I know what you are thinking. Stop, just stop. I know you are busy, you don’t have time, you work, you go to school, you have kids. Stop making excuses. Health is wealth. You can do this! You can make healthy food at home, quick and freaking delicious.
I also know what you might be thinking. Can healthy food be fast? Wait, didn’t you get the memo? The invention of the internet where millions of people trade recipes and ideas have created a new world of tasty, healthy and fast. Say what? Stay with me, ok. Check out these healthy fast food ideas. It’s fast but minimally processed and best of all prepared in your kitchen.
1. Pan-seared chicken sandwich
Trying to avoid the hamburger patties? Then you have the perfect option with the grilled chicken sandwich! You can take chicken breast then add a little salt and pepper and sear it in a pan for 4-5 minutes each side. Now, add lettuce, tomatoes, a little shredded cheese, whole wheat bread and voila.
You will be absolutely ready to rock and roll. This is fast, just as fast as sitting in a drive through getting that processed hamburger that was shipped from halfway around the world.
2. Pan-Seared Chicken snack wrap
Do you prefer wraps to bread or want to mix things up a bit? This is made just like the sandwich but a wrap is used instead. You can buy commercially made wraps that are minimally processed and that comes in a variety of flavors, from plain to spinach etc. Be sure to cut your chicken in slices to make it easier to form a wrap.
This is where you can get creative, by adding your favorite vegetables. Avocado goes well with wraps, as well as tomatoes, spinach.
3. Homemade Burgers
Wait, shouldn’t hamburgers belong in the processed, unhealthy world? What on earth is it doing as a healthy fast food idea? Well, not quite. The fast food restaurants have given hamburgers a lousy reputation. The negative press stems from the crazy profit-driven world of the fast food industry. You can make healthier burgers at home where you have greater control in choosing your food source. You can buy grass-fed or organic ground beef. You get to select or grow your vegetables and bread.
Instead of adding mayonnaise to your burger, try hummus instead. It adds that extra flavor with fewer calories.
Let me also explain that a grill pan makes cooking burgers a breeze without needing to turn on a grill. Perfect for smaller servings and perfect for the winter months.
4. Homemade Oatmeal
Oatmeal isn’t just affordable, and it’s also delicious and healthy. And it’s not just for breakfast. What makes oatmeal a healthy fast food anyway? It is fast as in, you can cook it in only a few minutes, and it has fiber and is heart-healthy. I am not talking about the ones that come loaded with sugar already. I mean, just plain uncooked oatmeal in a container. Most oatmeal package has the instructions on how to cook it, if you get the quick-cooking oatmeal it will be ready in 5 minutes. Add chopped apples, a little maple syrup,
5. Salmon Filet Sandwich
Are you surprised that salmon made it to this list? Salmon is quick to cook and is a healthy fast food. For the same time it takes you to stand in the fast-food line it takes to cook salmon. It takes an average filet about 8 – 10 minutes to broil. My rule of thumb is to broil salmon for 10 minutes to each inch of thickness. If your salmon is thinner than an inch, then about 8 minutes will do. Just sprinkle with salt and pepper and broil. Add to whole wheat bread and add desired toppings.
6. Crackers and Hummus
In most supermarkets, you can get plain ole crackers that are made with wholesome ingredients. You can also get hummus. Crackers and hummus is a quick and healthy snack, a lot better than what is found in most vending machines. Just be sure to read the ingredients and avoid those with names you cannot pronounce. I prefer to buy these things from Whole Foods Market or Trader Joe’s.
7. Homemade limeade
Back in Jamaica where I am from lemonade is made with limes, go figure. As a child, I was curious as to why it’s not called limeade. Anyway, I will call it limeade here because it is made with limes. In most restaurants in the United States, you can get lemonade but not limeade. My version of limeade is made with two large limes, around 10 cups of water and brown sugar to desired sweetness. You can experiment with the number of limes as well depending on your preference for tartness/sourness.
The combination of limes and brown sugar gives a unique taste, different than traditional lemonade. Contrary to commercial limeades that are colored green this will be brown because of the brown sugar. Lime juice isn’t green and, lemon juice isn’t yellow. So drinks with these bright colors will indicate artificial colors.
You can also easily blend in fruit such as strawberries, blueberries
Finally
Buying food has become so commonplace that it feels almost burdensome to make a meal. The phrase healthy fast food might appear to be a misnomer. The thing is, once you have the ingredients at home, it’s quite quick to gather some wholesome meals together. It’s obviously not possible to custom make all your food and all your ingredients.
But, you’d be surprised how much of the bad stuff you can keep out of your body by just making your own meals. Many clean recipes are quick and easy. A grill pan is handy and easy for example and can be used to easily cook meats for a sandwich.
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