When you’re eating out with the family, does the kids menu make you cringe? Check out former Dinosaurs Are NOT Food blogger (and A Child Grows contributor!) Ginger Bakos’ take on how to survive the chicken fingers and french fries on the minefield of nearly every kids menu you encounter.
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Nothing can stop a wholesome food mom in her tracks like a kid’s menu. Boxed mac and cheese, frozen cheese pizzas, french fries – so many french fries – and of course, chicken nuggets and chicken strips. And you know that it’s the least expensive stuff on the menu because it’s made with the cheapest ingredients, even at restaurants that don’t serve other cheaply made foods. So what can you do?
There are a few different philosophies out there, and rather than delve into all of them, I’m going to tell you how I have managed to navigate it.
Eat out less.
I know that this is a common thread you will hear when you start talking about food and nutrition, but it just is so important. Eating out costs considerably more and you have next to no control over what goes into the food they are serving you, or your children. Every meal you choose to cook at home is a meal that you know exactly what is going into it.
Never underestimate the power of reading.
Your power of reading, not your 3 year old’s.
“Wait, my 3 year old doesn’t read.”
Exactly. So let her color the hot dog maze on the kid’s menu while you figure out what she should eat! Start by asking your server about what’s available on the kid’s menu. It really depends on where you are, and waitstaff is actually usually pretty straight about what is being served. Sometimes, mac and cheese is homemade, which is WAY better than boxed mac and cheese. Sometimes, chicken strips are hand-breaded, and sometimes they serve mini adult versions for the kid’s menu. Every restaurant is different.
If you are someplace where the kid’s menu is most definitely a collection of frozen processed foods, start thinking outside of the box-like on the adult menu side of things. I’ve been doing this for years because my eldest used to only eat grilled shrimp and blue cheese salad when we went out. See what you can put together that is a little more healthful. Though don’t get crazy, you are eating out to enjoy yourself-I’ll tackle that in just a minute.
A couple weeks ago, we went out to one of our favorite restaurants, which has an amazing menu… amazing adult menu. The kid’s menu is frozen processed food. But what they DO have are these super awesome handmade soft pretzels on their appetizer menu, and they have a whole host of salad, veg and fruit that can be ordered on the side. Done. Now, are handmade soft pretzels the bastion of nutrition? Heck no, but they are a darn site better than boxed mac and cheese at a whopping $3.99 per serving. AND little still feels like he’s getting to enjoy the eating experience, too. And the veg? Almost always eaten because we always, always have vanilla ice cream for dessert when we go out. PS We really do always, always have vanilla ice cream when we go out-veg or no veg. Happily, the veg routine we’ve created at home carries over to just about everywhere we go. Not always, though, and that’s OK.
Eating out with friends and family
This is where we “guide” as parents, but don’t draw a line in the sand. I will often suggest some things to the kids, and see where that goes. Inevitably, at birthday party dinners, big family dinners, etc. your little is gonna hear the kid next him order grilled cheese and fries, and little is gonna REALLY want that. You know what, let go and let it be. Order some fruit (almost all restaurants have at least SOMETHING you can order in the fruit group), and don’t fuss. Eating out, especially with friends and family, is meant be fun for everyone involved.
Tell the restaurants what you want
The only way to get restaurants serving better kid’s menus is to demand it. If they have comment cards or survey opportunities, let them know what you would like the kid’s menu to look like. You aren’t asking them to serve 5 course meals to littles. But speaking up about what goes into the food they serve kids is important, especially if it’s a restaurant that otherwise serves a fairly healthful menu… but skimps on the kid’s menu.
So do your best to navigate around dino nuggets and the super processed stuff; craft a more healthful, but still novel dinner out of the adult menu; and above all else, enjoy yourself and let the kiddos enjoy themselves. One of the things we miss out on the most in America is actually taking pleasure in food-we feel a lot of things about food, but our very least described feeling toward meals is joy. I want you and your little to delight in food. French fries or no french fries.
Choose to be healthy! You CAN do it! I have your back (and your little one’s too)!
Ginger Bakos is a Meal Planning and Food Budget Wizard and former author of the blog Dinosaurs Are NOT Food. She is committed to helping moms feed their families well and within their budget, believing that everyone can, and deserves, to eat well! Her greatest passion is freeing moms and kiddos from the “kid food” cycle and guiding them to a healthful and positive relationship with real food. She converted her very own 3 year old Master of All Things Bread and Cheese to a beet and broccoli lover, and she knows you can make it happen in your house, too.
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Waffle Photo by nabil boukala