Last Saturday, I had zero plans for the day. It was awesome! 
Even though I didn’t have a single thing on my calendar, I still had my usual weekend errands to accomplish. So, my husband and I decided to divide and conquer our Saturday To Do list. I was in the mood to clean, so I offered to tackle the house if he did the grocery shopping.
Some women might not trust their husbands with the weekly grocery shopping. Mine’s been known to purchase some seriously low-scoring foods like Pillsbury Refrigerated Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (NuVal score: 1) and Kraft Cheez Whiz (NuVal score: 3). This week, however, only a couple of not-so-nutritious items made their way into the cart! 
- Cheez-Its (NuVal score: 13)
- Old-Fashioned Oats (NuVal score: 57)
- Bananas (NuVal score: 91)
- Whole wheat bread
- Kraft Grated Parmesan Cheese (NuVal score: 20)
- Chicken broth (NuVal score: 2)
- Vanilla soy milk
- Teddie Unsalted Old Fashioned Natural Peanut Butter (NuVal score: 49)
- Seapak Frozen Tempura Shrimp
- Cucumber (NuVal score: 93)
- Eggland’s Best eggs (NuVal score: 44)
- Siggi’s yogurt
- Tomato (NuVal score: 96)
- Red onion (NuVal score: 93)
- John Morrell Smoked Bacon (NuVal score: 5)
- Van’s Homestyle Frozen Waffles (NuVal score: 25)
- Cucumber (NuVal score: 93)
- Swissrose Gruyere cheese (NuVal score: 23)
- Sliced deli turkey breast
- Broccoli (NuVal score: 100)
- Apples (NuVal score: 96)
Trade
I am planning to make a creamy pasta sauce for dinner later this week, so I traded up the recipe’s Heavy Whipping Cream (NuVal Score: 3) for Chobani Plain Greek Yogurt (NuVal Score: 94).
Save
Ok, so this week’s Save isn’t the most nutritious food in the grocery store, but my husband got his money’s worth! He purchased the Family Size box of Cheez-Its instead the regular size because the unit price was much less, which meant we got more for our dollar.
Developed by an independent panel of nutrition and medical experts, the 
I always send my hubs with a list, but he does pretty good on his own too. It’s nice that he is willing to help out and do the shopping from time to time. We usually like to go together though.
My boyfriend makes the worst choices at the grocery stores. Meats, all prepared foods, no fruits or vegetables! I always have to go with him and even though, it takes a lot of whining to get him to even consider getting something low-fat!
I have never sent my husband to do any major grocery shopping–just to pick up a few items. Even then he manages to get something a bit different than what I asked for. He usually ends up buying a bag of chips and/or salsa, too, which doesn’t bother me so much.
I really like grocery shopping (understatement. I LIVE to grocery shop!), so I like to do it myself. We often go together, though, since I don’t know what he wants for lunches, and he’s a developing foodie, too. I have no idea what would happen if I sent him to grocery shop on his own for a week’s worth of food…
Mal did a great job! When they live with us Healthy Wives, they start to pick up the good shopping habits.
My kids would so love that big box of Cheeze-Its!
Wow, that Chobani is such a HUGE trade up – does this mean that I can use greek yogurt as a substitute for recipes that call for cream? (Especially whipped cream, or sour cream)
It’s a shame that imported greek yogurt is SO expensive here… All the local brands are the runny, sugary kind! I miss greek yogurt – I only got a taste of it in Europe and I like it above all other kinds of yogurt!
Looking at the unit price makes a big difference. A lot of people think they’re saving money by buying the smaller, cheaper container but if you look at how much “bang for your buck” you’re getting, it’s actually more cost-efficient to get the bigger package.
Mal did a great job!
I had the teddie’s PB in my oats this morning and it’s so much better than I remember the first spoon, especially with a little salt–yum!
I’m such a sucker for cheez-its LOL and I definitely don’t trust my guy with the grocery shopping. Mal did good though!
My husband cannot go to the supermarket unattended – he has no clue how to stick to a list.
I end up with the most random stuff in my pantry.
I like the reusable produce bags. Where do you get them from?
It’s so cute that Mal used the pink produce bags!! Go Mal!
Is there a way to trade-up chicken stock?
I love cheez its. Why can’t they be good for us??
this question has probably been asked a million times, but what do the unscored items means?
My DH does fine at the store especially since we eat a lot of the same things on a regular basis. Plus, he has an app on his iphone that allows me to keep a running grocery list so he always knows what to get if I’m not with him.
Not to be picky, but cucumber’s are listed twice on the shopping list above.
@Mona: Hi Mona, can i ask what app that is? Just what I need!
My husband hates grocery shopping, so we tend to divide and conquer the store, dividing our list in half, to make it quicker and less painless.
Wonderful idea to substitute the greek yogurt for the whipping cream! Do you substitute the same amount for the cream sauce? Or is it a different ratio since the greek yogurt seems to be thicker?
Good job Mal!
I see it’s been asked by KellyB, but how did the pink produce bags go over w/the husband?
Quick Question… do you send Mal with a list that is VERY detailed and has the brands that he should buy aswell, because i am sure that if I sent my brother or my dad to the store without specifics he would either call a million times or come home with the wrong stuff!! :p
I went on the Nuval website and am a member with them, however I can never find the stuff you list. For example, I looked for regular old-fashioned oatmeal and it never popped up. Also, I don’t see much of an explanation of why one food has better score than another. I think that if you follow Michael Pollan’s rule of eat food, mostly plants, then we’ll be okay. It seems to be useful when you want to switch for another product that happens to be healthier so I guess that’s what I would use it for. But, I don’t care if oatmeal is at 47 score, I still think it’s pretty healthy. I’m sorry if this comes across as harsh or something, because it’s not towards you at all. I love your blog! But, I am dissapointed by the way the website is set up on Nuval, not your fault though.
@Christine: I don’t think he even noticed!
@Lindsay: He usually goes with a list, but we don’t write down the specific brands or anything. He knows what we usually buy, ya know?
@Lorin: Old-fashioned oats get a 57 on the NuVal scale.
I had no idea you could sub Greek Yogurt for heavy whipping cream! Love the idea.
Wow I guess I’m surprised that chicken broth would score so low. Is this because of the sodium content?
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