Right now there are two great free offers at McDonald’s! Both of which are on the healthy side.
This week, Sept. 8-10 from 7 to 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., visit a participating San Diego County McDonald’s restaurant to sample a Fruit ‘N Yogurt Parfait made with nonfat vanilla Chobani® Greek Yogurt.
Combined with the sweet taste of strawberries and blueberries, and topped with granola, Fruit ‘N Yogurt Parfaits are perfect for breakfast, as a side, or a mid-day snack – especially with the classic vanilla taste of Chobani® Greek Yogurt. YUM! I think Bitty Bird and I will hit up our local McDo’s after the Y today and get a coffee and free Parfait!
And offer #2 is a favorite around these parts!
On Tuesday, Sept. 13, participating restaurants will offer free breakfast from 6:30-9:30 a.m. to students in kindergarten through eighth grade when an accompanying adult uses the McDonald’s App. In San Diego County, students can enjoy an Egg McMuffin or Egg White Delight, apple slices and milk.
To redeem this offer, an adult must download or have already downloaded the McDonald’s App, present the offer to the cashier and ask the cashier for the free back-to-school breakfast. Students younger than 13 years of age are required to be accompanied by a parent/adult to redeem this offer at participating McDonald’s restaurants. This offer may vary throughout the state and only one breakfast is allowed per student.
The MCDonald’s App is pretty cool. You can earn free McCafe Beverages, and there are coupons that are only available on the app (like BOGO happy meals and free upgrades!).
So there you go! Two tasty deals. Thanks to my Friend Su for the heads up on the second offer!
Lil’ Man loves him some waffles. And pancakes. Pretty much anything hot that he can have slathered in butter.
Recently the awesome folks over at Nicole’s Natural’s offered me a canister of their gluten-free waffle and pancake mix to try out. We’re not a GF family due to allergies or sensitivities, but I love trying new products, especially new breakfast products!
What I really liked about these waffles is that despite being Gluten Free, they cook up super crispy. They contain brown rice, corn meal, and GF oatmeal, all of which gives the waffles an amazing texture. Even when I re-heated some the next morning in the toaster oven, they stayed crispy, as if I just made them!
Each 22 ounce canister makes about 8-10 waffles, depending on your waffle iron size and how thick you like your batter. I got 12 waffles out of the mix, but I added a little extra milk because the batter was a little too thick towards the end of the bowl.
All you add to the mix is water (or milk of your choice), melted butter or coconut oil, and eggs. It’s easy peasy.
Nicole’s Naturals Mix:
Is Gluten-, Wheat-, Dairy- and Soy-Free (but definitely not taste-free!)
Contains 150 calories per serving
Has only one gram of sugar (much less than other mixes that contain upwards of nine grams per serving) and two grams of fiber
Is independently tested at less than five parts gluten per million, far below the FDA regulation of 20 parts per million for products labeled gluten-free.
12 waffles is a bit much for the three of us, so after we had eaten, I cut up the remaining waffles into quarters, let them cool and put them into a freezer bag. The next morning we enjoyed them again after a quick trip through the toaster oven.
San Diego Residents can find Nicole’s Natural’s at the following stores:
I was given a canister of Nicole’s Naturals gluten-free waffle and pancake mix at no charge to facilitate my review, however I was not financially compensated for my review.
Zut Alors! I wrote a few weeks back about how you can save money by ditching the ‘Bux habit, but I wanted to share a few quick, easy coffee recipes with you using freshly brewed coffee. We ditched our Mr. Coffee a few years back and opted to embrace the French Press.
The great people over at L&Z and Tomoson recently gave me the opportunity to try out the the Francois et Mimi 50oz Glass French Press. For those unfamiliar with a French press, it looks like this:
It’s a glass pot held by a metal “cage” with a heat proof handle. The lid contains a plunger with a fine mesh to contain all of the grounds in the bottom of the pot (and not in your cup) once the plunger has been depressed all the way.
Making Coffee in A French Press is a cinch:
Place 3 scoops of coffee grounds in the bottom of the glass pot.
Heat water in a pot or tea kettle until it is VERY HOT, but not boiling (about 30 second from boil- if you are using a tea kettle to heat your water, you’ll get familiar with the “I’m almost boiling” gurgle. If you are heating water on the stove in a pot, you want the water to have tiny bubbles that have yet to “pop”).
Pour hot water over grounds and put the lid on the pot, but do not depress the plunger.
After about 4 minutes, depress the plunger and the coffee is ready to drink.
The Francois et Mimi French Press is awesome because it’s 50 ounces, while most French Presses are 12-20 ounces. 50 ounces is comparable to a standard drip coffee pot. That means the Mr. and I can actually share a pot of coffee without one of us sneaking back into the kitchen after the first cup and finishing the pot (Our former French Press was only 24 ounces, which makes about 2 1/2 coffee cups of coffee).
So now you know how to make coffee in the French press here are a few ways to fancy up your cuppa Joe.
Quick & Easy Misto (aka a Cafe au Lait)
Ingredients:
20 ounces Hot Coffee (prepared however you like)
1 cup milk (whatever kind you like, I prefer whole or 2%).
Sweetener, if desired
Ground Nutmeg or Cinnamon, if desired
Directions:
In a heat proof cup, heat milk for approx. 30 seconds in the microwave.
Froth milk in a Magic bullet, blender, or using an Milk Frother. This takes about 30 seconds. The more fat the milk contains, the foamer the milk gets. Fat free milk (either dairy or non-dairy) does not get too frothy.
Pour Hot Coffee into your serving cup. Add your sweetener and stir. This is a great time to try a new sweetened syrup!
Using a spoon, Push frothed milk to the side and pour milk over the coffee.
Top with Foam if desired.
Get extra fancy and sprinkle the top of the foam with nutmeg or cinnamon!
Hot, frothy milk!The finished product, time for breakfast!
Quick & Easy Mocha: If you love a Cafe Mocha to start your day, simply add 2 T. of your favorite Chocolate milk mix to the milk before your heat and froth it. Follow the same directions as above.
If you like your coffee a little stronger, add an extra scoop of grounds into the French Press during the brewing process.
Because the French Press does not have a heat mechanism to keep the coffee hot throughout the day, you may want to pour the coffee into an insulated carafe. Because there is no heating mechanism, if you make an iced coffee using the remaining coffee (if there is any!) later in the day, the coffee will not be thick, bitter, or tar like (think about the coffee in your work place break room about 3pm- EEK!).
Cooled/leftover French Press coffee makes GREAT iced coffee. Simply pour over ice, add any milk and sweetener/syrup you’d like and serve. YUM!
For an Iced Mocha, mix 2 T. of your favorite Chocolate milk mix to the milk before adding it to your ice and coffee.
I love the Torani Sugar Free syrups, they come in over 40 flavors and most of them are great in coffee. We like the following flavors:
Irish Coffee (it’s non-alcoholic)
Caramel
Hazelnut
French Vanilla
Brown Sugar Cinnamon (Takes just like a cinnamon Dulce Latte from Starbucks)
Almond
Pumpkin Spice
Coconut (it’s good in a mocha)
I want to thank the great people over at L&Z and Tomoson for the chance to review this rad French Press. I was not financially compensated to review these products, however I received a 50 ounce French Press free to facilitate my review. I only recommend products and services that I feel may be a good fit for my readers.
I’d love to hear about your favorite coffee recipes. Leave a comment and share how you dress up your Cuppa Joe!
This week, Sept. 8-10 from 7 to 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., visit a participating San Diego County McDonald’s restaurant to sample a Fruit ‘N Yogurt Parfait made with nonfat vanilla Chobani® Greek Yogurt.
What I really liked about these waffles is that despite being Gluten Free, they cook up super crispy. They contain brown rice, corn meal, and GF oatmeal, all of which gives the waffles an amazing texture. Even when I re-heated some the next morning in the toaster oven, they stayed crispy, as if I just made them!
Hewes Family Fun 