I never took my kids out to restaurants--- until they were old enough to have manners and not upset the other patrons. To this day I cannot handle a crying baby--- sets off my " mommy alert" response: crying babies are in trouble.

I can remember when a horse broke my right wrist that I could not cook for my kids. DH had to open a couple jars of baby food every day, and on the days he forgot, I was in tears. Providing for my kids is everything to me.

Fortunately for my kids I was reading DANDR before they were born. ANd I know I know more than the doctors about nurition. No matter how many times they tried to get me to feed skim milk or was it 2%?, I gave them whole milk.

We do not tech nutrition in any meaningful way. WHen I am low on funds, I buy ONLY the most nutritious foods. Meats and vegies. It is about nutrient dense not junk food. ALso food pantries only, mostly, provide only canned goods and cereal products. Junk and worse junk.