Starbucks Is the New McDonalds

The day I have been patiently waiting for has finally arrived... All Starbucks are carrying breakfast sandwiches. There are four choices: sausage, aged cheddar and egg; turkey bacon, cholesterol-free egg and reduced fat cheese; bacon, gouda, & egg frittata; and ham, cheddar and egg frittata.

On particularly rough study days, I used to treat myself to the sausage one at my neighborhood Starb's. When a new one opened near me in San Diego, I was crushed to find out they didn't have the little oven to make these bad boys. Then my morale took a nosedive when I moved to Rochester and found out none of the Starbucks in the area offered the breakfast sandwiches. People cannot live on sugary carbs alone! I patiently waited for Starb's to update all the stores' menus and make my high-caloric dreams come true. And ta-da-- it's today!

Even better, since the recession has only given McDonald's a surge, Starbucks has answered by creating "pairings" (not to be confused with pedestrian "combos"). So now, for $3.95 (which is less than my normal grande soy chai latte) you can get any of the breakfast sandwiches with a tall coffee!

And even bestest, the breakfast sandwiches are available all day!

It's so hard to temper my enthusiasm when it comes to most things Starbucks, but I do feel the need to point out the downside: The sausage breakfast sandwich comes in at 500 cals, 29 fat grams, and 42 carbs. The turkey bacon one clearly is marketed as a healthier option: 390 cals, 12 fat grams, and 46 carbs (the extra carbs are offset by the fact that it is a multi-grain English muffin). Now I used to switch it up sometimes and get the spinach, roasted tomato, feta and egg wrap when I could feel the arteries clogging. It's only 270 cals, 11 fat grams, and 32 carbs. It's definitely smaller, but it tastes really great too. Not sure if they're available at all Starbucks though. But just be patient...