Healthy Fast Food Alternatives

It's 6 p.m., you just left the office, and you've got nothing to fix for your family's dinner. When you're rushing to pick up kids, run errands, and get dinner on the table, fast food may seem like a great option.

But in the 20 or 30 minutes it takes to grab a fast-food meal, pick up some take-out, or wait for a pizza delivery, you can have a healthier meal on the table -- one put together in your own kitchen. Making easy healthy meals at home, no matter how basic and simple, sends a message to your family that mealtime is important family time.

Kids in the Kitchen

Everyone can help get dinner ready -- even your little ones, with your supervision. Ask your kids to help with tasks they can handle:

·        Younger children can wipe and set the table, rinse and tear salad greens, and put toppings on pizza dough.

·        School-aged kids can open cans, gather ingredients, spray baking pans, measure ingredients, wash fruits and veggies, toss salads, and grate cheese.

·        Tweens can slice and chop, stir pots and sauté foods, heat items in the microwave oven, and read and follow recipes and package directions.

·        Teens can do it all: plan, shop, and prepare meals and help younger kids with kitchen tasks.

These age guidelines are just a starting point.  Encourage your kids to do more, and you will probably be surprised at how capable they are in the kitchen, and just how much fun it can be to cook together.  Here are some ways you can make quick family-friendly meals -- at home.

Use Healthy Packaged Foods

You can start with healthy fast recipes, but you don't have to prepare an entire meal from scratch. Planning so you have pantry basics available gives you a back-up plan for the times when you're strapped for time. Take advantage of a few healthy prepared items and the basics you have on hand, and easy healthy meals can come together in a snap.

Spaghetti with marinara sauce and veggies: Top cooked spaghetti with marinara sauce that's been simmered for 15 minutes with frozen broccoli or green beans.  You can also toss fresh or frozen veggies in the pasta water for the last 3 to 4 minutes of the cooking time.  Drain veggies and pasta and toss both with sauce before serving.

Quick trick: Use angel hair pasta instead of spaghetti -- it cooks faster.

Personal pizza: Top store-made refrigerated pizza dough (look for a store or restaurant that has whole wheat dough), whole grain pita bread, or a prepared pizza crust with canned or bottled pizza sauce, barbeque sauce, salsa, or pesto and your favorite toppings and low-fat cheese. Try these combos:

·        Sliced tomatoes, zucchini, olives, turkey sausage, and shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese.

·        Bottled barbecue sauce, shredded cooked chicken, sliced green pepper, and low-fat Colby cheese.

·        Tomato salsa, black beans (canned, rinsed), frozen corn, sliced olives, and shredded low-fat Monterey Jack cheese.

Quick trick: Buy grated cheese and sliced vegetables from a supermarket salad bar.

Asian stir-fry: Heat a package of frozen stir-fry vegetables. Add cooked frozen shrimp, chunks of leftover cooked chicken, or cubes of tofu and heat through. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and serve with quick-cooking brown rice and low-sodium soy sauce or liquid aminos (soy sauce substitute).

Quick trick: Use frozen or heat-sealed microwavable brown rice or try couscous, a grain that's ready in 5 minutes. Find couscous in the pasta aisle.

Take Supermarket Shortcuts

Although many prepared food items may not be the healthiest choices, you can shop wisely if you read the nutrition labels. Check the sodium content, because many prepared foods have a lot of salt. Compare labels of similar items. Pick the one with the lowest amount of sodium and saturated fat. Most large supermarkets have a variety of heat-and-eat items. All you have to do is assemble the final dish in your kitchen.

·        Grab a rotisserie chicken (preferably one without added hormones or antibiotics). You can eat it as is, add it to soups and salads, or use in tacos and casseroles.

·        In the meat case you’ll find boil-in-the-bag dishes such as pot roast and chicken that can be ready in minutes.

·        Buy bagged salad. Let kids add their own protein (chicken, shrimp, cheese, or hard-boiled eggs) and serve with whole-grain rolls.

Let Supper Sandwiches Rule

Just can't face standing over the stove? Let supper sandwiches come to the rescue. To each of these meals, add a salad, fresh fruit, a steamed fresh or frozen vegetable, or heat up a can of beans. You'll add fiber, vitamins, and minerals to your family's meal.

·        Top whole-grain buns with lean beef, turkey, or vegetarian patties. Add your favorite trimmings such as lettuce, tomato, sliced cucumbers, and low-fat spreads.

·        Stuff warm pita bread pockets with scrambled eggs and cheese, leftover chicken, meatballs, or hummus. Add your family's favorite shredded or diced veggies.

·        Top whole wheat toast with tuna and shredded cheese, then broil until the cheese bubbles.

·        Fill a folded corn or whole wheat tortilla with shredded cooked chicken, diced tomato, and cheese and warm it in a pan.

Have Breakfast for Dinner

There's no rule that says you have to eat certain foods in the morning and others in the evening. Lots of healthy, kid-favorite breakfast foods work in a pinch for dinner too.

·        Toast whole-grain bagels and top with peanut butter. Add low-fat yogurt or milk, and fresh melon. Buy melon already sliced at the grocery store to save yourself a step.

·        Make a ham-and-cheese omelet with low-fat cheese. Serve with whole-grain toast.

·        Top whole-grain pancakes or waffles with strawberries, bananas, or peanut butter.

Adapted from "Healthy Fast Food Alternatives" by Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD

Could you use help with more fast healthy weeknight cooking techniques or how to menu plan so you don’t feel quite so frazzled all week?  Contact me or visit my website for more information. 

Here’s to fresh, fast, and fantastic food!