When you’re in a rush, it can be hard to judge the nutritional value of your favorite value meal. Read our tips for making your fast-food choices both fast and healthy.

McDonald’s: Bad and Better Food Choices

Breakfast

BAD: Deluxe Breakfast, with a large biscuit and no syrup or margarine (1,150 calories, 60 grams of fat)

BETTER: Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit, made with a regular-size biscuit (430 calories, 24 grams of fat)

Burger

BAD: Double Quarter Pounder With Cheese (740 calories, 42 grams of fat)

BETTER: Cheeseburger (300 calories, 12 grams of fat)

*Leave off the cheese and you’ll save 50 calories and 3 grams of fat!

Salad

BAD: Premium Southwest Salad With Crispy Chicken (430 calories, 20 grams of fat)

BETTER: Premium Caesar Salad With Grilled Chicken (220 calories, 6 grams of fat)

*Totals are without dressing. Remember, Caesar dressing is very high in fat and calories.

Here’s exactly what to eat (and not eat) at the movies!

Burger King: Bad and Better Food Choices

When ordering a burger (and, hey, it is Burger King), DON’T double (or triple!) up on patties. One extra piles on extra calories.

Burger

BAD: Triple Whopper Sandwich With Cheese (1,250 calories, 84 grams of fat)

BETTER: Hamburger (290 calories, 12 grams of fat)

Side

BAD: Large Salted French Fries (580 calories, 28 grams of fat)

BETTER: BK Fresh Apple Fries With Caramel Sauce (70 calories, 0.5 grams of fat)

How to Succeed in Weight Loss: Advice from Jillian Michaels!

Wendy’s: Bad and Better Food Choices

DO eliminate unnecessary calories in your salad without sacrificing taste by avoiding words like creamy or crispy. And always opt for grilled (not fried) chicken.

Salad

BAD: Chicken BLT Salad (470 calories, 27 grams of fat)

BETTER: Mandarin Chicken Salad (180 calories, 2 grams of fat)

*Totals do not include dressing.

Sandwich

BAD: Triple With Cheese (960 calories, 60 grams of fat)

BETTER: Jr. Hamburger (220 calories, 8 grams of fat)

Five Guys: Bad and Better Food Choices

DON’T be fooled by names. At this patty palace, the “little burger” is anything but small. Cut calories by topping your burger with mustard or hot sauce instead of mayo and cheese.

Burger

BAD: Bacon Cheeseburger (920 calories, 62 grams of fat)

BETTER: Little Hamburger (480 calories, 26 grams of fat)

Condiment

BAD: Mayonnaise (100 calories, 11 grams of fat—in 14 grams)

BETTER: Mustard or hot sauce (0 calories, 0 grams of fat)

5 Best Low-Calorie Cocktails!

Jack in the Box: Bad and Better Food Choices

We usually recommend skipping dessert if you’re gorging on fast food, but if you’re going to give in to your sweet tooth, DO skip the milk shake.

Dessert

BAD: Oreo Cookie Ice Cream Shake (1,454.5 calories, 75.1 grams of fat)

BETTER: Chocolate Overload Cake (300 calories, 7 grams of fat)

Burger

BAD: Sirloin Bacon & Cheese Burger (1,136.8 calories, 74.9 grams of fat)

BETTER: Hamburger (281 .1 calories, 11.7 grams of fat)

Entrée

BAD: Large Fish & Chips (1,153.2 calories, 72.6 grams of fat)

BETTER: Chicken Fajita Pita Made With Whole Grain (306.8 calories, 9.4 grams of fat)

5 Foods Every Woman Should Eat Organic!

Blimpie: Bad and Better Food Choices

Choosing the right bread for your made-to-order sandwich can be as important as deciding what goes inside. DO follow this rule: Veggies are good in your sandwich, and they’re good in bread, too!

Sandwich

BAD: 12-inch BLT (1,265 calories, 82 grams of fat)

BETTER: 4-inch Turkey & Provolone (247 calories, 6 grams of fat)

Bread

BAD: 12-inch Cheddar Jalapeno (539 calories, 11 grams of fat)

BETTER: 12-inch Traditional Wrap or Spinach Herb Wrap (310 calories, 8 grams of fat)

Subway: Bad and Better Food Choices

DO choose lean turkey meat. It’s lower in fat than most other meats and has a subtle enough flavor to be paired with just about any topping.

Sandwich

BAD 6-inch Double Meatball Marinara With Cheese (860 calories, 42 grams of fat)

BETTER Jared Sandwich: 6-inch Turkey Breast (280 calories, 4.5 grams of fat)

Salad

BAD Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki (210 calories, 3 grams of fat)

BETTER Oven-Roasted Chicken Breast With Fat-Free Italian Dressing (175 calories, 2.5 grams of fat)

Arby’s: Bad and Better Food Choices

Whether it’s paired with a burger or sprinkled on a potato, DO watch out for calorie-laden bacon.

Sandwich

BAD Roast Turkey, Ranch & Bacon (818 calories, 38 grams of fat)

BETTER Ham & Swiss Melt (268 calories, 5 grams of fat)

Side

BAD Large Mozzarella Sticks (426 calories, 28 grams of fat)

BETTER 4-piece Southwest Eggrolls (225 calories, 7 grams of fat)

*Totals are without dipping sauces. The Chile Lime sauce that comes with the eggrolls adds 190 calories and 19 grams of fat. Yikes!

Photo: Courtesy of McDonald’s

By Glamour Magazine

I’m going on a buffalo hunt. No horses or bows and arrows involved. I’m just going to arm myself with the latest issue of EatingWell, which has these amazing bison recipes by meat master chef Bruce Aidells, and head to the market, looking for new ways to cook America’s leanest and greenest meat.

This may sound exotic: it’s not. Now that Americans have discovered buffalo is one of the healthiest meats (only 143 calories and 2 grams of fat per serving), it is becoming common in many markets. Buffalo is leaner than beef, which is why it does so well in recipes like Red Curry Bison Short Ribs with Baby Bok Choy or Guinness-Marinated Bison Steak Sandwiches.

It is also one of the healthiest meats for our landscape. Buffalo are actually helping restore the natural ecology of our prairies, which is why Ted Turner, the largest landowner in the U.S. and a big Nature Conservancy supporter, is raising more than 50,000 bison. Unlike cattle, which are often corn-fed in lots, bison or buffalo move around as they graze, giving their meat that healthy, lean, grass-fed flavor and preventing the landscape from being trampled, explains rancher and convervationist Dan O’Brien in his article in this issue of EatingWell.

So now that buffalo meat is available in most supermarkets, I’m going to switch: no more hamburger, just ground bison in these Greek Bison Burgers (recipe below).

Greek Bison Burgers
Feta and spinach not only add great flavor to these Greek-inspired burgers, but also provide moisture and texture to lean ground bison. The yogurt sauce is a perfect condiment, with much less fat than regular mayonnaise.

1 pound ground bison
1/2 cup cooked spinach, squeezed dry
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese, preferably sheep’s-milk
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Yogurt Sauce
3/4 cup nonfat or low-fat Greek-style plain yogurt (see Note)
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint
Pinch of kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
4 French rolls or 4-inch pieces of baguette, preferably whole-wheat, split and toasted
16 thin slices English cucumber
8 slices vine-ripened tomato
4 thin round slices red onion

1. Preheat grill to medium-high.
2. Place bison, spinach, feta, 2 teaspoons dill, oregano, cumin, garlic, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large mixing bowl. Gently combine without overmixing. Form into 4 oval-shaped patties roughly the size of the rolls.
3. Oil the grill rack (see Tip, below). Grill the burgers until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 155°F, 5 to 6 minutes per side.
4. To prepare yogurt sauce: Combine yogurt, lemon zest and juice, 1 teaspoon dill and mint in a small bowl. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
5. Assemble the burgers on rolls with the yogurt sauce, cucumber, tomato and onion.

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 392 calories; 16 g fat (6 g sat, 1 g mono); 68 mg cholesterol; 30 g carbohydrate; 35 g protein; 6 g fiber; 671 mg sodium; 458 mg potassium. Nutrition bonus: Vitamin A (45% daily value), Vitamin C (30% dv), Iron (25% dv), Calcium (16% dv).

Note: Greek-style yogurt is made by removing the whey from cultured milk, which gives the yogurt an extra-thick and creamy texture. Look for it with other yogurt in large supermarkets.

Tip: To oil a grill rack, oil a folded paper towel, hold it with tongs and rub it over the rack. (Do not use cooking spray on a hot grill.)

By Lisa Gosselin

Lisa Gosselin is editorial director for EatingWell Media Group. Her passion for food started when she was a kid, growing up in Paris, France. Lisa’s favorite thing to do when she visits someplace new is to find a local food market and try something she’s never tasted before.

There’s a new chicken in town. Surprisingly, it’s from an old poultry purveyor: KFC.

KFC’s latest addition to the menu, grilled chicken, piqued our interest for several reasons. First, it’s certainly healthier than its fried cousin with about half the calories and sodium per portion. Second, it’s up against a lot of grilled chicken competition from other fast-food chains. And third, it just might be something we’d eat on the run, on road trips, or for a quick bite (yes, even Epicurious editors sometimes have to veer from healthy homemade fare). So we decided to conduct a blind taste test examining appearance, flavor, and texture.

Taste Test Procedure
Our editors purchased grilled chicken–in whatever form was available, including grilled chicken sandwiches–from four other major vendors. The contestants included McDonald’s Premium Chicken Sandwich, Wendy’s Ultimate Chicken Grill, Burger King’s TenderGrill Chicken Sandwich, and Ranch 1’s Ranch Classic. All samples were purchased at the same time, within blocks of one another, to keep the products at their hottest and freshest.

The Winner
KFC stood out in the flock from the start. All the pieces, ranging from the breast to the chicken wing, had a nice golden charbroiled color, and grill marks, giving the impression that it had just come off the grill. The competition was largely flat, yellow, and rubbery. KFC’s meat was reasonably tender and juicy, and the skin actually had flavor thanks to the Colonel’s six “secret” herbs and spices. Though the bucket costs $12.99, it is actually the best value of the bunch; there are six large pieces, enough to share with several people.

“Look’s like chicken that I would choose to eat,” said one editor. “Both the skin and the white meat are moist and well salted,” said another. “Not rubbery at all; it breaks apart naturally like rotisserie chicken,” chimed a third editor.

Second and Third Place
The runner-up was the Ranch 1’s classic sandwich. Though the breast meat did not appear as plump and moist as KFC’s sample, its natural white-meat coloring, and visible grill marks, had all the editors eager to try it. “This chicken has a nice peppery marinade,” stated one taster. “I like its texture; it doesn’t appear to be reconstituted like the others,” said another.

Burger King’s TenderGrill Chicken took third place thanks to its non-rubbery texture, but it still did not compare to our top pick. All tasters felt that there was a striking resemblance in shape and color between the options from Burger King, McDonald’s, and Wendy’s. One editor said it best: “These look like the plastic food that came with my childhood kitchen.”

By Carolina Santos-Neves

MORE FROM EPICURIOUS.COM

When you are stuck with your business or your wife, please, do not kill yourself yet. There are a lot of alternative to get those things better. You only need a way to make your mind clearer. When you have clearer thoughts you may start arguing again with your wife, and this time you will not lose. One of the ways to get some fun is watching concerts, sports, or theatre. It can refresh your stuck mind.

You can find festival tickets on seatwave. From seatwave.com, you can also find many kinds of events to watch and entertain yourself. If you like sports, there are many kinds of sports match here such as football, basketball, American football, and even golf. If you like music concerts, you have a lot of choices from festivals, indie, alternatives, jazz, reggae, pop, rock, and even folk music. There are also some choices if you like theatre like musical, plays, comedy and etc.

One of the festivals that you can get the ticket is reading festival. You can get the tickets in reasonable price. You can also buy the tickets on Leeds Festival. This site also offers you with many other festivals in this world. Get it right now.

Coffee has been with us forever and dates back for as long as mankind can remember, it is a social beverage and something that most of us simply could not do without during our daily routines. Now if you are a lover of Coffee you will be aware that there are lots of products that are connected with it and all of them can help us enjoy this great drink, the secret is to know where to find them and how to get the best price for them.

The subject of coffee products is one that covers a huge number of goods such as wholesale coffee mugs, Gourmet Coffees and also coffee pots, as with a variety of other topics food and drink information is best obtained from an expert.

A coffee specialist will supply anyone with better information than say a general food and drink directory, specialists know coffee goods inside out will be able to give you better information on merchandise like coffee making machines or even insulated coffee pots.

For many years coffee guides have been published all over the web and the subject of beverages is now easier than ever for buyers to look into, say you wanted a food and drink review on a Kenyan sampler packets, such a thing may appear on one of the many categorised coffee portals.

Also when browsing for a coffee you should think about this, if you purchased a bunn stainless steel coffee blender but was not happy with the item would the coffee vendor be happy to part exchange the merchandise for a barista coffee maker or make a mutually acceptable arrangement? you must select a coffee company you have some confidence in or a coffee vendor that looks professional.

When you start checking out coffee products ensure you make a note of the merchandise you are actually interested in obtaining, for example coffee grinders, gourmet coffee makers, blended coffee packs, be precise as this will be particularly useful later on, then once you have done this you should check out these products by using some of the many beverage websites, by making the list you will save a ton of time because you can easily get lost in a mass of food and drink and coffee connected reviews and write ups.

As with many things in life you should not rush when buying coffee and should take notice of who the real experts are, hopefully now you are armed with the correct information you are ready to hit the net and get some great coffee bargains.

Plain coffee is fast becoming a thing of the past. It’s now quite simple to whip up a gourmet hot beverage for guest, family, or just for yourself. Nowadays there are a number of coffee clubs and circles in which coffee drinking has become somewhat of a social club. These social clubs meet in the community or on the Internet.

Where did the good old days go where you could get just a regular, good cup of coffee all across America.

It’s all because there is a big craze over coffee these days. People are almost worshipping the coffee bean now. People get a thrill out of ordering and buying special coffees from specialty stores. They really like grinding their own coffee beans. They like visiting places such as Costa Rica and bringing back their special blends. And “coffee tasting” seems to be about as popular as “wine tasting”.

They even have furniture and home interior designs with a coffee theme. This would make great gifts for the coffee buff.

Coffee got its beginnings around 900 A.D. where it was at first used as a stimulant. It was also at times used as a wine and a medicine. It doesn’t look like anything is much different today.

There are not many products such as coffee that have continued “as is” for hundreds of years. And yet people are still scrutinizing and getting creative with it today and probably will be for years to come.

What is also interesting is that coffee is second to oil in dollar volume as a world commodity.

Did you know that there is two times more caffeine in a pound of tea than in the same amount of roasted coffee? This may be good news for those of you who hate the taste of decaffeinated coffee however wait just one moment. A pound of tea will make about 160 cups whereas a pound of coffee will usually make about 40 cups. This means that a cup of tea has about 1/4th the caffeine of a cup of coffee.

The content of caffeine in coffee decreases as it is grown at higher altitudes. If you want less caffeine in your coffee, grow it higher. Gourmet coffees are typically grown at higher altitudes so they have less caffeine than their grocery store counterparts.

There are many different types of coffee beans and way too many to describe in this article. Here are just a few of them:

You have Latte, Espresso, Low-Fat, Organic, Cal, Decaf, Half-Decaf, Black Forest, Cappuccino, Cafe au Lait, Alpine which has brown sugar, Arabian (lightly spiced and without filter), Cafe con Miel (Spanish for coffee with honey), and Cafe de Olla (a sweet coffee made with chocolate).

And you really should attend a coffee tasting at least once. You will get to experience how making and brewing gourmet coffee is slowly becoming a form of art. What is fun about the coffee tasting is that you could get a chance to taste two dozen or more different blends. You may even leave to start your journey as a coffee connoisseur. Any way you look at it, the tasting experience will be fun if you like coffee.

Having a family reunion may be something that takes a long time to plan. However if you do it right you are going to have a great time and make wonderful memories.

Some people are lucky enough to have a photographer in the family and this way you can get everything captured, as you want it to be.  Having it filmed is an even better way to look back on your special days.

Hiring a professional can be too expensive but you can save time when it comes to you not having to worry about getting everything on film.  However you have to stick within your budget to make this a great reunion.

Professionals know the right cameras and lenses to use for the type of filming that you are doing.  The weather and the lighting can have a lot to do with a great picture or film.

Most people do not have the special equipment that is needed to make a great film.  Professionals cost a lot more but it can make the memory even better when they have the right type of equipment.

You can always hire them for a few hours instead of all day if you are on a limited budget too.

If you decide to do the work yourself, you need to make sure that you have a helper. Having someone to assist you and give you a lending hand is going to make all the difference when it comes to the job done right.

You do not want to miss all the fun of your own family reunion so make sure that you take turns if you are photographing everything on your own.  You do not want to regret anything later.

Most people have digital cameras and this makes it nice. You can take great pictures and have them copied as many times as you want.  This is a great device to capture all your family reunion pictures.

Family reunions can be great as long as you put the work into it.  Make sure that you have the photos and films there for later on down the road so that you can look back on the great days that you have with all your loves ones!

The location that you choose for your family reunion is a very important issue.  You can have it indoors or outdoors and on your own property if you want.  It is always nice to have it on public property so that you do not have to worry about a large mess to clean up.

You have to make sure that the whole family or at least most will agree on the location that you choose.

If some of your family are into the sports and the other half like to go to church, you might have to make a compromise somewhere along the lines.

Having the reunion at a sentimental location can be a good idea for many family reunions.  It is even nice to go to a beach, resort or a hotel to have your family gathering.

Many of the places that you choose will have a good discount for family events and this can save you money.  This is the best way for you to have the reunion at a nice location without the high cost.

Disneyland has great packages for this kind of event. The best time to visit tourist destinations is during the off-season.  This is good because they are not too overcrowded and you can get cheaper prices.

If you want to have it at a park, church, or other public facility you need to make sure that you make your reservations as far in advance as you can. This way you are sure to have it for the date that you want it.

Some places may need to have a permit if the family gathering is very larger.  Others may want a down payment to hold the area for you till your event.  National parks are not expensive and they are a great way to spend time with your family and not have to worry about a problem with the weather or other issues.

Reunions with family members are a great time for fun and lots of memory making.  You may wander though what are we all going to do for hours when we all get together.  Having a good plan for your reunion is a good start to the planning process.

You can eat and talk about different topics with your family members.  However you have to make sure that you have some fun things to do as well.  You want some type of activities for family members of all ages.

You may wander what some good family reunion activities area.  There are sports, games and many fun activities that you can do with your family members.  Make sure that you have something for each age group so that everyone is busy at the same time.

It is going to depend on the size of your family and what you can do.  Volleyball and softball are two great ideas for a good family reunion game.  If your family is athletic you can hold a mini Olympic game and even give out rewards for the winners.

Children are going to be bored fast and you want to make sure that they keep busy. It goes with teenagers.  If they are not able to text their phones all day, they are not going to be happy.  However you have to make sure that all age groups have something to do and will have a great time.

If you are going to be at a park, you will need to check into a great park adventure.  You have to make sure that the children have fun if you are staying at one of these spaces.  You can rent a bouncy tent for the kids if this is something that you might want to think about.  You can usually set them up and take them down very fast and put them anywhere.

Children’s games or having a table for coloring can be a great way for the kids to have a good time.  Having a good old-fashioned sack race can be a great time for all and you will have the memories to hold on to for a lifetime.

If you are music mania and want to see your favorite band play live at the Reading Festival 2009, you must know the best way to get the tickets. Have you ever heard about the bad thing happened when people try to get the ticket? If you don’t want to have the same experience, you can buy the ticket online by the internet. It is safer and easier.

The website that can help you to get the tickets is seatwave.com. Because the tickets are limited, you must get the ticket earlier. In this website you can follow the information when and how you can buy the Tickets for Reading Festival. It is very simple. You just need to click on the Reading Festival menu then you can choose your seat. You can also get much information about them. This website gives 100 % guarantee if there is any delay or something so you can get your money back.

By seeing the play live, you can support your team completely. You can yell out and give your best way to support them. It will be more fun because you can feel the game, the match, and the spirit of the player. Seatwave also gives other information about sport events, music concert, and theater.