Can I Eat a Successful Meal at a Restaurant with a Toddler?

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Mae

Here is the answer you wanted… YES! A local store asked this question and I was quick to respond with an answer. I decided to elaborate with a full post on the topic!

The key to a perfectly lovely meal in public with your toddler is to set your child up for success in a restaurant environment.

Munchkin is 3 1/2 (how did this happen!) and she has only been removed (by us) from a restaurant one time (we found out the next day she was SUPER sick- double ear infections/bronchitis ugh!). I think it is VERY important to set your child up for success out in public. Set the boundaries early and you won’t have to do much to have a well behaved child in public. I have taken the girls a bunch by myself and they both behave well (most of the time!).

Here are my tips that have worked over the last almost 4 years!

Do Not Attempt a Meal when your Child is Tired

I don’t care how hungry everyone is… this is why some one invented the drive thru. No kiddo is going to happily sit through a meal if they are overtired. I would also NEVER attempt a full shopping trip at the grocery store when they are that tired either. This can happen at nap time or bedtime.

Do your best to get to the restaurant before you child believes he/she is starving!

Is your child actually starving.. no! But haven’t we all been there… believing there was no way the waitress was going to make it to our table before we ate our arms off! Now explain to a toddler who has limited verbal skills that the sweet guy or gal is doing their best to get the food out. We try and get to a restaurant around 11/11:30 or right around 5pm to avoid the busy times too.

Bring snacks!

See above… It is quite possible you have a starving child on your hands. Having your own provisions to avoid this is key. Cherrios, squeeze apple sauce, anything will do. This should give the waitress/waiter time to find some bread to entertain your kiddo for a minute or two!

We LOVE these in our house! Both girls can eat one in about 2 minutes

Order your Kids Meals ASAP

We always order the girls’ meals with our drink order. This gives them a start on it in the kitchen. Also, tell the wait staff to please bring out their meals first!

This Menu is from LoneStar Steakhouse ... looks yummy!

Entertainment is Crucial to Success

You can’t expect idle chatter to entertain your toddler. Nor can you expect 3 crayons and paper menu to be the golden ticket. We had a bag of quiet toys that could be easily wiped clean ready to go in the car at all times. Some favorite toys are- puzzles, links with toys attached, color wonder markers, little plastic figurines (any character your kid likes), some little matchbox cars, extra crayons and paper , stickers, mini Slinkies, and some books. These toys may seem run of the mill but… they are special because they are only in the bag! A dollar store/bin is a great place to find most of these items. Let’s face it they will be near food and it is highly likely they will end up in ketchup. Plus, if you forget one at a restaurant it isn’t a huge deal.

These markers are great because they can't stain fabrics or wood!

Smart Phones, Tablets, and iPads OH MY!

I am going to start this by saying I have a smart phone and a tablet, Munchkin has an Innotab kid’s tablet. So I am in NO way against kids using technology! But there is a time and place for everything! I have had the occasional meal where things moved slower than molasses. However, a typical meal is on the table within 15-20 Minutes. So if you pack a bag of toys there should be plenty for your kiddo to stay occupied during the wait time. Munchkin rarely gets to use my phone. However, she enjoys a puzzle app and some matching games from time to time. This usually happens when I am finishing up a conversation or my meal. She doesn’t watch movies on it because I want her to be part of the family… kids should be able to talk and communicate during the meals too!

The iPhone

What do I do if all of the above fails…

Nothing is fool proof… there I said it! Now before you start mumbling “I thought she said we could have a successful meal out with our toddler”… give me a second to explain. There will be a time or two your child will test you… even if you have set him/her up for success. This is when you provide the Exit Strategy. Yup I said it… EXIT! There is no point tainting someone else’s dining experience. Let’s be honest you aren’t enjoying your food either if your kiddo is acting this way.

The way I see it… You have two options:

1. Get everyone’s food to go. If you are with your spouse/or a friend remove the child, while boxes are packaged and the bill is paid. You will feel much less stressed eating your burger reheated at home instead of fighting off glares from the booth next to you.

2. This works great if you have multiple children… Have one parent take the offending child to the car. They can eat there. While the other parent is in the restaurant with the other children. Now my parents did this with us when we were little (I ate in the car at Friendly’s and my sister had to at the Coach Diner- Left a LASTING impression on me over 20 years later I can vividly remember it!). My parents then rewarded the behaving child with a dessert! They didn’t say you earned this… but guess what?!? When we got into the car we were soo excited to share. Made the other sibling think twice about misbehaving in the restaurant. Never know what you are going to miss out on… when you are eating in the car!

What are some of your tips or tricks for eating out at a restaurant with kids?

A Birthday Party for Peanut!

Posted on February 5, 2012 by Mae

As I mentioned in a previous post Peanut turned one last month! How it happened is beyond me but we celebrated her special day yesterday. I love to plan parties and throw them. I was raised in a house where Birthday Parties were always a big to do. So I am going to blame my parents for my obsession with the ‘perfect party’.

I decided a few months ago that we were going to have an owl them for Peanut. She is still too little to really have any true likes. She isn’t in to TV or any certain characters. So I took the liberty of planning her a super special Owl party!

I found a great location at a local community center which worked GREAT! There was a cute Barn in the room and the walls were painted in a barn motif too! The best part it was reasonable in price and would be safe for Peanut. I was afraid of having her party at some other popular locations because she might get smushed since she is such a peanut!

It all started with a Google search.. Owl Invitations. The images were endless, but I came up with this super cute one! I called my super crafty sister and asked her if I thought we could come up with something similar.

On the back were all the juicy details! As I mentioned in an earlier post we offer a donation suggestion in Lieu of Gifts. This year we chose The Pajama Program. I included these details on the bottom of the party information section with the needs of the Pajama Program.

I looked a ton of Owl Themed plates but decided on these cute plates from Celebrate Express. I ordered the dessert plates and a couple of Balloons to match. I used light blue table cloths, bright pink plates, green and orange cups, and purple silverware.

I decided on a party during lunch time. Peanut usually is awake and happy during this time which is key for a one year old. This meant we needed to plan a meal. I thought about pizza but decided I would make it easier on some friends who have a dairy allergy. So I made a make your own sandwich buffet! It went over very well It was really easy to do and a great non-pizza option.

Check out the awesome walls!!

We did two crafts at the party! Since Peanut has an older sister I figured that would keep her and her friends busy. They love crafts and all go to preschool. I found this great paper bag owl craft online. She had templates which were AWESOME! So definitely check her out. I used craft paper that I had in my scrapbook stash which made things cheaper. I grabbed some paper bags at the dollar store and the kids really enjoyed it.

The second craft my friend Jennifer from Mosk Momma found at JoAnn Fabrics. During Christmas time they had wood ornaments that could be painted or colored. I got them for a STEAL… Less than .50 a piece. Each kiddo got to make their own. They used good old crayola markers. Here is a picture of Peanut working on her Owl with some help

Now I have a love for cupcakes if you haven’t noticed from reading this blog. So I will be doing a separate post on them soon! However, I will give you a peek at how cute they were! It was my first time dabbling with Marshmallow Fondant and I think you will see more soon. It wasn’t as awful to work with as I thought it might be. I made homemade Funfetti cupcakes that were pretty tasty and so easy to make.

The cute owl on the right was a mouse pad in the dollar bin at Target!!!

A sweet friend made Peanut’s Smash cake. She totally rocks! It was adorable and Peanut did a fantastic job smashing it to pieces

Here is the smash cake…

The last detail from the party was the Party favors. I really wanted to find something that was owl-y and usable. Every kid loves favors but they are usually expensive cheap toys. That is they work out to be about $5-$10 a kid and are toys that don’t last long once they go home. I spent HOURS looking for something and came up with crayon tote bags. Sue from SewnJust4U made my life so much easier! She made the process painless and her work is amazing!

I made a cute little coloring book with Owl images I found online and included it.

We had 3 bitty ones at the party and my AWESOME sister made cute owl crinkle taggies for them!

Inside the crayon totes were these treat bags. I was pretty proud of myself because I was able to recreate the owl face on my own! As you can see in the photo above I gave the little one cereal instead of gummy bears.

So there you have it… the ins and outs of Miss Peanut’s first birthday party! She had a wonderful time, we collected a ton of donations (more on this to come) and everyone seemed to leave with a smile on their face. I call that a success!

Crunchy Baked Mozzarella Sticks!

Posted on January 1, 2012 by Mae

Since graduating college I have spent every New Years Eve with Rand McNally. Okay, all but the one he spent working for Uncle Sam in a Desert. His family tradition for this night is a instead of a meal, they have lots of appetizers. So we have adopted this tradition in our house as well.

As I have mentioned several times I am slightly addicted to ‘pinning’ new things to try on Pinterest. I thought I found the perfect recipe while pinning one night for Mozzarella sticks, until I read the word ‘fried’. I don’t own a fryer and too many fried foods make us sick! So I continued the hunt for a baked recipe.

I came across a couple but wasn’t sold. I did use them for inspiration but changed it up… why not! The verdict.. they ROCKED!!!

Crunchy Baked Mozzarella Sticks

Ingredients

12 egg roll wrappers cut in half
12 string cheese sticks cut in half
water
1 cup Italian Bread crumbs
1 cup Panko Bread crumbs
2 eggs beaten
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil (or olive Oil spray)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat type baking mat.

2. Cut the egg roll wrappers in half (My kitchen shears were perfect for this! ). Cut all the Mozzarella sticks in half. You can choose to skip this step but I will say they are pretty big even cut in half!

3. Place an egg roll wrapper where it looks like a horizontal rectangle when you look at it. Place the Mozzarella stick in the middle. Fold in the ends and then roll to completely cover the stick. Use a little water to ‘seal’ the wrapper. Repeat for all the sticks.

4. Use a pastry brush or dunk the wrapped mozzarella stick in the egg wash. Then roll (use a spoon for better coverage) in the bread crumbs. Place on your prepared baking sheet. Repeat this step for all of the sticks.

5. Lightly brush the tops of the sticks with the olive oil. I used my Pampered Chef sprayer and this worked well!

6. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Then place under broiler to finish. Don’t walk away from the oven!!! Sticks are finished when the edges turn brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving, unless you want to scold your guests and family .

Serve with a marinara, ranch, or Alfredo dipping sauce.

Christmas Bark!

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Mae

So I have been so busy with Holiday stuff I have been neglecting the blog some… so I am so sorry! I am going to do my best to post a few over the next couple days. Most of them will be holiday ideas.

This recipe I found on …. you guessed it… PINTEREST! Seriously, I might go broke or save money with all my pins!

Anyway, I made this great Halloween Bark back in October and thought, why not try a Christmas one. It is so simple and even the Non-baker types can make this with NO issues!

Christmas Bark

adapted from Cooking with K

32 Oz. Almond Bark Vanilla (2 Packages)
1 Box of Kellogg’s Crispix Cereal
4 cups Christmas shaped pretzels (or really any small ones will do!)
2 16oz. Bags of M&M’S (any variety will work-Peanut Butter Chocolate Candies, or Peanut Chocolate Candies, or Plain Chocolate Candies- I used Peanut Butter and Pretzel) in Christmas Colors

Holiday Sprinkles **Optional

In a medium microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate in the microwave for 2-4 minutes at 30 second intervals until chocolate is melted. While it is melting you can mi In a large bowl, mix the cereal, pretzels, and M&Ms (you should steal an M&M or two to make sure they are good enough to serve!)

Pour melted chocolate over the cereal mixture. Using a large spatula to fold all together. Try not to mash the cereal too much while doing this.

Once all the mixture is coated completely with the chocolate, pour out onto a table lined with waxed paper (I used baking trays lined with wax paper and set it outside because it cooled REALLY fast!).

Shake some holiday sprinkles on them for extra color!

Once cooled, break up into pieces and store in an air tight container-Ziplocks work well!

Christmas Bark!

Mae’s Got This is not responsible for any diets this recipe might ruin. ENJOY!!!

Gobble Gobble…. Turkey Cookies!

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Mae

Munchkin is in preschool 3 days a week. Tomorrow they are having a Thanksgiving Party! I am sure it will be adorable seeing them all singing their turkey songs. I signed up to bring cookies.

I asked munchkin what kind of cookies did she want me to bring. First she said, “Pumpkins.” Then she changed her mind (isn’t that what 3-year-olds always do?!?) and said “TURKEYS!!”

So I ran to Pinterest.. and search ‘turkey cookies’ there were a couple of consistent pins. So we settled on this one.

Oreo Turkeys!

Now I am not going to lie… these were SUPER labor intensive! Mostly, lots of steps.

What you need per Turkey:

Candy Corn 5-7 (back feathers)
2 Double Stuffed Oreo Cookies (body)
1 Whopper (head)
1 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup (side cut off)
1 Tube of blue piping gel (eyes)
1 tube of white icing (glue)
1 tube/can chocolate icing
red cookie icing
1 sharp knife

This step should make your life easier:

Put your Peanut Butter Cups in the fridge to get hard. If you have cold hard chocolate to work with it makes it a lot easier. OK, so the original recipe I followed did not have this suggestion. I wish it had!!!

Assembling the Bird:

First is the tail using 1 Oreo cookie and 5-6 Candy Corn. Now here is the fun part. Twist to remove the non-icing side. Put a nice blog of icing (white preferably) in the middle. Arrange 5-6 candy corn around one of the edges of the cookie half with the double stuffed icing. Put another small blog of icing on the half of the cookie w/out the icing. Make sure you leave the yellow/orange piece sticking out. Oh, and should an Oreo break during the twisting action it is important that you taste test to check for any potential quality issues.

Take your chocolate (or white) icing and squeeze a good-sized blog onto the top back edge of what will be the bottom Oreo cookie. Take the tail feather Oreo and put the bottom into the icing to have it stand up. If it doesn’t stand, add more icing or prop against a back splash! Once you have it stand put it up against something so it doesn’t fall until the icing is dry.

Remove your Peanut Butter Cups from the fridge. Place with the top of cup face down on your cutting surface. Take your knife and cut off the very bottom so you have a flat surface. Put icing on the cut side and along what would have been the top of the PB cup. Place it against the bottom and back of your Oreo cookies. You should be eating the cut edges so you don’t waste any. (Just saying!)

Next, take a Whopper and put a little blog of icing on it on one side. Place the whopper on top of the PB Cup to make the head.

To make the nose take a piece of candy corn and cut off the white part. Eat or discard the rest (who would discard it!) Now, if you are lucky you will have a bunch of white tips floating around your bag like I did!!

Take your icing and place two white dots as eyes. I put a spoonful in a ziplock baggie and cut a tiny bit off to get a small dot. Get your tube of blue piping gel and place a black dot on each eye.

I used red cookie icing to add a goobler. (Just so you are really informed it is called a Wattle and only on male turkeys – Thanks GOOGLE!)

If you want you can add feet by making some orange icing and piping it on. Or not… they are pretty cute without.

That is it… not too hard but mostly like I said a million steps. Tomorrow at her Thanksgiving party, I am going to watch 15 3-year-olds decapitate and dismember the turkeys I slaved over tonight! It will be worth it!!!!