December 11, 2015

Tanya's Daily Scoop
NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: 1 DAY

Foodie Friday - Vegan Dim Sum!

Good Day Dreamers!

It's Friday! It's the weekend! Only 2 weeks until Christmas! And I'm ready to Rock 'N Roll!

We are heading out first thing in the morning for a fun weekend in Santa Barbara.
This will be Cosette's first time visiting this city that is known as the "Riviera of the West" and also has a reputation for being a playground for the rich and famous. 
Throughout all of my years in California, I've only visited but a handful of times. And the last time we were up that way was for Father's Day weekend in 2014 - From Flower Fields to..

And guess what - I've still gotta pack...

Plus I've got plenty of chores and errands to take care of today, one of them being another trip to the stables. While we did manage to get over there both on Tuesday and yesterday, but based on our wacky schedule yesterday we didn't arrive until after dark!!
That was rather interesting, because from as far as we could tell there are no lights over there and it was really quite dark! So today we'll be sure to get there well before sundown.

And once all the chores and errands have been completed, 5 of us are heading out with my mom (unless I can talk Jet, Andrew and Chaplin into coming along too) to San Gabriel for a yummy Chinese dinner at Fine Garden Vegetarian, a place that Dave, the kids and I had Dim Sum at a few months ago and found quite good!
Actually I'm pretty sure they offer Dim Sum at all times of the day - which we are looking forward to, and which is a rather rare thing for vegans to find!
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A few dishes from our previous visit:

​While most folks get to rest and relax on the weekends, ours are always filled with running around and are usually filled with either performances and/or getaway travel...that is of course when we are in town.

I'll quote Dave here and share with you that he says that I'm in my natural habitat at a hotel. I'm a hotel stayer - not a home maker!! I find this funny!

So with only having a travel getaway (of which we will be rather busy on) this weekend, it is actually kinda mellow...for us.

Next weekend however will definitely be back to business with the kids having 3 performances!!! And yet still another one scheduled during the week of Christmas! 

And while Elisa goes off with the girls to Florida for Christmas with her parents, we will be home for Christmas...as usual.
​I make sure to black out certain dates from travel and Christmas is one of them. Not that I wouldn't enjoy being in Europe or something like that for Christmas - but for me Christmas is meant to be with family and loved ones.
So unless we are all packing up and leaving town - which is like 100% unlikely - I'll always be home for the holidays!

Meanwhile, I'm still trying to nail down the menu for Christmas Dinner. So far we are thinking to have Manicotti with homemade shells of course as the main dish, but need to work on the rest of the meal. And we STILL need to call about having our over repaired!

​And lastly I want to acknowledge the fact that neither Elisa or I have been keeping up with our TBT Throwback Stories or our FFF Foodie Friday Features. We've found that between Thanksgiving and Christmas and all the extra things that we have to do (on top of our already hectic schedules) that we need a short break from the extra articles.
So we apologize and want you to know that these features will be up and running again once we kick in the New Year!

That's about it for today folks! Have a great one!
​-T

Elisa's Daily Scoop
NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: 7 DAYS

Foodie Friday Kid-Friendly Restaurants Around the U.S.

Howdy!  

Well, we finally made it to the end of the week! How did you do this week?  

Except for the illness of my sweet Gianna, it's been a very productive week.

As I think about what's ahead this weekend, I'm getting tired just thinking of our full schedule!

Two full days out East for horseback riding festivities.  Saturday is a full day of lessons, barn activities and preparation for the show on Sunday.

Saturday night, the girls and I will be attending a music concert for one of their good friends from the barn, who will be playing the violin.  

Sunday, brings us back to the barn for the long-awaited Christmas show, for which the girls have been working so hard practicing the course and jumping.  

The Dream Come True "Show Team" will be dressed up in their best -- red shirts, beautifully designed by their trainer, Concetta.  

I've been charged with decorating the arena and the stalls, where necessary.  Gianna was a busy little bee, making lots and lots of red bows for adorning the barn.

You can bet Mommy will be taking LOTS of photos and videos of her girlies. I even bought a new camera card, specifically for this event!!

Owner and founder of Dream Come True, Vito Giambanco

After the show, the festivities continue as we had to Vito's family restaurant for a special "Show Team" luncheon.

Now, that's certainly a full weekend!!

Foodie Friday...
Those of you who know me, know that I'm not a big chain restaurant fan. However, when traveling, chains are the most readily available places to frequent.  

I was happy to find this great article, The 10 Best Family Restaurants by Karen Cicero of Parent's Magazine with lots of info about top chains, their child-friendliness as well as how they rate health-wise:
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 #10 Claim Jumper
Great options for kids, broken down by age group.
They off 15 entrees and 10 sides. They even have a  build-your-own pizza, frozen grapes, bean-and-cheese burrito, and barbecued chicken breast.  Healthy desserts for kids include frozen chocolate-banana bites. For kids 2 and under, they offer a free plate with turkey, cheese, applesauce, and mandarin orange slices  
45 restaurants in eight states. Call ahead reservations available at all locations

#9 Denny's
With space themes to their food and presentation including star-shaped chicken nuggets, anti-gravity grapes, astronaut applesauce, kids get to sip their milk or juice from a rocket-shaped cup!

More importantly, Denny's publishes complete nutrition and allergy info for all its dishes, including its healthy Fit Fare items, online. Trans fat is out of most dishes -- and the chain should be completely free of this unhealthy fat by this fall.
1,546 restaurants in 49 states. Call-ahead seating accepted at some locations.

#8 P.F. Chang's China Bistro
What's more fun than easy to use chop sticks for your little eaters!!  While this restaurant does not offer a separate menu for children, there are plenty of options for the kiddies including the ginger chicken with broccoli, chow mein, and crab wontons.   Even picky eaters are catered to with noodles in butter and serve steamed veggies on the side with dip.  Nutrition or allergy information is available on the company's Web site.
178 restaurants in 39 states. Call-ahead seating and reservations accepted at all locations.

#7 The Old Spaghetti Factory
This restaurant is best known for it's "trolley car" at each location - lots of fun for kiddies to sit in!
They also "bed booths", which is seating built from old headboards!

I remember taking Gianna and Kelsey to The Old Spaghetti Factory when they were little!  A fun experience.  Food choices for kids include six pasta choices, each served in a trolley-themed bowl. They come with a tossed salad or applesauce, a drink, and ice cream or a juice bar for just $5.  
37 restaurants in 15 states. Call-ahead seating at all locations.

#6 Red Robin
With a special kids menu that, believe it or not, is healthy, with such items as Grilled chicken with Parmesan noodles, veggie burgers, and five side choices, including cantaloupe wedges, carrots with dip, and apple slices. 

Red Robin offers a detailed yet easy-to-understand ingredient guide.  It also sponsors a recipe contest every year for 6- to 12-year-olds. Last year's winning recipes are available in a cookbook sold online; all proceeds go to charity. 393 restaurants in 40 states.

#5 Chili's Grill & Bar
With a growing kids menu, newly added items include corn, mandarin oranges, and pineapple -- to the seven options it already had. Entrees range from grilled chicken to pasta to pizza. While many restaurant chains support charities, Chili's is exceptional, raising more than $8 million for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital last year!
1,439 restaurants in 50 states. Call-ahead seating available in all locations and reservations at most.

#4 Uno Chicago Grill
The chain has made some great strides in its offering for kids! It now offers lighter, flatbread pizzas and a kids' menu that features grilled chicken, whole-grain penne, and health-minded sides like broccoli, apples, and mandarin oranges.

Kids can even put on an apron and make their own pie using flatbread dough, sauce, cheese, and toppings, which are brought to your table!  How fun! The pizza is then baked and returned with the rest of the family's order. What's more, some locations offer character nights and many give an apple to kids on their way out.
200 restaurants in 29 states. Call-ahead seating available at some locations.

#3 Mimi's Cafe
Who's ever had bored, antsy kids at a restaurant - hello!! All of us. Mimi's Cafe offers a free appetizer plate filled with Cheerios, oranges, and crackers to keep the kids munching and busy from the start.

Kids' menu options include a turkey dinner, soup and salad, and spaghetti; all come with a choice of sides such as fresh veggies, fruit, mashed potatoes, and applesauce. Beverage choices are extensive as well from whole, reduced-fat, and fat-free milk in both plain and chocolate. Bibs and hand wipes are given to all families with young kids, and there are changing tables in all restrooms.
132 restaurants in 22 states. Call-ahead seating available at all locations and reservations accepted in some.

#2 Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes
One of our favorite places to frequent when visiting Grandma and Grandpa in Florida, this chain is known for its buffets! Known as Souplantation in Southern California and Sweet Tomatoes in the rest of the country.

Looking for a cheap meal out, then this chain is for you! Less than $10 for adults and $5 for kids 3 and over.  Lots of healthy choices as well -  featuring a pasta station, eight soups, a 55-foot salad bar with plenty of fruits and vegetables, a bakery section with focaccia pizza and low-fat muffins, and a soft-serve "fro yo" machine (a favorite of my girls).  
109 restaurants in 15 states. Call-ahead seating available at some locations.

​#1 Legal Sea Foods
Want your kids to eat healthy - well at Legal Sea Foods, every kids dish is served with corn on the cob and grapes. Most locations also offer wood-grilled fish which includes the whimsical fish-shaped cheese ravioli. "Some children want what their parents are having, and it makes them feel grown up," says Legal's CEO, Roger Berkowitz, who regularly powwows with the nutrition experts at the Harvard School of Public Health.

The Harvard connection prompted the chain to eliminate trans fat five years ago, test all tuna and swordfish for mercury, cook non-seafood items on a separate grill to accommodate kids with shellfish allergies, and, lately, cut back on sodium. Chefs don't salt the kids' fries and came up with a low-sodium raspberry vinaigrette for salads.
32 restaurants in nine states. Reservations and call-ahead seating accepted at all locations.

Lots of options, even while traveling, wouldn't you say??  For Ms. Cicero's full article, click the link above!

That's a wrap for today folks!!  Have to get over to the kids' school for the annual Christmas Boutique to help the kids shop!!

See ya back here tomorrow!

-E
xoxo