Day 1 was easy. I made sure that I drank lots of water throughout the day. I had a meeting at 6:00 p.m., so I had a little something before I left. Day 2 started off without being hungry, at least for me. Mitchell -- not so much. I think he's ready to chew his arm off. Gotta give him credit, though, he's sticking to it. Before I give you the details, I'll tell you about the grocery list and menu.
This Week’s Grocery List
What foods do you think are scored the highest? Fruits and vegetables, of course! But there are others. Barilla Plus pasta is multigrain and has a NuVal score of 91. The challenge with pasta is that, while the sign says that pasta sauce goes up to a score of 91, Lowes Foods doesn’t carry it (I may have to work on that). Not to worry. We’ll have pasta Florentine with fresh tomatoes (96), green peppers (94), onions (93), and carrots (99). Throw in a little garlic and Italian seasoning, and we’re good to go! I was pleasantly surprised to find that Birds Eye Steamfresh Multigrain with Spinach, Tomato, and Onions, and Birds Eye Steamfresh Brown and Wild Rice with Broccoli and Carrots (frozen foods) were 93 and 96, respectively. What I wasn't so pleasantly surprised about, and I'm being totally honest here, was that the "serving" size of each of these products was significantly different. Mitchell chose the Multigrain and I had the Brown and Wild Rice. His looked more like 1-1/2 servings and mine looked like 3. We needed to add a lot of salt to give it a palatable flavor. I added frozen broccoli (100) to mine and it was all right, if not slightly dry. The label suggests (for additional flavor) adding olive oil, Italian seasoning, and garlic. Olive oil is a no-no right now and you'll find out why in later posts. Anyway, I’ll figure out a way to add tofu (100) to these rice side dishes to make a complete, well-balanced, and hopefully tasty, meal.
This Week’s Grocery List
What foods do you think are scored the highest? Fruits and vegetables, of course! But there are others. Barilla Plus pasta is multigrain and has a NuVal score of 91. The challenge with pasta is that, while the sign says that pasta sauce goes up to a score of 91, Lowes Foods doesn’t carry it (I may have to work on that). Not to worry. We’ll have pasta Florentine with fresh tomatoes (96), green peppers (94), onions (93), and carrots (99). Throw in a little garlic and Italian seasoning, and we’re good to go! I was pleasantly surprised to find that Birds Eye Steamfresh Multigrain with Spinach, Tomato, and Onions, and Birds Eye Steamfresh Brown and Wild Rice with Broccoli and Carrots (frozen foods) were 93 and 96, respectively. What I wasn't so pleasantly surprised about, and I'm being totally honest here, was that the "serving" size of each of these products was significantly different. Mitchell chose the Multigrain and I had the Brown and Wild Rice. His looked more like 1-1/2 servings and mine looked like 3. We needed to add a lot of salt to give it a palatable flavor. I added frozen broccoli (100) to mine and it was all right, if not slightly dry. The label suggests (for additional flavor) adding olive oil, Italian seasoning, and garlic. Olive oil is a no-no right now and you'll find out why in later posts. Anyway, I’ll figure out a way to add tofu (100) to these rice side dishes to make a complete, well-balanced, and hopefully tasty, meal.
Here's an "aerial" shot of everything I bought -- all have scores of 91 and above.
Here are the perfect score (100) foods: blueberries, strawberries, kiwi, oranges, a turnip, FreshExpress spinach and American blend, Nasoya Silken tofu, and Lowes Foods frozen broccoli florets. Keep in mind that there are many more "perfect score" foods; I just didn't buy them this week.
Here are the perfect score (100) foods: blueberries, strawberries, kiwi, oranges, a turnip, FreshExpress spinach and American blend, Nasoya Silken tofu, and Lowes Foods frozen broccoli florets. Keep in mind that there are many more "perfect score" foods; I just didn't buy them this week.
Now for the rest: Lowes Foods nonfat yogurt, carrots (whole and baby), cilantro, Italian parsley, and lemons (all 99), Fuji apples, tomatoes, and celery hearts (all 96), green bell peppers (94), sweet onions and russet potatoes (both 93), Barilla Plus pasta and Post Shredded Wheat (both 91).
I make a killer butternut squash soup. There are two ingredients that aren't in the nineties: vegetable broth and butter. Vegetable broth is a 7. After I found that little tidbit of info, I was afraid to look at butter. Sunday I'll check and report back. So, to alleviate the need for processed vegetable broth and address the strong desire to make the soup, I bought everything I needed to make my own vegetable broth: carrots, celery, a turnip, an onion, tomatoes, and a green bell pepper. If you're interested in either of the recipes, email me at nancy@getitwrite.net.
The menu
Breakfast Monday and Tuesday: Post Shredded Wheat (no salt, no sugar), Lowes Foods skim milk, and a banana; all are a 91. I mixed the American blend with the spinach and made a large salad; both are a 100, and I topped it off with fresh salsa made with mango (93) and tomatoes (96). Before the meeting, I mixed one cup of the Lowes Foods yogurt (99) with strawberries and blueberries (both 100) and added some artificial sweetener. It was really good and filling. After the meeting, I had an orange (100).
I'm a creature of habit, so Day 2 started off the same as Day 1: cereal, skim milk, and a banana. I spent most of the day in the office, where I did not take a break. By the time I got home around 4:00, I was hungry. We had someplace to be (training for this week's Oktoberfest!), so I microwaved a potato (93) and seasoned it with Vege-sal and a little kosher salt. It was filling enough and off we went. After the meeting, we stopped for a beer (remember, I'm not giving up beer) and something to eat at VBGB (http://vbgbuptown.com). Now, VBGB is a beer hall and garden. I wasn't expecting to find a healthy choice on the menu. But there it was: edamame. Confession: I've only had edamame one time. I bought it frozen, zapped it, and struggled to get each bean out of the pod, just to find out that I didn't like it. I wasn't looking forward to doing it again. I asked one of the owners, Tom, about the edamame. His wife and co-owner, Kara, boils it for about two minutes and tops it with sea salt. He said it was good, so I tried it and it was good!
What have I learned so far? Drinking water is key to stave off hunger; something simple like a baked potato can be filling; edamame prepared correctly can be good; and I don't need to take fiber supplements. (Ha!)
Tomorrow -- you'll want to know about today. Big news. Also, I'll look at store brands v. name brands the NuVal way.
I make a killer butternut squash soup. There are two ingredients that aren't in the nineties: vegetable broth and butter. Vegetable broth is a 7. After I found that little tidbit of info, I was afraid to look at butter. Sunday I'll check and report back. So, to alleviate the need for processed vegetable broth and address the strong desire to make the soup, I bought everything I needed to make my own vegetable broth: carrots, celery, a turnip, an onion, tomatoes, and a green bell pepper. If you're interested in either of the recipes, email me at nancy@getitwrite.net.
The menu
Breakfast Monday and Tuesday: Post Shredded Wheat (no salt, no sugar), Lowes Foods skim milk, and a banana; all are a 91. I mixed the American blend with the spinach and made a large salad; both are a 100, and I topped it off with fresh salsa made with mango (93) and tomatoes (96). Before the meeting, I mixed one cup of the Lowes Foods yogurt (99) with strawberries and blueberries (both 100) and added some artificial sweetener. It was really good and filling. After the meeting, I had an orange (100).
I'm a creature of habit, so Day 2 started off the same as Day 1: cereal, skim milk, and a banana. I spent most of the day in the office, where I did not take a break. By the time I got home around 4:00, I was hungry. We had someplace to be (training for this week's Oktoberfest!), so I microwaved a potato (93) and seasoned it with Vege-sal and a little kosher salt. It was filling enough and off we went. After the meeting, we stopped for a beer (remember, I'm not giving up beer) and something to eat at VBGB (http://vbgbuptown.com). Now, VBGB is a beer hall and garden. I wasn't expecting to find a healthy choice on the menu. But there it was: edamame. Confession: I've only had edamame one time. I bought it frozen, zapped it, and struggled to get each bean out of the pod, just to find out that I didn't like it. I wasn't looking forward to doing it again. I asked one of the owners, Tom, about the edamame. His wife and co-owner, Kara, boils it for about two minutes and tops it with sea salt. He said it was good, so I tried it and it was good!
What have I learned so far? Drinking water is key to stave off hunger; something simple like a baked potato can be filling; edamame prepared correctly can be good; and I don't need to take fiber supplements. (Ha!)
Tomorrow -- you'll want to know about today. Big news. Also, I'll look at store brands v. name brands the NuVal way.
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