Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Why Can't Husby Eat Free?

You know how you can go through life seeing things all the time, but not think twice about them because they don't apply to you? And then suddenly you hit a stage of life when they do apply and you think to yourself, "how did I not know about this all of those years?"

Well, that's pretty much how everything is when you have a child. You notice other people's baby strollers when out shopping that you never glanced at before. You smile instead of cringe when a baby at the next table over has a meltdown during a meal out. Things that you never even thought about suddenly become all you think about. It's a strange phenomenon.

Our newest interest since Levi is eating grown-up food, is seeking our restaurants that have "Kids Eat Free" nights. What a concept!!


Before having Levi, I saw signs plastered on the walls of local diners and thought to myself, "how much could a kids meal BE anyway, like 2 bucks?"

And that is one of the many ways I was severely naive. Guys, food off kids menus is expensive!!!

Most times, we simply order "sides" for him of veggies and fruit. We often get a side of green beans or carrots and a fruit cup instead of getting him a full children's meal since he doesn't eat much anyway. It's also much healthier. Kid's Menu's are basically the same thing everywhere you go - FRIED chicken strips, GREASY grilled cheese, FRIED corn dogs, Macaroni and Cheese and most every meal comes with french fries. Yuck and Yucka. When these choices come with the kid's meal, we always go the veggie and fruit route. We also let him eat off of our plates as well.


When we are at a restaurant where children eat FREE, of course, we order him a kid's meal. We have run into some amazing kids meals where he had a variety of healthy options. And some of his meals could have filled me up!

Here are some of the free meals Levi has had over the past month.

This one was my absolute favorite. It was a plate FULL of healthy fruits, cheese sticks, crackers and yogurt. This one hit the jackpot in my book. I just wish every restaurant would follow suit and offer healthy options! Levi devoured almost everything on the plate.

This one we were blown away with. When they brought it out, I thought to myself, "I should have ordered MYSELF a kid's meal!" This one also came with a free piece of pie (that Husby and I shared). Levi loved almost everything off of this plate, but of course didn't come close to making a dent in it. He especially enjoyed the carrots, mashed potatoes, dressing and cranberry salad!

This one above was his very first free kid's meal. It was a PB&J, fruit cup, cookie and glass of ice cold milk. Husby and I ate the cookie, and Levi handled the rest.

Husby and I have started making a game out of the free kid's meals. We keep a running list in our phones of which restaurants host the free meals on which night of the week, and if we happen to be eating out that night, we browse our options!

I'm so thankful that restaurants do this. Children Levi's age eat so little that it's sometimes a waste to order a whole kid's meal just for him, but if it's free - why not?


  1. That first free meal looks amazing! I want some.
    That second one, my word! How much are these kids eating ha. That's like, get it for all the kids and share. Major jackpot :)

  2. That cheese and yogurt plate looks delicious!

  3. While I don't have kids I have worked at a few different restaurants over the years and the kids meals have always been unpalatable (although some of those look pretty good!) When lacking a free option, scavenging off your plates sounds like a much better (and cheaper) option than chicken nuggets in animal shapes and mac and cheese. There is a whole world of interesting and delicious food out there, no need to deny kids all that goodness!!

  4. I have three boys and we have had the free meals for kids, although they always seem available on nights we don't go out. My oldest son is 11 and phasing out of the kids menu at some places and a full priced entree and drink make the kids menu seem cheap!

  5. What a good idea to scope out which restraunts have free kid's meals. :) We usually give Livy stuff off of our plate. We need to do what you are doing my friend!

  6. Smart to cash in on those now. Katie has graduated from the children's menu and it definitely makes a difference when the check comes!

  7. I'm always searching for Kids Eat Free! Will you post which ones you have found please?

  8. It's a really good idea. My sister usually just orders a side for my nephew as well, instead of paying for a full meal that he won't finish on his own anyway.

  9. No kidding -- kids meals are maybe the worst thing on the menu. My daughter always eats what I order (I ask for a plate for her) -- I'd rather go without some of my food (and eat a bowl of cereal when I get home) than order her complete junk.

  10. I run a restaurant in SW FL and am proud to say that we did an overhaul of our kid's menu last year and we now offer lots of healthy options on our kid's menu. We see so many more families now! SO, shameless plug - if you live in the Sarasota area and are looking for a great family place to eat... come to Madfish Grill. Starting in June we will be doing Kid's Eat Free on Thursdays!

  11. I have been checking out the "Kids Eat Free" places myself lately! Isaiah eats all table food now, so it is just easier to get him a meal. I have noticed at some places, though, the kid's meal is equally as (and sometimes more) expensive than the adult meal! Craziness...

    By the way, do you mind if I ask where the first meal (fruit & yogurt) was from? Very impressive!

  12. I recognize that last one - COSI!! Yum. We love Cosi! :)

  13. where was that fruit and yogurt meal from? looks awesome! my "favorite" kids meal is when they are charging $3.99 for kraft mac and cheese... hello, pretty sure i can buy a whole BOX of that for 99 cents at wal-mart!

    love the blog!

  14. Wow. I never saw those types of kid's meals. Love that first one! Yum. :)

  15. The PB&J from Cosi?? Love that place!!

  16. Hi Whitney, I don't have kids yet, but my sisters and friends are always looking for places where kids eat free. I found this web page that lists places where kids eat free and on which days, I think it's pretty up to date, but I'm not real sure. Maybe it will help you guys out.

  17. D can eat free...at the hospital. hee, hee.



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