tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1016635400633898982011-07-07T19:06:55.497-04:00Ingredients for a Healthy LifestyleMelissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.comBlogger401100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-57790849509818924962009-11-16T21:41:00.002-05:002009-11-16T21:49:01.430-05:00

I just finished packing up my NuVal scores, my recipes, my blogposts, and oh yeah, my kids, and I've headed on over to my new home.I can't wait for you to see my new digs. Blain Smith of 13-infinite helped me with the architecture and floorplan and then I did a little decorating and unpacking. The kids are all settled in and we're cooking again. There's lots of "Nu" things like giveaways,

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-82038033042742399212009-11-13T10:34:00.003-05:002009-11-13T10:46:20.862-05:00

Today is an exciting day! It's time to Move It, Move It. My blog that is! I've got a new name, new space, much greater functionality, and cool new surprises. Thanks to my new friend, Blain at 13-infinite, my new site is beautiful!So today, I'm packing up my NuVal scores in a Uhaul and heading on over to my new site to unpack. My housewarming is next week and you are all invited! It's a

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-78255601935132923042009-11-10T13:11:00.003-05:002009-11-10T14:09:16.213-05:00

Happy 40th Birthday Sesame Street! It is scary that I am almost as old as you! It has been wonderful these past 6 1/2 years, getting reacquainted with the Street. And yes, your Platinum Hits collection is on my Ipod. My Dear Son, now 6 1/2 and sadly Way-Too-Old for Sesame Street loved Oscar's "I Love Trash" and Ernie's "Put Down the Duckie." My daughter, now 4 1/2, still wakes up wanting her

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-17912221882355134912009-11-06T11:48:00.015-05:002009-11-06T12:56:10.507-05:00

One of my goals is to raise two kids who appreciate good and nutritious food. When it comes to eating out, this can be a real challenge. So often, the children's menu is filled with the same old predictable choices: chicken nuggets, grilled cheese, hot dog, etc. The Boston Globe ran a great article this week about restaurants that do a better job of offering nutritious and creative dishes for

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-62472073717864474722009-11-04T14:39:00.003-05:002009-11-04T15:17:06.703-05:00

Well, it's official. Our household has fallen victim to the flu. Since my pediatrician is not testing for H1N1, we're not sure which flu. But it is the flu. And today, I am the latest victim, so this blogpost comes to you in a feverish haze. I apologize in advance for any typos!Basically, my strategy when the kids get a cold or the flu is to push fluids - even if it means bending the rules.

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-77901178209237827422009-10-29T12:28:00.017-04:002009-10-29T21:40:34.218-04:00

Like so many of our holidays, it seems like Halloween is no longer one day. It has truly become a "Season". In our town, we kick off with the Annual Halloween Parade, a great event that we never miss. There's also "Wear Your Costume" days at Sports Class, Ballet, Gymnastics, and Daycare. And don't forget the classroom party. My goal is just to get to 9 pm on Oct 31st with two children's

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-35554534050326983212009-10-27T13:33:00.012-04:002009-10-27T14:36:01.180-04:00

I think that most parents have that “Ah Ha!” moment when they realize that they are cooking two dinners a night: one for the kids and one for the grown-ups. It’s really not an “Ah Ha!” moment. It’s more of an “I’ve Reached Rock Bottom” moment. When you think of the progression of how our kids eat (first breast milk or formula, then baby foods, then finger foods, then table food), you can see

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-60003381688114377642009-10-23T07:05:00.002-04:002009-10-23T07:13:05.426-04:00

Head on over to Taste As You Go where I'm guest-posting today. Michelle Judd is a new Twitter friend of mine who lives in NYC (lucky girl - I miss it sometimes!). Michelle blogs about her great adventures in the city as she visits restaurants and tries new foods. She also is a healthy cook who is training for the Philadelphia marathon. I love to read her latest adventures and cheer her on.

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-36567522904609320972009-10-19T23:59:00.009-04:002009-10-20T01:10:43.367-04:00

There was a time in my life (B.C. - Before Children) when I traveled for business a lot. I mean A LOT. So, I've stayed in a lot of hotels, sometimes for months at a time, and I've been to a lot of multi-day meetings and conventions. But this has been my first time at a convention for Registered Dietitians. I have made 3 key observations:1. There are a lot of women. I mean A LOT. If there

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-19634539520879911442009-10-18T18:40:00.018-04:002009-10-18T19:50:10.040-04:00

For those of you who don't know (and until recently, I did not know), FNCE is the American Dietetic Association's Food & Nutrition Conference and Expo. It is attended annually by about 8,000 - 10,000 registered dietitians (RDs). Another thing that I have learned since coming here is that RDs work in many different capacities including hospitals, schools, government agencies, the armed forces,

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-50243994023788929332009-10-17T21:28:00.009-04:002009-10-17T22:00:32.268-04:00

For the next few days, I'll be blogging from the ADA (American Dietetic Association) conference in Denver. I arrived today after what turned out to be a great three-and-a-half-hour plane ride. I was dreading my middle seat, but it turned out that I was sitting between a Registered Dietitian who works for the National Dairy Council and another woman who is an author of children's books,

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-31561215371454781822009-10-16T00:01:00.000-04:002009-10-16T15:34:57.433-04:00

Wednesday's Boston Globe included an article on Conde Nast's plans to pull the plug on Gourmet Magazine. In it, the most famous chefs and foodies in Boston were interviewed and they added their commentary on the 68-year-old magazine's demise. Food historian and author, Laura Shapiro, who reviewed the movie "Julie and Julia" in a recent issue added, "This is another nail in the coffin of literate

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-70773545480996755142009-10-13T11:36:00.012-04:002009-10-13T14:33:09.467-04:00

There's nothing like a 3-day weekend. This Columbus Day was special because the whole family either had or took the day off. My plan for the Monday holiday was to drop the kids at my gym's babysitting and take a great cardio class while my dear husband spent some time at home painting the bathroom that we're remodeling. Well, that plan was dashed when we all slept until 9 am! I guess we all

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-44839609256107094852009-10-09T12:44:00.009-04:002009-10-09T14:08:12.588-04:00

As I mentioned a couple of blog posts back, I got out to a Price Chopper store last week to help with an upcoming news story on NuVal. It was great to walk the store and see over 10,000 NuVal scores on their shelves. While I work for NuVal and get to see scores all the time, it really hits home when you can see them on the supermarket shelf and see how the products you like score.And that is when

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-51201403103812642142009-10-05T09:58:00.008-04:002009-10-05T10:54:05.992-04:00

This weekend I heard that the Chobani website has some great recipes that use one of my favorite ingredients: Greek yogurt. Now, let me just say up front, that NuVal is not partnering in any way with Chobani nor am I being compensated by Chobani for blogging about them. I just really like the stuff. When I saw that there was a recipe that included two of my favorite ingredients (Greek yogurt and

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-74430098517099571182009-10-02T10:39:00.009-04:002009-10-02T12:20:42.166-04:00

One of the things that I love about my job is that I get to have all these amazing "Ah ha!" moments as we score more and more products at NuVal. This happened again last week when the scores for Rice were unveiled. But before I go into that, let me just confess right now: I have been feeding my kids some nutritionally-delinquent food. Yesterday, while out at a Price Chopper store for a

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-43621063024868164032009-09-29T11:36:00.005-04:002009-09-29T12:49:34.167-04:00

Remember those Little Caesar's pizza commercials? The commercials were pretty funny back in the day, although I was never a big fan of Little Caesar's - probably because they were the only pizza joint technically on my college campus. We all OD'd on pizza during those years, didn't we?I'm blogging about pizza today because (drum roll please), NuVal has released frozen pizza scores!Now, I've

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-72537511104193189052009-09-25T10:22:00.011-04:002009-09-25T16:29:45.392-04:00

I am lucky. My kids are pretty good about drinking their milk. This has come, however, after several years of trial and error (2%,1%, organic, milkman?), milk-pushing strategies (we've put chocolate chips at the bottom of the glass), and many stinky lunchboxes. At this point, when I'm sitting in the pediatrician's office and I need to check the box following the question, "Does your child

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-83175472925909395802009-09-22T12:33:00.006-04:002009-09-22T14:21:57.107-04:00

Now that fall is officially here today, I feel like cooking some good old-fashioned comfort food. While my daughter was disappointed to see that the trees did not magically turn color overnight when she woke up on this autumnal equinox, she will be very glad to know that Mommy will be making spaghetti and meatballs again. Since I've come to work for NuVal, I've learned lots of things and I've

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-24120564485780345982009-09-18T09:53:00.009-04:002009-09-18T14:53:58.970-04:00

When I started my senior year of high school, I decided that I would buy school lunch every day so that I could prepare myself for the institutional food that was coming my way when I left for college the next year. Somehow, I convinced my friends to join me in this masochistic plan. And somehow, I remembered that we actually took a picture of our last school lunch ever. There is proof - the back

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-19149973249709167702009-09-15T10:23:00.004-04:002009-09-15T11:32:41.909-04:00

Well, the gym was busy, busy this morning at 5:30 and I was not surprised one bit. I've been a gym rat for quite some time and I've been moonlighting as a Pilates and Group Exercise instructor since 2001, so I'm familiar with the trends. The three busiest times for health clubs are:- The first 3 weeks of January (it dies down by Superbowl)- Mid-end of April (my sister, Julie, owner of RI Pilates

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-38737291927921474652009-09-11T10:08:00.002-04:002009-09-11T10:25:55.344-04:00

I remember that before I had kids, I always wondered why Moms made such a big deal about the busy-ness of the first week of school. I mean, really, it's not like the Moms had to go to school - just the kids. What is the big deal, I thought? Now that I am a Mom of a 1st grader and Pre-K-er, I know that it's both an exciting and stressful week. I am oh-so-happy that it is Friday because I am tired.

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-74068459064325681452009-09-09T14:08:00.014-04:002009-09-09T18:22:21.055-04:00

Don't you just love all those "Back To School" segments that permeate the airwaves at this time of year. My husband and I saw this short Healthy School Lunch piece on our local Boston NBC station Monday night. While I admire Molly's nutritious choices and creative presentation, I just can't see myself making a Turkey Kabob for my son's lunch box. Molly cubed the turkey, and cut up pieces of

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-89926118545454831292009-09-08T20:35:00.003-04:002009-09-08T20:43:59.794-04:00

Tina, the blogger behind carrotsncake.com, wrote a lovely post about NuVal this morning. She loves food and she loves to eat, but she is all about balance. She posts what she eats every day - with beautiful pictures to illustrate her choices. She is one of my Go-To Blogs when I need a little pick-me-up. I love to see what Tina is up to. She's about a decade younger than me, married with no

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-8841342437415879812009-09-04T07:59:00.011-04:002009-09-04T10:47:36.682-04:00

If you've read some of my last few posts, you know I've been hanging on to these last days of summer and dreading the back-to-school routine. I'm trying to snap out of it. I've been doing some self-analysis (much cheaper than real therapy) to figure out why I'm so down on school. And it all comes down to one thing - the morning routine stresses me out. I figured this out when I had a bad

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-89651472223440931602009-09-01T13:58:00.007-04:002009-09-01T16:05:33.851-04:00

We had 2 vacations this summer, with 2 completely different results. Vacation #1 left us feeling bloated and exhausted. Vacation #2 left us feeling somewhat tired, but also refreshed, renewed and ready to start the new school year. Why the difference? Vacation #1 was very short, it included a theme park (Storyland) and restaurant-only dining. Vacation #2 was longer, it included beaches and hiking

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-46148018359542047782009-08-27T09:31:00.003-04:002009-08-27T09:35:22.976-04:00

First of all, I must say that I am boycotting Back-To-School this year. With all the rain and cold weather we had in June, this summer seems shorter than ever. I’ve enjoyed some time with a little less structure, a few less weekly activities, and sleeping in on Sundays. Since the kids will wear summer clothes until the weather turns cooler, I don’t see the need to go out and buy a boatload of

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-56800973358317000982009-08-26T08:33:00.001-04:002009-08-26T08:37:09.271-04:00

Today, I’m guest-posting over on www.yumyucky.com, a site devoted to trying to find balance between fitness and your greedy side. Josie, is a mom of 4 (gasp!) and she is fuh-ney! She eats food and then she talks about it – and she doesn’t hold back. Check it out!

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-86007761635961428922009-08-25T10:09:00.004-04:002009-08-25T10:18:20.613-04:00

As I’ve mentioned in the past, I work for this amazing company called NuVal. We are analyzing thousands of foods and scoring them on a scale of 1-100, with 100 being highest. This process is eye-opening, to say the least, and there have been many “Ah-ha!” moments along the way. One of the most interesting categories so far has been yogurt. Considered by many to be one of those universally

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-76380603849480555322009-08-21T07:54:00.002-04:002009-08-21T07:59:34.926-04:00

Check out Dina Rose, Ph. D. She is a sociologist (and a Mom!) who blogs about food, nutrition and kids. Today she takes on apples vs. apple sauce vs. apple juice with NuVal scores for each. Before you go out and stock up on apple juice boxes and individual cups of apple sauce for Back To School, read what she has to say in An Apple A Day.

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-82367434089225251692009-08-20T11:38:00.009-04:002009-08-20T13:56:38.784-04:00

After my blogpost about My Top Ten Favorite Foods, I thought it would be fun to blog about my kids' Top Ten Foods. I wanted their list to really come from them, so I pulled out my flipchart from Staples that we sometimes use to draw big pictures, put it in the living room, and had a brainstorming session with my 6-year-old and 4-year-old. They thought that this was pretty cool. I took a

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-47337322807576022092009-08-18T15:23:00.003-04:002009-08-18T16:29:11.723-04:00

Everyone in the world of health and fitness is talking about John Cloud's article in Time magazine, "Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin." Mr. Cloud makes the claim that "fiery spurts of vigorous exercise could lead to weight gain." He writes that he is more hungry on the days that he does cardio and therefore, he eats more on those days. He also feels that he is more sedentary during his

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-53942689116307233662009-08-13T21:20:00.011-04:002009-08-14T14:57:44.110-04:00

As I learn more about NuVal scores, I am rethinking what I put in my mouth. When I walk in the door some nights with 2 kids, lunchboxes to unpack, dinner to make and everyone starving, I've stopped reaching for a handful of Cheez-its or pita chips. With their low scores, they're just not worth it. As I approach my one year anniversary of working for NuVal (which I love!), I realize that I have a

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-82303610530815237922009-08-11T13:08:00.008-04:002009-08-12T15:39:00.383-04:00

Well, it's August 11th and Summer is finally here in New England. And just in time for the heat and humidity, NuVal has released its ice cream and frozen yogurt scores. So what do you think is the most nutritious dessert: fat-free sorbet, frozen yogurt, popsicles, or extra creamy vanilla ice cream? If you're like my husband and me, you probably are thinking fat-free sorbet, right? Wrong. Most

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-68488943537725411802009-08-06T15:06:00.009-04:002009-08-07T10:00:54.237-04:00

My kids eat vegetables. Many mom bloggers would follow that statement by saying "I am lucky." But I won't say that. I will say that my kids eat vegetables because I've made it a priority and I haven't been a vegetable snob. By that I mean - yes - I resort to canned vegetables. I know that there are moms gasping in horror by that statement. But consider this:On the NuVal scale:Fresh Green Beans

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-8578983116286205682009-08-04T11:36:00.015-04:002009-08-04T14:38:25.722-04:00

Have you looked at the cereal aisle in your grocery store lately? It is huge. Absolutely humongous. And although there are many, many cereals to choose from, one of the most frequently asked questions I get when a friend or acquaintance learns that I work for NuVal is, "What about Kashi?"Great question. I admit, I had a Kashi addiction circa 1996. I loved Good Friends. Loved it. It was life B.C.

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-51534190973991852552009-07-31T14:26:00.008-04:002009-07-31T18:26:42.270-04:00

Last week, I had the 4-Year and 6-Year Well Checks. While completing the lengthy checklists for both kids (which my amazing pediatric practice now lets you download prior to your visit so that you can actually think about your responses), I guiltily checked "yes" when asked whether my child drinks more than 4 ounces of juice per day. In her great blog, "It's Not About Nutrition: The Art and

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-60125823383380798492009-07-28T15:05:00.000-04:002009-07-28T16:05:04.045-04:00

This weekend, my friend (a NuVal newbie) and I were discussing my next blog post while we supervised our kids swimming in the pool. It went like this:Me: I think I'll write about Pepperidge Farm Goldfish. They get a pretty good score, you know. They get a 24.My Friend: A 24? That's not a good score! That's low!Me: No, no! A 24 is really good when you're talking about crackers.Anyway, this

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-15648284989319326142009-07-23T12:20:00.000-04:002009-07-23T14:56:37.814-04:00

At least once a week, I give the kids frozen French fries with dinner. This is my Monday night strategy, when I leave at the witching hour to go teach Pilates and my DH is in charge of overseeing the dinner-eating. I was feeling like I should not let my frozen French fry secret leak out to the Mother of the Year search committee, when lo and behold, I discovered that the fries I was serving

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101663540063389898.post-55433789778075997852009-07-23T11:46:00.000-04:002009-07-23T13:37:32.336-04:00

Hello and welcome to my Blog! My name is Melissa and I am a working mom of two great kids, a boy and a girl, ages 6 and 4 respectively. Like so many moms out there, my life never seems to stop for a second. Through it all, I try to keep my family healthy and fit. It is not easy. I find myself in the supermarket, looking at all the juice boxes and wondering, "Which is the best one?" Not that I

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09098521439172028066noreply@blogger.com0