A Dollar Value Meal

Fast food. There really is no such thing when you find out what they put in your so called meal deal. I just watched a segment on the news about how there are several fast food chains that are now competing with each other for the around a Dollar Value Meals. What a joke. Time Magazine even stated that cooking at home is cheaper and faster than buying fast food at places like McDonald's. Most people didn't even know that McDonald's put a pink slim in their meat to preserve it.

In Michael Pollan's book The Omnivore Dilemma, he states that there are 38 ingredients in the Chicken McNugget! Now I don't know about you, but there weren't 38 ingredients in the fresh, seasonal and organic meal my husband/chef just made me and our toddler for dinner. Knowing this, ask yourself: Would you want your child eating a Chicken McNugget or something that comes from a similar establishment? We won't even touch on the cleanliness of the kitchens these chemically altered so called meals were derived from. (That's for another day.) But knowing these things are enough to make a person, a parent, never want to eat out again.

And don't get me wrong. I completely understand the argument of convenience. However, did you know that you could make something else like a fruit/yogurt smoothie to take with you for your kids so not only are they actually eating something healthy but easy, convenient and less expensive? It's so much easier to buy a travel cup of their choice and put in it for the road something like mango, peaches, pears, strawberries, raspberries, kiwi, banana and yogurt blended together. As we come into summer the options for fruit and vegetables are so much more variable that the choice between a McNugget and a fruit/yogurt smoothie seems obvious to me. Does it to you?

Newspaper Food Section

I was just searching the web for any thing on food that I could find and came across several city newspapers in various states. They all have a food, wine or dining section especially if they are considered a food town, like Portland, Oregon or  San Francisco,  California. Now why is it the Seattle Times doesn't have this section if we are such a big foodie town? Are we really or do we just think we are but don't realize the key ingredients that are missing from our social scenes to make Seattlites true foodies? If the latter is the case, what can we do to get Seattle there?

Public Houses

Mommy and me. Do you (Moms) ever go out with your kids to get a pint of Guinness or a glass of wine because if you didn't then you never would go out? That's where I'm at in our daily routine. My daughter gets tired of being in the house and, rain or shine, she still has to get out to a different location of almost any kind. And that's what public houses are for; or pubs if you like.

My husband is always joking that one of the very first places our daughter was taken out to was a pub. It's the only place that will serve me, back then a new mom, a pint of Guinness, let anyone I'm with have a drink and something to eat and not bat an eye about my baby being there with me. It's great! I can meet other moms and tots there, just have a family outing or, when circumstances allow, I can even go there for a bit of alone time.

American bars and taverns don't let you do this. To be in their establishment you have to be 21 or older and without your kids. A place like Kells on Post Alley or Wilde Rover's in Kirkland are great places to go when Mommy needs a drink but has the kid with her too. The Guinness will be served too cold but the two places I mentioned before do know how to pour and that's very important too.

It's a shame there aren't more places for moms to go with their kids than just these designated places. But leave it to the NW Islanders to know how to help a girl out; even if it is unintentional.