16
May, 2011

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.

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. 

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

07
Feb, 2011

Last month, the good people at McDonald’s asked me to host a breakfast for friends at a local McDonald’s to introduce their new Fruit & Maple Oatmeal to everyone. I’m not a huge advocate of fast food consumption, but as a comedian on the road and a busy, single mom, it is part of my reality from time to time. I’m not one to be a big hypocrite, especially when it comes to food and I was already eating the Starbucks oatmeal on a regular basis in countless airports across the country, so I was actually pretty excited to see how Ronald’s oats compared.

I gathered a group of friends from different walks of life (including some fellow blogger moms, my nanny, her relatives and a couple comedians) and we sat down with Monica, a registered nutritionist for McDonald’s, and talked about the good, the bad and the ugly.

We got the full service treatment… yup

We all know that French fries and chicken McNuggets are not the way to go on a regular basis, but you might be surprised to know that McDonald’s is offering more and more healthy options, like milk, apple slices, water, premium salads, fruit and yogurt parfaits and now… OATMEAL!

Three clowns and a nutritionist

The oatmeal can be modified to your taste and/or dietary restrictions but my personal fave was with all of the toppings which included brown sugar, real maple syrup, apples, a touch of cream, raisins and dried cranberries. You’ll be happy to know that the new Fruit & Maple oatmeal is available ALL DAY (not just breakfast) and each bowl contains two servings of whole grains and a half a cup of real fruit. It’s also rich in Vitamin C and I will tell you, first hand, it’s really good! I had never tried apples in my oatmeal before, but I’m hooked.

You can order your oatmeal without the brown sugar and the rest of the toppings are controlled by you. I give the new Fruit & Maple Oatmeal a big thumbs up. Who wouldn’t want another fast, healthy option at an affordable restaurant? And you can still top if off with a hash brown if you really want too.

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Tags: Amy Anderson • breakfast • Fast Food • Fruit and Maple Oatmeal • McDonald’s

17
Oct, 2010

Wendy’s in Lawndale, CA… AHHHHH!!!

I’m not gonna lie… I haven’t been to Wendy’s in a while. Not because I dislike Wendy’s but mainly because my family and I don’t eat a lot of fast food. When I do, I’m on the road and other fast food chains are more common and easier to find. However, I do like Wendy’s and I think they are one of the best national fast food chains. They offer a wide variety of non-fried items and have for a long time. Long before the “healthy” craze hit the fast food industry, Wendy’s was offering baked potatoes, once had salad bars and of course, their signature chili. Also, their beef is never frozen and you can taste the difference.

This week, I was invited to try Wendy’s new Pick 2 Menu and I must say, I was really impressed and left Wendy’s happily full and satisfied. The Pick 2 Menu is a great way to portion control and save money if you eat out a lot. The Pick 2 menu is divided into two sections and you pick one item from each section to make your own combo. You can have a fulfilling lunch for only $4.99 going healthy one day, go for the grease the next time and mix it up on the days you want to.

I picked it!

The menus include items such as a cheeseburger, a cup of chili, a Frosty, a soda, French fries, a baked potato, Chicken Go Wraps and half servings of their premium salads and it’s actually possible to make 28 different combinations in all!

I treated myself to a cup of chili and the new Apple Pecan Chicken Salad and I LOVED IT! The chili has been consistent for years. It was a good portion but not too much and came with crackers but the salad! Oh the salad! It was really REALLY good – mixed field greens (not just iceberg lettuce), grilled chicken, diced red and green apples, cranberries, roasted pecans, blue cheese crumbles and a pomegranate vinaigrette. My friend, Marsha (aka SweatpantsMom), had the BLT Cobb Salad and it looked equally as yum.

Can you tell I’m left handed?

At this point, I want to disclose that I worked with Wendy’s and TheMotherhood.com and I received a small stipend to try the Pick 2 Menu.I know there is a fair amount of debate in the bloggersphere about whether a blogger will write a fair review if they are receiving compensation. Listen, I’m not blowing sunshine up your fast food hole. I get paid whether I write something nice or not and I have no motivation to lie about the food. It really was good and I would definitely eat off the Pick 2 Menu again and tell other people about it. In fact, I’m telling you right now!

And here’s where YOU come in. Wendy’s and TheMotherhood.com gave me two $7 giftcards for a reader giveaway! $7 is enough to try the Pick 2 Menu and have an additional beverage or other treat. 🙂

Want to win one? There are three ways to enter and please leave contact information in your entries:

1) Leave a comment telling me your favorite menu item at Wendy’s!

2) Follow my blog on Google Friend Connect (the link is on the right of this post) and leave a comment to let me know you’re following.

3) Tweet this giveaway and leave the URL in a comment to show you have done it. Here is a copy and paste you can use:

Wacky small print: Entries will be accepted until 12:00am, midnight on October 31, 2010, PST. Two recipients will be chosen at random using Random.org. Winners must respond with their mailing address within 48 hours of being contacted or they forfeit their gift card and another recipient will be chosen at random.

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Tags: Amy Anderson • Fast Food • giveaway • Pick2 Menu • Wendy’s