Kids Eat Free

We eat out A LOT. Way more than we should and probably more than most families, especially with lots of kids. We are trying to eat at home more and because of the current stages of our littles we find that take-out is a better option...for now. But when we do eat out it's always great to have a deal. Helps make things a little more affordable.

All of these are found in the DFW area.  Unless specifically mentioned by location remember that participation may vary so call your location before visiting, and deals are changing all the time. In most cases a kids meal refers to a child 12 and under unless noted.  If you know of any that should be added to the list let me know…. I always love a free meal :)

Applebees -  Monday or Tuesday Nights (varies by location) -1 free kids meal per adult - additional kids are only $1.00.

Black Eyed Pea - Tuesday - 5 pm till close- 1 free kids meal with the purchase of an adult meal

Blue Mesa Grill - Sunday     9am-3pm - Free kids brunch  (6 and under) with purchase of adult brunch

Boston's The Gourmet Pizza - Tuesday, all day -  Kids eat free with adult entree purchase

Buffalo Wild Wings - Wednesday  - Dine-in only - .99 kids meals with adult meal purchase

Cafe Brazil - West Berry Street - Sunday thru Thursday, 5pm-10pm - 1 free kids meal per adult meal purchase. 

Cici’s Pizza – Kids 3 and under eat free 7 days a week.

Cowtown Diner - Mon- Thurs 5pm-close - 1 free kids meal per adult entree purchase. 5pm-close

Denny's - South Freeway (Hulen) - Tuesday & Saturday 4-10pm - Up to 2 free kids (10 and under) entrees from kids menu per 1 regularly priced adult entree purchase

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit – Sundays - 1 free kids meal w/ purchase of adult meal

Firehouse Subs – Wednesdays & Sundays - Kids 12 and under eat free from 4-9pm - 1 per purchase of medium adult combo

Fuddruckers – (not free but cheap) 12 and under can eat for .99 (drink is included) from 4-9pm on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Garden's Restaurant (in the Ft. Worth Botanic Garden) - Sunday 11am-2:30pm - Free kids (8 & under) buffet with adult brunch

Golden Corral – Kids eat free on Tuesday Nights.

Habanero's Fresh Mex - Basswood Blvd - Sunday, All day  - Free kids meal with adult entrée purchase  

IHOP – Kids eat free everyday during certain promotions. They usually have some kind of signage in the window.

Luby's Cafeteria  - Wednesday - 1 free kids meal per adult entree purchase. After 4:30pm.

Phil's Philly Grill (Hulen Mall) - Tuesday, all day - Buy any large Philly Combo and get a Kids Meal for free    

Pizza Hut – Kids eat free on Tuesday Evenings

Pizzaria UNOs - kids eat free Tuesdays. 1 free kids meal per purchase of adult meal.

Qdoba Mexican Grill – Kids eat free at Wednesdays (some locations) and Sundays (some locations) .

Simply Fondue - Sundance Square - Sunday, all day - Free kid's fondue with adult fondue purchase

Souper! Salad! – Kids 4 and under at free and kids 5-12 eat for $2.49 on  Sunday.

Steak n’ Shake – Saturday & Sunday, all day - Kids can eat free (12 & under) with a purchase of an adult entree valued at $8 or more.

Sweet Tomatoes-Kids under 2 eat free

Texas Roadhouse – Mondays or Tuesdays (check your location) kids 12 and under eat free.

Texas Land & Cattle – Kids 12 and under eat free on Saturdays from 11am – 4pm. 2 free kid’s meals for each adult entree.

Tres Jose’s - Sunday - 1 free kids meal with the purchase of an adult meal


For deals in other areas check out: http://www.outtoeatwithkids.com . They also have an app for Apple & Android devices which would be great for when you’re traveling or just out and about and need to eat :). One of our favorites from the list is Tres Jose’s but I can‘t wait to add Café Brazil and Qdoba to the rotation!

We've also found some great deals on Restaurants.com. Sometimes they, or deal sites like Groupon, will run a special where you can get a $25 gift certificate for only $2-$3. Last time I did this I purchased a $25 gc for $2 and at checkout they offered an additional $50 gift certificate for only $5 more. So for $7 I got $75 in gift certificates. Now, most of these are amounts off of a purchase. For example, I got 2 Yucatan Taco Stand gc where we will get $25 off a purchase of $40. We love this place and would eat there anyway and with our large crowd it not hard to spend $40 especially if everyone gets a beverage. So essentially $15 for a $40 meal. Not bad in my book.

{Simple Supper} Pasta Piccata

With all of the energy I spend trying to figure out "What's for Dinner?" I often find myself beat down. I don't want to think about it, I don't want to stand in the kitchen for an hour, I don't want to clean up afterwards. Which is probably why we eat out more than we should. Some times I get busy with my day and realize it's time for dinner and I don't have anything in the works. That's when these little gems have come in handy... A Simple Supper.

This one is my own {lazy} adaptation of a Rachael Ray recipe and these are all things I have on hand regularly. I don't have to think to much about it or spend lots of time chopping or measuring. And my taste buds and tummy love me for it.

Pasta Piccata

What you need:

• a box (approx. 16 oz depending on your crowd) of any pasta. I like penne.
• some olive oil or butter
• a lemon - or 2 depending on your taste
• some capers
• chicken stock or white wine if you like (optional)

What you do:

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to pot. Now you can either do one of two things, 

1. Toss the pasta in olive oil, squeeze the lemon juice over pasta, spoon in some capers, & toss, OR 
2.  in a small sauce pan melt a little butter or olive oil, squeeze in lemon juice and add a little chicken stock or white wine and let it heat through. You don't want the pasta to be soupy so it doesn't take much liquid. When it's hot stir in a spoonful or two (we like capers so we use at least half a jar) of capers and then pour over the pasta. Toss.

 If you have some leftover grilled chicken, throw that in. If you like parmesan cheese, put some of that on it. Whatever you like. Then enjoy a big bowlful... or 2.

Meal Plan Monday (ish) - Again

I promise. One day I will post something other than my meal plans. I have a lot mulling around in my head I'd love to share but rarely have, or make, the time to type it out.

While I'm attempting to stick to our convictions about what we eat, this week I am honoring a few of my eldest daughter’s requests. So often she HATES what I fix but suffers through it. She asks what we have for snacks and never likes my answers. I figured this week I would humor her a little so it's not quite as healthy as I'd like but we'll live. I'm sure you'll be able to guess what things she wanted :)

Breakfast:

Biscuits

Cereal

Bagels w/cream cheese

Fruit & yogurt parfaits

Lunch:

Leftovers

Turkey sandwiches

Amy's Bean & Cheese burritos

Cheese and fruit

Snacks:

Cheese ball w/ crackers

Annie's snacks - Assorted

Fruit

Popcorn

Dinners:

Monday: Bulgar Burgers w/ sweet potato fries

Tuesday: Neiman Marcus chicken over rice w/ sweet peas (this recipe is similar but I do 8oz cream cheese, 8oz sour cream, & will make my own cream o' chicken soup. I also just use one sleeve of crackers, no clue exactly how many that is, and one stick of butter)

Wednesday: Greek Salad - Romaine, cuke, feta, olives, tomato, homemade dressing

(If I feel ambitious I may make some bread this day)

Thursday: Bean & Cheese nachos, sour cream, guac, jalapeños

Friday: Cod with Mediterranean salsa and salad (This is a new one for us, doubt Chelsea will eat this)

Saturday & Sunday: clean out fridge, one meal out, spinach quiche w/ fruit salad

Meal Plan Monday (ish)

It’s meal planning time again. I missed a week or two and didn’t stick to the budget very well so this week is a pinching-pennies/clean out the pantry week until the new month kicks in on Saturday. :) This just stresses to me once again the importance of sticking with planning. Also, having the kids home all day really changes things too. Before, Izzie and I would just share the previous night’s leftovers for lunch. Now, I’ve got two bigger girls who want all kinds of snacks and eat more so sometimes the leftovers aren’t enough for everyone so I am having to plan more for lunches as well.

I’ve started posting some recipes on Recipezaar and hopefully will be able to link them here soon. There’s nothing that bugs me more than seeing the title of a recipe and thinking it sounds good only to not be able to access the recipe. So here it is, unhealthy and all.

Breakfasts:
Cereal
Malt o Meal
Pancakes

Lunches:
Leftovers
Spaghetti
Tuna sandwiches
Fried Egg sandwiches

Snacks:
Leftover chips from the weekend
Cucumbers
Cannellini Dip
Cashews
Dry roasted Edamame


Dinners:

Monday: Thai Tuna Wraps

Tuesday: Mel’s Meal-In-One (Got this from a Fix-it & Forget-it cookbook – making it with regular extra lean ground beef this time may try without meat in the future or use grass-fed beef)

Wednesday: Sweet Asian Chicken (from my freezer meal swap) and green beans

Thursday: Simple Quiche with fresh fruit

Friday: Eat out (Chipotle)

I did make a cobbler for dessert Monday night. It was a little disappointing so I won’t share the recipe… I’d like to make another dessert later I the week but can’t figure out what to make with what I’ve got. Must investigate further :)

Meal Planning for the Week (plus)

So we recently watched Food, Inc. and are changing the way we eat drastically. Not so much the actual meals, just a better quality of ingredients - mostly organic, local when possible, and more meatless meals. I 'm hoping if I post meals plans two things will happen. 1. I'll stick to it and 2. I'll encourage others to change their eating habits by seeing that it's very doable and tasty! :) I've gotten a ton of inspiration from my friend Stephanie and I'll use her meal plan format here. Thanks Steph!

For Breakfast we’ll have:

Cereal

Fruit & Yogurt Parfaits

Pumpkin Muffins

Snacks:

Apples

Annie’s Bunnies (Asst)

Sun Chips

Fruit & Yogurt Parfaits

Chips and homemade Salsa

Friday – Out (Spiral Diner)

Saturday – Lunch: Clean out the pantry & fridge :)

Dinner: Teriyaki Chicken with Fried Vegetable Brown Rice

Sunday – Lunch: Out (Chipotle)

Dinner: Greek Salad (romaine, feta, cucumbers, tomatoes, homemade dressing)

Monday – Black Bean & Sweet Potato Enchiladas w/Spanish rice

Tuesday – Thai Tuna Wraps w/ Fruit

Wednesday – Bulgar Wheat Burritos W/ Chips & Guacamole

Thursday – Fish w/ Lemon Dill sauce and Rice Pilaf

Friday – Out

Saturday – Lunch: Leftovers

Dinner: Homemade Pizza w/ Goat Cheese and Fresh Basil

Sunday – Lunch: Out

Dinner: Pancakes w/ Fresh Fruit