Why I am Proud to Be a McCafe Mom and a Giveaway!

The Philadelphia area McDonald’s recently contacted me inviting me to be a part of their McCafe Mom’s Club, which means I will be a blog ambassador for McDonald’s. I cannot tell you how excited I am to be joining with this awesome group of area Moms to learn about and promote new offerings from McDonald’s, give our input as Moms and enjoy special events sponsored by McDonald’s with our families.

As a busy Mom, I am a regular customer at McDonald’s and I am not ashamed to say that I have been enjoying McDonald’s food since I was a child.  I am that Mom who pretty much cooks dinner every night.  I watch my calorie intake. I read the ingredients in our food. I make healthy choices for my family as frequently as possible.  I workout at the gym several times a week.  And although I certainly do not eat fast food everyday, at least once a week or every other week I do make a quick run through the Drive Thru for a salad, a yogurt parfait, low fat Chocolate milk for the kids or a diet soda.  I often choose McDonald’s because they do have healthy options to choose from.  For breakfast, an Egg McMuffin, yogurt parfait or oatmeal with real fruit are all reasonable in calories and possibly even healthier than some of the choices I may have chosen at home.  An occasional lunch or dinner often consists of a Southwest salad with light Balsamic dressing or a Grilled Chicken sandwich.  I also like that the Happy Meal has been revamped to include apple slices and mini fries to help keep the not-the-most-healthy options in the meal in moderation.  For the most part, my kids have apple juice or milk with their meals.  Occasionally for dessert, we head to McDonald’s as a family for some ice cream (since a small cone is only 150 calories).  Yes – eating fast food can be done sensibly – it is all about the choices you make when ordering.

Last Saturday, my family and I were invited to the Ronald McDonald house in Camden New Jersey for a special event to promote the new Fish McBites.  Available for a limited time, Fish McBites are crispy yet tender pieces of wild-caught Alaskan Pollock – and they are super yummy (with no fishy taste at all)!  My kids tasted them and both agreed that they would definitely ask to have them again if visiting McDonald’s – especially since they can choose them for their Happy Meals. To check out how the Fish McBites stack up nutritionally compared to fish sticks you would normally buy at the grocery store, check out this comparison chart from my friend and fellow McCafe Mom Jennifer at Jersey Family Fun which can be found HERE.

 
 
 

Aside from learning about Fish Mc Bites, my kids had a blast hanging out and watching Ronald McDonald perform, enjoying crafts and playing fun fish themed games, while I met and chatted with the other area McCafe Moms and representatives from McDonald’s. 

After our chat, we were invited to tour the  Ronald McDonald house and learn more about the Ronald McDonald House Charities.  We met with some of the families and saw first hand just how wonderful this organization really is.  The facility houses families of children needing critical or long term care in local hospitals.  It is designed to feel like a “home away from home” with beautifully decorated “themed” rooms, play areas, family rooms, laundry facilities and a huge kitchen.  There are 3 Ronald McDonald houses right in our area, one in NJ and two in Philadelphia. For a very small stipend, families can stay at the Ronald McDonald house for up to six months and if for any reason they are unable to afford the stipend, they will never be turned away.  This organization is all about easing the burden of the need for parents to be with their children during these critical times.  Families travel from all over the country to seek care for their children at our area children’s hospitals.  All in all there are 322 Ronald McDonald Houses around the world.

 
There are plenty of opportunities to volunteer at the RMDH. Each of the rooms in the house are adopted by volunteers who paint, decorate, and maintain the rooms for a commitment of three years. Volunteers also come in to prepare breakfasts and dinners for the families who are staying at the facility. Interested parties can add their names to the volunteer lists by contacting their local Ronald Mc Donald House. For more inspiration, HERE is a list of 30 ways that you can help or volunteer.
 

Yes – I am certainly proud to be a part of this new McCafe Mom program.  I think it is wonderful that McDonald’s is reaching out to Moms and listening to what we have to say and what it is that we want for our families.  I am excited  that McDonald’s wants to give us the healthier options we are all hoping for when choosing quick and convenient meals for our family.  I love that McDonald’s supports these wonderful Ronald McDonald House charities and I am thrilled to support and promote their fundraising efforts for such a wonderful organization.  I am looking forward to keeping you up to date on my participation in this program.

In the mean time, do not take my word for it that the Fish McBites are delicious!  Go ahead and leave a comment below letting me know that you would like to give them a try or tell me your favorite McDonald’s food.   I will choose 2 winners, who will each receive 4 coupons for free Fish McBites.  Winners will be selected on March 14th.  Be sure to leave an email address where I can contact you if you are chosen as a winner.  Winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize or a new winner will be selected. Coupons are valid in participating McDonalds in Southeastern PA, Southern NJ and Kent & New Castle Counties DE.

Disclosure: I am a Mc Cafe Mom blogger and I do receive compensation for blogging for McDonald’s.  All opinions are 100% my own and based on my own experiences.



Comments

  1. My favorite thing at McDonalds is the fruit and yogurt parfaits! My kids love the chicken nuggets. I’d like to win this because the Fish McBites have come into close competition with the nuggets – they are that good!
    Jeanine @MommyEntourage

  2. Anonymous says:

    I want to try the Fish McBites. I love fish sticks and I think I would like these.

    catsylvester1977@aol.com

  3. I love the nuggets, the sacuses are always great! suelee1998@ gmail.com

  4. I would love to try them debbie jackson
    djackson1958 at hotmail dot com

  5. Ok so I have been know to dabble in a Dbl Cheeseburger. And the Sausage egg McMuffin evokes child hood memories of my dad bring them home once when I was sick just for me why my siblings were at church (bonding moment). When it comes to the Ronald Mc Donald house, my sister and her family lived there for 3 months while my nephew was in Hershey Medical Center. So I cann’t say any but praise for them because the loved and took care of my family.
    sherry@babypop.com

  6. What a wonderful program of which to be a part! I really want to try the Fish McBites. I love the Ronald McDonald House Charities. It is a pleasure to donate to such a wonderful charity! Loved your post.

  7. Love your pix! We had a great day and I’m proud to be a part of the program with you!

  8. I’d love to give the Fish McBites a try… and hopefully my sons will try them as well! mammabearsteph (at) gmail – dot – com

  9. Great post Kelly. I want to try McBites.
    heatherlm4 @ gmail

  10. I really like the fish sandwiches, but have not given Fish McBites a try. The kids have had them and love them! It is so important to support RMHC. I always put my change in the drive thru box for RMHC.

Leave a Reply to LL Cancel reply

*

CommentLuv badge

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.