#KidsLiveWell Making a Difference!

Disclosure: I am receiving compensation for my involvement in the #KidsEatWell initiative. All opinions are my own. 

You all know how I feel about clean and healthy living - passionate. I mean, I think my children's first words were veggies or organic or healthy. I know how much changing my own diet and lifestyle habits helped my health, and I am very committed to giving my children the best foundation for their health that I can.

This is one of the reasons we don't go out for dinner much as a family. In fact, I can probably count on one hand the times I have taken my three little ones to a restaurant. And let me assure you, that restaurant was very carefully selected. Why?

Have you looked at a children's menu lately? If not, let me just say that most are not fit for children. We are talking about lots of nutrient-devoid, chemical filled junk (I even hesitate to call it food) being fed to children who need lots of healthy protein and nutrients for their growing bodies.

That is why I was really excited when I heard about the Kids LiveWell Program. The National Restaurant Association has teamed up with Healthy Dining on this new program. It is a first-of-its-kind voluntary industry program, reaching over 41,000 restaurant locations. It is committed to giving us healthier options on the children's menu! Yay!


More good news! The National Restaurant Association (NRA) and McCormick For Chefs created the Kids LiveWell Recipe Challenge. The Kids Recipe Challenge is a fun and creative way to showcase healthier menu options available when dining out.

Restaurants and foodservice providers who joined this challenge submitted their creative culinary creations from their kids menu in hopes of winning this awesome, new award.

 

Do you want to know who won? Here are the winners and their healthier recipes:

• Bean Sprouts Cafe and Cooking School - They created the DoReForMe Sandwich with organic multi grain oat bread spread with sunflower butter and organic strawberry jam, served with a skewer of grapes and water in fun shaped pieces to represent piano pieces. 
• O'Charley's - Their Cloudy with a Chance of Spaghetti and Meatball Pizaa has grilled sirloin meatballs and spaghetti squash with tomato sauce and whole wheat pizza dough served with apple juice.
• Sysco Hampton Roads - The Kids Quesa WOW Dilla is a chicken quesadilla with broccoli, chicken, peppers, and corn, served with a side of grapes and water.
• UW Health - The Swimming Taco is served with fresh grapes on the side and a frozen banana avocado smoothie.

What do you think? Do they appeal to you? I like that I don't see any corn dogs, french fries, or fried food. Of course, I would have liked to see a focus on more organic, non GMO ingredients, but this is definitely a step in the right direction!

For more information on Kids LiveWell, follow Kids LiveWell on Twitter and Facebook. Also, check out HealthyDiningFinder.com and download the free smartphone app for a list of all Kids LiveWell restaurants and menu items.

I'm interested to hear your thoughts! What do you think about these healthier options? Would they entice you to take your kids out more?