Hey, everyone, sorry for the extended posting break. We sorely needed some vacation around QSK HQ, also known as The Bungalow (scroll down). I hope your holidays were as wonderful as ours—full of happiness, family, and good food.

It's hard to believe the holiday season is over. I have to admit it's nice to have Baby A back in nursery school several mornings a week. (Sorry, honey, whenever you get old enough to read that. One day, when you have a wild two-year-old of your own, you'll understand.) And I'm enjoying a renewed focus on work.

A look around the industry as 2007 gets underway sees—surprise!—lots of chains playing to our New Year's resolutions. You can't swing a stick around the restaurant news section without hitting a health-focused announcement. Here are a few:

Starbucks shuns trans fats: Saying it's been working behind the scenes for a couple of years, Starbucks announced it will drop trans fats in foods in some locations. As of yesterday, company-owned Starbucks stores in Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Portland were tol have zero trans fats in their food.

Saying everyone who resolved to eat more salads in 2007 just "caught a lucky break," Carl's Jr. announced it would add a Chipotle Chicken Salad, a blend of charbroiled chicken, fresh salsa, parmesan cheese, and zesty chipotle dressing over a bed of shredded lettuce and piled into a crispy tortilla shell bowl. "It's technically a salad," says the company, "but it's so big on taste you'll feel as though you're breaking your resolution early." Hmmmmmmm.

Speaking of salads, Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp., parent company of Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes restaurants, unveiled a contest offering guests an opportunity to—quoting them, not me—"ride the fitness freeway and fulfill their New Year's resolutions."

The contest prizes will be provided by Healthyroads, Inc., a national provider of telephone- and Web-based coaching programs that help people reach their health goals. Interested? Learn more at any Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes restaurant or online here.

Organic To Go says it's expanding quickly in California and the Pacific Northwest, driven by consumer demand for convenience, speed, and, of course, organic foods. Saying it is the nation's first fast-casual cafe to be certified as an organic retailer, the company announced it ended 2006 with $10 million in sales. On tap for early 2007 are new retail, corporate, and university locations in Southern California and Washington state.

That's it for now. Check back soon for more kid- and family-friendly restaurant news.