Trading Up Downtown

Last week, I appeared on The Dr. Oz Show for a “healthy” cookie recipe that I created at home. (I know, I’m just as surprised as you are!) I traveled to the NBC Studios in New York City for the taping of the holiday-themed episode.

The day was exciting and jam-packed, so I never really had a chance to eat. By the time, I got to Penn Station to take the train home, my stomach was seriously growling, so I grabbed a salad for dinner. In it was romaine lettuce, broccoli, beets, artichoke hearts, chickpeas, and tomatoes– and it was awesome!

Once I finished eating my salad, I decided that I needed to recreate it at home– it was that delicious! As I was plotting my recreation, I realized that the salad ingredients were a combination of fresh and canned. Working at NuVal, I’ve learned that if you look for canned vegetables with low- or no-sodium, they can be just as nutritious as the fresh kind.

Here’s what’s in my recreated salad:

• Romaine lettuce (NuVal score: 100)
• Broccoli (NuVal score: 100)
• Tomatoes (NuVal score: 96)
• Eden Organic Garbanzo Beans No Salt Added (NuVal score: 100)
• PriceChopper Sliced Beets No Salt Added (NuVal score: 99)
• Mezzetta Marinated Artichoke Hears (NuVal score: 30)

As you can see, all of these salad ingredients– even those from cans– score high on the NuVal scale. The Mezzetta Marinated Artichoke Hearts score much lower than the others, but I used the oils and seasoning as my salad dressing. If you want to trade-up the the artichoke hearts, try the frozen variety. Bird’s Eye Fresh Frozen Artichoke Hearts get a 99 on the NuVal scale!

Last weekend, my husband and I attended our friends’ fabulous wedding on Cape Cod. The weather was beautiful and the venue was amazing. I don’t think the bride and groom could of asked for anything more to make their big day even more special.

I haven’t done a Score My Meal post in a few weeks, so I thought it would be fun to see how my meal at the wedding scored on the NuVal scale. I’m not sure of the exact brand for a few of the foods, so I just substiuted ones that have NuVal scores to give you an idea how they might have scored.

Appetizer: New England Clam Chowder

I’m pretty sure the clam chowder was housemade, so here’s a score for CAMPBELL’S CHUNKY NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER (NuVal score: 36).

Salad: Baby Spinach (NuVal score: 100) with CHEVRE goat cheese (NuVal score: 23) and OCEAN SPRAY CRAISINS (NuVal score: 4)

Entree: Haddock (NuVal score: 64) with mashed potatoes (NuVal score: 93)

Trading Up Downtown Giveaway

Thanks to everyone who entered this week’s giveaway! Here’s your winner: 85!

85. Tami
I adore Kashi Autumn Wheat. Just the right amount of sweet.

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

Spring is in the air here in Boston! The weather is warming up and the sun is shining much more frequently nowadays!

With the nicer weather, my diet often turns more healthy. It’s easier to find fresh produce at the grocery store and at farmers’ markets, and my body often craves less comfort food and lighter, more colorful fare.

With that said, here’s this week’s Score My Meal! I ate this meal for dinner about a week ago. The BLT sandwich, salad, and fresh veggies just scream warm weather to me!

Hormel Natural Choice Original Uncured Bacon (NuVal score: 4), romaine lettuce (NuVal score: 100) and tomato (NuVal score: 96)

Arugula salad (NuVal score: 82) made with crumbled Athenos feta (NuVal score: 24), and tomatoes (NuVal score: 96)

Steamed green beans (NuVal score: 100)

Do your eating habits change when the warm weather arrives?