Trading Up Downtown

Hello Trading Up Downtown readers! I’m Bridget from Life Is So Sweet. Thanks, Tina, for the opportunity to write a guest post on my recent experience with NuVal!

Last week I used the NuVal scores in my local Hy-Vee store in Omaha, NE to “trade up” some of the ingredients in my husband’s favorite recipe for creamy, cheesy chicken enchiladas. This is practically the only meal he ever requests and it stars a can of cream of mushroom soup.

Since there’s no getting around that can of cream of mushroom soup (he swears that’s why he loves them), I know there’s no way to make these completely healthy, but I thought this recipe could definitely be “traded up” without him even knowing. The NuVal scores posted at Hy-Vee  made upgrading ingredients even easier. I made some obvious swaps and added in some NuVal superstars a.k.a. fresh produce!

Here are my swaps/additions and the NuVal scores in parentheses:

• Flour Tortillas (2 to 20) TRADED UP to HyVee Whole Wheat Tortillas (24)
• 4 oz. can diced green chiles (30) TRADED UP to fresh jalapeno (99)
• Added fresh mushrooms (96)
• HyVee chicken breast (28) TRADED UP to Smart Chicken (39)
• Campbell’s Reduced Fat Cream of Mushroom soup (26) TRADED UP to Campbell’s Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom soup (31)

These enchiladas got rave reviews from my husband…while eating the leftovers on Saturday, he said they were better than the ones he had at a Mexican restaurant the night before, and a heck of a lot healthier, too!

Chicken Enchiladas

adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients:

• Olive Oil
• 2 green onions, chopped (100)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped (99)
• 4 oz. sliced Baby Bella mushrooms (96)
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 (10.75 oz.) condensed cream of mushroom soup (Campbell’s Healthy Request: 31)
• 1/4 c. sour cream (Smart Balance brand – didn’t have a score, but Daisy Light Sour Cream does: 28)
• 2 chicken breast (Smart Chicken: 39)
• 1 c. shredded cheese (I usually use a blend of cheddar or Colby and Jack, but anything would work. Kraft 2% Milk Mexican Cheese blend: 20)
• 4 tortillas (Hy-Vee brand Whole Wheat: 24)
• splash of milk

Directions:

• Cook chicken breasts, cool, and shred.  I usually poach them, but any other method would work.
• Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray or olive oil.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Saute the green onions, garlic,  jalapeno and mushrooms until tender.  Add in the cumin, chili powder, soup, and sour cream.  Mix well.  Transfer about 2/3 of the sauce to a bowl and set aside.
• To the remaining sauce mixture, add the chicken and about 1/2 c. of the cheese and stir together.  Fill each flour tortilla with the chicken mixture and roll up.  Place seam side down in the baking dish.
• Take the sauce that you set aside earlier and add a splash of milk to thin it out.  Stir and then spoon the mixture over the rolled tortillas in the pan.  Top with the rest of the cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until cheese on top is melted.
• Enjoy!  I served with a side of all-star steamed broccoli (100).

Over the weekend, my husband and I decided that we could just “wing it” with the food we already had in our house instead of going grocery shopping like we normally do. But, when Monday morning rolled around, we desperately needed to go grocery shopping. Our refrigerator was empty! I work from home on Mondays, so I was on my own with grocery shopping this week.

Shop

In this week’s cart:

• Joseph’s Flax, Oat Bran & Whole Wheat Flour Pita Bread (NuVal score: 65)
• Green grapes (NuVal score: 91)
• Asparagus (NuVal score: 100)
• Baking powder
• Sun Maid Pitted Prunes (NuVal score: 91)
• Chobani Non-Fat Plain Greek yogurt (NuVal score: 94)
• Teddie Unsalted Old Fashioned Natural Peanut Butter (NuVal score: 49)
• Trash bags
• Gardein Meat-free Tuscan Breasts
• Oven Roast Tofurky Deli Slices
• Eggland’s Best Eggs
• Whole wheat penne pasta

• Non-fat milk
• Vanilla soy milk
• Organic Spring Mix
• Nature’s Pride Whole Wheat bread with honey (NuVal score: 26)
• Bananas (NuVal score: 91)
• Apples (NuVal score: 96)
• Grape tomatoes (NuVal score: 96)
• Cucumber (NuVal score: 93)
• Cauliflower (NuVal score: 100)
• Shredded mozzarella
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Laundry detergent

Trade

Arnold 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Thins (NuVal score: 37) for Joseph’s Flax, Oat Bran & Whole Wheat Flour Pita Bread (NuVal score: 65)

Save

Teddie Peanut Butter was on sale this week, so I made sure to stock-up. I have a peanut butter “problem,” so it’s not a food that goes to waste in our household. Usually, my husband and  go through a whole jar in about a week!

Before I left for the grocery store, I made sure to plan my meals for the week. Broccoli (NuVal score: 100) was on my list to make my favorite Roasted Broccoli recipe, but when I realized that asparagus (NuVal score: 100) was on sale for just $1.69/pound, I made a quick change to my shopping list. Plus, both veggies are a 100 on the NuVal scale!

Trading Up Downtown Giveaway

Thanks to everyone who entered! I loved reading all of your comments. So, without further ado, here is your winner: 75!

I learned a few things today (good thing I go to the NuVal website quite a bit!) First, I didn’t realize that March was National Nutrition month – I love it! I also did not realize that an avocado received the score of 89. Glad I have an avocado for my salads this week!

Congrats, Heather!!! Please email me at thaupert@nuval.com with your full name and mailing address to claim your prize.

The other day, I wrote about trading up my usual breakfast of Quaker Old-Fashioned Oats (NuVal score: 57) for Bob’s Red Mill Bulgur Wheat (NuVal score: 91). So, this morning, I whipped up a bowl of bulgur and oat bran (NuVal score: 60) instead of my usual oats, which ended up being a nutritious and delicious trade-up.

To my bowl of bulgur and oat bran, I added pitted dates (NuVal score: 91), non-fat milk (NuVal score: 91), chia seeds, and ground flaxseed meal (NuVal score: 100). It was a very tasty breakfast!

Trading Up Downtown Giveaway

Here’s your chance to win some bulgur!

And, a fun springtime flower bowl for your morning bowl of bulgar.

I love this bowl! Isn’t it adorable?

To Enter: Visit the NuVal website, look around, and leave a comment about something new you learned from it. I will randomly pick a winner tomorrow morning. Good luck!