Recently, I was invited to learn more about McDonald’s Local Nutrition Network initiative. This new community outreach initiative will provide funds to local organizations for nutrition programs. The New York Tri-State McDonald’s restaurant owners will offer seed money to help bring nutrition information and guidance to their local communities. Plus, McDonald’s will host MeetUps where dietitians can meet with families and individuals in need of nutrition information.

McDonald’s is accepting applications from local organizations that want to bring nutrition information to their communities in the Tri-State area. This year, five organizations will be selected. Non-profit organizations can apply here: www.McDNYMetroNutritionNetwork.com. Applications are being taken until June 1, 2012.

As we know, making healthy food choices is sometimes difficult. McDonald’s has put together some lower calorie menu options for those on a more restrictive diet make better choices.

Breakfast:
Egg McMuffin
Fruit ‘N Yogurt Parfait with Granola
Small Black Coffee or Bottled Water
Total Nutritional Content: 460 calories, 14 g fat, 22 g protein, 3 g fiber

Lunch:
McDonald’s Hamburger
Side Salad with Low Fat Balsamic Dressing
Diet Coke
Snack Size Fruit & Walnuts
Total Nutritional Content: 510 calories, 19.5 g fat, 17 g protein, 5 g fiber

Snack:
Grilled Chicken Ranch Snack Wrap (270 calories, 12 g fat, 1 g fiber)
Fruit Smoothie (210 calories, .5 g fat, 2 g protein, 3 g fiber)

Dinner:
Premium Southwest Salad with Southwest Dressing with Grilled Chicken
Bottled Water
Chocolate Chip Cookie
Total Nutritional Content: 550 Calories, 22g fat, 30 g protein, 8 g fiber

Also, McDonald’s has changed their Happy Meals. Now, included with every Happy Meal are sliced apples and the Fries size has been reduced from 2.2oz to 1.1oz. Available as drink options are low fat milk and fat free chocolate milk.

For more information about McDonald’s nutrition facts, visit www.mcdonalds.com/qualityfood

I was compensated for attending this event sponsored by McDonald’s. All opinions are 100% my own.

What is the #1 frozen pizza in Italy? Dr. Oetker Ristorante Pizza! Now you can get the pizza in the United States. This pizza has a crispy and thin crust and unique and fresh ingredients. Dr. August Oetker started out developing and selling baking soda at his pharmacy in Bielefeld, Germany in 1891. Over one hundred years later, Dr. Oetker’s company has grown and delivers great quality pizza using the finest and freshest ingredients.

There are six different 10″ Italian-inspired pizzas:

• Mozzarella: Fresh mozzarella, sun-ripened tomatoes, zesty pesto sauce
• Spinaci: Savory leaf spinach, mozzarella, hearty garlic sauce
• Funghi: Aromatic mushrooms, mozzarella, tomato sauce, parsley, oregano
• Quattro Formaggi: 4 premium cheeses: edam, mozzarella, emmental, blue cheese, basil seasoning
• Vegetale: Tangy tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, chilies, sour cream sauce
• Speciale: Pepperoni, cooked ham, spicy herbs

Each of the pizzas are found in the frozen section of grocery stores on the East coast and are about $4.99 each, a great bargain! Fortunately, I live in New Jersey and was able to pick up two of these pizzas. We tried the Mozzarella and the Quattro Formaggi. We loved both of them! They were different from the regular frozen pizzas and had more flavor. We would have loved to try other varieties, but our store does not carry all the varieties yet.

You can find out more about Dr. Oetker Ristorante Pizza and where to purchase at oetker.us or ristorante.us.

 

I am a BzzAgent and received free product to help facilitate my review.  All opinions are 100% my own.

I have been searching the web for some great St. Patrick’s Day Treats and I found so many great ideas.  The first is green cake pops from Love From The Oven.  This are easy and fun to make!

These cupcakes use green spearmint leaves to make four leaf clovers.

This is right up my alley!  Chocolate Mint Brownies.  I want to make some now!

For a healthier snack – try this rainbow fruit.

 How about a little Irish triffle?

{Be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of this post!}
Whole grains are an important part of your diet. But, how do you know that you are getting enough Whole Grains? According to Dr. Travis Stork host of The Doctors, it is sometimes difficult to identify whole grain products. Sometimes there are cues on the front of the box, but it is more important to read the ingredient list. If the words “whole grain” are followed by a grain such as wheat or oats, than the food contains more whole grain than any other single ingredient. Here are Dr. Stork’s three ways to include more whole grains in your diet:

• Start Early – You should be getting at least 48 grams of whole grain in your daily diet. Make sure that whole grains are included in your morning meal, such as cereal that lists whole grain as the first ingredient.
• Make Simple Swaps – Change to whole grain versions of your favorite foods such as pasta, bread, crackers and rice.
• Don’t Judge a Food by Its Cover. While the front of food packages have nutritional cues, don’t forget to read the ingredients. General Mills cereals with a white check on the front have whole grains as their main ingredient.

If you would like help choosing products with whole grain, check out Fast Lane for Whole Grain game developed by General Mills. You can navigate a virtual grocery store aisles and find products that have whole grain as the first ingredient. Plus, you have the option to enter a sweepstakes to win one of each of the 50 cereals with the white check including Cheerios®, Lucky Charms®, Cinnamon Toast Crunch®, Honey Nut Cheerios® and Total®.

Would you like to win five boxes of General Mills cereals with the white check? Simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: The prize pack, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

I often have difficultly planning meals.  I seem to go back to the same old recipes when I really want to try something new.  Fortunately, I have come across four great sites that offer meal plans (and one site where you can print a blank meal planning sheet) to help me with ideas.   If you need help organizing and planning meals, these sites will help you with the task.

• Organizing Junkie tells us her menu plan every Monday as part of Menu Plan Monday.  Stop by every Monday to get some ideas for meals for the week.  You can also look at her previous Menu Plan Monday posts for even more ideas.
• This Week for Dinner also provides a weekly meal plan.  The best part is that others leave comments with their meal plans as well, giving you plenty of choices to create your own meal plan for the week.
• E-mealz is a subscription service that I have used.  There are many different menu options to choose from (such as low-fat, low-carb, gluten free) and you can even choose the store that you shop from.  The menus come with recipes for every day of the week and a shopping list.  The plan is very affordable at about $5.00/month depending on the plan.
• Another subscription based service is Menu4Moms.com.  These menus include full-color photographs and plans for leftovers.  You can get a trial for only one penny for two weeks.  If you decide to continue the price is $7.95/month. Every week you will receive a new menu with recipes and grocery list in a PDF file.

You can print a  free printable Weekly Meal Planner sheet from Organized Home.  Organized Home offer tons of great free printables to help you with home organization.

I never start my New Year’s Resolutions on January 1st. I always wait a few weeks to get back into the swing of things before I decide what I want to work on this year. One of my resolutions is to eat healthier and lose some extra pounds. That is why I was excited to be asked to try a few of the Progresso® soup offerings. Progresso offers 40 different delicious soups that are each 100 calories or less per serving. Many of the varieties include such hearty ingredients like pasta, beans, rice, meat and vegetables. My favorite so far is the Chicken and Wild Rice Soup. I love rice in soup and this soup has a great flavor. My husband absolutely loved the New England Clam Chowder and my kids favorite was the Chicken Noodle Soup. Each soup had lots of ingredients and superb flavor!

This year, Progresso is also returning with their Souper You® Contest. This contest provides three lucky winners an ultimate makeover experience in Hollywood! The winners will receive a head-to-toe makeover, a guided shopping spree with a $1,000 gift card, $1,000 spending money and 2 tickets to the season finale of NBC’s The Biggest Loser. Do you want to see what the winners did last year, watch the video to see the 2011 winner experience.

To enter the contest, visit www.SouperYou.com, submit your photo and a brief essay about why you deserve a makeover and why you love Progresso soups. Entries must be received by February 22nd. On March 12th, the top ten finalists will be announced and voting will begin.

If you would like a coupon for $1.25 off four cans of Progresso Soup, click here to print a coupon. And don’t forget to watch The Biggest Loser on NBC Tuesdays (8/7 Central) to catch up on the contestants and how they are faring.

GIVEAWAY! I am giving away two coupons for a free can of Progresso Soup and a Biggest Loser Workout DVD. To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below.

Disclosure: The Progresso® Souper You® prize pack, information, coupon, and giveaway have been provided by Progresso through MyBlogSpark.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Did you know that Weight Watchers makes great frozen treats? These frozen treats are lower in calories than regular frozen treats and come in a variety of flavors! My favorite so far are the Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Bars. These bars are only three points. The ice cream is a combination of low-fat cheesecake ice cream with a raspberry swirl. Then the top is dipped in a dark chocolate coating. Each bar is only 110 calories with 4 grams of fat and 0 grams of trans fat.

My kids favorite is the Snack Size Chocolate Fudge Bars. These bars are the perfect snack size with a great chocolate flavor. Each bar is only 45 calories with less than 1 gram of fat. Plus, they are only 1 point!

Another favorite at our house is the Dark Chocolate Dulce de Leche Ice Cream Bars. These bars combine chocolate and caramel tastes that is completely delicious! The ice cream bar is swirled in caramel and then dipped in a dark chocolate coating. Each bar is 120 calories, 4.5 grams of fat and only 3 points.

I also love the Dark Chocolate Raspberry Ice Cream Bars. These are the perfect ice cream snack. With only 80 calories and 2 grams of protein, I just love these. The middle is filled with low-fat raspberry ice cream and the outside is a rich, dark chocolate flavored coating. Only 2 points per bar.

You don’t have to be on the Weight Watcher Diet program to enjoy these great ice cream treats. These are great for any one watching their weight. Plus, I think they are a great treat for kids instead of the high-calorie snacks that kids tend to gravitate toward.

I received free product as part of a promotional program with WeightWatchers and MomSelect. All opinions are 100% my own.

If you, or your kids love the taste of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, now you have a new flavor to try: General Mill’s Frosted Toast Crunch. Frosted Toast Crunch as 11 grams of whole grain, 9 grams of sugar and is a good source of calcium. Frosted Toast Crunch as a great vanilla taste. This cereal is now in your grocery stores!

We love cereal in our house, and this is a great addition to the cereal that we normally have. My kids loved the taste of Frosted Toast Crunch – they even loved to eat it plain as a snack after school. We are on the run in the mornings. I have three kids in three different schools, and sometimes cereal is the quick way for us to get breakfast. I love that this cereal as 11 grams of whole grain and less sugar than some of the other cereals.

Would you like to win a Frosted Toast Crunch Prize Pack? One winner will receive a box of Frosted Toast Crunch, Spilt milk bowl, Lickety spoon and a Frosted pitcher. Enter by filling out the Rafflecopter form below. Open to US Residents only. Giveaway closes on January 23, 2012 at 11:5pm EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: Frosted Toast Crunch, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.