Despite the healthy veneer I have coated my personality with, deep down, I enjoy McDonald’s. Too much. From the fries to Egg McMuffins, I think I could successfully take on the Supersize Me! challenge set by Morgan Spurlock. It takes a lot of self control and creativity for me to make my healthy diet as tasty and exciting as a hamburger and fries. Okay, it’s really not that hard. It just takes a little more time.

I recently made the choice to scale back the amount of meat I eat. I’m typically a “one animal protein meal per day” girl. I decided to scale back to only eating 2-3 meat dishes per week and making them really count. I read a report that stated “flexitarian” eaters were more healthy than people who ate a lot of lean animal protein and vegetarians. (I will say that this report included all vegetarians, which can include your 12-year-old next door neighbor who uses vegetarianism as an excuse to only eat potato chips! So, yes, a little skewed). I decided to make the transition.

I’ve never been much into eggs. They have to be cooked really specifically – I’m not someone who typically orders eggs in a restaurant. However, on a whim, my best friend and I decided to make homemade egg McMuffins on a morning where I had taken the GRE and she had accidentally left $20 in an ATM. Eggs are a great source of protein and are super easy to cook. Combined with chopped spinach (for a little extra veggie nutrition), turkey bacon and your favorite cheese, the results are truly magic. Read More »

Mmmm. Irish Coffee should fix this right up!

It’s no secret that much of the college social life revolves around drinking. We drink to celebrate, mourn, express loyalty to our football teams, to ease boredom, hell,  some people drink to make homework a little more interesting (no, no one else does that?).  Well, all that super fun drinking  sometimes results in not-so-fun consequences: mysterious bruises, ruined shoes, hours’ worth of un-tagging on Facebook, that dude lying next to you, and the raging, horrific hangover trying to escape your brain by splitting it open.

What’s a girl to do? Your mind jumps to Gatorade (don’t have any), Egg McMuffins (dammit, it’s past 10:30!) and water (your Brita pitcher is full of hunch punch) before remembering that bottle of Bloody Mary mix in the back of the fridge. Should you suck it up, stir in some vodka and take a hair of the dog that bit you?

Nope. Read More »

So it’s Sunday. Unlike productive members of society who are enjoying a break from professionalism or whatever, I woke up three hours ago with a raging hangover. I reserve the right to complain about this because a) I am a college student, thus weekends are sacred and b) after I graduate all the fun is gone and nonstop partying simply isn’t in the cards for those who hold a steady job…which I hopefully will achieve.

Anyways, this occurrence is not inevitable, but pretty regular for me, and from what I’m told, countless other Weekend Warriors. So to make my (and your) Sunday morning/afternoon nausea slightly more tolerable, I present my Top 5 fave Hangover Foods.

5. McDonald’s Diet Coke + an Egg McMuffin.

This makes the list for both its deliciousness and medicinal values. McDonald’s Coke and Diet Coke WILL cure your hangover. My best friend swears by it. So does her Mom. That stuff is great. Unfortunately this meal is 1) highly inconvenient, as there’s very little chance that you will be up early enough to get an egg McMuffin and 2) usually eaten under the circumstances that your hangover is very very severe and you can only manage small bites and sips. Read More »

Herb Peterson, the McMastermind behind the Egg McMuffin, died last week at the age of 89. The egg-cellent treat has been curing hangovers and serious morning cravings since 1972 and Mr. Peterson’s genius will certainly be missed.

Though the Egg McMuffin has a place in the halls of fast food history, not every snack can be so lucky. As a junk food enthusiast and resident gross food researcher, here are my Top 3 Fast Food Flubs.

#3 – Tacos at Burger King (2002)

In a word, they were disgusting. For some reason, the King decided to make a trip south of the border and added 50 cent tacos to their dollar menu. They were soggy, poorly seasoned, used American cheese and the beef may have been horse…or vomit. I don’t know who quarterbacked that decision in the Burger King boardroom but I hope they were sent packing. Better question, I don’t know why I wasted a hard earned dollar from my high school wallet to try them out.

#2 - KFC Famous Chicken Bowls (2006) Read More »