A happier meal - the new and improved Happy Meal at McDonald's

On any given day if you ask my youngest where she wants to eat when we're "out and about," she will reply with "McDonald's" (which actually comes out as McGoggles at times, but whatever). And yeah, I'm OK with her choice - I have a weakness for McD's fries and if a Happy Meal is going to .. make her happy, then that's fine with me.

And now that McDonald's has spruced up their Happy Meals - they include an "automatic" offering of fruit in every meal .. I'm even more OK with it.

Have you seen the new and improved Happy Meals? Not only are apple slices included (along with 4-piece McNuggets, a hamburger or a cheeseburger, and fat-free chocolate milk or 1% white milk), but the world famous french fries come in a much smaller (and quite "adorable) package - 1.1 ounces of fries to be exact. So our kids are getting FRUIT and milk with their fries and McNuggets. 

Heck, I'd even order this for myself. 

According to a press release - "The new Happy Meal is part of McDonald's recently-announced 'Commitments to Offer Improved Nutritional Choices' which aims to help customers - especially children and families - make nutrition-minded choices for their daily lifestyles, whether visiting McDonald's or eating elsewhere. By including fruit in every Happy Meal, McDonald's hopes to address a challenge children face in meeting the recommended daily consumption of produce."

I know getting my kids to eat fruit - other than pineapple and applesauce (yeah I know it's not "technically" a fruit, but it IS made from apples) and maybe a random banana here or there - is a daily challenge. So if I let them get a Happy Meal every now and then and it has apples as part of it, I'm all for it. I even told them today, "if you don't eat the apples, you don't get Happy Meals anymore." Yes, I used a veiled threat to get them to eat their fruit. Sue me.

So, have you checked out the new Happy Meal yet?
What did you think about the smaller fry size and the apple slices?

And more importantly, for all my northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan readers - how would you like two coupons for a free Happy Meal? (Yep. Free food. That's what I'm talking about!). Leave me a comment telling me what is your favorite McDonald's menu item and include your email (so I can contact you if you win). I'll choose two winners at random on January 7, 2012. [The coupons are ONLY good at McDonald's locations in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan].

Disclosure: I was provided with "Be Our Guest" cards from McDonald's. I did not receive any other compensation - monetary or otherwise. ALL opinions are mine.