Healthy Fast Food?
BonnieSeelinger
Posts: 23 Member
Sometimes with 2 jobs and 4 kids things fall apart a bit. I need options for busy sport nights that aren't going to ruin my food goals for the day. What do you eat on the go for a real meal, not a snack when you are on the run? I also have a really hard time drinking my dinner (protein shakes.....) so don't throw that at me. 
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Replies
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I just pick up a cooked chook from the supermarket and add a salad.5
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Sushi5
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McDonald's has a salad that has grilled chicken, black beans, corn, bunch of other stuff. I don't know if the calories will work for you but it's definitely filling for what it is. Their website says 350 cals. I would've guessed 500.10
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Don't eat on the go, prioritize family meals.31
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I also have 4 kids so i know how things can get crazy! we often use the croc pot for busy sports nights or I buy a rotisserie chicken to pair with salad or rice/quinoa/beans/tortillas and veggies.
As a last resort for fast food I opt for grilled chicken sandwiches without mayo or other sauces.6 -
There's just nothing out there that strikes the balance for me of satiety and calories. Best idea is to keep the makings of like school packed lunches around - looking like I'm going to be busy during a meal time, knock up a quick simple sandwich, grab an apple, babybel lunch pack of goldfish. Busy weeks I'll also cook off a chicken breast or two and shred it and have that in the fridge, then I can just pair it with a quick vegetable and a cup of microwave rice at the worst.4
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Do you have a crockpot? An Instant Pot? Do you meal prep? I find these things to be extremely helpful when we are busy with work, school, sports and other activities. I also rely a lot on things like frozen skillet meals, quick meals like breakfast for dinner or grilled cheese and soup, etc.
Or are you truly looking for fast food options? Sometimes I pick it up for the kids but I would rather have a granola bar or other snack and then cook myself a late dinner when we get home and they are in bed - i often eat at 9:30 or so on those evenings but will have things like sautéed shrimp and frozen veggie blends - these literally take less than 10 minutes to cook.2 -
Some times we have breakfast for dinner, basically omelets.
Mod pizza has a great salad bar.
Subway has sandwiches, salad and soup.
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I have never been a fan of fast food. I meal prep on weekends or use my instant pot or crock pot during the week. Also, when I meal prep, I usually make more and freeze it so, I always have options.0
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I just read an article that listed various fast food restaurants and their healthy options.
https://www.buzzfeed.com/carolynkylstra/healthy-fast-food-yes-for-real?utm_term=.codp727Nyg#.faJDoYo9yv
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kommodevaran wrote: »Don't eat on the go, prioritize family meals.
Oh please. Let's be realistic here. When you have multiple kids in various activities this can be impossible some nights57 -
I eat Subway at least twice a week.
Roasted Chicken breast (double meat) on honey oat, no cheese or mayo, all the veggies, mustard and vinegar, with a bag of Baked Lay's and a Diet Coke or an unsweetened iced tea = 590 calories.
I eat it enough that I have it saved as a meal in my food diary. 19 -
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kommodevaran wrote: »Don't eat on the go, prioritize family meals.
This is a last resort situation. My husband is in a public service job and works 120 hours a week. I am asking because if one thing goes off track when you are working and single momming it with 4 kids your whole day goes off track........ my family and their food are my first priorities or I wouldn't be asking.23 -
kommodevaran wrote: »Don't eat on the go, prioritize family meals.
Oh please. Let's be realistic here. When you have multiple kids in various activities this can be impossible some nights
No doubt! I love it when people give "what you should do" advice. I have a family & work two jobs, so prioritizing family dinners is a Norman Rockwell thing.
A hot rotisserie chicken or two is always yummy & easy, and I like the Birdseye steamfresh vegetables. Pop them in the microwave & in 5-6 minutes, they are ready to go. Otherwise I try to go for grilled chicken sandwiches or Arby's roast beef. There are always better selections than a super sized meal.8 -
If we're out and about Panera and Chipotle are our go to options. Panera has a great nutrition calculator on their website (I think you have to start an order for it to start calculating) so I figured out a meal that works for me, saved it to my phone so I can remember all the modifications, and order that whenever we go. At Chipotle I ask for only 1 scoop of rice, extra fajita veggies, a little cheese, and skip the sour cream & guac and it keeps it fairly low cal (according their website at least).8
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I have five kids so I understand and won't pull a sactimommy on you
Where do you usually stop for dinner? I would spend a little time researching menus online to find options that will fit into your goals. Subway is a good one, Chipotle and Taco Bell have bowl meals (the power veggie bowl is under 500 calories). Even McDonalds has salads.
If you have time at home, the vegetable steam bags are a quick addition to rotisserie chicken or pasta with some parmesan cheese thrown in.10 -
I typically go for Subway, but the occasional deli baked chicken works as well with a salad. Neither are all that great of an option though because they are literally chocked full of sodium. Subway is the worst, just about any of their foot long subs will have either the max or more than the maximum daily amount of sodium for an adult in the one sandwich.4
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Any fast food (food in general) can be incorporated into a healthy diet. Your overall diet and calories matter much more than just one meal one or two times per week. Account for the calories of whatever you eat and it won't matter what you choose, for weight loss. If for healthy, account for the micros and macros too7
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BonnieSeelinger wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »Don't eat on the go, prioritize family meals.
This is a last resort situation. My husband is in a public service job and works 120 hours a week. I am asking because if one thing goes off track when you are working and single momming it with 4 kids your whole day goes off track........ my family and their food are my first priorities or I wouldn't be asking.
You don't need to justify yourself. We've all been there Bonnie!
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I love Subway!! It is a treat for me without the guilt.3
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If your weekends aren't terribly busy, try once-a-week meal-prepping. I absolutely love it. I cook enough big batches on Sunday afternoons to last myself and my fiance the whole week. I divide them into portions and put half in the fridge and half in the freezer to keep fresh. Then we simply put them on a plate and reheat them for dinner. No clean-up and dinner served in 5 minutes!2
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I have way to much experience with this. I also have 2 jobs and children in sports and other activities. I can pretty much find something that fits my goals anywhere. You just have to modify sometimes. I also have a dairy allergy which can be difficult.
Some of my go to fast food meals are
Chipotle- Salad with Chicken, black beans, fajita veggies, and mild salsa. Depending on the day, I'll add rice to it and only use a small amount of the dressing.
Wendys_ chili and 4 piece nugget or Grilled chicken sandwich
Mcdonalds- Southwest salad but only use half a packet of dressing
Panera- Usually a full size salad or a smaller salad and soup. You can completely modify everything and they calculate the nutrition info as you go. I love the green goddess salad but swap the dressing for balsamic viniagrette.1 -
You're going to end up in the fast food drive-thru near your home and kids school, so figure out which places are easy to get to, research their menus, find a go to and some alternatives. For me kfc is close to the gym and I can get grilled chicken and potatoes and gravy. I like Chipotle much better, but 2 miles out of the way. Subway near my house, but usually if I can make it that close to home, I can find something quick at home. If not, Subway it is.3
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BonnieSeelinger wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »Don't eat on the go, prioritize family meals.
This is a last resort situation. My husband is in a public service job and works 120 hours a week. I am asking because if one thing goes off track when you are working and single momming it with 4 kids your whole day goes off track........ my family and their food are my first priorities or I wouldn't be asking.
Understand the difficulty and frustration so take 2-3 hours over a couple weekends to review menus and options and preplan orders. Make sure that your list of options is sufficiently robust and keep the order list either in a small notebook or use your cellphone notes app.
That way you know that if you go to Chick-fil-A, you can have the grilled nuggets and the soup, or the Grilled sandwich and the salad.
At McDonald's the McDouble or McChicken either with a small fry.
Etc.4 -
Chick-fil-A if you have one near you.3
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What great suggestions!!!!1
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sell 2 (or 3 of you kids) for medical studies and use the money to hire a chef to cook for you.
But if that is not an option, I would try to see if you local supermarket (or wal-mart) has some pre-cooked meal deals. Most fast food places have healthy options now, (from grilled chicken, salads, fruit) sub shops like firehouse and subway are good. The only issues is with 4 kids and yourself, it can get very expansive, maybe $40+. you can get better bang for you buck at local store. Also look around your town to see if you have a local mom and pop, places to eat at. I have a little Mexican shop that is like a Chipotle that is half the cost and better.
again you can always sell off a kid or two.4 -
BonnieSeelinger wrote: »Sometimes with 2 jobs and 4 kids things fall apart a bit. I need options for busy sport nights that aren't going to ruin my food goals for the day. What do you eat on the go for a real meal, not a snack when you are on the run? I also have a really hard time drinking my dinner (protein shakes.....) so don't throw that at me.
What do you like? What do you have available?
Some of my go-tos are: Wendys chili + baked potato, Subway, Chipotle burrito bowl, frozen pizza with some frozen veggies added on top, Rotisserie chicken.
But I'm with everyone who says the best way is to check out the nutrition information for some of your favorite places and see what fits into your personal needs. Most fast food places have something that I can fit into my goals for the day.2
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