Eating out

singingirl96 · July 2013

Hi ladies, I'm a busy working mom and somedays I just want to eat dinner out. My son is a good eater, but I feel some places are better than others where we can find things he can eat. Usually I like to keep him away from fast food. Here are some of out favorite places, what are yours? I'm looking for more options. Boston market (he loves their chicken, Mac and cheese and veggies) Noodles and co (he loves any pasta)

KarmB · July 2013

JAck5209 · July 2013

My LO likes Chipotle's little chicken quesadilla and soup and/or sandwiches from Panera. They also have fruit.

zyas · July 2013

Yes the chipotle kids meals are great! Ava loves the chicken quesadilla and their rice too. I haven't yet gotten her anything from panera but I LOVE that place so I really should take her there sometime.

We take her to some local restaurants and I usually just share my meal with her if they don't have a healthy kids menu option. When we had the GTG at Cheesecake Factory the other day, I was happy to see that they had a grilled chicken with veggies kids meal.

BubbaJug · July 2013

heatherbee710 said:

I second Chipotle and Panera. He loves the rice and beans mixed together at chipotle and the guacamole. He likes the grilled cheese at Panera.

I've found most places have at least grilled cheese (applebees, red robin, etc) and then I will usually bring a pouch in case they don't have a veggie or fruit.

This is what we do too!

singingirl96 · July 2013

Do you share or order a kids meal? Sometimes I order the meal and he doesn't eat a lot, other times we share and he eats all my food... I never can guess!

pinkangelmoon · July 2013

I just order an extra side of veggies and give them some of my chicken/fish etc as appropriate. For Chinese takeout I order their diet dishes (steamed chicken and veggies). They love chipotle rice and beans but the chicken is too spicy for them.

apollonia10 · July 2013

I agree with MM - chains are tough when it comes to finding something good for DS. Local places are much easier. Usually I'll give him some chicken out of my sandwich, or some pasta with meat sauce, or something like that. I try to avoid things on the kids menu unless it's like a chicken breast with a side of fruit.

cwm11985 · July 2013

MissMusic said:
I don't know how healthy you eat, but Panera is pretty bad nutrition-wise. You'd think it would be great because its sammich & salad, but the sugar & sodium is cringe-worthy. For example, the kiddie turkey sandwich has 1010mg of sodium. Take out the cheese and its still 760mg!! The grilled cheese by itself is 1000mg. Boston Market is terrible, too. Just a heads up!

We try to avoid eating out because its hard to find food that is good for LO. Sometimes we'll do Olive Garden and she'll eat some noodles or grilled chicken and asparagus. I definitely order her a side of veg WITHOUT butter, a quesadilla, etc. Usually just try local places vs chains, they tend to be better in the taste & health areas.

Ditto about Panera. Most people don't know it, but their sandwiches are frozen and shipped out to the restaurants and reheated. Frozen foods=too much sodium. Do you have any good local restaurants? We typically go to those rather than chains so I'm not very helpful sorry!

APendola · July 2013

Hmm, we don't really eat at any chains and I have never ordered DD her own meal. I have ordered her a side of fruit or toast to munch on but I usually just give her some of my meals.

We are vegetarian and try to eat healthy so I don't know if I'll find a lot of kids meals that would be good for her.

zyas · July 2013

cwm11985 said:

MissMusic said:
I don't know how healthy you eat, but Panera is pretty bad nutrition-wise. You'd think it would be great because its sammich & salad, but the sugar & sodium is cringe-worthy. For example, the kiddie turkey sandwich has 1010mg of sodium. Take out the cheese and its still 760mg!! The grilled cheese by itself is 1000mg. Boston Market is terrible, too. Just a heads up!

We try to avoid eating out because its hard to find food that is good for LO. Sometimes we'll do Olive Garden and she'll eat some noodles or grilled chicken and asparagus. I definitely order her a side of veg WITHOUT butter, a quesadilla, etc. Usually just try local places vs chains, they tend to be better in the taste & health areas.
Ditto about Panera. Most people don't know it, but their sandwiches are frozen and shipped out to the restaurants and reheated. Frozen foods=too much sodium. Do you have any good local restaurants? We typically go to those rather than chains so I'm not very helpful sorry!

I did not know that about panera. Well I guess I'll scratch that place off my list. I definitely thought it was healthier than that!

Another thing we frequently get is sushi. I order Ava her own California rolls or avocado rolls. She loves them!

britbratjf · July 2013

I also used to work at Panera and all the sandwiches were made in house. Soups were frozen though as were the bread doughs.

OP we don't eat at chains either. There are a few local restaurants where we do go out to eat but I grew up in the restaurant business (my family owns several) and am not real fond of chain restaurants. We have just started ordering Dagny her own food. Usually Mac n cheese or chicken fingers. Sometimes if I'm getting something I know I won't eat all of we will just get her a side of fruit and let her eat off our plates. If we do get her a kids meal we bring home leftovers and give them to her for lunch the next day.

lkamenko · July 2013

We don't go out often, but when we do I order LO a side of mashed potatoes or pasta or vegetables. She is messy with all those choices, so I always apologize to the waiter an tip more...

I think Panera is not that bad - I love their turkey and avocado sandwich and I am pretty sure it is not frozen.

reinedecajun · July 2013

We ate at a local burger joint for lunch today, my kid only ate fries and even washed it down with sweet tea. What can i say there were no tofu burger non glutten air baked fries on the menu.

britbratjf · July 2013

Ha @reinedecajun we give her the fried chicken fingers. And last night she are a whole slice of frozen pizza. They will survive right?

reinedecajun · July 2013

britbratjf said:

Ha @reinedecajun we give her the fried chicken fingers. And last night she are a whole slice of frozen pizza. They will survive right?

And thrive!

reinedecajun · July 2013

Lol ragin Oliver loves fries. What can I say he takes after his mama.

Fries are potatoes, potatoes are a vegetable right?

reinedecajun · July 2013

Laurski81 said:

jfresh said:

Lol ragin Oliver loves fries. What can I say he takes after his mama.

Ha! @jfresh and @reinedecajun Henry loves fries too.

He was all over the place at his birthday party I swear every single relative of mine gave him something sweet to eat before I could tell them not to. I was positive that he would be up all night with a stomach ache. Nope he was just fine. He is definitely my kid...woke up the next day and was pointing to the left over cake when I was pouring his milk.

Since my dad has been here my kid has had m&m's, cheetos, cake, ice cream on the reg, and sweet tea. Has had no affect on him so far..but i can't wait until my dad leaves so this stuff isn't around so much. It's been awful having this stuff around! lol

reinedecajun · July 2013

MissMusic said:

Let me just say, I didn't mean to come off as preachy but I think I did.
I don't care what you feed your kids. I brought up the Panera thing because several people said they loved that place, and I was in the same boat for a while. We like to eat on the healthier side, and when I actually looked up the nutrition info I was SHOCKED. I thought it was helpful to pass the info along.

Feed your kids whatever you want. Thats your business and you do what works for you. Sorry 'bout the way I may have come off.
:o3

MM please dont take what I say as anything directed to you. You know im just a little rough around the edges.

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