We are all busy families with work, children, activities, commitments, and daily life.  Many of us stop for lunch or dinner at the nearest, healthiest restaurant while we shuttle from place to place.  We all know we could save some money by eating at home, but sometimes it just works easier to have dinner out.

Although we could save by eating in more often, the price discrepancy between eating in and eating out is growing smaller.

On average, grocery costs rise approximately 2.9% per year, but in 2011, grocery costs rose by approximately 4.25% to 4.75%.  Interestingly, those increases were mostly in staples--the area where we think we would save the most money.  For example, ground beef and eggs went up an astonishingly 10.2%, turkey went up 10.5%, and milk went up almost 10%.  The cost of apples went up about 9.5%; potatoes rose by a shocking 12% and fats and oils rose 11.1%.

The good news is that although restaurants also noticed an increase in food prices, the cost of eating out rose by only half as much as eating in--between 2% and 2.5%.  Restaurants are reluctant to pass price increases on to the consumer, so focus on trimming costs in other areas while maintaining their menu prices.

As we head into 2012, here is more good news:  The USDA predicts that the price gap between eating in and eating out will narrow even further.  For 2012, grocery prices are predicted to rise by 3% to 4% while menu prices will go up approximately 2% to 3%.

 When our Australian friend Jono stayed with us, he wanted to barbeque us dinner one night. The hamburgers he made had black pepper, mayonnaise, beets, and fried eggs on them. They were unusual and delicious. Since then we've tried all sorts of unconventional burger toppings. My husband's favorite is peanut butter and bacon -- sounds really American, doesn't it?

Ever wonder what the world is having for dinner tonight?  Husband and wife team Peter Menzel and Faith D'Aluisio collaborated on a book called Hungry Planet:  What the World Eats.  They wanted to see how globalization, migration, and rising affluence affected the diets of communities around the world. Each chapter describes the eating habits of 30 families in different countries photographed with a week's worth of groceries. There's also a detailed breakdown of food groups and cost. I was surprised to see how even in remote places, Coca-Cola is still a staple beverage.

The Aboubakar family in Chad feeds their slim family of six for a week on just $1.23. Their favorite food is soup with fresh sheep meat when it's available. You can feed the extended 12 member Ahmed family in Egypt for less than $70/week. They eat lots of green bell peppers, potatoes, and pita bread, but their favorite dish is okra with mutton. In places like Japan and Europe, feeding a small family is much more expensive, upwards of $250/week. In Germany is costs $500 to feed the Melander family of four, and the food is much more processed than the meals consumed by the nine members of the Ayme family in the mountains of Ecuador, who subsist on potatoes, plantains, and beans.

As moms, we are intimately responsible for feeding the little mouths (and sometimes big mouths) in our lives. What we eat -- and what we're willing or able to feed our families -- reflects our community, our culture, and our values, and it's fun to share it.

When you have international guests in your house, what do they think of the food your family eats? Our Japanese friends loved Nutella, hated peanut butter, and wouldn't touch oatmeal. Our French guest thought our bread and cheese was tasteless and spongy (It probably is!). Fortunately, we live in California, so she liked the fresh produce. What about you? What food do you miss from countries you're from or have visited? If you're new to the states, what do you like to eat here? What was the biggest surprise?  

Bon Appétit!

P.S.  You can view all the photos of the families on the Time website, Part One and Part Two.

Do you send your children to school with their lunch?  I do.

My children have never bought lunch at school.  I think they are a little intimidated about walking through the line and they would rather talk to their friends at the table than spend time waiting in line.  Lunch is all about "friend" time for them.

I don't mind because I like knowing what they are eating even if it means creative shopping to keep a variety of food in the house for lunches every day.

Lately, I have seen many articles about the unsafe temperature of children's lunches.  I always thought I was doing enough by throwing in an ice pack before I zipped their bag closed.

Recently, the journal Pediatrics released a study looking at the temperature of 705 lunches containing at least one perishable item belonging to 3-5 year olds.  The temperatures found were not good and many of those lunches were at risk for food borne illnesses.  Fortunately, there are ways to improve the temperature in packed lunches and reduce the risk of your child becoming ill.

• Pack lunches in highly insulated bags.
• Pack multiple cold packs.
• Pack foods less likely to cause food borne illnesses such as applesauce cups, trail mix, whole grain crackers and hummus.
• If possible, store the lunch sacks in a refrigerator.  Ask your child's school if this is possible.

If you have ideas for packing lunches, please share them.  I am always eager to hear other parents' ideas.

I remember having contests in elementary school to see whose chicken nugget would bounce the highest off the cafeteria table. While this was more than 15 years ago, I have a strong feeling many 2nd graders are still playing with their cafeteria food instead of eating it. Any food that has the capability to bounce more than a few inches likely isn’t made up of the most nutritional ingredients. Parents, educators and health enthusiasts across the country are making efforts to fuel children with more nutritional school lunches, but it may come with a cost. 

As the child obesity epidemic remains on the rise, a number of organizations are working toward providing healthier cafeteria lunches. The U.S.’s Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act was passed into law in December, requiring a reduction in sodium and saturated fat, and an increase in vegetables, in school cafeteria lunches.   Great news – but the changes come with a slight price increase for the healthier lunches.

This raises the question – are you willing to pay a bit extra to serve your child a healthier lunch?