It’s breakfast time, so what are my options? Let’s see, a Sausage McGriddle from McDonalds? The Enormous Omelet Sandwich from Burger King? Seems as though most choices for a quick grab-and-go breakfast are completely greased-up and bad for you. Nutrition and fast-food breakfast go together like peanut butter on a pizza. So when I saw a commercial for the new Egg White Flatbread Sandwiches from Dunkin’ Donuts with low fat and under 300 calories each, I thought to myself… “Finally!”.

Fast Food Critic reported in July that Dunkin’ Donuts had released several flatbread sandwiches as ‘lunchtime’ menu items, and now they’ve decided to go the breakfast route. A smart move. They realize where their bread is being buttered, and that’s among the morning coffee and donut crowd. So I wasn’t really surprised to see them introduce these flatbread breakfasts. Yes, DD has carried breakfast sandwiches for a long while now, but they’re the standard egg/cheese, plus bacon/sausage on a croissant, sourdough toast or bagel. Now comes along something for the more health conscious, and part of the company’s expanding “DDSmart” menu lineup.

The Egg White flatbreads come in two choices, the Veggie and the Turkey Sausage. The cost is $2.99 each. In my personal opinion, I believe they are probably a dollar too much. There simply isn’t much going on to warrant a $2.99 purchase. There’s too much of the dry, tough flatbread. It’s a little overwhelming when compared to the actual egg filling portion. There needs to be less flatbread and a price drop… or they should increase the amount of egg and filling to merit the $2.99 price tag.

Veggie — I definitely prefer the Veggie Egg White Flatbread over the Turkey Sausage variety. The Veggie has a better flavor and you can tell it when take your first bite. This taste comes mostly from the green and red peppers. At only 290 calories and 9 grams of fat, it takes the guilt away from your morning breakfast. The Veggie version of this sandwich consists of egg whites, peppers, onions, mushrooms, and reduced-fat cheddar cheese on a multigrain flatbread. The Veggie version was not nearly as dry as the Turkey Sausage and it also had better, tastier cheese.

Turkey Sausage — The Turkey Sausage version is only 280 calories and 6 grams of fat. It’s made up of egg whites, turkey sausage, spinach, and reduced-fat mozzarella cheese on a multigrain flatbread. You can’t really taste much of anything but the egg with this one. There also isn’t any immediate recognition that what you are eating has turkey sausage in it, or spinach for that matter, or even cheese. And it’s too dry.

Neater and Healthier — These sandwiches are not messy and dripping with grease. As I mentioned before, they are not a breakfast you feel guilty about selecting. Both flatbread items are at least 25% reduced (in comparison to the sausage, egg, cheese on a croissant) in calories, fat, saturated fat, sugar and sodium. With that, you of course lose the rich bold taste of butter, cheese and fried goodness… and replace it with something that many people would describe as being bland.

OK, so they’re not a home run, but I still enjoyed them. Honestly, I think just knowing they’re lower in fat and calories than almost everything else out there has boosted my impression. If it wasn’t for that fact, I’d be giving these sandwiches a lower score, but they go up a full letter grade for being healthier. If you’re looking for the tastiest most satisfying quick breakfast item… this is not it. However, if you’re looking for something more in the “guilt free” category, these should satisfy you, and for the moment they’re really the only game in town for a healthy fast-food breakfast sandwich.

Price: $2.99 / Website: DunkinDonuts.com

Fast Food Critic Score: C-

(Turkey Sausage)

Nutrition Facts - Dunkin’ Donuts Flatbread Sandwich, Turkey Sausage.

Calories - 280
Calories from Fat - 50
Total Fat - 6 grams
Carbs - 37 grams
Saturated Fat - 2.5 grams
Trans Fat - 0 grams
Cholesterol - 20 milligrams
Sodium - 820 milligrams
Protein - 19 grams

Price: $2.99 / Website: DunkinDonuts.com

Fast Food Critic Score: B-

(Veggie)

Nutrition Facts - Dunkin’ Donuts Flatbread Sandwich, Veggie.

Calories - 290
Calories from Fat - 80
Total Fat - 9 grams
Carbs - 39 grams
Saturated Fat - 4 grams
Trans Fat - 0 grams
Cholesterol - 20 milligrams
Sodium - 680 milligrams
Protein - 11 grams

Click here for rating system details.

Dunkin’ Donuts continues to expand their oven-toasted menu, with the addition of the new Southwest Chicken Flatbread Sandwich, which features grilled chicken, cheddar cheese, red and green peppers, onions, and a maple-chipotle sauce, pressed inside a warm toasty flatbread shell. DD’s oven-toasted menu launched earlier this year as the most significant change to their product lineup since the company launched espresso-based beverages back in 2003.

In order to introduce the new menu, Dunkin’ Donuts shops received an entirely new cooking platform. New cooking ovens, using patented technologies, deliver the “Oven-Toasted” result. In addition to the new Southwest Chicken, three other classic flavors are available: Turkey, Cheddar and Bacon - Ham and Swiss - Grilled Cheese.

Visit DunkinDonuts.com to find a location near you.

No Boobs at Starbucks — The Fast Food Maven reports that Starbucks will soon be pulling the image of the topless mermaid from it’s coffee cups. The “Heritage” logo as it’s called, has created a small controversy since it appeared in April, at the same time the company’s new version of Pike Place Roast coffee was introduced. I see my friend Jeff from Knowzy.com has already been there and posted, but I’m sure the boob topic had nothing to do with it. Right Jeff?

Prime Rib on a Hamburger? — Yes indeed, Hardee’s (sibling of CarlsJr) has just introduced a new product called the Prime-Rib Thickburger. The company describes their new creation as — “A one-third pound 100% Black Angus beef patty topped with thinly-sliced prime rib, horseradish sauce, Swiss cheese, and grilled onions on a Ciabatta roll served with a cup of Au jus for dipping.”

Alabama gets Dunked — Dunkin Donuts has announced plans to expand into the state of Alabama. They are actively seeking people interested in starting their own DD franchise. They plan to open 142 locations in the state over the next few years. For more information about starting your own Dunkin Donuts store, visit DunkinFranchising.com or call toll-free 1-877-9-DUNKIN.

Chick-fil-A does Pizza? — Not exactly, but the 87 year old founder of CFA, Truett Cathy, has opened a new pizza restaurant located in Fayetteville, Georgia, called “Upscale Pizza”. The 90-seat dining establishment offers customers a chance to create their own pizzas, sandwiches, hot wings, and hot dogs by choosing toppings and sauces. They also serve pie, ice cream, and feature a kid’s menu. Despite the ‘Upscale’ name, the environment is casual and family friendly. There are no plans for additional locations and no direct affiliation with CFA.

Pizza from Subway — Yes it’s true, Subway is serving mini-pizzas. I had another one today, my second this week. This small ‘personal’ pie is similar to the $4 pizzas from Domino’s. The core of the Subway pizza (crust, sauce and cheese) is prepared off-site, then frozen and sent to stores across the country, where toppings are added and the pie gets cooked in a “speed oven” for 90 seconds. I’m sure that serious pizza enthusiasts everywhere are rolling their eyes in disgust, but try to keep in mind this is fast-food. — My review is coming soon.

UPDATE 5/22: The review is now posted. Thank you.

The nice folks at Dunkin Donuts have contacted me about a new promotion featuring Free Iced-Coffee. Here’s the details: “Dunkin’s Donuts, the world’s largest coffee and baked goods chain, is celebrating FREE ICED COFFEE DAY from 10a.m. to 10p.m. on Thursday, May 15th. Customers can walk into any participating Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant throughout the country and receive a free 16 oz. cup of Dunkin’ Donuts’ premium regular, Berry Berry Iced Coffee, which combines the seasonal tastes of blueberry and raspberry with Dunkin’ Donuts’ award-winning coffee, or many other delicious flavors.

On Free Iced Coffee Day, Dunkin’ Donuts is honoring those who serve by donating $80,000 to the National Police Athletic League (NPAL) to support its Youth Leadership Program. The NPAL program supports more than 2 million underprivileged youth through education, sports and leadership opportunities, and stresses community service and peer leadership in more than 350 chapters across the country.”

Editor’s Note: For those not paying attention, this is the same day that McDonald’s is giving away Free Chicken Sandwiches, so if you time things correctly you can easily have two freebies in one day. God Bless America!

Dunkin Donuts announced today that it’s giving customers a Free Donut with the purchase of any size coffee on Tax Day. Considering that millions of people already drink their brand of coffee on a regular basis, I suspect this will be a very successful promotion. You can bet there’s going to be lots of free donuts handed out on the 15th of April. In case you didn’t know, Dunkin Donuts is recognized as the world’s largest coffee and baked goods chain. How popular is their coffee? In 2007, they sold more than one billion cups (hot and iced-coffee). In addition to it’s donuts and premium coffee, they recently launched an Oven Toasted menu, featuring items like flat-bread sandwiches and personal pizzas.