Okay, so she’s not a baby, but it was Eilis’ first fajita. We took her to drama this morning, and ran errands while she was in there. When she was finished, we went over to the mall and it got to be about lunch time. Jim suggested Don Pablo’s for lunch, and Eilis quickly agreed.
We’ve been trying to wean her off of the children’s menu. Most children’s menus have offerings that are unhealthy and unimaginative, and with the weight problem Eilis has, we just find better choices on the adult menu for her. When we got settled in the restaurant, Eilis immediately decided she wanted a burger and fries. Knowing that she has never really eaten anything at Don Pablo’s other than chicken strips or a taco, I thought it was a safe meal, and while not a healthy choice by any stretch of the imagination, at least she would eat it and lunch wouldn’t go to waste. Jim immediately vetoed the burger idea and suggested we look at the other menu options to see if there was something she would try.
The waitress came over to take our drink orders, and she mentioned they are running a 3 course meal special. For $12, you got an appetizer (queso or queso blanco), a fajita combo meal, and a dessert. We explained to Eilis what a fajita was (we explained it as a soft taco that she got to make herself), and she was on board immediately.
It turned out to be a great choice. She enjoyed a little of the queso and a few chips, but certainly did not go over board in this area. When her fajitas came, she happily built her first one, loading up on the lettuce more than anything, so I was pretty proud of her for that. She put one strip of the grilled steak and one strip of the grilled chicken, and enjoyed it very much. Not only did she enjoy it, but she wasn’t asking for fries or anything. When she finished the first fajita, she made a second one, again loading it up with lettuce, and ate about 2/3 of it before declaring herself full. When the waitress came back to offer dessert, Eilis herself said she wanted to bring it home as a snack for later. MANY times, we’ve taken her to eat and she has eaten her whole burger, all of her fries, and not wanted to leave until she’s had the “it comes with the meal” ice cream for dessert.
I hope that she doesn’t feel we deprived her of anything, but honestly, she seemed to really enjoy making her own meal, putting in the things she liked, and for a kid that once screamed at her father for getting her a taco with “whipped cream” (sour cream) on it, she even tried a little of the sour cream and a little quacamole in her fajitas.
I strongly encourage people to avoid kids’ menus when you can. It’s nothing but fat, calories, and greasy fried food a majority of the time. You don’t want to eat crap like burgers and chicken parts everytime you eat out. Don’t make your kids eat it, either.