Mom’s Apple Crisp

Ingredients:

• 3-4 medium apples (NuVal score: 96)
• 1 cup King Arthur All Purpose Flour (NuVal score: 67)
• 1 cup sugar (NuVal score: 1)
• 1 stick Land O Lakes Sweet Cream Salted Butter (NuVal score: 2), softened
• Cinnamon and nutmeg to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350* F. Haphazardly slice apples into small pieces. (I used Macoun, Macs, and Fuji.) You don’t need to worry about how the apple pieces look. The different size pieces “fit together” nicely once all of the ingredients bake together. This recipe is great for less-than-perfect apples– you can just cut off the rotten part and use the rest of the apple. You can also peel the apples, if you’d like, but I prefer to leave the skins on for this recipe.

2. Next, sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg all over the apples. Feel free to add as much or as little as you’d like. I try to cover the entire top layer of apple slices with both spices.

3. Combine flour and sugar (and a little more cinnamon and nutmeg, if you want) in a small bowl. Next, using a fork, combine butter with flour and sugar. (Make sure the butter is really soft.) The mixture will begin to look lumpy. Make sure that the majority of the dry ingredients have combined with the butter.

4. Cover apple slices with flour-sugar-butter mixture. Spread evenly over top layer and fill in all around the apple slices.

5. Bake for 30-40 minutes until top becomes slightly “crisp” and apples are soft. Your house will smell AMAZING at this point!

6. Remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Serve alone or with French vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

Apple Crisp Light

Ingredients:

Filling:

• 3 medium apples (NuVal score: 96), coarsely chopped
• 2 tbsp sugar (NuVal score: 1)
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Topping:

• 3/4 cup Quaker rolled oats (NuVal score: 57)
• 1 tbsp Bob’s Red Mill whole wheat pastry flour (NuVal score: 91)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp Land O Lakes Sweet Cream Salted Butter (NuVal score: 2), softened

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F.
2. Combine filling ingredients in a large bowl; coat apples in cinnamon and sugar, and then transfer to a baking dish. (I used a 1-1/2-Quart Covered Round Dish.)
3. In the same large bowl, combine all of the topping ingredients and mix well, and then pour on top of the apples in the baking dish and spread evenly.
4. Bake for 40-45 minutes until apples are soft and topping is lightly browned.
5. Allow to cool before serving and enjoy!

Serves 4

Now don’t get me wrong, I love my usual bowl of oatmeal (I like Quaker Rolled Oats – NuVal score: 57), but I wanted to switch things up and try something new. I used All Whites Liquid Egg Whites, which score a 26 on the NuVal scale. (You could easily trade-up to three whole eggs (NuVal score: 33) for some added nutrients.) I also added a bunch of mix-in ingredients to further trade-up the nutrition of my breakfast.

“Oatmeal” Minus the Oats

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup chopped Diamond Shelled Walnuts (NuVal score: 82)
• 2 tbsp Bob’s Red Mill ground flaxseed (NuVal score: 100)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 ripe banana (NuVal score:91), mashed
• 3/4 cup All Whites Liquid Egg Whites (NuVal score: 26) (or 3 egg whites)
• 1/4 cup Almond Breeze Unsweetened Organic Non-Dairy Beverage (NuVal score: 90)(add more if desired)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Whisk together egg whites and almond milk and then stir in walnuts, ground flax, banana, vanilla extract, and cinnamon; blend well.
2. In a medium saucepan, warm the mixture on the stove, stirring frequently, until the “oatmeal” reaches the desired consistency; this should only take a few minutes.
3. Top with berries, nut butter, seeds, or whatever else your little heart desires.

I made this Flax Crusted French Toast for breakfast yesterday, and it was, oh, so delicious. I added a scoop of SunButter Natural Crunch (NuVal score: 40) on the side as well as a couple of clementines (NuVal score: 94) from some added nutrition.

Flax Crusted French Toast

Ingredients:

• 2 slices Arnold Health-full Hearty Wheat bread (NuVal score: 37)
• 1/2 cup Silk Unsweetened Soymilk (NuVal score: 91)
• 1/4 cup All Whites Liquid Egg Whites (NuVal score: 26)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp Bob’s Red Mill Whole Ground Golden Flaxseed Meal (NuVal score: 100)

Directions:

1. Whisk together milk, egg whites, vanilla extract, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
2. Add ground flaxseed meal to another bowl.
3. Heat pan (or griddle) over medium heat; coat with non-stick cooking spray.
4. Dip each slice of bread into the egg mixture, cover completely, and then dip into the flaxseed meal. Place in the pan/griddle.
5. Cook each piece of bread for 3-4 minutes and then flip. Cook on the other side for about 1-2 minutes, until golden brown.
6. Remove from pan and serve with your favorite toppings.

Serves 1

Trading Up Downtown Giveaway

Thanks to everyone who entered last week’s giveaway! Here’s your winner: 11!

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

Sweet potatoes were on sale at the grocery last week, so I stocked up, which meant I had a lot of sweet potatoes in the house. This, of course, meant that I need to do some cooking!

Sweet Potatoes with a Sweet Touch

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sweet potatoes (NuVal score:96), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch thick rounds
• 1/3 cup raisins (NuVal score: 87)
• 1/3 cup Let’s Do Organic Unsweetened Coconut (NuVal score: 23)
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup Vanilla Light Silk Soymilk (NuVal score: 82)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375*F.
2. Layer sweet potatoes, raisins, coconut, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a 9X13-inch baking dish and then drizzle all over with soy milk and apple juice.
3. Cover with foil and bake until almost tender for about 30 minutes.
4. Uncover and bake until tender and coconut is golden brown for about 10 minutes.

Makes 6-8 servings

Here are three of my favorite fall vegetables that I just can’t get enough of right now. They taste delicious and can be prepared in a variety of ways– and the best part: they score 100 on the NuVal scale!

Butternut Squash (NuVal score: 100)

Butternut squash contains many different nutrients, such as vitamins A and C, potassium and fiber. Each cup of cubed butternut squash provides approximately 60 calories, 16 g of carbohydrates and 3 g of fiber. It also supplies almost 300 percent of your daily value of vitamin A, 50 percent of vitamin C, 7 percent of calcium and 5 percent of iron. [source]

Recipes to try: Roasted Butternut Squash & Butternut Squash Soup

Beets (NuVal score: 100)

Beets are loaded with vitamins A, B1, B2, B6 and C.  The greens have a higher content of iron compared to spinach.  They are also an excellent source of calcium, magnesium, copper, phosphorus, sodium and iron.While the sweet beet root has some of the minerals in its greens to a lesser degree, it is also a remarkable source of choline, folic acid, iodine, manganese, organic sodium, potassium, fiber and carbohydrates in the form of natural digestible sugars. [source]

Recipes to try: Shaved Baby Beets with Greens & Beet Chips

Cauliflower (NuVal score: 100)

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces Philadelphia Fat-Free Cream Cheese, softened (NuVal score: 28) ~ traded up from regular cream cheese
• 1 box chopped spinach, thawed and drained (NuVal score:  100)
• 14 oz bag frozen artichoke hearts, chopped and drained (NuVal score: 99)
• 1 cup Chobani Non-Fat Plain Greek Yogurt (NuVal score: 94) ~ traded up from regular or light mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup chopped onion (NuVal score: 93)
• 1 cup shredded parmesan
• 2 cup Pepperidge Farm Cubed Country Style Stuffing (NuVal score: 11)
• 1/2 stick butter, melted
• Serve with Garden Of Eatin No Salt Blue Tortilla Chips Made With Organic Blue Corn (NuVal: 31) instead of regular tortilla chips

Directions:

1. Cream together light cream cheese and Greek yogurt. Add spinach, artichokes, parmesan, and onion.
2. Spread into 9×9 or 7×11 dish.  
3. Melt butter and mix it with stuffing. Crumble on top.  
4. Sprinkle with additional shredded parm and salt and pepper.  
5. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.

Little Bites of Heaven

Makes 12 bite-size sandwiches

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 slices of Arnold or Oroweat Health-full Hearty Wheat bread (NuVal score: 37)
• 2 tbsp Marshmallow Fluff (NuVal score: 1)
• 2 tbsp chocolate-hazelnut spread, such as Nutella (NuVal score: 3)
• 2 tbsp shredded coconut (sweetened) (NuVal score: 2)
• 1 full Keebler honey graham cracker sheet (29g), crumbled (NuVal score: 4)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Coat a pre-heated panini grill with nonstick cooking spray. Spread the Marshmallow Fluff on one slice of Health-full Hearty Wheat bread and the chocolate-hazelnut spread on the other slice.
2. Sprinkle shredded coconut on one slice of Health-full Hearty Wheat bread and crumbled graham cracker on the other slice. Put sandwich together and place it on the panini grill.
3. Grill for 2-4 minutes until the Fluff and chocolate-hazelnut spread are melted and the bread is toasted.
4. Cut panini into 8-12 pieces, add toothpicks, and serve warm.

• PRICES ORIGINAL PIMIENTO CHEESE: 22
• PRICE’S LITE PIMIENTO CHEESE REAL CHEESE: 17
• STAR’S PRIVATE STOCK SHARP PIMIENTO CHEESE SPREAD: 12

Ok, so, they’re not terrible scores for a cheese spread, but they’re not great either. And when you look at the ingredients for the highest scoring pimiento cheese (Price’s Original Pimiento Cheese), for instance, you will realize why it scores so low:

INGREDIENTS: Cheddar cheese (Cultured Milk, Salt, Enzymes), Pimientos, Nonfat dry milk, Water, Soybean Oil, Sugar, Distilled Vinegar, Food starch – modified, Cream, Natural flavor, Paprika, Whey protein concentrate, Whey, Salt, Egg yolk, Potassium Sorbate and Sodium benzoate (preservatives), Sodium phosphate and citrate, Guar gum, Xanthan gum, Locust bean gum, Mustard flour, Artificial color, Paprika extract.

Eek! Some of those ingredients are scary!

A few weeks ago, my friend Beth posted a recipe on her blog for Pepper Jack Pimiento Cheese. Homemade pimiento cheese? Genius! Beth’s version is fresh, creamy and filled with pepper jack for a spicy kick. Obviously, you can’t buy it in a grocery store, but it’s definitely a more nutritious pimiento cheese option, especially since fresh pimientos score a 96 on the NuVal scale!

Pepper Jack Pimiento Cheese with Crostini

Recipe inspired by Paula Deen

For the pimiento cheese:

• 1 c shredded pepper jack cheese
• 1 c shredded Kraft Fat Free Natural Shredded Cheddar Cheese (NuVal score: 27)
• 4 oz Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese (NuVal score: 23), softened
• 1/2 c Hellmann’s Low-fat mayonnaise (NuVal score: 7)
• 1 tsp grated onion (NuVal score: 93)
• dash of Worcestershire sauce
• dash of garlic powder
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• 3 – 4 tbsp pimientos (NuVal score: 96), drained and lightly smashed with a fork

Beat the softened cream cheese with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes on medium high. Add the remaining ingredients and beat on low speed until incorporated. Taste for seasoning and add additional salt and pepper if needed.

For the crostini:

• 1 large baguette
• 1/4 to 1/3 c olive oil

Slice the baguette into 1/4″ thick rounds. Brush each side with olive oil and bake at 350 degrees for 15 – 20 minutes or until golden brown on both sides. Flip slices halfway through cooking time to ensure evening browning.

This season’s produce is fresh and affordable, so make sure you stock up on it to save some serious money. (In-season produce is typically a lot cheaper than out-of-season produce.) You can make the most of fall fruits and vegetables with these satisfying, low-cost recipes such as spiced pears with waffles and creamy ginger-parsnip soup. Each of them are less than $2.00 per serving, and they have great NuVal scores!

Grilled Turkey, Cheddar and Apple Sandwiches

Cost per serving: $1.70

Apples (NuVal score: 96) are good for more than desserts and eating out of hand. They add crunch and a slight sweetness to this sandwich that kids and adults alike will love. It’s great with rye bread, too.

Creamy Ginger-Parsnip Soup

Cost per serving: 71¢

If you’ve never tried parsnips (NuVal score: 94) before, this soup is a terrific way to start. Mixed with sweet potato (NuVal score: 96), which is also in season, you’ll get the full benefit of their sweet, mild taste.

Penne with Squash and Chicken

Cost per serving: $2.82

This hearty dish has it all: pasta, protein, greens and butternut squash (NuVal score: 100). Best of all, this one-dish wonder is ready to eat in under a half an hour.

Spiced Waffles with Sauteed Pears

Cost per serving: $1.12

Dinner shouldn’t get all the fun. Punch up your usual Sunday brunch with in-season pears (NuVal score: 96) and lightly spiced waffles. Substitute apples for the pears if you have them on hand.

Ok, let’s see how my meal scores on the NuVal scale!

Mini Tomato-Feta Frittatas

Ingredients:

• 4 large Eggland’s Best eggs (NuVal score: 44)
• 1/4 cup Silk Unsweetened Soymilk (NuVal score: 91)
• 1/3 cup crumbled Athenos feta (NuVal score: 24)
• 1/3 cup premade bruschetta (I used Trader Joe’s brand)
• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400*F.
2. Coat muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.
3. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and whisk well.
4. Pour mixture into prepared pan.
5. Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes until tops are puffed and lightly browned.
6. Allow to cool before serving.

Makes 4