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If the kids' meal options just aren't cutting it when you're out, you'll have to get creative.

I love to eat out with my children, but it can get expensive, even at family style restaurants.  If you’re clever, though, there are ways to not only save money but also have your kids eat a healthy meal.

Fortunately, we are all foodies in my family. The four of us love to cook and eat. We don’t shy away from places that you might not tag as family friendly, and many of the places we may go don’t have a formal kids menu (think Asian or Spanish tapas).

However, a little thinking things through before ordering (and maybe a little negotiating with your kids) can turn any restaurant into the “family friendly” variety, and even save you quite a bit of cash in the process.

Consider skipping the kids menu

The most important things to keep in mind when picking your kid’s meal at a restaurant are the drink options, whether or not a vegetable is offered and what the dessert options look like. For those reasons alone, I tend to shy away from kids menus at restaurants. Until my children learned to read, they didn’t even know there was such a thing as a kids menu.

Kids menus are sadly predictable. More often than not the childrens menus in restaurants have one vegetable -- french fries -- and come with a soft drink and dessert. Entrees range from hamburgers to mac-and-cheese to chicken fingers.

Not very inspired or healthy.

If the kids’ menu does happen to have healthy options, and is reasonably priced, it may make sense to order from it, but keep these two things to keep in mind:

• If drinks are offered, see if they will substitute a soft drink or chocolate milk with seltzer or low-fat milk.
• If desserts look too indulgent, see if they’ll substitute some fresh fruit and whipped cream instead. Or consider all sharing one dessert as a family.

Share and share alike

If the kids’ meal options just aren’t cutting it when you’re out, you’ll have to get creative. In an effort to have my kids eat more nutritious food and save money, I often have my children share a full-sized entrée, which almost always includes a vegetable. If the vegetable isn’t one your kids will eat, ask for a substitution or a more simple preparation. (Sautéed spinach or steamed broccoli always work in my family.)

In some restaurants, portions are so large that your child or children may be able to have a full portion from your entrée alone, so ask ahead of time how big your own meal will be before ordering another for your kid.

Think outside the box

If you have more than one child, and they aren’t in the same food mood, ask about the possibility of ordering a half portion for kids – often restaurants will accommodate, even if they already offer a kids menu.

Alternatively, you may want to order just an appetizer for your little ones. They’re often large enough and tend to contain vegetables. (If it doesn’t, add a veggie side.)

The key to eating healthy restaurant meals with your kids that don’t cost a fortune is feeling comfortable enough to ask for substitutions.

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Americans are eating more hamburgers, and that's not necessarily because of the haute burger craze that seems to be sweeping the country (if it hasn't hit your city yet, well ... you're definitely missing out).

It's mostly because we're cheap or broke or some combination of the two.

Technomic, the food industry consulting group, notes in its most recent Burger Consumer Trend Report that growth is in part driven by the dollar menu. Or value menu. Or whatever your local drive-through-fries-with-that is calling their cheaper offerings.

(As an aside, it's worth noting in these particularly stressful economic times that it bodes well for the American economy's future that there is still enough money rattling around in this country to pay for people to put out things like Burger Consumer Trend Reports.)

The study found nearly half of consumers eat a burger a week, up from 38 percent two years ago.

“The value menu is certainly a big part of this increase in burger consumption,” says Sara Monnette, director of consumer research at Technomic. “There are other factors at work, however, as the specialty burger craze has driven growth in a way that is almost defiantly separate from pricing."

(As to the latter, we try to do our part by giving this place as much of our paycheck as is quasi-reasonable.)

Other facts from the report:

• Younger eaters want vegetarian options. Technomic doesn't immediately say why. Probably because there is no good reason.
• Half of consumers say steroid-free beef is important.
• American cheese (ugh) is the most popular fast food cheeseburger. Taste improves at full-service joints, with cheddar being more popular.

Are you eating more burgers? What's your fave fast food one? Or splurge?