McDonald's and kids
I eat McDonald's chicken nuggets and fries here and there.
Here's the thing: I'm okay with Jake having fast food once in awhile. Everything in moderation, I say.
When I was growing up, my parents took me and my sister to a fast-food restaurant once a week. As children of Korean immigrants, having American food, or for that matter, fast food, every week was a treat.
That being said, I will hold off buying a Happy Meal or any type of fast food for Jake as long as I can or until Jake asks for one -- and I will at times say yes.
My colleague Andrea Walker at Picture of Health writes that health advocates from around the country have launched a campaign to stop Ronald McDonald from making kids fat.
The group of 550 people have taken out full-page ads challenging McDonald's to stop marketing junk food to kids. They've also written a letter to the corporation. Check out here who signed on in Maryland.
We have had plenty of discussions on this blog about how much responsibility corporations should have when it comes to kid's eating habits.
Many parents believe that they are responsible for establishing healthy eating habits, but they also feel that marketers should curtail excessive advertising toward children.
In a perfect world, kids listen to their parents, and parents are the main influencer of their kids' lives. But we all know that marketing and advertisements can be very effective.
What do you think?
Categories: Food and Recipes, Health, Parenting in general
Earth Day messages are starting to come home from school, and one of the best ways to connect kids with this annual celebration of our environment is through food.
Here's an easy family dinner from our recipe archive. My family has not tried these Mini-Cuban sandwiches, which is a shame because my husband loves a good, authentic Cuban sandwich. But my kids go back and forth on whether they'll accept the mixing of meat and cheese, and I know they would draw the line at the dressing.
Gather round, boys and girls. It's story time!
How could my kids -- or yours, for that matter -- resist chicken coated with potato chips and baked?
Since my kids like fish, I thought I'd give fish tacos a try for today's 
For the second installment of our 
This recipe is a two-fer: a successful 
We headed to James Beard country last night for a different take on the omelet. In the recently-released 60th anniversary edition of his Fireside Cookbook, the icon of American cuisine has a recipe for something called a "Fluffy Omelet." 
This week, I've returned to the somewhat-winning formula of simple protein with a subtle sauce for our 
This 
This is a favorite recipe of mine from several years ago, when I reviewed the American Dietetic Association cookbook "Cooking Healthy Across America" for the 
Charlie Palmer, 
April 2 is National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day, which should delight the many kids out there who eat little else for lunch (like mine). 
This might look like an ordinary pizza, but it's actually made from layered tortillas -- thanks to a recipe tip from Twitter follower Judith Wilson Burkes of 
So I told Leah that the Obamas were planting a 
My son had been asking for mangoes, and no, he wasn't completely satisfied with the frozen version from Trader Joe's. So I picked up the ripest mango I could find at Giant and made these chicken-mango quesadillas from the new book Petit Appetit: Eat, Drink, and Be Merry.
As spring approaches, I thought we'd do a fun Consult with the folks at 
This may be the easiest salmon you ever make. It's from Mireille Guiliano's French Women Don't Get Fat, which is another bonus.
Wasn't last weekend magical around here? My kids had a fantastic time feeding the ducks, visiting Baltimore's 
Hamburgers are already a budget meal (and a good one to bank on the kids liking at my house), but these are "stretch" burgers. With a little bread, wine and other add-ins, the meat goes a little further.
Really faithful readers will remember an early Dinner Together attempt at 
Boy, it was harder than I thought it would be to find turkey cutlets in this town for tonight's 
This family dinner was another attempt at using 
A kid hit to report! I'm so happy.
Here's a recipe special for all of you on liberal leave today with your school-is-closed-again! kids.
To get dinner on the table in the dead of winter, we need the humor -- and ease -- of Peg Bracken.
Every once in a while, I vow to seriously cook ahead on a Sunday -- to prep and freeze mountains of meals for the future, which we will pop out and cook on weeknights without breaking a sweat.
So the Rainforest Cafe in Towson Town Center has 
The economy is so bad that even pretty cheap Chinese takeout food has become a luxury. And since January is the month when we all look at the scale and gasp, it's also not a great time to indulge in delicious but fattening crispy Orange Chicken.
I got so busy yesterday that I forgot to link to a 
This recipe goes out to all of you who fear to cut into a pumpkin for anything other than a jack-o-lantern.
Keep this recipe handy for Thanksgiving leftovers. Since it had eggs, which the kids like, and sweet potatoes along with the turkey for an easy one-pot meal, we decided to try it early.
I know -- capers. But the great thing about a recipe like this (from the new book Two Dudes, One Pan) is that the sauce comes at the end. 
