Getting Back to Food

Okay everyone.
It’s time to fess up…
Last week, Mary Alice challenged all of us to an honest food log of 5 days of our children’s/family’s meals. What a great test this was for me. To see my kids’ meals in written form was incredibly illuminating, insighting some pleasure and some shame. The beauty of such an endeavor, though, is for all of us to be REAL and life-supporting to one another! I can’t wait to read your thoughts.

Here’s our list from last Tuesday through Friday (I only made it four days).
Note: quantity is undefined due to one/or both children eating all, some, or none of the food offered. Here, at least, is what was placed on the table (or given for snack). Nothing more or less.

Tuesday
Breakfast: Life cereal, whole milk, ½ juice/ ½ water
Snack: goldfish crackers
Lunch: peas (from frozen), turkey and cheese quesadillas (white flour kind—they haven’t taken to the whole wheat version), strawberries, banana
Snack: lollipop potty reward
Dinner: mixed veggies (from frozen), McCain’s Smiles (trans-fat free! J), cheeseburgers on wheat buns, plenty of ketchup (why do they love this stuff so?), cut up apple; (GG and I also had a salad)

Wednesday
B: Life and Multigrain Cheerios, whole milk, orange juice/water
S: goldfish, Nutri-Grain cereal bar, part of Panera bagel
L: carrots (cut up into “coins”), chicken nuggets (from freezer), green grapes
S: wheat thins, apple; lollipop potty rewards
D: corn (from frozen), Orange Chicken (made from scratch), brown rice, Yoplait kids yogurt; (salad for GG and me)

Thursday
B: same as Wednesday (we’re rather boring for breakfast; this is all I can muster)
S: goldfish (I’m realizing we’re rather boring for snack too!)
L: McDonald’s chicken nuggets, French fries, orange slices, mozzarella sticks
(I’ll comment more about this meal later)
S: lollipop potty rewards
D: steamed broccoli and cauliflower (reheated), scrambled eggs and cheddar cheese, Lundberg Risotto (“eco-farmed”, box) (GG and I had open-faced chicken salad sandwiches with cheese—I didn’t even try to pawn this off on our boys.)

Friday
B: same but add an apple!
S: animal crackers/ juice and water
L: carrot coins, whole wheat English muffin pizzas (made with spag. sauce), mozz. sticks, apple
S: lollipop potty rewards
D: peas (from frozen), whole wheat spaghetti with jar sauce, Yoplait kids yogurt

Regarding the McDonald’s lunch on Thursday, I definitely have misgivings. I’ve seen “Supersize Me”; I know McDonalds isn’t the healthiest fare on the planet; I know they slither into children’s subconsciouses with happy characters and golden arches. Yet I still find myself defying those facts and saying, “So what, they’re just kids!” Am I really creating tiny fast-food junkies?

A Mickey-D’s (or similar fast-food) trip is a special occasion for our family and one that happens rarely (though, wouldn’t you know it, occurring during my meal logging!). We also tend to tap into the red and yellow frenzy whenever we’re traveling. What do you think? How does one approach McDonalds and children? “All systems go”, “All things in moderation”, or “Not with a 10-foot pole”??