Savor the last few days of summer with SushiSamba Rio's Back-to-School kids' menu

August 7, 6:53 PMChicago Dining ExaminerEmily Szopa

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photo courtesty of Steve Woods

I was musing aloud to my mom last night about how weird it is to think that, when I was just 17, I willingly moved out of the house in which I had spent my entire childhood and into a building nearly 400 miles away where I would share a tile-floored, 11'x13' cinderblock room with a complete stranger.

How weird it is to think that I showered next to and brushed my teeth alongside 25 other girls unknown to me and then slept three feet away from another girl about whom, for all intents and purposes, I knew nothing. And, most unusual of all, to think that after having commuted to and from school for my entire K-12 career, living in a dorm 7 hours away from home didn't seem like all that big of a deal: I just accepted these things as part of post-high school life.

But as much as my memories of crying myself to sleep that first night after my parents left or writing letters to friends at other universities are fairly hazy (Remember writing letters? Making mix tapes? Sigh.), I remember the jarring reality of the dining hall with startling clarity. 

Walking through the doors of Mark Twain Dining Hall, meal card in hand, I felt at once liberated and yet entirely uncertain as to what to do next. No longer would anyone call me to dinner or hand me a packed lunch on my way out the door. No one would pass me the potatoes and ask how my first day went (and know to take my overly dramatic account with a grain of salt). I was alone, but that also meant I was completely free to make my own decisions: Should I try the toasted ravioli? Where should I sit? Am I even hungry?

It's kind of amazing how something as simple as suddenly being responsible for one's own sustenance can impart such a distinct feeling of independence. If I wanted to eat nothing but ice cream for breakfast, cookies for lunch and waffles for dinner, I could. Or I could skip meals if I wanted. The dizzying array of options could have overwhelmed me, but fortunately I had been brought up with a strong sense of what elements comprise a "well rounded meal."

photo courtesty of EDinformatics

Those same brown-bag lunches I was already nostalgically looking back on provided templates for the meals I would have to select on my own. I'm not saying I didn't have ice cream some days--after all, the "Freshman 15" comes from somewhere, right? (I'm thinking beer was a more likely culprit...) But suffice to say that the subconscious lessons I learned from mom's brown bag lunches ultimately encouraged me to make healthy choices on my own, which, in turn, helped me make it through college with good grades and very few (legitimate) sick days. Healthy meals support healthy minds and it has been proven time and time again that kids who eat three well balanced meals a day are more attentive in class, more relaxed, and retain information more readily.

So with all that readin', 'ritin' and 'rithmetic right around the corner (Chicago Public Schools' first day in session is Sept. 4th!), it's time to quell the urge to order another pizza for dinner or head through the drive-thru again for more McNuggets. Start with a healthy breakfast at home and take the extra time to shop for nutritious food or to research possible options at nearby restaurants, if you (like me) don't have the A/C to offset a preheated oven right now.

Heading to the nearest fast food chain is especially tempting during the activity-packed summer months, but a study released earlier this week reveals that so-called "Kids' Meals" at 13 major restaurant chains are loaded with all sorts of fat, salt and calories. Kids ages 4 through 8 should only consume approximately 1290 calories per day, yet the report "found 93 percent of 1,474 possible choices at the 13 chains" exceed the per-meal caloric allowance that the National Institute of Medicine recommends. Check out the worst offenders (and healthy substitutes) here.

SushiSamba Rio's playful decor / photo by Wagstaff Worldwide

SushiSamba Rio, on the other hand, is doing its part to provide balanced, healthy options for kids with its new Kids' Menu, rolled out just in time to ease the back-to-school transition. Each of the four major food groups is represented in their "Baby Bento Boxes," which include your child's choice of grilled organic chicken, steak or salmon, and purple mashed potatoes, a veggie roll and seasonal fruit on the side.

The menu also offers "Sushi Bites," a great introduction to sushi: Four bite-sized rice balls topped with tuna, yellowtail, salmon and cucumber and served with a veggie roll & seasonal fruit. Drink options come in a variety of juicy choices such as the Watermelon Mojo (watermelon, lime and guava juice). Watch out for the coconut milk, though, it's loaded with calories.

Each meal also includes a dessert, which might put the meal over the top in terms of calories, but if it's the only treat for the day, it can still fit into a healthy eating plan of moderation, portion control and balanced nutrition.

Parents can delight in Bento boxes of their own, priced right at $13-$16 for lunch, including a side salad, cup of miso soup, tuna roll and rice in addition to your choice of teriyaki or tempura. You can take the kids out for a last hurrah before they have to start hitting the books again and treat yourself while you're at it!

There are plenty of ways to encourage healthy behavior early. Check out Alliance for a Healthier Generation for ideas. By helping your kids make healthy choices, you're setting them up for success later in life as well. The brown bag lunch is only the beginning.