Do you buy Kids Meals for yourself?

[Ottakee]

Just wondering if you ever buy a kids meal for yourself instead of buying the adult meal.

 

I did this yesterday at a fast food place and when I got to the pick up window the guy there (mid 30s or so) asked if it was for me. I said yes, and he told me that he had been doing the same thing (embarrassing his kids though in the process) as it has helped him lose 30 pounds in the past year.

 

I often order kids meals for myself because they are cheaper (but I don't do it at places that offer them at a huge discount for those 10 and under to get the parents in) and because the portion sizes are smaller. I still get a "taste" of everything but don't over eat.

 

Culvers is a great place for me to get a kids meal. I get a small cheeseburger, small fries, small drink and then a 1 scoop frozen custard. I have asked at the counter and they have no problems with me ordering a kids meal.

[meet me in paris]

I think it's a great idea. We don't really eat fast food, but I do remember ordering happy meals when I was on weight watchers years ago. :)

 

I've found lately that if we're at a restaurant and I tell the server that I want a small portion and ask if I can order a kids meal (because, no, I don't want a half pound hamburger!), they usually offer to give me a half portion of something on the adult menu. That works for me, too.

[Mom in High Heels]

When we are in the States I do. I like Wendy's kids meals the best because I can get a decent small chicken sandwich, small fries, drink and a tiny Frostie. Yummy! If I buy and adult meal I feel like I have to eat it all. With a kids meal, I can and am full.

[SquirrellyMama]

I haven't done this before but I might consider it in the future if I know it is ok. At McDonalds I'll often order off the $1 Menu. I get a sandwich, small fries and water. The Culver's kids meal sounds yummy.

[RegGuheert]

We buy adult meals for the kids and divide them into pieces for the different children.

[Ottakee]

Most places are OK with this. If in doubt, I ask and most of the times am told it is fine. There are a few places around here that offer 99 cent kids meals in order to get the family to all come in (casual but sit down places). I wouldn't do that there but most places are OK with that.

 

I have also done the split the adult meal with my daughter and I or 2-3 of the kids and one place has a huge dinner that my girls and I split that. We do make sure to tip well though so the waitress isn't serving 4 people but only getting tipped on 2 meals.

 

I do the dollar menu as well. I have even found that the new $2 meals at Taco bell can be shared by my daughter and I . We upgrade the Doritoes for nachos and cheese for an extra 20 cents. Then we share the drink (drive through so we aren't refilling it) split the main item and the chips and cheese. This works for a quick lunch. I won't ever claim this is healthy but for those of us that have cravings for fast/junk food, it is a way to get our "fix" yet keep the cost and calories down.

 

Oh, and at Culvers if you get the plain vanilla frozen custard for your treat you can get rootbeer to drink and make a mean rootbeer float---kid size but still very good.

[Annie G]

And don't forget to save those Scoopie tokens from your Culver's meals- ten will get you a free meal!

[Cinder]

We buy adult meals for the kids and divide them into pieces for the different children.

 

We usually do this, too. Or we used to. Ds's are now eating more than dh and I do. So only dd gets to share.

 

Dh and I also split dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant. It's enough for 2 PLUS leftovers for lunch the next day for $13. And we share it with dd. Love it!

 

Cinder

[MeaganS]

I don't buy kids meals at fast food places but I almost always buy off the dollar menu. I don't think I've bought an actual meal in years. My meal usually equals about $2 or $3.

[mom31257]

Yes, if the restaurant will allow it. I love McDonald's barbecue sauce. I get the chicken nugget meal with apple dippers instead of fries. Sometimes I get a kid's meal and add a side salad. It usually is a little cheaper that way, too.

[Annie]

I'm just posting to say how jealous I am of those with easy access to custard. :tongue_smilie: I moved from the land of never ending custard (Wisconsin) to a land completely void of it (central VA). I clearly have still not gotten over it.

[AuntPol]

I often get the happy meal w/apple dippers and bottled water for myself at McDonald's and Burger King. Of course, now I'm trying to avoid fast food places and restaurants as much as possible so that I can lose weight.

[Onceuponatime]

I've done it for years. I love getting the kids nugget meal at Chick-Fil-A with a lemonade instead of soda.

[Garga]

My mom's been doing this for years. The people who work there don't really care who's eating the meal as long as you're paying for it!

[elegantlion]

I do this all the time. Cracker Barrel is another place that will serve kids meals to adults.

[2squared]

I just decided I need to do this. My 6yo already eats an adult portion, so I have to balance out the budget with his kids meal.

[fairfarmhand]

I order off the dollar menu....generally the same smaller portion sizes, cheaper and without the junky toy. And we usually bring our own drinks...

[ereks mom]

I've often said that restaurants would get more business if they'd reduce the priced AND the portions. I'd be happy with half the portion for half the price. Portions are WAY to large at most restaurants anyway.

[CAMom]

At fast food places, yes.:)

 

Rubios is my favorite place to do it. I get the taquitos and switch out the churro for a 4oz cup of rice.

[Dawn in OH]

We buy adult meals for the kids and divide them into pieces for the different children.

 

When we still ate fast food that's what we did. It was cheaper to split 1 super size fry amongst the whole family, or two people, than order 4-5 individual servings of fries.

 

We don't drink sodas, and don't want the kids to want to eat out for the toy, so we never did Happy Meals. The kids got their only Happy Meals while out with Grandma and Grandpa.

 

I've also never ordered a kids meal for myself because for 9 years now I've always had someone to share my food with. If I ordered a kids meal and then had to share, I would be going home unfed.

[Spy Car]

I get a small cheeseburger, small fries, small drink and then a 1 scoop frozen custard. I have asked at the counter and they have no problems with me ordering a kids meal.

 

I can't believe in this day and age that a "restaurant" could serve a cheeseburger, fries, sot drink and a dessert as an appropriate meal for children. Or even call it a "kid's meal." :001_huh:

 

No wonder we have children with obesity issues and stage-2 diabetes. Why do we put up with this???

 

Bill

[lailasmum]

My friend always orders the happy meal for her self. She is a seriously faddy eater though so I think its more that they meet her criteria for simplicity more easily than the adult versions that come with tomatoes or pickles or cheese that she has to ask to leave out. She basically only eats meat and bread and sweets. Luckily her kids haven't followed in her faddyness.

 

On the rare time that we would get fast food I would get an adult meal as everyone else always wants more than their portion and there is more to share then. There aren't really any fast food places here without a big drive. There used to be a mcdonalds here for about 2 yrs but it closed down due to lack of customers and our town made the national headlines because of it. There is a strong local food/farm shop ethic here and people don't like those big junk food companies generally.

Edited September 10, 2010 by lailasmum

[KellyinPA]

I do, usually when I'm running errands and just want to go through the drive thru so I don't have to stop and take more time out of my day. It's plenty of food for me and the price is good too! :)

[Scuff]

If you just get the cheeseburger and fries and skip the toy it's even cheaper.

[6packofun]

Definitely! I usually buy myself a kids' meal, especially if the toy is good. hehe ;)

 

When I *do* buy an adult sized item, I will buy the sandwich ONLY or the fries ONLY--not both.

[mom31257]

I can't believe in this day and age that a "restaurant" could serve a cheeseburger, fries, sot drink and a dessert as an appropriate meal for children. Or even call it a "kid's meal." :001_huh:

 

No wonder we have children with obesity issues and stage-2 diabetes. Why do we put up with this???

 

Bill

 

It really isn't surprising since the restaurants are serving the same thing to the adults, just in larger sizes. We only eat out once a week and occasionally twice, but unfortunately many families eat out several times a week. Due to the fact we only eat out once, I do let them order what they want, even if it is a burger and fries. We don't do soda at home, so I let them get it out.

 

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "why do we put up with this". If people demanded healthier meals and only purchased such, the restaurants would comply. It's not the restaurant's responsibility to make us all be healthy. Even most fast food places now offer some healthy choices such as salads and fruit.

 

I'm just curious what you think we could do that would change it.

[Spy Car]

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "why do we put up with this". If people demanded healthier meals and only purchased such, the restaurants would comply. It's not the restaurant's responsibility to make us all be healthy. Even most fast food places now offer some healthy choices such as salads and fruit.

 

I'm just curious what you think we could do that would change it.

 

I think people "who know better" and have some position of influence (including community leaders, religious figures, physicians, nutritionists, scientists, teachers, politicians, athletes, and parents) make a bloody racket about fast-food-chains and other restaurants marketing "cheese" burgers (made with fake cheese), French fries, soda, and sugar snacks as "meals" for children it would have an effect.

 

The reasuarants ought to be "shamed" for these practices because serving such foods to children--is shameful. And hopefully parents who otherwise don't seem to get thev fact that such a menu is not a fit diet would get a wake-up call as well. Why it is not understood already is beyond me.

 

Unfortunately consciousness is very low in our society, and we live with the dramatic health consequences of bad nutrition, much of which is aimed directly at children though such invidious tactics as the promotion of "Happy Meals" which are anything but healthful. But rarely to we hear a "peep" about it from our civic leaders.

[happyhomemaker25]

When I was pregnant and my BS was wacky and I just really needed some FF I would order the kids meal. It was less than half the carbs of a regular meal and I was surprised to find how it filled me up!

I have done it a few more times since then but I now order an extra drink in a larger size. :)

 

I meant there were a lot fewer carbs than in a regular meal. I don't think it came out right. LOL

[Susan in KY]

Culvers is a great place for me to get a kids meal. I get a small cheeseburger, small fries, small drink and then a 1 scoop frozen custard. I have asked at the counter and they have no problems with me ordering a kids meal.

 

I really like Culver's kid's meals. :)

[TravelingChris]

It depends who is eating. If we have four or five of us, we order something like supersuized fries and all share that and get individual jr. hamburgers or cheeseburgers and eat that. We don't drink soda so it is milk, juice,coffee or iced tea for us. If it is me with one of the girls, we usually get a hamburger each and she gets a mandarin orange cup or apple dippers. I sometimes get the walnuts and apples. We normally skip the fries and get milk for my daughter and unsweetened iced tea for me.

 

Oh and Bill, I see nothing wrong with what we get and my girls are a fine weight. They don't eat like this every day and my older, in particualr, often chooses a salad or a plain baked potato. There are foods that aren't high calorie there and we tend to eat those. A jr. hamburger is not a high calorie meal. Neither is a small fry (and we never eat a small fry by ourselves, we share).

[Jane in NC]

Have you read about the Happy Meal project? A photographer has taken photos of a "meal" that refuses to rot.

 

That's day 94..

 

Slide show here.

[kdeno]

I am always *starving*.

 

I would wither on a kid's meal.