When we take the children out to eat, we strive to match the same nutrition standards that we have at home.  We look for options that offer local foods, low sodium and sugar, and quality ingredients for a balanced meal.  This isn’t always easy – actually, it’s usually harder to do than it should be.  For a quick and/or drive-thru meal, we depend on Starbucks for the bistro boxes, sandwiches, and Evolution Fresh vegetable and fruit juices.   The Protein Bistro Box is such a great mix that I’ve started copying it at home.  It has a hard-boiled egg, two pieces of cheddar cheese, a whole grain roll, apple slices, and grapes.  For sit-down options, Mexican restaurants are a good choice because the boys will be happy with a black bean and cheese burrito and guacamole.   At Asian restaurants, the boys like chicken ramen, string beans with tofu, and Pad Thai.  In the summer, we eat at the Farmers Market food trucks.  If we are traveling and can’t find any options other than fast food, we’ll stop at a grocery store and buy fresh fruit, deli meats, and yogurts.

Going out for breakfast or brunch on the weekends is a fun outing, but we don’t do it all that often since our kids would rather be in pajamas and playing at home. So, I tend to separate places to eat out with my family into two categories: lunch locations, and dinner locations.  Our favorites for lunch are either Chipotle (fast and delicious) or great local places that often source their food from nearby vendors or farms.  Katzinger’s Deli (my girls love their soups and endless supply of pickles) is a great option for us, as are the vendors in the North Market, our indoor food market, with offerings that range from simple pasta dishes to satisfying Vietnamese noodle soups.  I choose these places for the quality of the food as well as the convenience.  The dinner category is much more varied and, thankfully, it can be since my girls are not picky (I got very lucky on that front!).  We usually determine our destination based on what kind of food we all agree on: bbq, Indian, Mediterranean, Italian, etc…