Monday, March 26, 2012

Healthy and Happy: Taste Testing the Revamped McDonald's Happy Meal

By: Finance Foodie

McDonald’s is launching a new Happy Meal campaign that engages families in the benefits of balanced eating and active play, aiming to make nutrition fun for kids. The campaign launched a few weeks ago nationwide and includes the following initiatives:

* Nationwide availability of McDonald’s new Happy Meal that automatically comes with apple slices and a new kid-size fry

* New Happy Meal TV Advertisements, will be the first that support McDonald’s nutrition commitment to promote nutrition and/or active lifestyle messages.

* "Happy Meal Chefs" contest gives two parent and child teams the opportunity to help in the creation and testing of new, nutrition-minded Happy Meal choices alongside McDonald's executive chef Dan Coudreaut. Beginning now through April 18, the contest is seeking top inspiring stories from families who enjoy cooking with wholesome ingredients at family mealtime. Ten kids will win and trip to the 2012 London Olympic Games and two will name honorary “Happy Meal Chefs.” Families can enter at happymealchefs.mcdonalds.com

Even though I am probably too old for a happy meal, I took a trip down memory lane and checked out the "new" happy meal for old times sake.What did I think? Well, I would definitely say there is more of an option to be healthy. I was quite impressed with the variety of new drink choices (lowfat milk, chocolate milk, apple juice or small soda), but besides that -- it seemed like it was the same happy meal as before, just with additional apple slices. And speaking of these apple slices, I am sad to report that the five times I had this meal, every single time the slices were mushy and not tasty. If I had these as a kid, I probably would have chucked these to my dog -- cause these apples were as bad as the steamed brussel sprouts forced upon me during family dinners.
I do still applaud McDonald's effort in fighting childhood obesity with healthy options, but the taste and quality still needs some work. However, I am going to start ordering these kids meals now as they are smaller portioned and less caloric (example: a 4 piece Chicken McNugget, kid sized fries, Diet Coke and apple slices runs you less than 500 calories) -- after all, I'm still a kid at heart!

*****Giveaway*****
Congrats Fred_A12! 

Financefoodie.com wants one of my readers to get a $25 Arch Card!

You can enter up to THREE times:
1. REQUIRED: In my comments section, tell me what was your favorite thing about your childhood (mine was recess and not worrying about jobs/grades!).
2. Follow Finance Foodie on Twitter (leave a separate comment telling me this)
3. Reblog / Retweet this giveaway (leave a separate comment telling me this)

This is a quick one - contest ended on Friday, March 30 at 5pm EST. Winners will be chosen via random integer generator on random.org announced on the financefoodie.com site shortly afterwards!

Full Disclosure:Arch Card provided by Finance Foodie Media Productions. I was not monetarily compensated for this post. 

125 comments:

amy beth marantino said...

hanging out with, and being spoiled rotten by, my grandparents

slb3334 said...

Spending time with my dad.

slb3334@gmail.com

mar said...

My favorite memory of childhood was bike riding with my best friend!

Mysharona said...

playing on the playground

peg42 said...

My favorite was summers spent at the shore with my parents.
Thanks so much.
rickpeggysmith(at)aol(dot)com

peg42 said...

Follow Finance Foodie on Twitter (peg42)
Thanks
rickpeggysmith(at)aol(dot)com

tavernie said...

Spending time with my mom and dad!

ptavernie at yahoo dot com

susan1215 said...

My favorite thing about childhood was playing with my friends and sisters

s2s2 at comcast dot net

susan1215 said...

https://twitter.com/#!/susan1215/status/184377043679584257

s2s2 at comcast dot net

Lorri S said...

My favorite thing was playing games with all the neighborhood kids

Rich said...

MY favorite memory is meeting my favorite Indians player at a game

Rich said...

I follow @financefoodie1
@unevenfist

Rich said...

https://twitter.com/#!/unevenfist/status/184385261864628225

Mami2jcn said...

My favorite thing was playing with dolls.

mami2jcn at gmail dot com

Mami2jcn said...

I follow you on Twitter (@mami2jcn)

mami2jcn at gmail dot com

Mami2jcn said...

tweet:

https://twitter.com/#!/mami2jcn/status/184435197155090433


mami2jcn at gmail dot com

sottovoce said...

I loved not caring about what others thought...I could play to the limits of my imagination. :-) Thank you.
jaquerichards at yahoo dot com

Janice said...

Going to the amusement parks with my cousins, friends and grandparents.
tweety800265(at)yahoo(dot)com

Janice said...

I follow Finance Foodie on Twitter @disneyfan40
tweety800265(at)yahoo(dot)com

Janice said...

Tweeted
https://twitter.com/#!/disneyfan40/status/184449810047311872
tweety800265(at)yahoo(dot)com

Becca Ann said...

I loved riding my bike with my friends in our neighborhood
xxbeccaannxx@gmail.com

Unknown said...

saturday morning cartoons and good tv programing. i was raised by the tv. child of the 80s/90s!

ferriza2(at)yahoo(dot)com

Unknown said...

twitter follow @xferriza2

ferriza2(at)yahoo(dot)com

Anonymous said...

i liked reading lots of books when I was younger. My favorites were the babysitters club and horror books by RL Stine.


pokergrl8 at gmail.com

Anonymous said...

https://twitter.com/#!/aes529/status/184461185960263681

pokergrl8 at gmail.com

Anonymous said...

My favorite thing about childhood was playing outside with the neighbor kids!

Jennifer Marie

lilnursejen at yahoo dot com

Anonymous said...

following you on twitter (JenniferCNP)

Jennifer Marie

lilnursejen at yahoo dot com

Anonymous said...

tweeted!

https://twitter.com/#!/JenniferCNP/status/184464491134717952

jennifer marie

lilnursejen at yahoo dot com

Wendy said...

Favorite part of childhood? Sleepovers and playing video games into the night! :)

Wendy said...

I also follow you on twitter (dashipanda) ;)

Sue C. said...

I loved playing in the neighborhood with friends and my siblings.

Unknown said...

It was going to the park with my sister and mom for the whole day.
magickalblessings26{at}gmail.com

sweepmom said...

My favorite thing about my childhood was playing outside with my friends.

April said...

I loved reading the Bernstein Bear books!

teenytig@sbcglobal.net

debbie said...

I liked playing with breyers horses.
twoofakind12@yahoo.com

McKim said...

My favorite thing was all the friends I had.

Kristy Thiel said...

my favorite thing about my childhood was not having to worry about adult things!

kyl neusch said...

hanging with grandparents

mogrill said...

Mine was Christmas!! It was so magical.
Thanks for the chance.
mogrill12@gmail.com

Mary Calabrese said...

My favorite thing was being able to run outside barefoot.

ighmeg at yahoo dot com

Anonymous said...

I liked playing with friends and riding my bike.

rhoneygtn at yahoo dot com

Anonymous said...

Follow you on Twitter: rhoneygee

rhoneygtn at yahoo dot com

Erica C. said...

My favorite was playing non stop outside and not thinking that it was exercise!
ericacarnes(at)gmail(dot)com

Unknown said...

My mother's cooking!

Unknown said...

Following on twitter @annedoggett

Unknown said...

tweet https://twitter.com/#!/annedoggett/status/184750980892598272

Leenburke said...

rolerskating, I loved rollerskating!`

esldiane@gmail.com said...

I loved summer vacation from school
diane Baum
esldiane@gmail.com

pauline15 said...

My favorite was swimming. My family would visit a different swimming pool every weekend and we had a blast!
pauline15_01(at)hotmail(dot)com

pauline15 said...

twitter follower (pauline15)

kdkdkd said...

My favorite part of childhood - summer vacation!

kdkdkd said...

follow on twitter @kdkdkd

Crystal F said...

Being able to read all day everyday if I wanted to. Thank you!

Ellie Wright said...

My favorite thing about my childhood was playing outside from dawn to dusk. The world was a different place in the 70's.
Thanks for the giveaway!
eswright18 at gmail dot com

Ellie Wright said...

I follow you on Twitter @eswright18
eswright18 at gmail dot com

Ellie Wright said...

tweet
https://twitter.com/#!/eswright18/status/185150363094097921

Unknown said...

visiting my grandparents
Thanks so much!
Janna Johnson
Jannajanna@hotmail.com
janna @ Feed Your Pig on GFC

Peter Schott said...

Summer Camp - I got to spend some overnights w/ my grandmother who cooked for a camp. Also got to swim, hike, play, and generally enjoy myself as long as I didn't interfere. I later cooked at that camp myself and enjoyed it.

ard1977 said...

My fave thing about being a kid was having crushes on boys and hanging out with my friends. Thanks! ard1977@gmail dot com

ard1977 said...

follow you on twitter @anied027. ard1977@gmail dot com

ard1977 said...

tweeted- https://twitter.com/#!/amied027/status/185226848890929152
ard1977@gmail dot com

smilekisses said...

Taking walks around town with my friends.
dolniaks at consolidated dot net

smilekisses said...

I follow Finance Foodie on twitter @smilekisses
dolniaks at consolidated dot net

jenspurg said...

Spending time with my grandparents on the farm.
huntandride@hotmail.com

jenspurg said...

https://twitter.com/#!/jen_r_horn/status/185353453374152704
huntandride@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

My favorite thing about childhood was spending weekends with my cousins in the country. We ran wild and loved it.

chrisdeglen(at)gmail(dot)com

Julie said...

hanging out with my cousins
thanks
aunteegem@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

@chrisdeglen tweeted:

twitter.com/#!/chrisdeglen/status/185363028290711553

chrisdeglen(at)gmail(dot)com

clynsg said...

My favorite time was sewing doll clothes--something that grew into a real hobby as I grew older.

cgclynsg0 at gmail dot com

Denise Donaldson (MistySunrise) said...

my favorite thing about childhood was summer break!

itsjustme62613 at gmail.com

Anonymous said...

Spending time with my parentals!

Fred_A12 at aol com

Valerie Taylor Mabrey said...

my favorite memory, bike riding all over the country and riding my ponies
vmkids3 at msn dot com

katecontestgirl said...

playing with friends
kate contest girl @ gmail . com

katecontestgirl said...

follow on twitter
@katecontestgirl

Kristie said...

A lot of my favorite memories were from showing animals at the 4-H fair :-)

khmorgan_00 [at] yahoo [dot] com

Kristie said...

I'm a follower through twitter. @khmorgan_00

khmorgan_00 [at] yahoo [dot] com

Kristie said...

I retweeted this giveaway.

khmorgan_00 [at] yahoo [dot] com

Judy B. said...

My favorite thing was lunch (a foodie right from the beginning lol)

Judy B. said...

Follow you on twitter as BBirdie2

Judy B. said...

Retweeted

Unknown said...

my favorite was spending time with my friends and not worrying about anything other than school.

kport207 at gmail dot com

Unknown said...

follow you on twitter as JT2ofusanddeals

kport207 at gmail dot com

crankyyanky1 said...

Going for long rides with my grandfather on his motorcycle it was awesome not a care in the world!
crankyyanky1 at charter dot net

1porkchop said...

I agree with you, my favorite thing about childhood was the total lack of responsibility.

1porkchop said...

I Follow Finance Foodie on Twitter

1porkchop said...

I tweeted about this giveaway at https://twitter.com/#!/1brisket/status/185501532438007808

Kim Smith said...

My favorite thing was family vacations

luvdatmouse at charter dot net

Lo said...

My favorite thing about childhood was playing outside with the neighbor kids.

Lo said...

I follow you on twitter (I'm @Prizealert)

Lo said...

tweet: https://twitter.com/#!/prizealert/status/185547575540203521

Renee said...

I loved the fact that we had about a million pets growing up! Fortunately, I only had to play with them, not clean up after them!

spirit_kim said...

My favorite thing about my childhood was free time.
gabe411 at hotmail dot com

magic5905 said...

Riding bikes until sundown.
magic5905 at embarqmail dot com

imaclutz89 said...

My favorite part was that everything was so simple and you had no real worries.

sugarsweet7202@yahoo(dot)com

imaclutz89 said...

I follow you on twitter. @imaclutz89


sugarsweet7202@yahoo(dot)com

xraygirl said...

My favorite memory is spending time with my older sister .

xraygirl2008 at hotmail dot com

xraygirl said...

My favorite memory is spending time with my older sister .

xraygirl2008 at hotmail dot com

Unknown said...

Not that I knew it back than, but now my favorite thing about childhood is "not ever worrying about a single bill, or how they get paid lol.

1froglegs said...

My favorite thing about childhood was going to the toy store. It just doesn't have the same feel to it at my age now.

1froglegs said...

I Follow Finance Foodie on Twitter

1froglegs said...

I shared this giveaway on twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/1froglegs/status/185622728223633408

LAMusing said...

Playing games with my parents, having time to dream, not worrying so much about survival

Norma said...

I loved the family road trips!
bingomamanorma(at)gmail(dot)com

Unknown said...

Being able to play outside on a warm Summer night. As long as you were in ear shot of your Mom's voice, you could stay out well past dark and play with your friends, catch fireflies, be a kid

Unknown said...

I follow on Twitter (@eyzofblu63)

Unknown said...

I tweeted https://twitter.com/#!/eyzofblu63/status/185690257885372416

tina reynolds said...

playing outside with no worries thanks for the to win eaglesforjack@gmail.com

Unknown said...

For me, it was freedom- we could go out and do whatever, and when the streetlights were on it was time to come home for dinner- there was so much less to stress and worry about then.
discriminating_diva at yahoo dot com

Brian E. said...

Thanks for the giveaway...spending summer days, from dawn to dusk, playing with friends in the woods & park near my childhood home...freedom !!!

senorpiero [at] yahoo [dot] com

Unknown said...

I follow you on Twitter dddiva
discriminating_diva at yahoo dot com

Unknown said...

https://twitter.com/#!/dddiva/status/185701837792489472
discriminating_diva at yahoo dot com

Brian E. said...

Following YOU via Twitter: @brianpiero

senorpiero [at] yahoo [dot] com

Clarke & Lewis said...

summer time!

Clarke & Lewis said...

following you on twitter rsmc1

Clarke & Lewis said...

https://twitter.com/#!/rsmc1/status/185785508968935426

Amy delong said...

playing tag with my friends and of course no worries!
ardelong2(at)gmail(dot)com

Amy delong said...

follow u on twitter
amyhd29
ardelong2(at)gmail(dot)com

Nancy said...

My favorite thing about my childhood was the love and attention of my extended family and being able to read as much as I wanted - just about all the time!


Nancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com

buzzd said...

playing with my friends and not being stressed about money/job etc

barblong said...

My favorite thing about childhood was hanging out with my friends on weekends and summer vacation.

longbarb1@aol.com

Charlene Kuser said...

My favorite memory of my childhood was playing outside all day,climbing trees,and riding my bike

CharlieGurl57@aol.com

Charlene Kuser said...

I am following you on Twitter

CharlieGurl57@aol.com

Charlene Kuser said...

Tweeted this:https://twitter.com/#!/Swtlilchick/status/185819573604450304

CharlieGurl57@aol.com

Sand said...

I loved spending time with my friends making up plays and dancing to MTV!

Sarah said...

playing with barbies

sarahurick (at) comcast (dot) net

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