The dreaded Burger King Night

Grayson's school has a monthly Burger King Night fundraiser where if you eat at BK that particular night and sign a sheet, BK gives the school a certain percentage of the money they take in. I'm not a fan, but I realize it is an easy way for the schools to make money. I'd rather just write a check to the school for $10 once a month, but they advertise this thing to the kids at school in a way that can't easily be ignored. Whatever. I'm not one to deprive my kids of every experience just because I don't agree with it 100%.

That said, I do try to make the best choices possible when we "have" to go to fast food restaurants. Most kids are going to want the kids meal - the toy just sucks them right in (even if they only play with it for about 15 seconds).

Burger King actually has a pretty informative Web site that allows you to build your meal and see the nutritional value of it. From what I gather, the best kids meal to get would be mac & cheese, apple fries (I ask for it without the caramel dipping sauce), and low-fat milk - a total of 230 calories. Plan ahead of time, and you can make the best choices, even in a not-so-good situation.