kids menu

We're on vacation which means eating out more often. We are lucky to be sharing a condo with a kitchen so we can have some decent, cheaper and reliable meals (the breakfast buffet at the resort is $20 a person!) We've had salads and chicken, sandwiches and chips, beans and avocados. We can also keep snack food on hand like boiled eggs, yogurt, shrimp, blocks of cheese, crackers, fruit etc.

What makes me crazy are the kids' menus at restaurants. At least a few of them include pasta and marinara, but the standard fare of chicken fingers, fries and hotdogs rule the day. Don't get me wrong, we (all) had hotdogs for lunch yesterday and Mac n Cheese is for dinner tomorrow, but the assumption that kids can't or won't eat the food their parents eat is a self-fulfilling prophesy.

MAC N CHEESE FRIES CHICKEN FINGERS

Two nights ago we were at a steak, seafood and sushi place. M tried the pickled ginger, loved the calamari, licked a hand roll and declared it "ewie." What she really wanted was steak and mashed potatoes. Why restaurants don't provide half portions of regular food is beyond me. (Well, I actually guess it's because the frozen deep-fried fare served to our kids is really cheap for them and means a high profit margin...)

So she had a steak with rice (no mashed potatoes available) and broccoli. We took half home and she had it the next night for dinner. I fried up some mushrooms with a little butter and mixed it with the leftover rice and added some green beans and the steak. She loved it both nights.

What are your food tips when you're away from home?