Toys not included

If you watched Nightline last week, you might have seen an episode about a mother suing McDonald’s. Apparently it isn’t a Happy Meal to her. As I watched this report, I found it a little ironic that she was concerned that McDonald’s was enticing her child with a toy to purchase their foods she deemed unhealthy, and with the cameras rolling and while explaining her concerns of her daughter eating fries and nuggets, she handed her daughter a GoGurt. Seriously, I couldn’t stop laughing. I would put all those items in the same category. They are treats. And even though GoGurts, nuggets, and fries are commonly served by most school districts as a vital part of the food pyramid, they really hold minimal nutritional value. I would have taken this lady seriously if she would have handed her daughter an apple. Parents seem to forget who earns the money and has the valid driver’s license that enables their family to drive to McDonald’s and purchase the very food they are opposed to consuming.

If you want food to be easy, fast and healthy, I have a suggestion your kids might like. I just wondered how long it might take me to go to a McDonald’s. I live about 8 minutes from the closest Happy Meal, and on this particular day, I timed a car going through the drive through. From the moment the order was placed until the food was received was 2 minutes and 53 seconds. The wait would have been longer if there was a line to place the order. So it would take at least 20 minutes to satisfy my Big Mac attack. In less than 20 minutes you can have these tasty whole wheat breadsticks in the oven.

Dissolve 1 tablespoon yeast in 1 1/2 cups warm water. Add 1 tablespoon sugar. Let stand 5 minutes. Mix in 3 1/2 cups hard white wheat flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Knead for 5 minutes. Roll out dough on a greased cookie sheet (add additional flour if too sticky). Spread about 1/4 cup butter (flavored with garlic powder or fresh minced garlic if you like) and then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cut into strips with a pizza cuter. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Your kids will love dipping these healthy breadsticks in pizza sauce. For a complete happy meal, serve with your own milk and apple slices.  And they just might forget they didn't get a toy with their meal.