Remember the old saying "Change back, just like McDonalds"?

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WESTON, Fla. — A mother of three got a lot more than she ordered at a McDonald's drive-thru. Janice Meissner ordered a bagel and a Diet Coke for breakfast last week, but when she got her food bag it seemed "super heavy."

That was because it had hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in a sealed plastic bag — money that turned out to be the restaurant's bank deposit.

McDonald's officials, who wouldn't say exactly how much was involved, said the deposit was placed in a food bag as a security procedure to make it less conspicuous before it was taken to the bank.

They said it was accidentally left too close to the drive-thru window of the Weston fast-food chain franchise.

"Someone didn't check twice before sending it out the window, obviously," said spokeswoman Beth Plotkin.

Meissner, who had just dropped off her 5-year-old daughter at preschool, paused for a moment before backing up her minivan to the pickup window and returning the money to the employee who handed her the bag.

"I said, 'Do you want to know what was in this bag?'" Meissner recalled. "She turned white as a ghost. She didn't realize the money was missing yet. She thanked me. And that was that."

McDonald's officials said Thursday they are going to send Meissner a thank-you letter and $50 in gift certificates.