I had the great privilege of attending the McDonald’s Flavors of Summer First Taste Event in NYC earlier this week. It’s been quite a few years since I have visited NYC, so visiting the city alone was a big deal for me. McDonald’s was a gracious host to the 20 bloggers invited to the event. We stayed at the beautiful Empire Hotel, perfectly located between Lincoln Center and Central Park.
My Jr Suite at Empire Hotel
My first night in NYC, McDonald’s gathered us all together for an amazing dining experience at the Culinary Loft in Soho. The bloggers got to help Chef Dave Martin (Top Chef) prepare an amazing berry infused dinner. We met McDonald’s new Chef Jessica Drakulich who also happens to be a Dietitian. I was most happy that we had an opportunity to dine with and talk to many of the McDonald’s Executives, such as the McCafe Beverage Line Marketing Director Marta Fearon, about the McDonald’s chain and the direction the company is taking with new products like Blueberry Banana Nut Oatmeal and the McCafe Cherry Berry Chiller. It was an evening of delicious food and great conversation!
Chef Dave put my saute skills to good use!
The Flavors of Summer First Taste Event featured the tastes and trends of summer, including McDonald’s two newest menu items – McCafe Cherry Berry Chiller and Blueberry Banana Nut Oatmeal. It was a day of health and beauty featuring special guests lifestyle expert Bobby Thomas, and Nutrition Experts Tanya Zuckerbrot, MS, RD (F-Factor) and Sylvia Melendez-Klinger, MS, RD, LDN, CPT.
Bobbie Thomas (Today Show)
Keeping with the theme of health and beauty, I got a professional manicure by Gina who is manicurist to mom celebrities such as Kelly Ripa. Makeup expert Rommy Najor gave me some great tips. I don’t like the heaviness of lipstick, so I use a gloss which doesn’t seem to stay on for long. Rommy said to try using a lip stain under my favorite gloss for a more lasting effect. Bobbie Thomas brought a beautiful selection of berry inspired fashions for Summer. Just before heading to the airport, I took advantage of the mini massages being offered, to prepare me for my long flight.
Getting my blueberry inspired manicure!
The highlight of the event was getting a first taste of the new McDonald’s McCafe Cherry Berry Chiller and Blueberry Banana Nut Oatmeal that will be available for a limited time this Summer. I am so impressed by the direction McDonald’s is taking by giving us more nutritious menu items such as these two tasty additions.
McCafe Cherry Berry Chiller
As much as I enjoyed trying this refreshing drink (and I had 3 of them), I know that the kids will like this even more than I do. The Cherry Berry Chiller is a blended ice beverage made with 100% fruit juice with natural flavors. The natural sweetness of the cherry and raspberry is perfect! I’m the person who drinks the cherry juice from a jar of maraschino cherries, so I really appreciate the amount of cherry flavor that this chiller packs. I know we’ll be pulling into McDonald’s a lot this Summer for the Cherry Berry Chiller.
A 12 oz serving of the McCafe Cherry Berry Chiller has only 200 calories.
Blueberry Banana Nut Oatmeal
I’m already a huge fan of the Apple Cinnamon Walnut Oatmeal, so I’m thrilled that there is a new oatmeal variety soon to be available! The Blueberry Banana Nut Oatmeal is incredibly satisfying and will keep you full until lunch time. Each serving contains approximately 1/4 cup of fresh blueberries which is no small feat. At the event I had opportunity to speak with Art Galletta, Chairman of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council who is making it possible for McDonald’s to serve fresh blueberries in all 14,000 U.S. stores this Summer. The Blueberry Banana Nut Oatmeal is infused with crushed, dried banana and comes with a pouch of chopped Walnuts. I seriously love this oatmeal and know you will also. Plus, you can get it any time of the day. Seriously, you gotta try it!
The nutritional values for this hearty dish can’t be beat, at only 290 calories per serving and containing 5 grams of fiber with 2 servings of whole grains.
I’ve been struggling to lose weight for months now, so I was thrilled to learn that McDonald’s offers some fantastic meals for less than 600 calories each. I am excited to share these under 600 calories choices with you:
Breakfast:
Blueberry Banana Nut Oatmeal
1% Low Fat White Milk Jug
Premium Roast Coffee (Black)
Lunch or Dinner:
Premium Grilled Chicken Classic Sandwich on a bakery-style bun
Apple Slices
Bottle of Dasani Water
Lunch or Dinner:
McDonald’s Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken
1 packet of Newman’s Own Creamy Southwest Dressing
Fruit n Yogurt Parfait (with granola)
Diet Coke
Lunch or Dinner:
New Happy Meal containing 4-pice Chicken McNuggets, Apple Slices, Kids Fries, and Fat Free Chocolate Milk Jug.
It’s so easy to eat a healthy and satisfying meal at McDonald’s and stick to your diet!
A big Thank You to McDonald’s for including me in this fabulous event! Disclosure: No compensation was received for this post. About A Mom received an all expense paid trip to attend the event. All opinions are 100% our own.
Glad to see that McD’s is trying to offer healthier, tastier options. We don’t eat fast food but these are def. great recs in case we are road tripping : )
I am so totally jealous, what a wonderful experience they gave you. The Cherry Berry Chiller looks gorgeous!!
The oatmeal looks really yummy actually!
That looks like so much fun!!! I love the way you round your pictures & need to learn how to do that. The Cherry Berry Chiller looks delish!
It’s easy to do the rounded corners using Picmonkey.
Sounds like a fun event. There are ways to eat healthy at McDonalds- I like to see the trend that they are offering more and more healthy choices. People are always going to go for a good burger and fries anyway- so maybe there’s a way to make that healthier and better for the environment??? One can dream, right?
Everything looks so yummy :)and fun! Thanks for sharing I enjoyed it 🙂
Sounds like you had a great event. Everything looks so good to eat. Thanks for sharing the fun you had.
It looks like a great time. I hardly go to fast food places, but when we do, I always make sure I know the healthier options so I can eat there without feeling guilty about it
What a fun trip! I went to NYC on a high school trip with my theatre troupe. I really didn’t want to come back home. And I must say that your jr. suite is pimpin’! 😀
It was so wonderful meeting you! Keep in touch!
Absolutely! I’m so glad we met!