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Chorizo Could Be Next For Chipotle

Susannah Chen — Tue, 31 May 2011 10:55:05 PDT

The folks at Chipotle may be busy working on a Southeast Asian concept, but this hasn't stopped them from making new developments in their Mexican kitchen. The latest addition they've taken for a test drive? Chicken chorizo sausage.

The chicken chorizo, which the company describes as being made with "naturally raised pork and chicken sausage with herbs and spices," is currently available at most New York locations, and will roll out to select stores in Denver in about a week. Should the option become available nationwide, it would be the first new protein rolled out in years.

Chorizo always has been a popular Mexican breakfast item, so it'll be interesting to see how well it fares at a lunchtime favorite like Chipotle. Does chorizo sound like it has enough promise to go nationwide?

Source: Flickr User iantmcfarland

Taste Test: McDonald's Frozen Strawberry Lemonade

Susannah Chen — Thu, 26 May 2011 13:33:21 PDT

Who's ready for summertime? McDonald's is. Just ahead of Memorial Day, it's added a new Frozen Strawberry Lemonade to its McCafé lineup. "It's a little bit of brrrrrrrrrr mixed with a whole lot of mmmmm," the fast food chain called out. Of course, on the warmest of Spring days, we couldn't resist giving this new product a whirl.

Here's how the frosty beverage comes together: McDonald's starts with a lemonade base (made with, among other things, lemon juice, orange juice, and lemon oil), then pulverizes it to order with ice and strawberry syrup (consisting of ingredients such as strawberry purée and artificial flavor and color).

At $1.59 plus tax and 210 calories for a 16-ounce cup, it doesn't do too much damage to your calorie bank - or your real one. But what about your taste buds? Find out right this way.

Do You Order Seafood From Fast Food Restaurants?

Susannah Chen — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 03:50:30 PDT

First there was the Lobster & Seafood Chopped Salad Sub at Quiznos. Then came Taco Bell's Pacific Shrimp, and now Wendy's has its own version of a fish fillet sandwich. Three's a trend, and we've officially called it for seafood in fast food and fast-casual establishments.

Seafood's never been as popular the in world of fast food as, say, a burger or fried chicken items. Presumably, this is because the taste of seafood never lies when the stuff is anything short of fresh. Yet call me crazy, because I've always sort of secretly liked the McDonald's Filet-O-Fish, and the new seafood sandwich at Quiznos really surprised me in a good way. What's your take?

WARNING: Hardee's Country Breakfast Burrito

FitSugar — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 08:45:00 PDT

Hardee's, the chain that also brought us an 1100 calorie Southwest Chicken Salad, is assaulting health junkies once again with a new menu item to hit restaurants: the Country Breakfast Burrito.

This massive burrito is made from two omelets, five hashrounds (WTF are hashrounds?), cheddar cheese, and sausage gravy all wrapped in a tortilla. Don't go licking your lips just yet: This burrito packs in a whopping 920 calories, 23 grams of saturated fat, and about nearly 2000 milligrams of sodium. I am a big fan of everything in moderation, but I can honestly say that there is not any real reason for anyone to eat this for breakfast, or anytime really. I know a lot of us have it in our heads that breakfast burritos can be a healthy breakfast alternative, but this burrito could not be further from that - steer clear.

I tried to find a better alternative for breakfast when eating at Hardee's, and the best choice I could find is the Sunrise Croissant with Ham, which weighs in at 430 calories and 10 grams of saturated fat. Needless to say, I won't be eating breakfast there anytime soon.

Source

Would You Eat Fast Food Beef That's Less Than Well-Done?

Susannah Chen — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 04:06:38 PST

Like the rest of the fast food world, Arby's is stepping up its game. Earlier this week, it introduced its new Angus Three Cheese & Bacon, the first menu item in a new line of premium beef sandwiches that are made with medium-rare Angus beef.

After the accusation that Taco Bell is falsely labeling its "seasoned beef," you'd think there'd be more than a little caution exercised over serving a burger, burrito, or anything else bovine less than 100 percent genuine and cooked well-done completely throughout.

Bret Thorn, a food writer for Nation's Restaurant News who actually sampled the item, maintains that "big fast food chains have serious safeguards in place." Certainly, Arby's wants no part of the meat saga that Taco Bell's been through. If you do order meat at fast food restaurants: are you against the idea of eating beef that's anything less than well-done?

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Chick-fil-A Introduces Healthy Kids' Meal, But Will Kids Eat It?

Rebecca M Gruber — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:34:56 PST

New year, new menu! If mama's New Year's resolution included cleaning up the lil one's menu, she has a new ally on her side. This week, Chick-fil-A, the Southern fast-food chicken chain, is introducing a new kids' menu meal - Grilled Chicken Nuggets. The all-breast meat, gluten-free Grilled Nuggets have only 80 calories and one gram of fat (for four) compared to 130 calories and six grams of fat in the traditionally fried nuggets. The quick-service chain is also introducing Buddy Fruits Pure Blended Fruit to Go applesauce and one percent milk to round out the meal, making it one of the healthiest kids' meals available.

Given the national childhood obesity epidemic, it's great to see a national chain making an effort to keep our kids healthy. The biggest problem now will be getting families to order the healthier meal when Chick-fil-A's famous fried versions are still readily available.

Burger King Tests Out Delivery

Susannah Chen — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:31:56 PST

It's no secret that Burger King's been struggling to keep its number two spot at the top of the fast-feeder chain. Perhaps its latest strategy will create some much-needed buzz: the chain is testing out delivery in America.

Burger King's currently testing delivery service with four restaurants in the Washington DC area, and will quickly expand to 16 different stores before the end of this month. Customers can place orders both by phone and online at BKDelivers.com.

Given Burger King's plan to overhaul just about everything, perhaps this pilot heralds the possibility of a nationwide delivery rollout, akin to what pizza chains like Domino's and Pizza Hut have been doing all along. After all, the fast-food chain has offered delivery in various South American countries for years. Could you see yourself ordering a delivery of Whoppers and fries?

Jack in the Box Hopes to Boost Sales With Menu Changes

Susannah Chen — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 15:36:12 PDT

In hopes of boosting sales, Jack in the Box is thinking, well, outside of the box. Amidst criticism that the fast food chain has lost brand focus, the company has announced plans to drop toys from kids' meals, add new menu options for children such as apple bites, and cut a number of premium food items, among them the mini sirloin burgers, steak teriyaki bowl, pita snacks, and chorizo burger. These changes, Jack in the Box executives hope, will help the staggering chain distinguish itself from competitors.

Jack in the Box claims that the move to kill toys in kids' meals wasn't in response to outside pressure, but the hubbub surrounding Happy Meal bans couldn't have hurt its decision. Note that while other fast food establishments like McDonald's and Chipotle have been seeing growth, Jack in the Box sales still haven't managed to return to pre-recession levels. Do you think dropping the toys from kids' meals and simplifying the menu will kick-start sluggish sales?

Source: Flickr User Roca Chang

Subway Dabbles in Café Concept

Susannah Chen — Mon, 23 May 2011 14:50:33 PDT

What's next for Subway, now that it's surpassed McDonald's and Starbucks in store locations? According to Nation's Restaurant News, it's tackling the ever-popular café culture. Meet the chain's new Subway Cafés: slightly larger outlets designed to be a cross between a sandwich store and a coffee bar, with baked goods, hot and cold espresso drinks, and frozen blended beverages, among other offerings.

The decor, which might include coffee tables, lounge chairs, bookshelves, and a fireplace, mimics the cozy coffeehouse ambiance of - you guessed it - a McCafé or a Starbucks. In addition to his aggressive growth strategy of opening 2,000 new North American locations in 2011, President Fred DeLuca will also add about 10 more Subway Cafés to the franchise's current roster of 15 by the end of this year.

What do you think of the concept? Will tonier seating arrangements make you want to eat at Subway more often?

8 Small Ways to Lose Big Pounds in 2012

Prevention — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 04:06:22 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

Quadruple your weight loss by making one easy tweak to your routine per week
By Alyssa Shaffer

If your goal is to lose weight and exercise more, forget the deprivation diet and marathon workouts. New research shows that taking baby steps - not giant leaps -is the best way to get lasting results. A study published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine found that participants who made one small, potentially permanent change in their food choices and/or physical activity each week (such as drinking one fewer can of soda or walking five more minutes each day) lost more than twice as much belly fat, two and half more inches off their waistlines, and about four times more weight during a four-month program, compared with those who followed traditional calorie-restriction and physical-activity guidelines.

"When you focus on just a couple of small changes at a time, you begin to ingrain some healthy habits that last for a lifetime, rather than trying an all-or-nothing approach that more often than not fails because it's too hard to follow," says Lesley Lutes, PhD, an assistant professor in the department of psychology at East Carolina University. We've uncovered these simple steps (with proven results) to help you move more, eat less, and look and feel better than ever. Add just one or two a week to your regular routine and you can lose nearly three inches off your waistline and be about 10 pounds lighter come in a few months. Even better: Once these healthy habits become second nature, they'll benefit you for a lifetime.

1. Pick Up a Pen After Every Meal
Mindlessly munching on a bag of chips could result in easily polishing off the whole thing; write down how much you've eaten and you're more likely to practice portion control. Keeping a food log helps control extra calories in two ways: the combination of plain old reality check (I just ate 30 minutes ago!) and awareness that what you're putting in your mouth will soon be recorded for posterity. In a recent study, people who kept a food journal lost twice as much weight as those who didn't. When they combined it with a moderate diet and exercise plan, they lost an average of 13 pounds in 6 months. Journaling also gives you insight on your eating habits, says Lutes. Do you skip meals? Eat the same during the week as on the weekend? Binge when you're feeling stressed? "Knowing your routine helps you figure out what changes are right for you," she adds.

Avoid these 14 "health food" diet disasters.

2. Limit High-Fat Foods to One Per Week
Tag the high-fat/high-calorie foods that are typically your favorites (our top five: cookies, candy, ice cream, potato chips, and fries) and gradually downshift. "If you're eating six of these foods a week, try to go down to five," says Lutes. Each week, drop another until you're at no more than one or two; at the same time, add in a good-for-you choice like baby carrots, sautéed broccoli, oranges, and other fresh fruits and veggies.

Keep reading for more simple tip to help you lose big.