Just because it's a frozen burrito doesn't mean you have to sacrifice presentation.

Case in point -- tonight's dinner, at your right (guest starring Miss Dyna Bean).

That's an arrow made out of Sriracha, for the curious. When you run out of salsa, it's an adequate substitute to get the hot chile flavor. It also appears frequently next to sushi rolls, if you think you might have seen it before but are having trouble placing it.


Tonight's dinner also happens to be vegan, and, despite the presence of the Coke over there, it's HFCS-free. I stopped eating the fructose devil about a year and a half ago, and now when I encounter it, the cloying sweetness is such a turn-off that I find I don't want it anymore. (Kind of like being non-dairy -- I have to ask my roommate whether the milk is bad when I'm baking, because I think it all smells icky after having abstained for so long.) This bottle is from a grocery store that carries Mexican Coke in glass, which makes the taste so much better on top of the fact that their version's made with regular old sugar. And sometimes, doesn't everyone want to ditch the healthy routine and drink a damn soda?

Try going without high fructose corn syrup for a few days and then drink a regular Coke and you'll see what I mean about how unpalatable it becomes -- let me know if you give it a try!

I still don't believe that McDonald's is healthy.

Apparently, one Mr. Chris Coleson of Virginia was able to lose 85 pounds by eating exclusively at McDonald's. My reaction, in brief: Gross.

Though this is no Supersize Me, it's nonetheless somewhat jarring to wrap your brain around the fact that McDonald's is responsible for weight loss as opposed to weight gain. In the aforementioned film, the human guinea pig eats every single menu item before looping back around to the first (which was the Big Mac, of course). In Coleson's case, he confined himself to what he considered the "healthy" menu items. (He claims he chose McDonald's simply because it was "convenient"; also, that his inspiration was a blind Vet and, of course, his kids... anyone else smell a side of crazy? Thought so.)

Watching Supersize Me definitely made me want to investigate the claims made by Coleson a bit more closely, so I surfed on over to McDonald's corporate website. Once there, I was surprised at how accessible all the nutrition information was, but I also found out that a snack size fruit & walnut salad was 210 calories & 8 grams of fat in a tiny 5 1/2 oz. container. Still, avoiding the fried versions of wraps and eschewing the caramel sauce when procuring an order of Apple Dippers (does that need a ™?) might actually be okay for you. Of course, one has to remember the negligible nutritional value of iceberg lettuce, something by which the wraps are notoriously plumped up.

And if you're not lactarded like me, you can breathe easy that a kiddie cone is only 45 calories (?!), with one gram of fat and six grams of sugar. Do I sound like a corporate shill or what? Hey, note that I still couldn't bring myself to tag this entry with "golf clap", and anyone who loses 85 pounds usually merits at least that (relatively meaningless) accolade. Also, after reading the wet blanket the experts put on top of this story, it's not like I want to be accused of encouraging this wretched behavior. seize the cake is 100% anti-artificial flavorings and 95% anti-microwave. (Confession: I simply can't bring myself to preheat the toaster oven and wait 25 minutes for something silly like a Boca Burger. I know, I know, I'm a terrible person.)