Deal of the Week: Group Buys

Do you live in a city? Have you heard of Groupon, LivingSocial, or BuyWithMe?

If not, these websites offer discounts of 50% off or more on anything from restaurant meals to spa services as long as a minimum number of people buy the deal. The offers change daily, so there’s something for everyone! Definitely consider signing up. I’ve saved tons of money on these types of deals!

Have you ever used one of these group buy websites?

I Love Ice Cream Giveaway

ice-cream-conesI don’t know about you, but summer means ice cream to me! I rarely eat it in the colder months, but when it’s hot and humid outside, it’s ALL I want to eat! It’s just so delicious.

So, what do you think is the most nutritious ice cream-like dessert out there? Frozen yogurt? Fat-free sorbet? Ice cream? I bet a lot of people think fat-free sorbet is the best option, right? Wrong. Most sorbets score a 1 or 2 on the NuVal scale. If you’re wondering why, it’s because sorbet is basically frozen fruit-flavored water, which is not very nutritious when you think about.  It’s low in calories, but that doesn’t mean it’s nutritious, too.

Ok, so sorbet isn’t very nutritious. What does that mean about the other options out there? The ice cream aisle can actually be pretty confusing, especially when there are so many different health claims on ice cream products: Fat Free, Reduced Fat, Low-Fat, Light, No Sugar Added, Reduced Sugar. Jeez, Louise! This is where you need NuVal to cut through the clutter!

Check out some of these NuVal scores:

  • Breyers Extra Creamy Vanilla Ice Cream (Nuval score: 45)
  • Blue Bunny Reduced Fat Double Strawberry no sugar added (NuVal score: 39)
  • Breyers Double Churn Fat Free Strawberry Ice Cream (NuVal score: 39)
  • Edy’s Slow Churned Vanilla no sugar added (NuVal score: 34)
  • Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia Ice Cream (NuVal score: 21)
  • Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia Low Fat Frozen Yogurt (NuVal score: 15)
  • Dean’s Healthy Delight Strawberry Frozen Yogurt (NuVal score: 14)
  • Haagen-Dazs Fat Free Strawberry Sorbet (NuVal score: 1)

Did you notice that the Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia frozen yogurt scores lower than the ice cream? In many cases, frozen yogurt scores lower than the equivalent ice cream. Kind of crazy, right? NuVal’s Director of Nutrition, Annette Maggi, explains the reason over on A Better Bag of Groceries. But, basically, she says that even though ice cream is not a health food, it offers some of the benefits of milk, like calcium and vitamins. Interesting, right?

But, don’t think you can eat all of the ice cream you want. Not all ice creams score high for nutrition. For instance, Breyers Vanilla with Snickers scores a 3 and Edy’s Rich and Grand Chocolate Chip gets an 8. Tasty, but not very nutritious.

Trading Up Downtown Giveaway

With all of this ice cream talk, I think a giveaway is in order!!! I can’t giveaway ice cream since it will melt and make a mess, but I can giveaway the next best thing: ice cream dishes and a scooper! How adorable are these?!

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I think this one would also make a great oatmeal bowl! ;)

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To enter: Leave a comment on this post about your favorite flavor of ice cream. I’ll randomly pick a winner on Monday morning. You can earn an extra entry if you tweet this giveaway! (Just be sure to leave another comment on this post with your tweet!)

Good luck! :)

Trade-Up: Bagels

We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but somehow it’s often neglected with the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Bagels are a great option for breakfast because they’re quick, simple, and easily transportable, but they’re not always the most nutritious option, especially when some of them score really low on the NuVal scale.

Check out some of the NuVal scores below. They may just inspire you to trade-up your bagel choice the next time you are at the grocery store!

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Instead of:

  • Ray’s New York Plain Bagel (NuVal score: 5)
  • Thomas Blueberry Bagel (NuVal score: 10)
  • Pepperidge Farm Everything Bagel (NuVal score: 10)
  • Sara Lee Cinnamon Raisin Bagel (NuVal score: 11)
  • Lender’s Frozen Original Plain Bagel (NuVal score: 15)

Trade-up to:

  • Lenders Whole Grain Multi Grain Bagel (NuVal score: 37)
  • Western Sweet Wheat Bagel (NuVal score: 36)
  • Western Roasted Onion Bagel (NuVal score: 34)
  • Natural Ovens Muti Grain Whole Grain Bagel (NuVal score: 34)
  • Weight Watchers Heart Baked Bagel (NuVal score: 30)
  • Pepperidge Farm Whole Grain Mini Bagels (NuVal score: 30)

You can further trade-up the nutrition of your bagel breakfast by adding 2 tablespoons of Teddie Creamy Natural Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter (NuVal score: 49) and sliced banana (NuVal score: 91). You’ll have a satisfying, nutritious, and delicious breakfast in no time at all!

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