* I participated in a campaign in behalf of Mom It Forward Blogger Network for McDonald’s. I attended an event to facilitate my review and though I was compensated for this campaign, all opinions are my own.
And so after the plant tour, we headed to Fresh Easy Research and Innovation Center which is just like a 5-minute drive from the Chiquita Fresh Easy Facility. A lunch was prepared by two amazing guest chefs, Gene Sakahara and Sam Bozo who call themselves “SakaBozzo” are both residents of Gilroy, CA (home of the world famous Garlic Festival).
They put together a sumptuous lunch using McDonald’s ingredients.
The Menu
First Course : Italian Wedding Soup
This is a simple soup with Italian meatballs in beef broth with fresh spinach and Gilroy Garlic bread on the side
Verdict
I love the simplicity of this soup which brings out the flavor of the beef broth and the meatballs at the same time. It combined very well with the garlic bread. Just like the same soup you would expect to be served at home on a cold rainy day.
Second Course : Salad : Ensalad Misto
Entree : Chicken Braciole with Amatraciana
The salad is made up of Salinas mixed greens with cucumber slices, grape tomatoes with a citrus blueberry vinaigrette while the main entree is made up of rolled chicken breast that’s stuffed with white cheddar cheese, fresh spinach plus onions and parsley and topped with homemade sauce composed of roasted tomatoes, Canadian bacon and herbs (Amatraciana sauce).
Verdict
The salad is so refreshing, it is actually the same salad greens that are used in the salads in McDonald’s salad menu. The blueberries used in the vinaigrette are those that are being used in their parfaits.
The entree is just so D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!!! The fusion of the stuffing-the melted cheese plus the sauce made the dish burst with flavor. It is suffice to say that this is one dish that is both delectable and healthy, the entire meal is very filling.
The Dessert : Apple Bread Pudding (Budino Di Pane e Mela)
This dessert is a traditional old fashioned bread pudding with apple slices that is partnered with vannilla ice cream and salted caramel drizzle.
Verdict
I must tell you, this dessert is as good as it looks. The bread used in the pudding came from the same bread used for burgers and of course the apple slices are the ones which are used for the Happy Meals. The vanila ice cream is the same used in the McDonald’s Sundae and McFlurry not to mention the caramel which is the same syrup to drizzle the McDonald’s Hot Caramel Sundae. This dessert is a comfort food, the flavors are very well blended and supplements eachother. Simply Yummy!
Overall I pretty much enjoyed my lunch, I was very impressed at the outcome of the menu using all the ingredients that came from McDonald’s. If only they would serve those type of food in the stores(wishful thinking!).
Talk and Testimonials
After lunch, we listened to a nutrition presentation by Registered Dietitian, Amy Myrdal Miller who is an award-winning dietitian, published author, and senior director of programs and culinary nutrition for The Culinary Institute of America.
John Cisna is a biology high school teacher in Iowa who made some news in the early part of this year with his own story about how eating at McDonald’s made him lose weight as part of an experiment with his students.He ate from McDonald’s every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but it comes with a twist!
Instead of simply trying every single meal on the McDonald’s menu, Cisna relied menu of McDonald’s food that added up to only 2,000 calories a day and adhered to 15 nutritional guidelines as recommended by the Food and Drug Administration. For exercise, Cisna walked briskly for 45 minutes, four to five times a week. At the end of his 6-month experiment, he lost a total of 56lbs and 79 point off his cholesterol.
What I learned?
It is not about the food we take (or McDonald’s) that make us fat it’s all about the CHOICES we make. Though John doesn’t recommend going through the same diet that he did, (it may not be effective for everyone), it just disproves the notion that fast food can make us fat. There are actually healthy options that will guide us to watch what we eat.
McDonald’s has provided a Meal Builder in their website, where you can plan a healthy meal by using their calorie counter.
Whether it be at McDonald’s or home cooked meals that we consume each day, there are still big chances for us to get fat, the bottom line is still the decisions and choices we make regarding our food and not the venue where we eat them.
I admit that prior to the trip, I thought that when I come to McDonald’s, I am left without a choice but to order whatever I see on their menu, but now I know. I have a choice and decision to make if I wanted to go out of my way and take out some of the things which I think will not be healthy for me.
This same thing not only applies to McDonald’s but to our everyday life as well,(just some two cents worth of advise!)
Do you think there are healthy choices at McDonald’s?
*if in case you missed it, please check the other half of my Field to Restaurant Tour.
Congrats mare, so happy for you.. and I’m proud of you! I’m not aware of thst McDonald’s tour, do they always have that? Or is it held annually?