This is a sponsored post from BlogHer and McDonald’s.
A couple of months ago I got an invitation from McDonald’s.
At first I was hoping beyond all hope that the invitation was to be a part of some sort of Double Cheeseburger Taste Test Committee (oh, my love for the Mickey D’s double cheeseburger is deep, and it is true), but alas, that was not the case. They were having a Family Time Getaway weekend for some bloggers and their families, and they asked me to be a part of it.
Honestly? I initially had mixed reactions about going. I mean, everybody knows the health concerns that go along with kids and fast food. Everybody knows the health concerns that go along with grown-ups and fast food. And I wasn’t really that interested in dragging my family all the way to Chicago so that I could be a part of what I assumed would be a never-ending focus group. But in the end, my relational side won out. There would be new and interesting people there (I am, as a general rule, a sucker for people), and I’d get to travel to one of my favorite cities with my husband and my son.
As it turned out, it was an absolutely delightful trip. The McDonald’s folks did have some meetings and activities set up for us, but they also gave us time to just hang out and be a family. I can’t even tell you how great that was. In fact, the second day we were there they planned a scavenger hunt on the grounds of the hotel, and our little family of three had the best time. The weather was absolutely gorgeous (I did not get the impressions that Chicagoans are, as a rule, familiar with the same level of humidity that we experience here in the Deep South), and I loved being able to “help” my fellas find the objects on the list while I took lots of pictures of trees.
Trees are my favorite, you know.
It was also great to get some behind-the-scenes perspective from the McDonald’s folks. They were candid, open, warm – and absolutely no topic was off limits. The scope of what they do is absolutely mind-boggling, and they are so passionate about it. What surprised me the most – and I don’t mean to sound like I was Sally Cynical before we met with them, but maybe I was just a little bit – is how much they genuinely care about the kids that they serve and how deeply committed they are to being a help to parents in terms of providing a nutritious alternative to a home-cooked meal (notice that I said alternative – I didn’t hear anybody at McDonald’s headquarters advocating feeding kids fast food five days a week, and I think we can all agree that children need variety in their diets and need to be exposed to a wide range of foods). They would be the first to tell you that they’re not perfect, but they would also tell you – and I would agree – that they’re working hard every single day to get better. As a mama, it was so encouraging to see that side of things.
And as for the Double Cheeseburger Taste Testing, I’m sad to say that it didn’t happen. We did get to sample the oatmeal that they’re testing (it was loaded with fruit, and I was an immediate fan) as well as Egg McMuffins (seriously? did y’all know that they’re made with real eggs? that can be cooked however you’d like them? I HAD NO IDEA). My little man was so taken with the Egg McMuffin that he raised his hand and said, “THIS IS THE MOST DELICIOUS EGG MCMUFFIN THAT I HAVE EVER HAD!”
It was also the first Egg McMuffin he’d ever had. But I think we all know that he’s never really been lacking in enthusiasm.
But here was the biggest thing with me, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the food. The day we were scheduled to leave Chicago, a huge thunderstorm rolled into town. We were waiting in the hotel lobby for our ride to the airport, and all the McDonald’s folks were gone (it was late in the afternoon, and our last official activity that day was at lunch). I was just about to check our flight status on the computer in the lobby, and two of the girls who work with McDonald’s – Heather and Maggie – came running through the lobby doors.
One of them rushed up to me and said, “Are you okay? Is your flight delayed? We were almost home, but when we saw how bad the weather was we thought we’d better come back and check on you!”
Sure enough, our flight was delayed – then cancelled altogether – and they spent the next three hours working to get us home. We ended up having to stay an extra night at the hotel, and they took such unbelievably good care of us. I will never forget how they went out of their way to do that, and it spoke volumes to me about the way McDonald’s does business.
So.
I’m tickled that I get to give away a McDonald’s Family Prize Pack in conjunction with the “Family Time, Happy Time” program. The prize pack includes McDonald’s and AMC gift cards, games, a fleece blanket and other items that are perfect for a fun outing with your family, and the retail value is $100. So if you’d like to be entered to win, all you have to do is answer this question:
What’s your absolute favorite meal to eat for family dinner? Is it something you get from a restaurant? Or is it more of a home-cooked affair?
By the way, our favorite family dinner is country fried steak, mashed potatoes, butterbeans, rolls and homemade chocolate pudding.
We’re terribly sophisticated.
In all seriousness, be sure to visit the other bloggers who are participating in this giveaway (they’re listed over on the BlogHer.com special offers page. And by all means feel free to check out the official rules. This sweepstakes runs from 7/27 until 8/10.
Good luck, everybody – and if you have any questions about what we did or what I learned on the trip, feel free to ask. I’ll do my best to answer!
This giveaway is now closed.
Our favorite meal is Chicken Marsala over rice with grilled asparagus.
steak on the grill, mashed potatoes, green salad
I think our favorite meal would have to be some sort of yummy grilled fish stuffed into fried corn tortillas and stuffed with lettuce,tomatoes and cheese and drizzled with a homeade aoli that I made up! Couple that with black eyed pea and corn salsa and a pitcher of cold ice tea!!!!!
Our favorite meal is Carolina/Calabash style seafood. There are a variety of superb restaurants within a 50 mile radius that do an excellent job. By far our favorites are those on the water.The quality of the waitstaff is as important as the food.
i love going out to olive garden. spaghetti is the best!
My favorite meal is chicken croquettes, veggie croquettes, baked mac & cheese with pie for dessert. Very bad for you & takes all day to make, but delicious!
we love hamburgers and french fries
Our family loves hamburgers cooked on the grill. And to make it even better – they like to eat on the back deck.
i like to mexican lazagna it tastes yummy and reheats great
nannypanpan at sbcglobal.net
We love Chinese as a family when we eat out but we also love many of McDonald’s munu items like their whopper and fries with their cobb salad on the side.
Our favorite family meal is my husband’s homemade spaghetti. We serve it with crusty garlic bread.
My family loves pasta! We usually have at least one pasta dish a week!
Pizza with salad
baked siti is great and you can get two meals worth from this
Our favorite meal is garlic chicken, black beans and rice and fried plantain bananas.
Our favorite dish to eat for dinner is spaghetti with garlic bread.
anything mexican!
Our favorite is Fried Chicken, mashed potatoes, 40 weight gravy, fried okra and of course some rolls.
Steak, baked potatoes, mushrooms, and ceasar salad!
Our favorite meal is grilled steak, baked potatoes and salad and if we’re including dessert, it would be banana pudding. Very basic, but delicious.
We all love te easy stuff to grill out- hamburgers, bratwurst, hotdogs, and delicious sides. The boys “help” dad grill and feel like they were the cook. Such fond memories…
That would be Spaghetti…a staple in our home :)
Breakfast – where my husband will cook (mmm, waffles, bacon, bacon, bacon…) and we are all around the table. The boys will talk more in the morning than they do at night. ALthough
We love ALL food here! I would love to say that our family’s favorite is probably homemade lasagna, salad and bread followed by anything with chocolate for desert. But, my 4 kids are young, so even though it sounds like I’m trying to win the people over at McDonalds, the kids’ absolute favorite dinner would be to eat at McDonald’s and then play at their indoor playplace. That is a real luxery for them!
Definitely chicken tenders and french fries (baked of course :) )
Our favorite meal? A cup of my mama’s beef vegetable soup with with a ham or pimento cheese sandwich … served at her house in Mississippi, of course. [I yearn for home some days!]
Our favorite meal is anything mexican!!
I love barbeque pork chops, fresh salad, corn on the cob, and fresh peaches – homemade ofcourse!
Favorite meal is a roast in the crock pot with potatoes and carrots. MMMmmmm!!!
I love pizza. All kinds. Yum! Easy, delicious, everyone eats it, and I get no complaints! :)
Our fave is pulled pork from the crockpot. SO easy for me to pull together when I walk back in from work and SO delicious!
Our favorite family meal is shrimp, cooked any old way! It is home-cooked, not bought from a restaurant. I think the next way I want to try it is coconut shrimp. Mmmmm!
Not a whole lot makes my family happier food-wise than to come home from church and make taco salad together, eat ourselves silly, and crawl into bed for Sunday afternoon naps. :)
fav meal — anything cooked for me! I’m pretty easy to please and so is the family
Our favorite home-cooked meal is enchiladas, chips/dip, refried beans and homemade guacamole!
I’ve been putting sweet corn in the freezer today – (120 pints) and my mind is really having a hard time thinking about food… But really good steaks with garlic mashed potatoes and a yummy cheesecake makes my family smile!
Our favorite might be grilled steak, roasted veggies, and salad…what we had tonight!! YUM!
Suzanne
Seriously- my favorite family meal is anything cooked by someone else. I like cooking but to be able to not worry about the cooking or the clean-up and to just sit and eat and enjoy my family, that’s heaven to me. One favorite that immediately comes to mind is Chinese. We LOVE us some Chinese.
We love grilled cheese and tomato soup! We have it once a week!
The only meal we can all agree on anymore is taco night, because the kids are soooo picky.
I love Chilli.
Our favorite meal right now is Pizza from Sal’s Pizza Parlor. It’s sooooo good and tastes very authentic (New York style). Yum!
Hands down it’s homemade chicken and dumplings…I just inherited the table I grew up cutting dumplings on and I can’t wait to make a batch!
We love to east Hibachi together. Yum!!
We love pizza and salad!
We love homemade pizza!! It is definitely a tradition in our house!
Chicken scallopini!
We try not to be vain, but we always like food from home the best.
our favorite family meal is spaghetti after church each Sunday, with salad a garlic bread.
anything that we cook out on the grill!
The meal that gives me THE LEAST grief from two little boys is Baked Ziti, garlic bread and salad, SO, I have to go with that. =)
My ultimate favorite meal is (unforchantly but true) a whopper with extra cheese from Burger King! I wish it wasn’t! And trust me it shows! gmissycat@yahoo.com
I love to eat out ANYWHERE because I don’t have to clean up the blast zone from a 4, 2, and 1 year old! :)
Our family favorite for the summer is grilled greek turkey burgers, served with hummus and thinly sliced cucumbers on the bun. YUM!!
Chicken in the crock pot with cream soups (mushroom and chicken), a stick of butter and salt and pepper and a bit of water added to thin it. Served over white rice. Super easy and always a hit.
Our favorite meal is probably hamburgers grilled at home with homemade fries! Talk about sophistication!
Pork BBQ that’s been smoked all day in the backyard. With homemade sauce and potAto salad. Our favorite meals are always at home!
We love to grill steaks and fresh vegetables and have a glass of wine while enjoying each other’s company.
Our favorite family meal is lasagna, salad and garlic bread. My favorite part of it is that my 6 year old says that my “ma-sagna is the best ever!”
Our favorite meal is Chicken Divan. My boys love it. Although, on those nights when we are headed in three different directions and things are crazy I have been known to stop at Mcdonald’s, which is my go-to favorite. Thanks for the chance and so glad to hear how great you were treated by the McDonald’s folks.
Favorite meal: Homemade lasagna, green salad, cheesy garlic bread, and Grandma’s Chocolate Cake w/ mocha icing for dessert.
Well, we have five people, all with different favorites, but I’d have to say that all of us like corn on the cob, a lean cut of beef done in the crock pot, and mashed potatoes. With an ice cream chaser.
We love to grill everything, and up here in the frozen tundra, we take it very seriously since grilling season lasts only a few short months.
Our favorite dinner is grilled burgers at home. I cut up potatoes for fries, serve fruit and everyone is happy!!
Our favorite meal is spaghetti with a taste of sugar in it, 7 layer salad with lots of bacon on top, garlic breadsticks that aren’t too done, buttered potatoes and brownies and ice cream for dessert! Yum.
our fave meal is roast, rice & gravy with corn & salad.
Our favorite would be my “Daddy’s Special Breaded Chicken,” mashed potatoes, green beans, carrots, rolls, and “Daddy’s Quick Individual Banana Puddings” for dessert. Either that or pizza, LOL!
Homemade pizza!!!
We love Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatos and fresh Corn. Follow it up with Choc/Choc cake! Yum!
My family loves a good grilled steak, mushrooms & onions, baked potato with all the trimmin’s, salad and strawberry shortcake to finish it off.
Our favorite meal is noodles on toast. It is just good comfort food. We also like breakfast for dinner!!
The kids’ favorite is homemade pizza and breadsticks. Mine is anything someone else makes! ;-)
I LOVE to cook so that is a tough one for me. I think my kids favorite meal is fettucini alfredo with shrimp and my husbands is chicken and dumplings.
Our favorite family meal is grilled steak, twice-baked potatoes, corn-on-the-cob, and generally birthday cake and ice cream for dessert.
I have to say our favorite meal is spaghetti. It is probably the only meal I can think of (besides Micky D’s) that my daughters will ask for seconds! Oh, has to be Prego Traditional Heart Smart sauce!
Our favorite meal is baked pork chops mac and cheese and green beans. Oh yeah can’t for get the dinner dolls.
Lasagna and garlic bread. YUM!
We like to make homemade pizza
jjudy05@hotmail.com
Chuy’s Tex-Mex!!! (For those unfamiliar with Chuy’s, it’s a terrific Tex-Mex restaurant chain located in Texas.)
Favorite meal if you ask the kids would be pizza…hands down.
Our very favorite family meal is fried pork chops, mashed potatoes, butter beans and cherry cobbler with ice cream Oh! We’ve got to have iced tea with all that!
Yep, we’re from the south!
Our favorite family meal is brisket, scalloped potatoes, fired okra, homemade rolls, sweet tea and peach ice cream.
i love porkchops and mash potatoes and corn yum
Chicken and dumplings, glazed baby carrots, mashed potatoes, fresh-hot rolls or bread. YUM!!
Our favorite is Italian night … spaghetti with meat sauce with crispy garlic bread. Definitely a homemade meal. Spaghetti is too fun!
My favorite dinner is bbq steak, shrimp, salad, bacon-wrapped jalapenos and french bread. Thanks for the chance to win.
I love eating meatloaf that I make myself. With salsa and mashed potatoes
shopgurl101@gmail.com
I love any meal I don’t have to make!
easy…fondue. the kids have love it and it’s so fun.
Hmmm….I guess I would have to say grilled pork tenderloin with PW’s twice baked potatoes, rolls and fruit.
OOh…steak, potatoes and salad. If we are lucky, Sister Schubert rolls too. And strawberry shortcake for dessert. With Whipped Cream. Oh man, now I’m hungry.
Mine is roast chicken with baked potato wedges – garlic & rosemary seasonings.
(I get a small hamburger with extra pickles & small fries once a month)
Thanks for the contest.
http://twitter.com/slehan/status/20851995463
My first job was at McDonald’s! It taught me to have a work ethic like no other. Loved it.
Our favorite family meal together is veal marsala, potatoes with cheese sauce and broccoli. My daughter and I cook it together.
And if your boy likes Egg McMuffins, he should try their breakfast burritos. I could eat them 3 meals a day!
Ours would have to be homemade pizza!
love our fried chicken.
Favorite Family dinner is:
Steak, Baked Potato, Corn & Big Green salad!