I sure do go out of my way sometimes to try to eat healthy. After all, I could have just ordered a pizza!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: travel
Tags: carrabas, Starbucks, sushi, travel
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: coffee, Trade-Up Tuesday
Tags: coffee, Dunkin, Starbucks
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 at 06:30 AM
Welcome to Trade-Up Tuesday, a very popular day here on A Better Bag of Groceries because I talk about a Trade Up I’ve made and I give away free stuff.
I know you’re all dying to see what the NuVal score is on coffee…..
Oh, how I wish it was a 100. I’d even take a 50. But the truth is that it doesn’t have a score! You see, while NuVal is scoring virtually everything you find in a grocery store, there are a few categories that we are not scoring. Namely, we are not scoring the following:
- Cooking Sprays
- Teas
- Coffees
- Some spices
- Vinegar
- Salt
- Baking Soda
Now, this gets a little complicated, but basically we are not scoring products if they meet one of the following criteria:
- It is not a meaningful source of calories
- There is no inter-changeable choice
- Nutrition Facts Panel and ingredient information is not readily available
So, we are not scoring coffee. But, as you know, on Tuesdays, I always give away products that I now buy since I started working at NuVal. And I must tell you that since coming to NuVal, I drink more coffee anddarker coffee than I did before. It has actually started a little coffee war in our house. My husband is happy brewing up some Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. Not me – I need something with a little more oooomph. Thankfully, Dunkin’ has now come out with Dunkin’ Dark and we can agree on that. However, this Starbucks (with no NuVal score!) does find its way into my shopping cart on a very frequent basis!
I would say that I am addicted to coffee since:
- The sight of a Starbucks franchise makes me crave coffee.
- By the end of my 5:45 am workout, all I can think about is the cup of coffee I am going to have when I get home (you would think I would be thinking about water!)
- I start to think about my morning coffee when headed to bed the night before.
One footnote I would like to add on the No Scoring List is that while we are not currently scoring teas, eventually we will. My NuVal Scoring Intel has informed me that because teas have lots of bioflavanoids, we will score them – just not yet.
In the meantime, I will be brewing up a nice pot of Starbucks!
To Enter:
One lucky reader will win this bag of Starbucks coffee. Just leave a comment below telling me your #1 product that you would LOVE to see scored. I will choose a winner at random at 8 am Eastern Time on Wednesday. Good Luck!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Trade-Up Tuesday
Tags: coffee, Starbucks
