Mealtime Magic: Noodles & Co

Disclosure: I received complimentary products to facilitate this post. All opinions are my own.

If you have a Noodles & Company near you and haven't tried it yet, you should. We've been to several different locations, and had an awesome experience each time. The food shows up almost as fast as a fast-food restaurant, but it's the same quality that you'll get at a little bit nicer family restaurants. It's pretty healthy, too - and it's easy to find nutrition & allergy information on the website. You can even search for options under 500 calories.

Noodles has a wide variety of flavors - American, Mediterranean, and Asian flavors are all well-represented on the menu. It's an easy way to have kid-pleasing meals that include veggies too. If you aren't a noodle fan, you can have a salad, soup, or sandwich as well. If you join their eclub, you'll periodically get coupons as well. The food is a good value - we typically order two larges and split between the four of us (they've always given us empty bowls and forks to make sharing easy). So with beverages, we can all eat for less than $20 and get a healthy, satisfying meal.

They just opened up a new location in Richfield on Lyndale Avenue between 76th and 77th. Most locations will also take large group orders in advance, which can be an easy way to take care of your party needs!