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16
May, 2011
The McDonald's Amy Salad - I Mean, ASIAN Salad Is Back!
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| This is my actual salad! I ate it all too! |
Almost every restaurant that serves salads, both quick serve and sit-down, has some sort of Asian or “Oriental” salad. To tell you the truth, I always feel a little silly ordering them – it feels like it’s the only salad I’m allowed to order since I’m Asian. Ha! Some are good and some are bad. Most have the adorable little Mandarin oranges in them. Little oranges just scream “Asian” don’t they? But they’re out there and since I travel for a living, I’ve eaten a lot of them.
In 2003, McDonald’s added a line of Premium Salads to their menu and in 2006 it debuted the Asian Salad. It was my favorite fast food salad and a great healthier alternative to the greasy menu items for when I’m on the road and don’t have time for anything else.
Much to the dismay of its loyal fans, the Asian Salad was was taken off the McDonald’s menu. I just thought it was the crazy ginger side of Ronald McDonald, teasing me. But today I learned it was because of the weather changes in Asia. The main supply of soybeans was compromised and it wasn’t cost effective for them to keep selling the salad. A few years later, the US has amped up it’s soybean production and we have a reliable large-scale supply of soybeans again. The Asian Salad is back for a limited time (wahhh) and McDonald’s is now the largest buyer of soybeans in the world. Nuts, huh? Well, beans actually, but interesting.
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| Frozen Strawberry Lemonade |
Today, I was able to sit down with a group of friends and Renee Taylor from Hot 92.3 (cool… we talked potty training!) and experience the re-introduced Asian Salad as well as the new McCafe Frozen Strawberry Lemonade. Both were hits and here are some of the details:
– The greens of the Asian Salad are a mix of up to 16 different varieties of lettuce and the chicken is white meat chicken breast. Other Asian Salad ingredients are pea pods, red bell pepper, edamame, carrots, almonds and Mandarin oranges.
– You can modify the Asian Salad in a variety of ways to suit your taste and dietary desires: choose grilled or crispy chicken, almonds slivers come in a separate packet, Newman’s Own Low-Fat Sesame Ginger dressing is also on the side. Overall, you’re looking at approximately 270-300 calories for the grilled chicken version and just over 400 calories for the crispy chicken.
– The McCafe Frozen Strawberry Lemonade contains NO corn syrup! It is made from real fruit (strawberries and lemons) and ice with added sugar. It really was good and perfect for summer!
The downside of this salad, in my opinion, is the high sodium content but that is the price one pays for fast food consumption. This is a healthier option and nothing in any fast food restaurant is meant to be eaten every day. But you’re smart readers, you get it.
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| With HOT 92’s Renee Taylor and McDonald’s Nutritionist, Monica |
If you’re on the go or you need a quick, family friendly place to grab something, drop into McDonald’s – there are healthier choices out there! I’m not a huge advocate of fast food consumption and my own daughter has had very few fast food meals in her own life, but fast food is a big part of our culture and it’s not going away. It’s our responsibility to teach healthy habits to our kids and in today’s fast-paced society, I say moderation is often the key. Choose wisely young grasshoppers!
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Tags: Amy Anderson • Asian Salad • Fast Food • Frozen Strawberry Lemonade • McCafe • McDonald’s • Premium Salads • Renee Taylor
10
May, 2011
Lead AND Background
Aubrey is going through a BIG Michael Jackson phase right now. Here she is in the car, singing along to Beat It. I love how she sings all of the Beat Its – even the background vocals. She has Man In The Mirror, Bille Jean, Thriller and – her favorite of all – Bad memorized now. This was a couple weeks ago.
Tags: Amy Anderson • Aubrey • Michael Jackson • preschoolers • singing
03
May, 2011
Four Is Not The New 30.
So, all parents whose kids are older than 5 years know that the “Terrible Twos” is a complete misnomer and even a joke compared to 3 and 4 year old behavior.
Aubrey is rapidly careening towards her 4th birthday on June 6 and she is crazier than ever. There’s an uber-irrationality that comes along with 3 and 4 year old mental processing and it’s not worth anybody’s time trying to figure it out. You try to get a straight answer out of a tired 3/4 year old, you get this:
This craziness is a result of Aubrey not wanting to pee before going to the park. Do you now understand why I can’t be on time to anything for the next 14 years?
We don’t use any corporal punishment in our household, but I now know who spankings were invented for. Every once in a while, the temptation is strong, but I’m very fortunate that Aubrey is, in general, a really fun, sweet, easy going kid and actually, quite easy to reason with. No really, she is fairly logical for a kid when she’s in a good mood. It’s only when she’s tired that the beast is released and it always seems to be when I’m the most tired as well.
It’s all good. Once we get through this crazy 4th year, I hear things get quite lovely until they turn 12 or so. Then I’m supposed to prepare for the return of the beast x ten.
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Tags: Amy Anderson • Aubrey • comedian • preschoolers • tantrums
