Our chicken addiction

I have a confession to make: we love Chick-Fil-A. A lot. So much so that in the first 17 days of our little real food experiment, we've gone three times. Yes, three times in 17 days. I would love to use the playground as a reason but C has actually only been with us one of those times. Quite frankly, I think it comes down to three things: the employees are beyond helpful, the restaurant not only tolerates kids but embraces them with open arms, and my children will eat their food without grumbling. Three pretty good reasons if I say so myself. 

So what's a mom to do? Realistically, not going to Chick-Fil-A is just not going to happen. I'm a stay-at-home mom, it's cold outside, and we need kid-friendly outings. But it doesn't exactly fall within our 2014 goals of "eating real." I decided in cases like these, we moms just need to do a little homework and make smart decisions with what we have rather than boycotting altogether.

First, I downloaded the Chick-Fil-A app this morning (which is great if you don't have it). I spent a few extra minutes actually researching our typical orders and their ingredients, sugar and sodium content. And I did the best I could. 

So what did we end up with today? I had a medium bowl of chicken noodle soup (plenty filling, I might add) with a mere 3 grams of sugar, E had grilled nuggets (no sugars although more sodium than I prefer), and C opted for the regular nuggets (1 gram of sugar and definitely a lot more filler ingredients than I prefer, but we choose our battles and this wasn't one). Fruit cups and milks were the sides of choice for both girls, and I brought along some Annie's organic cheddar bunnies to round out the lunch.

The aftermath of a successful CFA outing

Was it the most "real" lunch I could possibly serve my kids? No. Could I have taken the time to pack healthy lunches and bring them with us today? Absolutely. But is that realistic? Not at all. And that brings me to my next point: just because it's real, doesn't mean it is always going to be "real." We are moms and a lot of times we are in survival mode. And you know what? If a breaded nugget keeps C from refusing to eat her lunch today, I'm always going to choose the breaded nugget. Because sometimes my sanity is worth that extra gram of sugar.

We did keep our books today though instead of trading for ice cream. So there, sugar. Take that.

Heather