Trading Up Downtown

This week’s Trade Up Recipe is from Trading Up Downtown reader, Katherine! Her Turkey Nachos incorporate lots of nutritious ingredients without losing out on good taste. And, these nachos sound so easy to make! Now, isn’t that a great combination?!

(Source)

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

1- 9 ounce bag Garden of Eatin Blue Corn Chips (Nuval score: 40)
2 cups Ground Skinless Turkey Breast (NuVal score: 48)
1 cup Eden Organic Black Beans, drained (NuVal score: 100)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 lime
1 1/2 cups finely shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
2 avocados, finely chopped (NuVal score: 89)
2 tomatoes, finely chopped (NuVal score: 96)
1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce (NuVal score: 82)
1/4 cup Daisy Light Sour Cream (NuVal score: 28)

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.  Add the ground turkey to the pan, and cook thoroughly, stirring often, about 10 minutes.  Add in the cooked black beans and sprinkle the cooked turkey and beans with the cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper, stir well. Cut the lime in half and squeeze the juice over the turkey and beans, stirring well.
2. Spread the Blue Corn tortilla chips evenly over a large baking sheet. Evenly spread the seasoned turkey and beans over the chips, and follow with sprinkling the cheese over all.  Place under a broiler (450-500 degrees) until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.
3. Transfer the nachos to a serving platter.  Sprinkle the top with the avocados, tomatoes, and lettuce.  Use a spoon to spread the sour cream over the top.
4. Serve and enjoy these hearty, healthy, and DELICIOUS nachos!!!  A snack or meal you can really feel great about serving your family and friends!

Soymilk is another one of those products that a lot of people think is automatically good for you. In general, soymilk is a nutritious option to incorporate into your diet, but scores for soymilk are all over the place on the NuVal scale. Check out the wide range of scores in some common soymilk brands on the market:

• Silk Coffee Soymilk: 40
• 8th Continent Vanilla Fat Free Soymilk: 48
• Edensoy Soy Milk Low Fat Original: 49
• Silk Light Soy Milk Chocolate: 56
• WestSoy Low Fat Vanilla Soymilk: 57
• 8th Continent Soymilk Light Chocolate: 67
• Silk Soy Milk Chocolate Milk: 68
• Soy Dream Soy Milk Vanilla: 82
• Edensoy Soymilk Original: 82
• Edensoy Extra Fortified Original Soymilk: 82
• Silk Soymilk Light Milk: 82
• Soy Dream Enriched Original: 88
• Silk Soymilk Unsweetened: 91

I was curious to know why there is such variety in soymilk scores, so I asked Rachel S. Rodek MS, RD, LDN, CSSD to help me understand them better. Here’s what she said:

Soymilk can be a good alternative to dairy products for those who are lactose intolerant or who choose to drink a substitute.  But as much of a health-halo that soymilk may have, there are some that don’t stack up nutritionally.

Watch for added sugars in flavors such as vanilla, chocolate, and coffee to bring down scores. Some soymilks can have up to 28 grams of added sugar – that’s 7 teaspoons!  On the other hand, the very high scoring soymilks use artificial sweeteners, such as those that score in the 90’s, so if you are trying to avoid these non-nutritive sweeteners, be sure to read the ingredient list.  These score high because they have a lower energy density, or calories per gram, since more sugar has been taken out.

Additionally, soymilk is not a good source of calcium and other nutrients that are naturally found in cow’s milk – so be sure to look for those soymilks that are fortified in these key health-benefiting nutrients.

Trading Up Downtown Giveaway

Let’s kick-off the holiday weekend with a fun giveaway!

Here’s your chance to win soymilk with a score at the top of the category as well as some yummy granola and cereal from Bear Naked.

• Silk Soymilk Unsweetened (NuVal score: 91)
• Bear Naked Peak Oats and Honey with Blueberries (NuVal score: 36)
• Bear Naked Cranberry Raisin (NuVal score: 26)

I’ll also throw in a NuVal t-shirt!

To enter: Leave a comment about a recent “trade-up” you made at the grocery store. Feel free to include NuVal scores! I’ll randomly pick a winner on Tuesday morning after the Memorial Day holiday. Good luck!

Last summer, I made a big decision: I donated my favorite pair of jeans.

This particular pair of jeans had more than 6 years of memories attached to them. They had been with me through good times and bad, and I was very sad to see them go.

I bought these jeans back in 2002, and they were the first expensive purchase that I made after graduating college and entering the “real world.”

This purchase was a really big deal for me. I remember saving my money for weeks, and being super excited when I went to purchase them. I proudly wore these jeans for years.

Over the years, my “good” jeans became my “casual” jeans and then my “weekend” jeans, and eventually, it was time to say goodbye. I guess I loved them too much. They were paper-thin, frayed, and starting to get holes in multiple places.

If you think about it, more the 6 years of wear (and tear) is pretty good for a pair of jeans. And, let me tell you, I wore these jeans A LOT!To be honest, I’m surprised that they lasted as long as they did!

So, how were  my jeans able to live such a long life? Here are some tips that helped my jeans last:

• Wear 3-4 times before washing. (My jeans usually stretch out before they get dirty.)
• Wash in cold water on a gentle setting.
• Turn jeans inside out to wash them. (The dye comes off when it rubs against other items.)
• Air dry or tumble dry on low heat.