Cooking Kids

 My husband and I never noticed how fattening the kid’s menus were at restaurants. We knew fast food was death in a cute, cardboard box, but we just assumed restaurant food was better. When our son, who is now 8, was around 3 years old we found out that he didn’t like fried foods. This meant our restaurant choices were extremely limited. Most places only offered fried chicked fingers, hot dogs, corn dogs, french fries and other fried type foods. We were lucky to find a local steak house that offered a kids chopped steak plate with a potato. We ate at that restaurant until we just couldn’t take it anymore. That’s when we decided to try Red Lobster, thinking we could just share our shrimp with him. We were not only amazed but extremely happy to see that Red Lobster offered snow crab claws on their kid’s menu. Our son gravitated towards them at 3 years old and still loves them to this day. Within the next couple of years, restaurants started jumping on the health and nutrition bandwagon, offering a variety of healthier foods. Although most kid’s menus still run amok with fried foods and fattening side dishes, restaurants are making an effort. Below is a small list of restaurants with a healthy food choice for your child. I’ll be adding more restaurants and foods in the very near future, but this list should take care of your night out dinners for a few weeks.

 Restaurants

Applebees: Miniburgers with a side of broccoli.

Red Lobster: Snow Crab Legs with a side of applesauce.

Ruby Tuesday: Grilled Chicken with a side of broccoli.

Chilis: Grilled Chicken Sandwich with either a side of black beans or cinnamon apples.

California Pizza Kitchen: Grilled Chicken with broccoli, or a Macaroni and Cheese dish with edamame thrown in.

Cheesecake Factory: They don’t have a kid’s menu, but they do offer a “baby plate” of bananas, oranges and fresh bread for kids still in boosters or high chairs.

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