Healthy Food Fast

So you made it home without stopping for take-out or going through a drive through.  Now what?  You haven’t prepared a meal, you haven’t had time to grocery shop and you and your family are hungry and tired after a long day at school and work.  What do you do?  Order Pizza!.....Noooooooo!   

Just for the record, I am not totally crazy.  I have children and we have our fare share of less than healthy choices, and when we do, we try to pair that with a salad or some veggies on the side.  Sometimes we take the ‘good with the bad’.  Another way to look at it is to apply the 80/20 rule.  We should be making the right choices 80% of the time.  If we fell back to pizza for convenience, my family would have pizza every night!

There are foods you have on hand that can become a healthy meal even if you are looking around your kitchen thinking this might not be the case.  At the very least, there is a meal to be created that is healthier than a drive through, helps you control the portions provided and models a habit that you want your children to have; that we can eat at home and doesn’t need to a burger and fries.  Most importantly, Mom is tired. Let’s make the time for cooking and clean up easy. 

Take stock and survey your kitchen.  What do you have? 

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Here are some simple suggestions and simple solutions with minor clean up and a 5 minute throw down healthy “meal”:

• Always have frozen veggies in the freezer for when you run out of fresh
• Make a sandwich or a wrap (and serve it with fresh or frozen veggies) with grilled cheese, eggs, tuna, or left-over chicken

• Eggs either plain or with any veggie in it that you can find in your fridge
• Quesadilla
• Peanut butter toast with bananas sliced on top
• Boil water and cook whole grain pasta and serve with edamame or other veggie
• Fruit, fruit smoothies
• Quick salad with nuts for protein
• Oatmeal or other cereal with fruit and nuts (or however your child will eat it)
• Mix pasta, left over meat and veggies in and toss with olive oil, sautéed garlic and a little parmesan cheese
• Sauté olive oil, garlic, fresh cut up tomatoes or canned tomatoes, salt and pepper and toss on pasta ( you can also add any leftover meat to this)

The point is to think about what you have at home. It doesn’t always need to be glamorous.  Having frozen veggies on hand for a fall back to fresh is a simple solution.  Making a sandwich at home is better than a burger, fries and soda and creates a better habit.  These options are fast, quick clean ups, and achievable even after a busy day at work.

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