Hey Chicks!

Hope you are all having an awesome long weekend. Today was the only day that both my and my bf had off together, so we went to the gym together then our for brunch with the kiddies.

The twins aren't looking at the camera cuz their eyes are glued to the tv!

We chose a place to eat that I know uses fresh, real and unprocessed foods. With my girls I am not a complete nutrition nazi – but I do limit their consumption of processed foods and sugar.

So for brunch that means no french toast, waffles, pancakes, syrup, jam, juice or sweetened yogurt.

Instead they each had scrambled eggs, bacon (which is a treat, not an everyday food), rye toast (I ordered it dry, I have nothing against butter but restaurants generally use margarine and that is a big no-no for me), and a glass of water. They had an apple in the car on the way, (as well as a bowl of oats with natural peanut butter and lots of pumpkin this morning) so I wasn’t worried about the lack of produce in the meal.

Delaney excited about her brekkie!

They gobbled it up – all while being glued to the tv in the restaurant…lol.  Bread is also a treat for them, as we are more likely to use bread substitutions in our home.

my yummy brunch

I wanted to share my meal with you too – grilled back bacon, poached eggs (the best choice in a restaurant because they are always just cooked in water, no wondering what oil is on the pan or if their scrambled eggs are actually real!) and I substituted the homefries for a side of greens. Substituting veggies for carbs is a fab way to increase the nutrition of your meal and lower the calories. It’s a win-win!

We don’t go out to eat often – too expensive! – but when we do here are my top tips for healthy ordering for kids:

1. Skip the kids meals. They are often loaded with sugar and too much food for the kids. Instead I order side dishes or an adult meal for them to share.  There are also more healthier options available on the adult menu.  Often the choices for kids are all packaged fried foods. I have worked in many restaurants – the average kids meal including dessert has about 1000 calories, most of them from processed carbs and sugar. It’s pretty disgusting!

2. Skip the kids drink – it’s easier if you don’t order a kids meal, then you feel obliged to take the “free” drink. Often they are loaded with extra sugar – like Shirley Temples which are sugary pop with sugary syrup added to them. Think juice is better? Not…it’s basically just sugar water too.  Fresh squeezed is ok occasionally, but how often do we fresh squeeze juice?  Water is the best drink. Instilling the habit of not drinking your calories early on is awesome!

3. Let them pick one “treat” item – Dinner doesn’t have to be fried “chicken” nuggets, french fries, and ice cream. Let them pick one. So they could have real chicken with veggies and ice cream. Or chicken with fries and no dessert. Or nuggets and salad with a fruit cup.  It may be a treat to go out, but the whole meal doesn’t have to be made up of garbage.

4. Share! Often I will order a few dishes for the whole family to share. It’s fun to try a bunch of different things, and kids are more likely to eat what they see you eating.

5. Try new foods – this one isn’t really about eating healthy, but try different “adult” restaurants. My kids love to go out for vietnamese, sushi, or thai food. Just because there is no “kids” menu, doesn’t mean there won’t be lots of things to try. Expose them to different tastes. My kids eat what I eat, I don’t believe in special kids only food. But that could be another long blog post…lol

Do you have any great tips for eating healthy in restaurants?

Have a fab day!
Sarah aka Mama Chick