T-BONES and Cactus Jack's Announce Kids LiveWell Healthy Menu Items at National Event

Online, August 23, 2011 (Newswire.com) - T-BONES and Cactus Jack's are leading the path in New Hampshire regarding children and healthy eating. Last month, the restaurant group participated in the launch of the Kids LiveWell initiative, a program created by the National Restaurant Association and HealthyDiningFinder.com to help parents and children make healthier choices when dining out. Nineteen restaurant groups around the country participated in the event in Washington, D.C.

T-BONES and Cactus Jack's own Chef Nicole spoke about the children's menu at T-BONES. "As a mother of young children myself and as a chef, I couldn't be more honored and excited to be part of this initiative," Chef Nicole said. The T-BONES children's menu now offers Kids LiveWell items - such as Grilled Salmon and BBQ Chicken - as well as the restaurants' signature, healthy In the Pink dishes. T-BONES was the only local New Hampshire restaurant to participate in the national launch event. Kids LiveWell items must be 600 calories or less.

"I applaud T-BONES restaurants for their efforts to improve the nutrition in children's meals as part of the Kids LiveWell initiative," said New Hampshire's first lady, Dr. Susan Lynch. "Combating childhood obesity is not something that can be done single-handedly, and I commend T-BONES restaurants for encouraging children and adults to make healthy decisions and for giving them the opportunity to do so in their restaurants."

T-BONES and Cactus Jack's initially got on board with healthier menu options last year, after CEO/owner Tom Boucher attended the National Restaurant Association's Board of Directors meeting, where the keynote speaker was First Lady Michelle Obama. Her own Let's Move initiative aims to solve the obesity problem within a generation. Boucher came back from the meeting inspired, and T-BONES introduced 16 In the Pink items to its adult and children's menus. These items are 650 calories or less, 10 grams of fat or less, or 10 grams of net carbs or less.

"It's important for restaurants to help lead the way in the fight against childhood obesity," Boucher said. "Families dine out more than ever, and the staff at T-BONES and Cactus Jack's knows how important it is to eat healthy, balanced meals at restaurants. We hope our Kids LiveWell and In the Pink dishes encourage families to make good decisions when they aren't eating at home."

The New Hampshire restaurant group has revamped http://www.TBonesLovesKids.com, its children's website. The site now features a healthy dining quiz and tips, ideas on where children and their families can exercise near their home, kid-friendly recipes, links to other informational websites and more.

In addition, children ages 5-12 who order one of these healthier meals beginning with this month's Kids Eat Free - Monday, Aug. 22, to Thursday, Aug. 25 - will receive a pedometer, encouraging them to not only eat balanced meals, but exercise on a regular basis, as well. Children can keep track of their healthy habits on eating and exercise logs, which can be traded in for a prize. "(We want to) help involve the kids in ordering these items and be excited about ordering them," Chef Nicole said about the Kids LiveWell and In the Pink menu options.

Great NH Restaurants' owner/operated locations include T-BONES in Bedford, Derry, Salem, Hudson and Laconia, and Cactus Jack's in Manchester and Laconia. For more details, visit http://www.T-BONES.com or http://www.TBonesLovesKids.com.