Happier Meals

About author / Pamela Chester

Mom of two; graduate French Culinary Institute; kids cooking program instructor; Master's degree in food studies. Creates kid friendly foods and loves her slow cooker.

It has been a life changing couple of months for my older son (well, for all of my family really). His secure spot as an only child with two doting parents quickly came to an end with the birth of our second child – another boy. He was sweetly excited to welcome our new family member with open arms. The first couple of weeks we blissfully watched while he tossed his favorite toys into the bassinet, or came over and gently tickled the baby’s toes. But I knew that soon, he would be acting out in some way; at least that is what all the books told me.

And guess how he chose to show that his world had been turned upside down? He decided to stop eating! A couple weeks into being a big brother, our two year old decided, as toddlers often do, that eating is really overrated and he would much rather move on to other activities. So we were a bit perplexed as parents often are, about how to get our kid to eat, and stop subsisting on air. We tried all his old favorites, and a couple of new ones too, and nothing seemed to work. Not even if we cooked it together, which is normally the way I get him to try something.

Between being super busy and needing to delegate more of the childcare work to others, I finally gave in on my “no fast food” rule. I was a big lover of fast food as a kid, and I know that once you start a fast food habit, it can quickly seem like the best option there is. From after school French fry runs to a weekly trip to Taco Bell in college, I have eaten my share of fast food. I don’t know what they put in the food (besides lots of fats and extra calories) but man that stuff can be good. But so bad for you!

It was a Sunday afternoon, and I had plans to meet up for an early dinner with my sister, who was in town for a wedding. Since the restaurant we planned to go to was not “toddler friendly” I was going to take the little guy with me, and my husband was going to stay with our eldest. Just before I left, we discussed dinner options, and realizing there was no food in the house, I suggested that they grab something out. With a gleam in his eye, my husband said, “Does that mean I can take him to McDonald’s?” (He used to work at the other big burger joint as a kid so he still holds a candle for fast food as well) With my guilt over the fact that I was leaving them both behind, I relented and said yes.

So after a pleasant (and quiet) meal with my sis, I returned home and heard all about the adventures at the Golden Arches. As it turned out, my older son ate everything. Not only did he eat every bit of his Chicken nugget happy meal, he also tried a bite of my husband’s Big Mac. I had been trying to get him to eat homemade burgers for a long time, but to no avail.

So, I can see why it’s so easy to turn to fast food, especially when you’re in a time crunch. I will continue to allow the very occasional trip for a fast food meal as a rare and very special treat. But I still have mixed feelings about happy meals. Regardless, whatever they put in there, it got my son to start eating again!

Serves/Makes: 2 cups

• 1 cup salad dressing, like Miracle Whip
• 1/4 cup finely minced pickles
• 1/3 cup French salad dressing
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup very finely minced onion