Date Night, You'll Be SOOOO Jealous!

Tonight my husband and I left the house after making sure our sick, little guy was peacefully asleep.  We went to dinner at Casa de Luz.  I love the walk to the restaurant.  It feels so peaceful and quaint.  Almost like I'm making my way to a secluded bed and breakfast.  Ahhh, away from the fitful cries of little people at night.  Wishful thinking and I digress!

It is a small, Macrobiotic, vegan restaurant that serves local organic seasonal cruisine.  In fact above their stove is a quote that says something like "Our menu is planned by nature."   There is no "traditional" menu.  Dinner consists of a soup, salad and main dish that is served to all customers.  Our mystery soup was Red Lentil and our mystery plate I now know was Mixed Grain (Millet, Quinoa & Brown Rice), Sautéed Mushrooms with purple cabbage, Rutabaga with Leeks & Scallions in Bechamel Sauce, Mixed Blanched Greens with Mustard Sesame Sauce, and Red Sauerkraut.   I can tell you what we ate tonight because I read it on the website.  Without that help I would have had no idea.  Oh, and you serve yourself. 

The first time we went we had to watch other customers and follow their lead.  All the employees were eating or cooking.  It is an interesting place to say the least.  I must like it as this is our second time this winter.  It does have a certain charm about it.  However, the few times I have eaten there it really makes me want to break out in song, One of These Things is NOT Like the Other One (my husband and I were definitely the oddballs there).  If you live in Austin it is definitely worth trying.  It is an experience.

After leaving the restaurant we headed to Whole Foods.  Doesn't this sound like a romantic date night?  Well after the day/week I've had with sick kids, I gladly took it and enjoyed it!  At Whole Foods I learned a bit more about the ANDI scores and wanted to pass this along.  Obviously this is not the only food that should be included in our diets.  It is just something to be mindful of and a good start to making healthy eating choices.  

Top Ten ANDI Scores

"ANDI stands for "Aggregate Nutrient Density Index." An ANDI score shows the nutrient density of a food on a scale from 1 to 1000 based on nutrient content. ANDI scores are calculated by evaluating an extensive range of micronutrients, including vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidant capacities. The Aggregate Nutrient Density Index was developed and patented by our Health Starts Here affiliate, Eat Right America."   Whole Foods Link


GREEN VEGETABLES

Vegetable	ANDI Score
1. Mustard/Turnip/Collard Greens	1000
2. Kale	1000
3. Watercress	1000
4. Bok Choy/Baby Bok Choy	824
5. Spinach	739
6. Broccoli Rabe	715
7. Chinese/Napa Cabbage	704
8. Brussels Sprouts	672
9. Swiss Chard	670
10. Arugula	559

NONGREEN VEGETABLES

Vegetable	ANDI Score
1. Radish	554
2. Bean Sprouts	444
3. Red Pepper	366
4. Radicchio	359
5. Turnip	337
6. Carrot	336
7. Cauliflower	295
8. Artichoke	244
9. Tomato	190
10. Butternut Squash	156

FRUIT

Fruit	ANDI Score
1. Strawberries	212
2. Blackberries	178
3. Plum	157
4. Raspberries	145
5. Blueberries	130
6. Papaya	118
7. Orange	109
8. Cantalope	100
9. Kiwi	97
10. Watermelon	91
11. Peach	73
12. Apple	72
13. Cherries	68
14. Pineapple	64
15. Apricot	60

BEANS

Vegetable	ANDI Score
1. Lentils	104
2. Red Kidney Beans	100
3. Great Northern Beans	94
4. Adzuki Beans	84
5. Black Beans	83
6. Black-Eyed Peas	82
7. Pinto Beans	61
8. Edamame	58
9. Split Peas	58
10. Chickpeas (Garbanzos)	57

NUTS & SEEDS

Nuts & Seeds	ANDI Score
1. Sunflower Seeds	78
2. Sesame Seeds	65
3. Flax Seeds	65
4. Pumpkin Seeds	52
5. Pistachios	48
6. Pecans	41
7. Almonds	38
8. Walnuts	34
9. Hazelnuts	32
10. Cashews	27

WHOLE GRAINS

Whole Grains	ANDI Score
1. Oats, old-fashioned	53
2. Barley, whole grain	43
3. Wild Brown Rice	43
4. Brown Rice	41
5. Barley, pearled	32
6. Wheat berries	25
7. Cornmeal, whole grain	22
8. Quinoa	21
9. Millet	19
10. Bulgar	17

MEAT

Meat	ANDI Score
1. Bison, top sirloin	39
2. Bison, chuck roast	36
3. Pork Tenderloin	34
4. Flank Steak	27
5. Chicken Breast	27
6. Turkey, light meat	25
7. Turkey, dark meat	24
8. Pork Chops	24
9. Ground Beef, 85% - 90% lean	20-23
10. Beef, top round	22

FISH

Fish	ANDI Score
1. Tuna*	46
2. Flounder	41
3. Sole	41
4. Salmon	39
5. Mahi Mahi	39
6. Shrimp	38
7. Swordfish*	38
8. Trout	36
9. Snapper	35
10. Haddock	35

*May contain high levels of mercury.

CHEESE

Cheese	ANDI Score
1. Feta	21
2. Cottage Cheese, low fat	18
3. Mozzarella, part skim	16
4. Ricotta, part skim	16
5. Swiss	15
6. Parmesan	15
7. Mozzarella, whole milk	14
8. Gouda	13
9. Provolone	13
10. Gruyere	13

REFRIGERATED DAIRY CASE

Refrigerated Dairy Case	ANDI Score
1. Tofu	37
2. Nonfat Skim Milk	36
3. Soy Milk	33
4. Plain Nonfat Yogurt	30
5. Egg Substitute	30
6. Egg White	29
7. Low-fat 1% Milk	28
8. Egg	27
9. Hemp Milk	27
10. Tempeh	26