Image Source: Flicker/John Atherton
Most children's menus do not offer children and their parents the healthiest choices of food. A typical children's menu has hotdogs, hamburgers, chicken tenders, pizza, pasta, fries, soda, fruit juice, shakes, and ice cream. Overall, these are popular foods but not the healthiest choices. Too many carbs and sugar tend to be in the entrees. This causes diabetes a serious chronic disease.
You might ask where can I find healthy entrees for our kids. Perhaps you are a parent, teacher, or even relative that takes the kids out to eat. It really takes common sense because there are many restaurants that offer a variety of healthy foods at reasonable prices Think of your local diners, Italian restaurants, Chinese restaurants, burger and steakhouses restaurants, seafood, and chain restaurants.
What do you look for in a healthy menu for kids or adults. Restaurants that offer a variety of foods soup, salad, sandwiches, pasta, pizza, chicken, lean beef, turkey, fish, vegetable dishes, fruit, and beverages without sugar. Some restaurants may not have a children's menu but offer enough variety to interest kids in trying something new and healthy.
Kids Menu Source: Giphy
Local Diners
Inside the Diner Photo Source: Flicker/ Liz West
All towns and cities have diners that offer a wide variety of food. You can eat at some diners all day and night. Diners offer a variety of breakfast items: eggs, pancakes, waffles, omlettes, French Toast, home fries, toast, and muffins. They have soup, a variety of salads, burgers, fish, and chicken sandwiches. Diners serve beverages with less sugar and have juices, milk, lemonade iced tea, and water. Some diners serve breakfast and lunch and other offer dinner.
Large diners will have healthy salad platters like tuna fish, chicken and walnut salad, and Greek salad. Their dinner menu offers a variety of dishes with potato and vegetable. They have meat, chicken, pasta, seafood and vegan options. Many have a children's menu for children under 12.
Italian Restaurants
Margaritta Pizza: Photo Source/ Dude4Food Blog
Most towns have a local Italian restaurant with pizza and pasta dishes. These restaurants often have a variety of family style salads: garden, tomato and mozzarella, cobb, Greek, and Chef. They serve homemade soup, and specialty sandwiches. They have vegetarian pizza, buffalo chicken, clam, shrimp, and meat options. Italian restaurants often serve chicken, veal, seafood, and beef entrees. Their menu appeals to kids and offers many healthy options.
Pasta With Clam Sauce Photo Source Pixnio
Chinese and Thai Restaurants
Chinese Restaurant Photo Source: Commons Wikimedia
Your local Chinese restaurant will offer a variety of healthy food for kids. Although they may not have a children's menu the variety of entrees will interest children. They have different kinds of soup chicken soup, wonton, Chinese vegetable, hot and sour, and Tom Yum Seafood Soup. Chinese restaurants offer sautéed vegetables with beef, chicken or fish in different sauces, often served with rice or noodles. Some entrees are Orange Beef, Beef with Mixed Chinese Vegetables Chicken with Broccoli, Cashew Chicken, Chicken Lo Mein, Roast Pork Chopped Suey, and Broccoli in Garlic Sauce. The sauces used to cook the entrees add flavor to the dishes.
Indian Restaurants
Indian Entrees Source: Wiki Content
Your local Indian restaurant have many healthy entrees made with vegetables, lean meats, chicken, and fish. Some of the dishes that are tasty and healthy dishes with curry made with chicken, lean meats, and vegetables, tandoori entrees that use less fish and oil, and kebabs or meat with roasted vegetables. They have soups: tomato, lentil soup, chicken, hot and sour, and vegetable. Most restaurant have vegetable side dishes, bread, and salad. Most entrees are served with rice. They are many healthy choices to choose from.
Steakhouses
Lean Beef Photo Source: Wix Media
Your local steakhouse often has lean and smaller cuts of beef like filet mignon, rib eye and sirloin. Steakhouses have entrees for kids with chicken, burgers, beef and shrimp. They serve soup, salads, potato, and vegetables. These restaurants have specialty salads with beef or chicken added to make it a meal. Many have lunch specials with soup and salad or either with a burger or sandwich. They offer water, lemonade, iced tea and other less sugary drinks.
Chain Restaurants
99 Restaurant Photo Source: NY Retail Roundup Blog
Many chain restaurants have healthy menu items for kids. Restaurants like Chili's, Senor Pancho's, and The 99 Restaurant cater to families with kids.
Chili's has boneless chicken wings served with two sauces, fries and two sides. They serve 4 small burgers made with bacon, cheese, and onion with a special sauce a good entree for two small children. They have soup and salad, and chili and salad as an entree. The kid's menu has burgers, chicken bite sandwiches, cheese quesadillas, chicken bites with sauce, pasta, and pizza. They have lemonade and sugar free iced tea.
99 Restaurant's children's menu has chicken fingers, grilled cheese, steakburger, mac and cheese, hotdogs, sirloin steak with two sides, grilled chicken, chicken parmigiana, fish, and chicken Caesar salad. They have soup, a side salad, and sandwiches. They have specialty salads with chicken, steak, and shrimp. . Their sides are baked, mashed potatoes , fries, rice, Cole slaw, broccoli, and cauliflower. They offer sweet treats smaller sized desserts for the end of the meal. The have sparkling soda water, lemonade, and iced tea beverages with less sugar.
Senor Pancho's is a Mexican chain that offers healthy items for children. On their children's menu they have tacos, enchiladas, burritos, chicken fingers, hamburger, grilled cheese, and mac and cheese. The menu has taco salad and tossed salad, chili, Mexican chicken soup, sandwiches, and burgers. Side dishes are rice, beans, fries, salad, cauliflower and rice. They serve lemonade, lime soda, and iced tea. Some entrees come with beans and rice.
Seafood Restaurants
Image: Source Giphy/Food Network
Your local seafood restaurants will often have healthy menu choices for kids. Many have chowder and bisque soup, house and Caesar salad, boneless wings, and coconut shrimp with dipping sauce. The menu has fish sandwiches, tuna fish sandwiches, fish tacos, burgers chicken, lobster rolls, clam rolls, scallop rolls and fish and chips. They often have pasta with seafood, lobster tail, and broiled scallops. The restaurants serve lemonade, iced tea, milk, and juice.
Healthy Desserts and Snacks: Fruit Photo Source: Wix