How to Get More Fast Food into Your Diet

Todays families are more on the go than ever. Dad is working late and won't make it home for supper. Mom is also working so meals can be a chaotic time for families. Kids are in sports and many other outside activities and it seems impossible to sit everyone down for a quiet, well balanced evening meal.

Mornings are not any easier than the evenings. Each member of the family sets their alarm clock for different rising times and fight for the bathroom so that everyone can get to school or work on time. Time for breakfast seems to be a thing that only faintly glimmers in our memories. With a quick glance into the refrigerator, we often close it and head out the door thinking, " I will eat out today". Thoughts of picking up something from a carry-out restaurant seem like the only reasonable choice for dinner.

Lack of preparation for meal planning and not taking time to pack balanced lunches has taken it's toll on the health of many American families. Childhood obesity with adult diseases is an epidemic.

This necessitates the need for more fast food.

Now, I am not talking about fast food restaurants and drive-thru eating, but rather some better prepared meals that will help us make good choices in those times that we find our lives spinning out of control.

Here are some tips to help you stay on track nutritionally. I've offered some quick and easy ideas to help you plan. Having a plan will also save you time and money.

Breakfast Ideas:

Mix low fat cottage cheese with lite fruited yogurt and sprinkle in a couple tablespoons of grape nuts.

Make up a large batch of French toast with a whole grain bread one weekend morning and freeze them individually on a cookie sheet. Take frozen toasts and put them in zip-lock bags and return them to the freezer. Now all you need to do is pop one in the toaster and breakfast is ready.

Oatmeal is made quickly if you use a microwavable container such as a measuring cup. Stir in egg whites for protein along with apple sauce from a jar. Sprinkle on your cinnamon and you have a delicious balanced meal.

Peanut butter and jelly is still a good stand by for any meal. Buy whole wheat bread and use natural peanut butter and sugarless jelly.

Get hooked on smoothies. All you need is some low-fat plain yogurt, bananas or strawberries, low-fat milk and if you like add cocoa, coffee, or peanut butter for some nice flavors. There are lots of great smoothie ideas that take only 5 minutes to prepare.

Lunch Ideas:

Cook your dinner with tomorrows lunch in mind. One way to insure you have a balanced lunch is to eat left-overs from supper. Freeze left over pizza in individual containers to take for your lunch. Pack your lunch right after dinner to prevent running out of time in the morning.

Stuff Pita's with your choice of healthy meat such as tuna or lean chicken breast, and add lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes and sprouts. Choose a veggie pita sandwich if you like and add low cal ranch dressing.

Prepare your own large pots of soup. Soup can make an instant lunch and help you keep your sodium content down.

Keep fresh fruit and string cheese on hand to take with you for additional healthy lunch options.

Dinner Ideas:

Cook for two meals at one time. Make several grilled chickens breasts one night. Serve some barbecued and save some to top a salad another day. Cook up two meat loafs or lasagnas at one time and freeze one for another day.

Re-discover your slow-cooker. There are so many delicious meals you can make in a slow-cooker for days that are hectic or you are on the go. Start the meal in the morning, turn it on when you leave the house and put cooking out of your mind. When you walk back in the door and smell the aroma of "someone preparing your supper", it will change the course of the evening to one that is relaxing.

You can also teach a young person how to cook with a slow-cooker. Meals come out delicious when you use a slow-cooker. Put in your ingredients and turn it on. Cooking could not be easier. With the use of Internet or purchasing a good slow-cooker cookbook, your creations can be endless and nutritious.