By my count, there are at least nine places in Woodinville to get a taco, three of them being drive-thrus. I say "by my count", because I have had a taco at all of them. I love tacos…but they don't love me.

I also love a good burger, and sadly, I also love a bad burger. You know a bad burger, right? It costs a buck and tastes nothing like what ground beef is supposed to taste like. It's supposed to be a "value" but really, it should be impossible to make a burger that costs a buck, including the bun and the labor to put that meat patty on the bun. Let's not forget the kid's meals. I recently learned that Lunchables now come with fruit. Now. As in, staring in 2011, Lunchables decided to add fruit. So now, us parents can purchase a premade fold-over peanut butter and jelly sandwich with some oranges swimming in a juice blend and a fruit-like berry snack. The meal has 440 calories, 37 grams of sugar and 12% of their salt intake for the day. If you want to hike their salt intake to 24%, by all means, go for the pizza and fruit option. When did parents get so off track that they can't make a PB&J and teach their kid how to peel an orange?

And, let's not forget the kid's prize meal. I always cringe when I hear moms encouraging, or even threatening, their children to finish their burger or nuggets or fries. I especially cringe when they promise the "prize" as a reward for finishing their fat, salt and sugar. Don't get me wrong, my kiddo gets terribly excited whenever we go to Wendy's or McDonalds. I get excited myself. Until it's over and I feel like taking a nap. Wanna know a secret? You can go to the fast food joints and buy just the toy. So this summer, the Stremlaus are going fast-food free. If we want tacos, we are going to make tacos. We are going to buy our meat from . We are going to host more BBQs at our house and encourage people to bring fresh sides and seasonal fruits and veggies. But we are not going through the drive-thru.