Trading Up Downtown

Over the weekend, I spent the night at my in law’s house. In the morning, everyone did their own thing for breakfast (since we all had different plans for the day), so I whipped up a big bowl of oatmeal with a few key ingredients to amp-up its nutritional profile, including fat free milk, an egg, and cereal. I added some cinnamon and vanilla extract for some added flavor.

In the mix:

• Quaker Old Fashioned Oats (NuVal score: 57)
• Kashi Go Lean Crunch (NuVal score: 36)
• Hood Fat Free Milk (NuVal score: 100)
• Eggs (NuVal score: 33)
• Cinnamon
• Vanilla extract

I added everything to a pot (yep, even the egg!) and cooked it on the stovetop until the oatmeal started to thicken.

Breakfast is served! I ate my delicious, nutritious, and satisfying oatmeal with a cup of coffee with steamed milk. (I swear, you couldn’t taste the egg mixed in!)

What trade-ups have you made with your breakfasts lately?

Trading Up Downtown Giveaway

Thanks to everyone who entered this week’s giveaway! Here’s your winner: 46!

46. Lela

I love grinding up oats and using them in place of part of the flour. Gives a great texture!

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

Last week, I made a new breakfast, which I call “Oatmeal” Minus the Oats. Basically, it’s an oatmeal-like meal with lots of protein and the flexibility to add whatever healthy and nutritious ingredients you like, but without the oats. I know, it probably sounds strange, but I promise it’s delicious!

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.

On Monday, my husband and I were rock stars getting things done around the house. We put away all of our Christmas decorations, took down our Christmas tree, put our patio furntiure in the basement for the winter, cleaned the entire house, and washed, dried, folded, and put away three loads of laundry. It was pretty awesome. I don’t know what got into us!

Anyway, long story short, when we finally finished our chores, we ate lunch. I didn’t want to make any ol’ edible thing– I wanted to make sure my meal was somewhat healthy– so I made sweet potato fries and a grilled veggie burger. Let’s see how they scored on the NuVal scale.:

• Dr. Praeger’s California Vegetable Burger (NuVal score: 51)
• Sweet Potato (NuVal score: 96)

Not too shabby, right? It was a delicious meal, too!

What’s your favorite healthy lunch?