As a working mother of a VERY active 4.5 year old, we occasionally eat out. I say occasionally, because it’s too expensive to do it a lot, otherwise we probably would. I am not a good cook. Actually, I can cook some things, but I don’t enjoy it very much. I think I would enjoy it more if I didn’t have to do dishes after making a mess in the kitchen! We don’t have a dishwasher in our house (it’s a small kitchen with no space for one & it must have been built before they were invented, because what woman in her right mind would not include one in the plans?).

We do fix meals and feed our son a balanced assortment of meat, fruits & vegetables. Lucky for us he likes the last two, but he is a little weird about his meats. He prefers chicken nuggets for every meal. He’ll eat things like fish sticks and hot dogs, but it’s hard to get him to eat a hamburger or grilled chicken breast. If he’s really hungry and has a bottle of ketchup he might. Just within the past 6 months he finally started eating sandwiches! Peanut butter & jelly being his favorite with toasted cheese a close runner up. So that broadened our options. He’s also started eating spaghetti and a few other meals that have meat included in them, but chicken nuggets lead the race.

I credit his pre-k school for the constantly expanding meal menu. When he stays for lunch they eat in the cafeteria with the K-8 students and just today he informed me that he had chili and really liked it. My husband makes chili several times a month during the winter and Ethan has always refused to even try it. But I guess when you add in the influence of your peers it adds a new element of pressure. More than our attempts at getting Ethan to try new foods.

Overheard in our dining room: “Take one bite of your lasagna or Buzz Lightyear gets it.”

On the occasional hectic day or just for fun, we may enjoy McDonald’s. Who doesn’t? I’ve heard of some families with older kids who have so many sports and activities that they often eat meals in their mini-vans after hitting the drive-thru night after night. Ethan obviously LOVES a chicken nugget Happy Meal. He sometimes gets apples and sometimes fries. I’m fine either way. (The apples actually have some preservative to keep them fresh that breaks his mouth out around his lips - he has sensitive skin.) And a juice box or milk.

No matter how much I enjoy the convenience and taste of my own meal (let alone the lack of dish washing afterwards), I sometimes feel guilty. My mom worked and took care of my brother and I. We didn’t eat out much & we were involved in activities. If she knew we had something going on in the evening, she planned ahead and used the crock pot. Not only that, but our meals weren’t the freezer-to-oven kind (like I usually make). They were homemade and absolutely delicious!

I was googling something today and accidentally came across this link. It peaked my interest. Turns out I’m not ruining Ethan’s health by feeding him a Happy Meal. In fact, it may very well be healthier in some instances than the quick convenience meal I could fix him at home (more so when he chooses apples over fries of course). Clicking below will take you to a chart on a site run by McDonald’s.

I was particularly surprised that some of his favorite foods (by themselves) like a hot dog, grilled cheese & pizza are higher in fat and calories than 4 chicken nuggets! Good news! Good news for me and other parents who have that guilty feeling as they leave the drive thru.