Happy Meals Outside the House

I love to eat out.  As I was determined that having a child would not make me into a hermit and that I could incorporate him into the things that I love, he ate his first meal out when he was two weeks old.  Granted, it was the salad bar at Whole Foods, but he slept in his Bjorn against dad and we ate.  

One of the few books on parenting that I read and liked was Jane Buckingham's The Modern Girl's Guide to Motherhood.   She suggested that if you ever hope to have an enjoyable meal in public with your children that you start taking them out young and do not be dissuaded by an unsuccessful meal [or two or four].  I have followed her advice and except for a projectile vomiting mis-hap at a Mexican restaurant, no experience has been so bad that we could not return.

Unfortunately, repeatedly taking your child out to eat is not enough; you have to come with an arsenal of entertainment options and stay flexible.  Below are some things that have worked for our family to make eating out toddler friendly:

1.  Choose wisely.  Parent's has a list of the "10 Best Family Restaurants of 2011," but if those are my only options, I would rather stay in.  Luckily, there are better options, but they may require research.  While awaiting little one's arrival, look around your favorite restaurants, talk to friends who share your taste, or call the restaurant and ask.  Great restaurants for children have relaxed atmospheres that do not demand hushed tones or have outdoor seating.  Also, look for places that do not take a long time to get your food out and have items that you and your child can agree upon.

2.  Arrive early.  Your child will only give you so much time, and you should not waste it waiting.  This also allows you to choose your location: a table outside in anything short of a snow storm will be best for all, but a seat by the window still provides entertainment or a corner will allow room to move.  Also, the kitchen is not backed up at this time, so the food is on the table fast. 

3.  Come armed.  If they do not have kid-friendly cups, then bring your own.  I also either pack my son's entire meal or at least some fruit or yogurt, as it is more economical, ensures that he is filling up on healthy foods, and it entertains him while we wait on our food.   

4.  Break it up.  We break up the meal, by dropping one person to get a table and possibly order, while the other one parks and walks in with my son, thus eliminating some waiting time.  He then can eat his "hor d’oeuvres," color (always carry the crayons!), chat, watch the passing buses, dogs, and trains, and if the food still isn't there, he will go for another walk.  Thus, he is not ready to get up as soon as the food arrives and my husband and I actually get to eat together.    

5.  Be prepared for imperfection.  Your child will throw something, get noisy, and/or spit something out, so allow forgiveness for yourself and child, as it will change your perception of how well the meal went.  Most diners do not care what your child is doing, but also do not test their limits or your child's.  If the wait is too long, service too slow, or your child is just irritable, get your food to go and try again another time.

6.  Buy a return ticket.  Clean up your child's mess and tip well.

Though these are mostly local restaurants to Atlanta, some great places that more than meet the needs of all family members are:

Highland Bakery: great staff, informal inside and great outdoor seating, diverse options (kids and parents alike eat the Sweet Potato Pancakes like they are candy).

Sun in My Belly: casual atmosphere with amazing food and right beside train tracks, which provide much entertainment. 

West Egg: Unpretentious people, quick service, comprehensive menu. Nice patio on a busy road, which is great for entertainment.

Parish: I had to offer a truly nice dinner option.  This is an amazing restaurant with food, atmosphere, service, everything, but they make it possible for moms and dads to simultaneously be parents and foodies, and for this I am grateful.  

Whole Foods: let them experiment!  All ingredients are posted and the atmosphere was made for children.

Share your own local favorites!

Find a Local Farmers' Market

Local Harvest has the most comprehensive list of farmers' markets on the web and is a great place to learn.  They also have a catalog from which you can order items not available in your local area.

 Find a Local Farmers' Market

Do you have a favorite farmers' market?  Post a comment and share the name, location, website, day[s], hours, and what to find there. 

I hate the commercial for Chef Boyardee where the mom bangs pans to keep her child from hearing that his meal contains vegetables. First, even with vegetables, the food is still junk, so the child can rest easy that he is not consuming anything remotely healthy, and second, this mom is the problem with childhood nutrition.
My son lives on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, etc. and he loves most of it, if for no other reason than that is to what we have unabashedly exposed him, as it is how we eat. So when a mom told me that her 15 month-old would only eat tater-tots, French fries, and chicken nuggets and on occasion, sugary oatmeal, I could not help but hear pans clanging (and felt pretty certain that she heard nothing).
WOW. That young on a diet of fried white starch, with sugar thrown in for variety. Mom went on to say that she had made an appointment for her son to go to the doctor for "his eating problem," but at fifteen months, she is her child's eating problem.
Children like the foods to which we expose them repeatedly and, honestly, the ones which we sell them. If dad never makes vegetables (not enough exposure to develop a level of comfort and familiarity) and mom grimaces as she feeds the child his green beans (mom's billboard for vegetables reads: "Green is Gross"), their child hears pans, but if mom always includes vegetables with dinner and dad eats all the green beans on his plate, the message becomes "green is good." 
I did not try to change this mom's mind about eating habits, as it is not my place, but I gave her two healthy versions of the Chef Boyardee Sneak, as you have to start from wherever you are:
1. Stonyfield's Yo Baby with vegetables tastes like yogurt, which most babies love, but they have managed to slip in some green beans. Granted, there is probably more vegetable in the Chef, but the yogurt's ingredients have been in the container less time than my son has been on the earth and I am comforted by that.
Now, drum roll, please:
2. Spinach has little taste and is a super green. It can also be chopped into so much nothing that baby does not know it is there....even a baby with texture issues. You can disguise it in yogurt, pasta sauce or, so that it looks familiar to Mr. French-Fried-Tater-tot, try it in oatmeal with a little cheese.
By "disguise it" I do not mean bang your pans, but if your child has been raised in the school of "green is gross," before they can consider liking healthy food, you have to get them to physically put in their mouth. But be prepared that the first step in this process may be your own, especially if your mom banged pots throughout your childhood.  Because once they eat it, you have to help them to develop a positive perception of the food. And your grimace at their enjoyment will not accomplish this, and, worse, may make them feel strange for actually liking it.....

Green [Pink, Blue, Red, and Peach] Popsicles

In 2011, "green" takes on many meanings.  To some it is the color of earth-friendliness and others the color of money.  As my son's diet consists mainly of fruits and vegetables (green #1), I need a second mortgage (green #2) just to keep up with his appetite, especially, as I elect to buy organic produce.  Thus, I am always seeking ways to keep his diet healthy and delicious but also affordable.

My family, being extra cheap (green #2) does not use a lot of air conditioning (unfortunately, not for reasons related to green #1, we are just cheap), so we use other means of cooling off, our favorite being cold snacks.  Last summer, we were obsessed with Edy's Fruit Bars, which are delicious, but at just under $5 per box and three boxes per week, air conditioning was looking much more reasonable.

As a child of the '80's, gourmet popsicles were an oxy-moron and store-bought pops a rare treat, as every kitchen had a set of popsicle molds from a long forgotten Tupperware party that were frozen and refrozen throughout the summer, regardless of BPA, leftover stickiness or otherwise (ahhh, the good ol' days).  So with wonderful memories to put/pass on my son, I purchased Rocket Ice Pop Molds for this summer.

As it is the age of excess (and we thought that was the '80's), the molds now come in colors and shapes and cost twice as much, but at $11.58 for the hardware plus the cost of ingredients, they still represent a savings from last year (green#2), not to mention, now they are organic, far more nutritious, and save on packaging (green#1).

Memorial Day Pop
In a bowl mash any/all of the following according to preference of taste and texture (or cold sensitivity): ripe banana, raspberries, peaches, and strawberries. 
Add your favorite [organic] low-fat vanilla or plain yogurt, if you like a little more tang, again, according to taste and how much you need to fill your molds.  Mix fruit and yogurt thoroughly.
Gently, fold whole blueberries into the mix.
Place 1 raspberry in the bottom/top of each (artistic sake only) and fill the molds with the fruit and yogurt mix.
Freeze.
Thus in one pop your children get calcium, all the nutrition of fresh fruit, and as they helped to make them, a sense of pride.

See recipes for other Summer Pops including: Mango Kiwi and Mango Lime Mint.