Win a McDonald’s McGold Card!

For years, rumors of the coveted McGold Card awarding free McDonald’s for life have circulated. They say it’s a symbol of McDonald’s superstar status, and that only the top VIPs can get their hands on one. It’s an untouchable luxury that’s been enshrouded in mystery for decades. Until now.

To celebrate the rollout of Mobile Order and Pay and putting more choice and control in the customers’ hands, McDonald’s is giving mobile customers the chance to win the ultimate in VIP status: the Mobile McGold Card, awarding them free McDonald’s for life.

HOW CUSTOMERS ENTER TO WIN:

Place a mobile order through the McDonald’s App starting today until August 24th! Customers can get one entry per day during that period. No minimum purchase required.

The winner will receive McDonald’s food for Life, equating to up to two meals per week for fifty (50) years, awarded as a $1,000 credit on winner’s McDonald’s App account and $35,400 cash, plus $15,600 to offset taxes on the prize, awarded as a check for $51,000. Winner will also receive a custom gold-plated “McGold Card” phone case.

That’s it! Just order through the app!

So go ahead and download it today on iTunes and Google Play!

WHEN IT IS ALL HAPPENING:

· Sweepstakes begins 8/10
· Sweepstakes runs from 8/10-8/24

The winner will be drawn at random, and notified within two days. See official rules at McDonalds.com/MobileMcGoldCard for more details.

What would you do with free McDonald’s for life? What would you order first? I know I would be ordering a tasty fresh all beef Quarter Pounder!

So how about it? Gonna give it a shot? Grab some lunch today using the mobile app and you’re automatically entered for the McGold Card. I would love it if one of my readers won. So what are you waiting for, order today!!

This post is sponsored by McDonald’s and St. Louis Dad.

Military Discounts from Restaurants

To honor the services that retirees, veterans, and active military members have done for the entire nation, most restaurants, retailers, and organizations are offering discounts on products and services to the troops.

In this guide, you are going to learn more about the available military discounts that retailers, restaurants, and institutions are offering members of the National Guard, Coast Guard, Marines, Air Force, Navy, and Army.

The following are some of the best hotels that offer military discounts throughout the United States. 

99 Restaurant & Pub |

99 Restaurants & Pub offers a discount of 10 percent for all active, retired and veterans every day of the year. You only need to present your military ID to get served, multi-state including NH, CT, MA, RI, ME, NY, VT.

Applebee’s

Veterans, retirees, reserves and active members are given free entry on veterans’ day as long as they have a military ID. There are also other extra-military discounts and offers throughout the year at various locations.

Arby’s

To get discount at Arby’s you need to present your military ID. However, the discount offers vary from one location to another.

Ben & Jerry’s

The hotel offers a discount of up to 25 percent to reserves, active duty, dependents and retirees. You need to have a military ID when visiting these locations.

Bennigan’s

Veterans and active members of the military get up to 10 percent of the total amount spent at various Bennigan’s locations when they present their military ID.

Buffalo Wild Wings

The discount rates here range from between 10 to 15 percent for members of the military with a valid ID at various outlets. Also, discounts vary from one location to another.

Burger King

Military members such as retirees, reserves, active duty, and veterans get 10 percent discount at various participating locations, as long as they have a valid military ID.

Chevys Fresh Mex

All the members of the military get 20 percent discount for any purchase they make at all the locations. To get the discount, you must either have a valid military ID or be in a uniform.

Paul Martin’s American Grill

The restaurant offers free entry to retirees, inactive, and active duty on memorial day weekend. However, you need to show your military ID.

PDQ

This restaurant offers 50 percent off for every purchase on every first Monday of the month. You need to show proof of military service by providing and ID or be in uniform.

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory

Various participating locations will give you a 10 percent off a long as you have a military ID.

Shoney’s

All the men and women who have either worked in the forces, EMT units, fire departments, and police get a 15 percent discount. One must show military ID or be in uniform to enjoy the benefits.

Texas de Brazil

Retirees and active duty get up to 20 percent discount at participating locations. Discounts vary from one place to another.

Chick Fil- A

Chick Fil A offers 10 percent discount to members of the army that have military IDs, at various locations.

Dairy Queen

Dairy Queen gives a discount of between 10 to 50 percent for all the military members as long as they have a military ID. Alternatively, you will get a discount if you provide proof of service at various locations.

Del Taco

Veteran and active duty with a military ID can enjoy discounts of up to 50 percent.

Denny’s

On veterans’ day, all retirees, active duties and veterans are allowed to eat free pancakes from 6am to 2pm. You need to provide a proof of military service or military ID. There is an extra 10 percent at various locations all year round.

Famous Dave’s

All retirees, reserves and active duty get a 10 percent discount when they present their military ID.

Fuddruckers

When you buy food here, you get anywhere between 10 and 15 percent discount, as long as you have your military ID or are uniform. Discounts vary from one location to another.

Golden Corral

The restaurant offers free dinner to veterans, retirees, National Guard, active duty and reserves. Discounts range from 10 to 20 percent but varies on location. You must have a military ID.

IHOP

At IHOP, you get 20 percent discount for every meal that you purchase. However, you need to present your military ID, and rates vary by location.

Lone Star Steakhouse

All military personnel such as active duty, Coast Guard, National Guards, retirees and veterans get a 15 percent off. Police and firefighters get to enjoy this offer too. However, you need to present a valid ID. Discounts vary by location.

Panda Express

Panda offers up to 10 percent discount for active members of the military with ID in various locations. Discount rates tend to differ from one place to another.

 

3 Dietary Suggestions for Controlling Your Child’s Weight

With an obesity epidemic rocking the developed nations of the world, and with children being less physically active now than ever before in history, there are some good reasons for any responsible parent to feel concerned about the health of their children in the contemporary cultural climate.

abbycupcake

As obesity — particularly among children — is correlated with various undesirable health issues, not to mention the psychological and lifestyle impacts that are part and parcel of being overweight, it’s very important to take a proactive hand in keeping your kids’ weight within a healthy range.

But if extreme crash dieting and over-training in the gym for the sake of weight loss are bad for adults (and they absolutely are) they have the ability to ruin the health and development of children completely.

Instead of resorting to such drastic measures, the key is to abide by sensible dietary principles that are associated with maintaining a healthy weight.

Here are some simple dietary recommendations for keeping your child at a healthy weight.

Eliminate any processed foods

The gurus and proponents of the myriad different leading diet trends don’t agree on much, but they do all pretty much agree on this one point, along with scientific health researchers:

Processed foods are bad for you.

Whether it’s the amount of processed sugar found in certain foods, or the form that sugar takes (high fructose corn syrup, in particular, is known to be particularly harmful and correlated with obesity), or the presence of trans fats, or potentially inflammatory vegetable oils, or any number of other additives — the more processed a food has been, the less you should be giving it to your children.

Processed food doesn’t just mean takeaway pizza and fizzy drinks, either. It also means store-bought fruit juice, bread bought in a plastic bag instead of from a baker (have a look at the ingredients lists on most of these, you’ll be shocked), and anything which you haven’t prepared at home.

Serve up plenty of fibre

Various research has found correlations between higher fibre intake and reduced risk of obesity, while other research has found evidence that a high fibre diet is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, as well as potential increases in satiety.

High fibre foods include traditional whole grains, but also fibrous vegetables such as leeks. Just be sure your child isn’t getting their fibre from highly-processed, sugary breakfast cereals.

High fibre diets have also been associated with healthier gut bacteria, which is a great benefit in and of itself.

Include probiotic foods

Probiotic foods are those foods which increase the amount and variety and “good bacteria” occupying your gut.

A healthy gut microbiome has been associated with a reduced risk of obesity, with experiments on twins showing that gut microbiome could be the factor causing one twin to gain fat, while the other remained lean, on the same diet.

A healthy gut microbiome is also associated with better health and mood overall.

Probiotic foods are, as a rule, fermented foods. Kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, blue cheese. If your child can’t stomach these, a high-powered probiotic supplement can work wonders too.

This post is a collaborative effort by St. Louis Dad.

Tips for Freezing Food with a Vacuum Sealer

If you rarely use your vacuum sealer and just place it on your kitchen counter, you are doing yourself a great disservice. Regular use of this remarkable appliance can save you some money, especially through extending your food’s life. What’s more, it allows you to shop and even cook in bulk. Here are some eight pointers outlined below to help you save both money and time through freezing your food with a vacuum sealer.

freezer1

1. How do you Pre-freeze?

Bear in mind that when you place fresh berries in a freezer bag devoid of air, they will be crushed. Hence, make sure that you spread out and pre-freeze food items such as vegetables, meatballs, and fruits on cookie sheets. Also, pre-freeze various saucy items like pasta and soups in plastic containers.

Before you pre-freeze your foods, ensure that you pack it down with a spatula or even spoon to get rid of air bubbles. Afterward, when the items are frozen, remove them from the containers used in the pre-freeze process before you vacuum seal them.

2. When do you Freeze Cooked versus Uncooked Food?

Some meals such as sauces and soups reheat quite nicely even after freezing. On the contrary, there are other foods that you can put together and vacuum seal without having to cook them. For instance, each time I get a well-priced 3-pound pack of ground turkey, I usually mix and pre-make three batches of meatballs. As such, whenever meatballs are on my menu, I only need to get the frozen ones and cook them without having to deal with the hassles of mixing and forming them. Doing so not only saves the time needed to prepare meals but also allows you to get freshly cooked dishes with limited effort.

Freezer dishes are undeniably the ideal way to save a considerable amount of time, especially when preparing weeknight dinners after a long day at work. You can consider our time-saving and delicious solutions such as slow cooker freezer recipes, IKEA frozen meatball recipes and freezer-ready casseroles.

3. Label your Packages

You think remembering the package that contains the tomato sauce you prepared in July is easy? Well, six months down the line when you use the wrong package in preparing your meals, you will be forced to reconsider your packing process. To keep the confusion at bay, always try to label or write the name of each dish you make and include the date of preparation. Although a permanent marker is highly advisable for this process, you can also utilize a label maker.

4. Vacuum seal your Food not just for Freezing

Bear in mind that vacuum sealing can extend your food’s shelf life in both your pantry and refrigerator.  In case you have bought a big chunk of cheddar, vacuum seal half of it until you are done eating the first piece. What’s even more impressive about vacuum sealing is that it stretches the life of your dry foods, on condition that you leave a barrier between the power and the vacuum sealer.  For instance, you do not need to remove the original packaging that comes with flour, instead seal the entire package.

5. Double your Recipes and Freeze the Remainder

From now henceforth, always double any meal you know that freezes well. Instantly, ensure that you vacuum seal the additional dish in a bid it preserve it even at its peak. For example, disposable foil pans are an ideal way for storing dishes such as enchiladas. With two trays of the dish, cook one for dinner and vacuum seal the rest. Therefore, when you want to have some enchiladas next time, all you need to do is defrost and heat them.

6. Get yourself the Bags

Not all bags out there are designed for use with a vacuum sealer. You need to get the ideal ones for proper sealing. In fact, these special bags are made specifically for your vacuum sealer machine, as they can keep both moisture and air out while offering a completely tight seal.

7. Portion your Food Appropriately in the Bags

Most bags can be cleaned and even reused. Nonetheless, others like the ones used in preserving raw meat are not suitable since they may contain bacteria remnants. Even with that in mind, it is recommended that you freeze each meal according to portions the bags can handle. For example, when you purchase the three-pound pack of ground beef, divide it into three pieces of one pound each and freeze them.

8. Be your own Butcher

Owning a vacuum sealer will help you make some savings, mainly when you use it in preserving meat. You simply need to purchase steaks in bulk, and then seal and freeze them individually for eating whenever you want.