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MyKidsPlate Teams Up with Deals4Moms to Give Back

Feb 23rd, 2010
by bgobbi.
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At MyKidsPlate we have always looked for ways to help families save money. We also love when we find organizations that give back to the community. So when we were introduced to Deals4 Moms.org, we were so excited to partner with them. Deals4Moms.org is a website that displays ads and links to over 60 companies designed to help moms from pregnancy to playgroups. Want to pamper yourself? Deals4Moms.org has plenty of choices for moms who want to escape it all and take care of themselves too.

Deals 4 MomsWhat we love the most about Deals4Moms.org is that all of these companies have donated proceeds of their sales to 4 Kids of South Florida. This wonderful organization places foster children in a warm and safe foster home whether it be on a temporary or permanent basis. When someone visits Deals4Moms.org and buys a product or service through this site, not only will they receive a special discount, but each company has designated a portion of their proceeds to help these children. MyKidsPlate has offered the Orlando Kids Eat Free card on Deals4Moms.org and we will be donating proceeds of the sales to 4 Kids of South Florida. Helping families save money while they eat out and giving back to the community.

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T-Rex, the Prehistoric Destination

Feb 17th, 2010
by janed629.
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Downtown Disney Marketplace  in Orlando, Florida offers a very animated-prehistoric family dining adventure. Founded by Landry’s Restaurants Inc., who are also the founders of Rainforest Cafe, this 300+ Seat restaurant offers full entertainment value. Throughout the restaurant, there are different themes in each dining area. The acoustics make it a very lively restaurant. So if you or your children are very sensitive to light and sound, you may want to consider another place to dine. The bar is my favorite for it boosts an aquarium that is at least 10 feet wide. There is also a gigantic octopus that is suspended from the ceiling. Then there are 2  foliage dining areas that have animated prehistoric animals that are arranged right next to some of the outer tables of both dining area.  The glacier dining area or “Ice Cave”  as my children called it, is very interesting. Throughout the entire restaurant, a meteor shower goes off every 15 minutes or so, and the Ice Cave seems to carry the flashing lights and sounds most intensely. There is a “Dino Dig” that is a great place for kids to hang out. You are also able to browse and walk through the Restaurant, Retail and Dino-Dig area if you are not dining there. The Retail shop has  just recently added a “Build A Dino” (from Build A Bear) spot towards the back of the retail area.

A moderately high price tag comes along with the jammed packed adventure. The portions are big enough to feed a Dinosaur, but lack a little bit of creativity. We had reservations at 5:30 on a Friday night, and I would highly recommend reservations. As we were leaving the wait was up to about 90 minutes. I had the Wolly Mammoth which actually was pretty good. It was a grilled chicken breast with spinach, onions, peppers, zucchini, and mushrooms with a light tomato sauce and served with garlic mashed potatoes. My husband had a Shrimp Salad, which was simply that; Shrimp laid on top of a Salad. The kid’s meals where the steady standards. I do have to say that the Kid’s Activity book stated that it was made with recycled paper which I thought was great that the company is “Green” conscientious.

The service was “ok”, the server was just “there” doing his job without offering any suggestive selling. I had ordered a specialty drink, and to my surprise, the drink came with a souvenir glass which was I was not a fan of carrying this 16 ounce hurricane glass throughout Downtown Disney.

So overall our experience was; 1. Food- so so 2. Service- Thumbs down

3. Ambiance; Thumbs up

For more information go to: www. trexcafe.com

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New Joe’s Crab Shack Commercial

Jan 9th, 2010
by julie.
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The new Joe’s Crab Shack comercial was done is such poor distaste and common sense that I refuse to give them any more glory for it by posting it here. All you need to know if you haven’t seen it is that in less than 15 seconds they have an entire family saying the S— word, bleeped out of course, with the tag line, “get your family talking.” Unfortunately this ad has been out since this time last year and was supposedly banned by several networks. It appears however that it has resurfaced, at least on some major cable networks.

The Restaurant Mom’s family had already banned Joe’s thanks to the biting incident by one of their other patrons and the lack of manager involvement to step in with a rowdy set of kids on their playground. Corporate even participated in the new practice of ”don’t reply.” This unspoken policy trend by many corporations and government agencies of “don’t reply” is in the hope that the consumer trying to resolve something or file a complaint about something is that the consumer will give up and go away. The state of Wisconsin does this – they don’t claim any liability if you have an accident on state owned property like a sidewalk, they just hope you go away. Most of the mortgage industry plays this game by not replying to homeowners trying to save their homes because the bank wants to rack up thousands of dollars in late fees to tack on to a homeowners already inflated mortgage they are calling the bank about to fix. And Joe’s Crab Shack is an active participant in this practice as well because they don’t call you back after your 3-year old was bit by a patron. So the point is, you can’t call them to complain about the commercial, their horrible food and service, or a biting incident on the playground because they won’t reply. All you can do is NOT eat at Joe’s.

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Eating Healthy On the Go – as seen on Good Day!

Dec 23rd, 2009
by julie.
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Virgin Olive Market – Downtown Orlando     www.virginolivemarket.com

                 Offer Daily Specials like white chicken chili and veggie lasagna so sign up for their newsletter to get the daily specials.

               Breakfast tacos with veggie sausage

               Sandwiches are made with locally baked breads from Davis Bakery

               Homemade Cereal with dried fruits

               Veggie Breakfast Sandwiches

                 They use Organic greens and all of their salad dressings are made from scratch to avoid preservatives.

 

 Sweet Tomatoes – National Chain    www.souplantation.com

Fresh salad bar every day includes everything from greens, to pre-made salads, and items like beans, tomatoes, zucchini, squash, celery.  

 Also offer soups and pasta but ask for the nutritional information before making decisions on which soups and pastas you can eat when watching fat and calories.

 

 Green Day Café – Lee Road, Orlando. Other locations coming soon.    www.greendaycafe.com

 In addition to being green, the Green Day Café offers menu choices that can come as a salad or in a whole wheat wrap.

 Their foods are nutrient-dense foods having a high nutrient to calorie ratio.

 Soups, salads, wraps, rice bowls and a DRIVE THROUGH plus ordering online.

 Now offer eco-friendly water that comes in bottles made of plant starch instead of plastic.

 Kids eat free every day after 5 and weekends all day. Nutritional info available online.

 

 Jason’s Deli – 4 Central Florida locations      www.jasonsdeli.com

 Jason’s Deli also has a salad bar with organic items, fresh fruit, and they have recently eliminated all trans fat, msg, and high fructose corn syrup items from the salad bar.

 The boast that they offer the best, and most fresh food they can get their hands on.

 Nutritional and allergen information is available on their website. 

 Wraps and sandwiches with lean means and organic wheat wraps. Soups too.

 

Tijuana Flats – Many Southeast Locations     www.tijuanaflats.com

 Tijuana Flats offers whole-what tortillas for any of the tacos, burritos, quesadillas, chimichangas, or flautas.

 You can also choose to have your entrée prepared “powerlite” which means low-fat cheese and fat-free sour cream and there is no charge for these substitutions.  

 Some burritos and salads  are under 400 calories and you can cut out a lot of calories by getting it without cheese.

 Chipotle red sauce is only 20 calories so if you want more flavor add that or salsa which is only 17.5 calories but loaded with flavor.

 Nutritional info available on web site.

 

Taco Bell – National Chain    www.tacobell.com 

 Believe it or not, you can eat healthy at Taco Bell.

 Items on the taco bell menu can be reduced in calories by asking for it FRESCO style meaning instead of cheese and sour cream they will replace it with fiesta salsa made of tomatoes and cilantro. 

 Their fresco ranchero chicken soft taco has 135 calories and 4 grams of fat!

 They have 7 menu items under 9 grams of fat.

 And for a limited time you can download a coupon for a FREE Fresco taco by going to www.drivethrudiet.com or tacobell.com.

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Hard Rock Cafe and Char-Hut give a little extra to local kids!

Dec 16th, 2009
by bgobbi.
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I started my quest for kid-friendly restaurants in South Florida in August of this year. Like Julie, my husband and I were constantly trying to find the perfect place where our family would “fit in”. He and I would skulk out of many restaurants when we realized that our 1 and 3 year olds were too noisy for these non-kid friendly restaurants or find that we were completely out of place. We weren’t the only parents in South Florida who needed a resource like MyKidsPlate.com to find kid-friendly restaurants, but I knew that it would be a big challenge to find the ideal place. After all, South Florida isn’t known as a family destination like Orlando. When you think of Miami, you think South Beach; hot night clubs and Mojitos, not healthy kids’ menus and changing tables. Right?

On my pursuit, I cannot tell you how many restaurant owners have told me, “We don’t want kids in our restaurant” or “We won’t install changing tables in the restrooms because they don’t match the décor.” But to my surprise, I have found some great restaurants that are very kid-friendly and have nominated them on the site. Some restaurants have been specifically designed with children in mind first. What I am most impressed with is those restaurants that go above and beyond to recognize the achievements of our children. These restaurants do something out of the ordinary to reward kids, not for their own publicity, but because they recognize that kids are people too. I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge two of these restaurants.

Hard Rock Café at the Seminole Casino in Hollywood rewards Lil’ Rockers who bring in their report cards with 2 or more A’s and no absences with a free meal, with a paying adult, when ordering from the Lil’ Rockers menu. For more information call the Hard Rock Café at 954-315-9112.

Char-Hut gives elementary school kids a free burger or hot dog for each “A” on their report card (limit 3). Simply present your report card to the manager to verify the grades.  They also have a “Game Day Special” for any little leaguers than come into Char-Hut wearing their uniform on game day, and they will receive a free hot dog. For more information or to find a location near you, visit their website at www.Char-Hut.com.

Neither one of these restaurants overtly advertises or promotes these offers because they don’t want the attention on themselves. But it is fantastic to know that in this tough economy, there are still those that give back to the community. I always say that kids are our future. Thanks for recognizing that Hard Rock Café and Char-Hut! Bravo to both of you!

Posted in: Restaurant Reviews.
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Qdoba Mexican Grill adds kid’s menu too

Dec 14th, 2009
by julie.
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Qdoba joins the list of restaurants that have added kid’s menus in 2009. Recently added to the over 500 Qdoba locations, their kid’s menu offers healthy and fresh entrees for kids including a Lil’ Naked Chicken or Vegetarian Burrito (in a bowl with no tortilla) a Lil’ Chicken or Cheese Quesadilla,  or a single taco, all with one side item. There are five salsas to choose from if kids want to spice up their meal.

To try out the new menu, families are invited to get a free kid’s meal with each paying adult this Saturday, December 19 and Sunday, December 20. Click here if you want to read more or go to www.qdoba.com to find the location nearest you.

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Kids Eat Free Extended at Boston Market

Dec 8th, 2009
by julie.
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The Kids Eat Free offer at Boston Market has been extended until January 31, 2009. 2 kids per paying adult eat free with a $6 minimum purchase every Saturday and Sunday at participating locations nationwide. It includes up to 4 kids if you purchase the Family Meal. No coupon required but kids must be present.

kidsEatFree_BostonMarket

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“How to Cook a Turkey” as described by kids

Nov 25th, 2009
by julie.
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turkey

My best friend is a kindergarten teacher and since she started teaching 6 years ago, she asks her students the same Thanksgiving question every year and documents their responses. I thought it was such a great idea I decided to duplicate it here and ask some of the kids of MKP. The question is: How will you cook the turkey? And sometimes, if the kids aren’t that descriptive, she asks them what they will make to serve with the turkey. So, here it goes:

How will you cook the turkey?

Regan, 6 – Um, um, um. I am going to get food and turkey and a lot, a lot of food and some chips. And some doritos and that’s it. I’m gonna put the turkey in the oven and I’m going to set the food up and some plates and some napkins on something so they can get their own food. And that’s it. What are you going to make? Pumpkin pie since Mrs. Rosa (her kindergarten teacher) likes it. And, I’m gonna make a fire.

 Ryan, 3 – How to cook a turkey: with the ladder. Put the different ingredients on the turkey. Bring it to the people to eat. Serve it to them. What else are you going to make? Sausage. And that’s it.

Evan, 5 – I’ll put cheese on it; yellow cheese and melt it, and salt and pepper and that’s it. I’d cook it with biscuits because I like biscuits.

Joseph, 5 – make it with bread and put it in the bathtub.

Bella, 4 – put the turkey in the oven with pepper and pepperoni.

Morgan, 3 – put it in the microwave and put marshmallows in it. What else will you make with the turkey? Cheese.

Austin, 7 – Get a turkey, put it in the oven and take it out and that’s all. I’m going to put mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, um gravy and chicken.

Cooper, 3 – put the turkey in the oven with cornbread.

Ask your kids and get their responses – we are happy to add them here.

Have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving from our family at MKP to yours.

Posted in: General, People Speak.
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Sitting Comfortably? Sitting Safely?

Nov 11th, 2009
by julie.
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by Ali French

As many parents would agree, kids push the envelope whether its in your home or out and about with the family when it comes to highchairs. Accidents can happen through a child’s natural inquisitiveness.

As a parent, you can stay one step ahead when it comes to seating your kids safely. Arming yourself with knowledge of potential risks will help you know what to Horizontal Barlook for prior to using commercial child seating products when you go out to eat. Educate yourself on these risks and you’ll lower the risk for your kids.

Child Seating Risks:

Falling Out of a High Chair – Always ensure that the straps on a high chair are not broken. Children love to wriggle out of a seat and stand up. Using straps will eliminate the risk. If you are given a chair with a broken strap, request another chair.

Slipping Through a High Chair – The crotch strap, which is attached to the horizontal bar, ensures that your child doesn’t slip through the seat. The leg openings on each side of the crotch strap should be of a size to restrict your child’s complete passage through.

Things to look out for:Loose Crotch Strap

Loose Crotch Strap

  • Crotch straps should not move around on the seat.
  • It should adhere tightly to the horizontal bar.
  • If a fabric crotch strap is not secure, there is the risk that it could slide to one side and your child may slip through the leg opening.
  • Loose glued wood joints can separate in continued use, rendering the chair unstable and therefore unsafe.

Choking HazardsChoking Hazards – Loose parts can pinch little fingers, or worse, pose as a choking hazard. Some chairs have small components to cover screw joints. These are often within a child’s reach. Before you put your child in a high chair, take a quick look to ensure there are no loose parts.

Sanitation – Among the top concerns regarding safety is food borne illness. In fact 90% of consumers are concerned about sanitation. With that in mind, take note on how clean the high chair is before you use it. Be aware that wood is much more porous than plastic and, is never as easy to keep clean and sanitized. Varnish can often lift up with a fingernail. Are there any crevices with food particles trapped? If yes, inform your server and request a clean chair for your little one.

Here are some examples of high chair crevices:

Crevice example 1Crevice example 2Crevice example 3

Where should you put the baby in the car seat carrier? What is the solution for your baby? It’s certainly not the floor, or the dining table or booth. Be sUpside down highchairure to ask the wait staff if they carry infant seat cradles in the restaurant. These are safe options that allow your baby to be up with the family during dining. If wait staff offer to turn a high chair upside down to put your baby’s car seat carrier in the base, as shown here, please decline. This is an absolute safety hazard and not a solution.

Many restaurants have booths that are higher than standard restaurant tables. If your child is still in the high chair stage, sitting at a table instead of a booth may be a better 0ption. Don’t take up the wait staff’s offer to put one high chair on top of the other to bring added height up to the booth. This is very unsafe as the chair is unbalanced and the instability is likely to cause an accident.

Look for ASTM International, originallly known as the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). If commercial seating products and domestic seating have attained this standard, then you know your child is in a safe product. Look for the most up to date standards, currently ASTM F404-08.

Common sense is the best indicator when it comes to safe places for children. However, armed with a little more knowledge, you’ll have that extra reassurance. If you find a restaurant that needs some help with their high chair standards, you can call the Kid-Friendly Customer Service Hotline at 877-897-KIDZ.

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Ormond Beach parent responds to Orlando Sentinel article regarding MKP

Oct 28th, 2009
by julie.
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Dear Julie,

I am a 64 yo parent of 3 grown children and recently saw your article in the Orlando-Sentinel. I felt compelled to share some advice regarding kids and their eating “habits”.

I believe your intentions and attempts to get kids to eat right and enjoy a night out are admirable. I also appreciated your thoughts on “grown ups night out”. Having said that I would like to see you expand your guidance to a another aspect of kids dining out. Now I have not researched your entire web site so you may very well be addressing my issue.

In order to set the stage for my point and have to begin with the story of how my parents, I, and many others raised our children when we all went out to eat. My children were told that when we went out to dinner they ! must be “respectful” of others, stay seated, and eat using proper etiquette. They were almost always “well behaved” a term we don’t here very much about. No, I was not this cruel, nasty, mean spirited, disciplinarian. We had lots of fun eating out together. For one Christmas treat we all went out a very nice dinner at a fine restaurant. I to, respect others so we went at a very early time so we did not spoil dinner for the rest of the patrons. Needless to say my kids were absolutely perfect.

So this brings me to today and what I see happening in many restaurants when young kids are present. Thanks in part to McDonalds, Burger King, and Chuck E. Cheese with their play centers, amusement apparatus, and video games, etc. kids no longer know how to eat without scampering about while prancing by their table to grab a quick bite. Kids are no longer content to sit and wait for their food when sliding boards, etc. are their for! their enjoyment. Now I don’t think it is fair to blame the kids because most often it is the parents who for whatever reason do not know how to discipline their children or they have absolutely NO RESPECT for any one else but themselves. I see kids throwing french fries, tossing crayons, crawling under tables, and letting out with blood curling screams that send shivers up you arm. Running between all the tables and booths pestering other customers seem common place to day.

When my kids were just infants and let out with a scream (like babies do) or start crying my wife and I would take turns walking the baby in the lobby or parking lot so other customers could enjoy their meal. It is once again a matter of “RESPECT”! So in closing I would like to see you also focus on not just eating but eating “habits”. If you can get their attention… the “parents” are the ones that need to take control and modify their behavior as well.

Great job! Now lets not only get those kids to eat right! , but do it with some type of table “manners” (another word that seems to have been lost).

Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to share my advice. We ALL like to eat out (young and old alike) so let’s try and make it as pleasant as possible.

Dennis S., Ormond Beach, FL

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