McDonald’s Give Away and an Austin 5K Family Fun Run

Note to reader: There’s a 25$ give away at the bottom of the post! This post was not sponsored by McDonald’s, but they did provide me with some free munchies and a tour of their store. I met with Delmy and her crew, a nutritionist, and someone from McDonald’s Austin PR. We had a really nice time and learned a lot.

I eat a lot of really healthy things. I cook at home at least 90% of our meals each week. We even try to buy organic produce, avoid junk food and colas, steer clear of processed stuff in boxes and cans when possible, and I make my own chicken broth. But even with eating healthy most of the time, I will not turn my nose up to going through a drive thru if we are stuck in the car between activities or errands. Here’s the shocking truth: I actually like McDonald’s.

Whenever you bring up eating at McDonald’s there are always those that turn their noses up. Yeah, haters gonna hate. However, McDonald’s has quite a few things on the menu that are { gasp } healthy – and probably better for you than some of the stuff in your own kitchen pantry. Not to mention, McDonald’s is interested in public opinion and has been listening to YOU.

Yeah… YOU. The one who wants healther kid foods – like yogurt and apples – in your happy meals; and chicken snack wraps instead of in addition to cheeseburgers.

Me? I’m all for eating healthy. In fact, I am a huge Non GMO and Organics, but I’m also a realist (especially when it comes to financial limitations – there’s not always extra cash to take our family of six to eat at a healthy restaurant, and most of the ones I love are over 20 miles from my house, anyway). You could also label me as a “food libertarian”. Why not let people eat what they want? Government has no right to tell you that your soda and cookies aren’t fit for consumption (the public can decide). If a company is being honest and telling you what’s in it, you should be allowed to decide for yourself if you want to eat it.

What’s next? Are they going to outlaw chocolate? I don’t think so. Homey better not play.

I like a cheeseburger sometimes. Scratch that. I LOVE a cheeseburger sometimes. That’s the key, though: I said SOMETIMES. Not all the time. Otherwise, I’d be obese or maybe a ticking time bomb for a heart attack. Or both.

McDonald’s has all-the-time foods – like salads, wraps, and blueberry pomegranate smoothies…. and they have sometimes foods, like cheeseburgers and fries. The problem isn’t that they make foods which have high fat content, it’s that we tend to have no self control when it comes time to order. McDonald’s gets a bad rap for our decisions and lifestyle choices.

I went to a blog event at McDonald’s last weekend and sat down with a group of other Austin bloggers and talked about the new menu choices at McDonald’s: new choices for healthy eaters on their happy meals, new salads, and their amazing Blueberry Pomegranate Smoothie (juice, yogurt, and blueberries – only 220 calories). We toured the kitchen and learned more about what goes on behind the scenes… like for instance:

1. McDonald’s still makes fresh tea – nothing bottled or fake, even though they serve gallons of it every minute.

2. McDonald’s tears their restaurants down every 20 years and rebuilds to keep them clean, updated and fresh.

3. McDonald’s makes every item fresh and doesn’t allow their meat to get below 160 degrees after cooking or they throw it out.

4. The cleanliness standards in McDonald’s are extreme. I mean, I wish my kitchen looked as clean as the McDonald’s I toured last week. I’m pretty sure they would shut me down if I was a franchise.

5. They offer oatmeal all day long, not just for breakfast. Plus, you can order it without the sugar and cream if you are watching your fat and calorie intake.

Beyond food, McDonald’s also does a lot of things for the community and their employees. Take for instance…

1. Ronald McDonald House, which served over 1749 families in 2012. One of Delmy’s own employees had a child who needed open-heart surgery and had to use the “house” in Houston. Austin area locations are doing Lights of Love (a 5K run, or walk if you want) to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House this year. It takes place on December 6th and you can even register your pet to participate with you. Hurry and register if you want to participate! Everyone will be dressing up in full holiday fashion and participating McDonald’s stores will be handing out McCafe Premium Coffee, apple slices and Go-GURT.

2. McDonald’s goes to great lengths to inform and educate the public (including this healthy choices blog campaign) on how to make positive lifestyle choices with their menu selections, physical activity levels, and more. They have done everything from giving out pedometers in adult meals to changing the menu, adding new wholesome options and reducing the fries in kid meals. They showed us the difference in fat levels between a burger and a chicken menu item and it was pretty convincing that burgers should be the “sometimes” choice; like to the tune of 4 viles of fat to less than a half of ONE. I’m not a big “low fat” diet proponent (for why, read “Nourishing Traditions”), but I still believe in moderation. A burger and fries every day is NOT moderation and will definitely not be great for your arteries.

3. McDonald’s doesn’t try to hide their ingredients. In fact, they have been leading the way with menu transparency. Something our government and the big grocery and pharm cartels could learn from. Educated consumers still might buy a cheeseburger, but they’ll do it less often, and be back in the drive thru for a snack wrap the next time. Everyone’s happy – and healthier – when there is TRUTH on the menu.

4. McDonald’s has a university that helps teach and invest in their managers and franchise owners and anyone who is interested in a career with them: Hamburger University. Delmy and her husband – who own four locations in Austin, including the top grossing store and first ever geographically located in the city – both started as cooks with McDonald’s. She’s passionate about her job and teaches her employees that she’s not their boss, their customers are the boss. I love that. That’s the American way, right there.

5. McDonald’s donates money towards schools by allowing teachers to come work behind the counter of their local McDonald’s location for a few hours and a portion of the sale goes to that school. They donate 20% of the sales for those hours! They call it McTeacher’s Night. Too bad they don’t do it for homeschool co-ops. Boy, wouldn’t that be nice!? I could use a copy machine, some back yard playground equipment, and extra book shelves.

So hey, if you are a hater, that’s OK… but you’ll find us at our local McDonald’s without apology. Sometimes we’ll be getting the greasy burger with cheese and mayo. Other times we’ll be stopping in for a smoothie, a salad, a bottled water, and a wrap. Always, we’ll be thankful that they are there – and ready to serve us while we are on the go.

Want to join me in the drive-thru?

I’m giving away a $25.00 reloadable McDonald’s Arch Card (good for use anywhere in the United States). To enter, use the Rafflecopter below…

a Rafflecopter giveaway

{ Have a wonderful December! }

In Him,

Heather

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Disclaimer: McDonald’s did not compensate me for this post, but did provide free food for me to try! All opinions are my own.