favorite go-to fast food meals

no one has mentioned grocery store delis? Especially whole foods or trader joe's that have ready-to-go one person meals with no preservatives or fillers or plain old "crap"

Thats what we do. Our Safeway has a wonderful deli. I don't eat the sandwiches, but we do stop once a week or so after I pick my daughter up from preschool and we get a roast chicken for lunch. The whole chicken (here) is around $8, but you can also just get a 1/4 or 1/2 chicken for a lot less. They also have salads of every kind. I would rather pay the extra few dollars for a meal from there, then go to a fast food place to get something cheap.

With my lifestyle, giving fast food up altogether isn't very realistic, so I shoot for staying under 600 calories and trying to get as close to balanced meal as I can. I believe with moderation and planning fast food can be fit in to a healthy meal plan. Having a plan before I walk in the door helps considerably in avoiding busting my goal for the day. These are my top 3 faves:

Del Taco tacos! Two crispy beef tacos come in at 260 calories and 360 mg of sodium. At 14 grams of fat for the pair, you can't really call it healthy, but it can easily be worked into a well balanced day. Sodium is what kills me so I really watch that. I have found I actually do better with a couple of tacos from Del Taco than a sandwich from Subway because I end up with fewer calories and way, way less sodium. I just balance it with some very lean protein at my other meals for the day.

Potbelly Sandwiches. They are much higher in sodium but I can usually do fairly well with calorie counts and they are very satisfying when I really want to splurge a little without overdoing it. I get the "wreck" on white with mustard and all the veggies... I do wheat at home but their white is a tasty treat. At 534 calories, It isn't too bad. I find them more satisfying than Subway, so if I'm going to blow my sodium load on a sandwich, I will usually choose this one.

Another good option I have recently found is Freebird's. Because you pick and choose each ingredient and they measure it out you can really control what you get. You can get a Freedom Chicken Salad loaded up with lots of veggies and even some guacamole for 400 calories.

I'm sure it's easier to go to those places if you eat meat though. Not much fast food is vegetarian-friendly. :C
Roadtrips aren't easy.

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