Buffets have always been my favorite type of meal because then I don’t have to make a decision on what to order from the menu. I can try a little of this or a little of that instead of a big plate of one thing. So when I found out that Jan. 2 is a day to celebrate buffets, I said, “YES!”

Las Vegas buffets are pretty incredible and one might say excessive, but  still one of my favorite places to visit when I’m in that town. (Usually only once a visit though, it’s not advisable to go for every meal, although it’s tempting…) Because we observe kashrut, we avoid any meat or shellfish at the buffets so that helps limit some of the choices, but at a good buffet, there are still plenty of options to indulge in.

For our family, Sweet Tomatoes is the restaurant we visit most frequently and have for years, starting back to when our 11-year-old was an infant and I’d feed him spoonfuls of mashed sweet potatoes. We went through all the different level of development, including the mashed sweet potatoes phase, visits that included walking through the salad line with an infant in the car seat carrier, and times my husband and I would maneuver multiple plates, filling them with carefully selected veggies based on each child’s developmental stage.

Today, now 7, 9 and 11, they fill their own plates as they slide their own trays  down the large salad bar counter and fill their own drinks. They do a nice job selecting healthy foods on the salad line, not just noodles and croutons.

It is kind of funny that Buffet Day comes a day after New Year’s Day and all its resolutions, which often include losing weight. Maybe it’s no coincidence that Jan. 2 is also Personal Trainer Awareness Day.