Foodie Swellness: McDonald’s new CBO

So McDonald’s® has launched a new sandwich for their regular menu in Canada: the CBO® (which stands for Chicken, Bacon, Onion). The CBO is actually based on a similar McDonald’s sandwich in France, with a few tweaks to make it fit the Canadian market. The CBO is composed of a crispy seasoned chicken filet, black pepper and onion sauce, hickory-smoked bacon and crispy onions, all on an artisan-style sesame and onion bun.

(And if you’re wondering what a health writer and marathoner is doing eating McDonald’s, well, you can check out my blog bio — but in a nutshell, I’m all about balance, and I don’t pretend to eat only kale and quinoa day in and day out…I try to eat real, unprocessed food most of the time and a quick scan at my Instagram, I’m @healthandswellness, and you’ll see I eat what I love, and I love a lot of different foods).

When I do go to McDonald’s, I often order the McChicken sandwich (for breakfast, it’s Sausage McMuffin with Egg) so I was curious to see how the CBO would taste given my fondness for their classic chicken burger. I got a chance to attend an exclusive event and get an advance taste of the CBO (although it has rolled out on a low-key basis) in Toronto last week. McDonald’s cashier was my very first job ever so it was fun to take part in one of their launches now in the role of food lover. And, hey, I will never turn down McDonald’s French Fries. Here’s some footage from that evening (Eek! I am so not comfortable in front of a camera!)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Vwt3B1BBhrMframeborder%3D0allowfullscreen

First bite of the CBO and I found it quite enjoyable: the chicken is juicy and I like the savoury pepper and onion sauce. Also, the bacon is chopped up, which makes it easier to eat than strips or a round of bacon, and helps ensure you get some bacon with every bite (one of the reasons the CBO recipe was re-designed in Canada). I actually don’t recall seeing the crispy onion bits. Although I start eating the sandwich and find myself enjoying the onion bun, I find that as I eat more of the sandwich, the onion taste is a bit overwhelming (plus, it’s reminding me that I used to eat onion buns way too often in university). Perhaps it’s the combination of both crispy onion bits and the onion bun that’s onion overload for me…By the last few bites of the sandwich, I find myself eating just the insides of the sandwich.

All in all, I enjoyed the sandwich and could see myself ordering it when I’m feeling like something different than my usual. I’d say it’s a fancier version of a McChicken (McDonald’s even calls the CBO bun “artisanal,” how very hipster of them…). I wonder if I could get the CBO on a regular sesame bun? That might make my palate happier (but then I’d be one of those customers I used to dread with their convoluted custom orders…).

Have you tried the CBO yet? Thoughts??

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2 Comments February 3, 2015

Healthy Swellness: Nuts about nuts

When I interviewed chef Scott Conant a couple of years ago, he told me about his guilty food pleasure: peanut butter. Not some fancy, organic, all-natural kind, but one of the varieties you’ll find on every grocery shelf – it’s probably the one you enjoyed as a kid.

Are peanuts an essential for you, too? Do you devour it the way those contestants on Survivor do when they get some PB as a food reward? They’re all over it like Kanye is Kim, but I guess being deprived of food and flavour for weeks will do that to you.

I always have peanuts and peanut butter at home, and I eat it at least once a week—on toast or a bagel before I go for a run, or with chocolate when I’m craving something sweet, or sometimes I add them to açai bowls or salads for a bit of crunch. Maybe it’s my Quebec roots showing—did you know Quebec residents are more likely to eat peanut butter at least weekly than the rest of Canada? (85 percent compared to 78 percent.)

I know I turn to peanuts as a simple way to get some protein, but that’s not the only thing great about them:

• Peanuts are a natural source of heart-healthy plant sterols
• A handful of peanuts as a snack will not only make you feel full, but it’s packed with vitamins and minerals including fibre, folate, vitamin E, magnesium, zinc and selenium
• Peanuts are naturally sodium-free (that’d be the unsalted variety—in case that wasn’t obvious…).
• Peanuts are cholesterol-free.

All this talk about peanuts giving you a nutty craving? Check next week for a healthy salad recipe I think you’ll love!

P.S. For more healthy info  on peanuts and about different peanut varieties, head on over to the Peanut Bureau for a visit.

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Leave a Comment August 18, 2014