Fast Food Freedom?

I have been 6 full days without fast food now! Not only have I not had anything to eat or drink from a fast food restaurant, I haven't even been in the parking lot of one. I have either eaten at home or patronized a local establishment. 

I love eating at Locals Grill when I really don't want to cook. They cook everything from scratch and they're locally owned, as the name implies. For example, the fried chicken is dipped in buttermilk and then rolled in a mixture of flour, salt, and pepper. Sound like your recipe? Then you see what I mean! My favorite item on their menu is sweet potato fries. They slice the sweet potatoes super thin and drop them in a deep fryer for just a few seconds, so they are warm and soft when they arrive at the table. Yum!

Tonight I worked late. Before this challenge, I would have gotten something to eat at a drive-thru window on the way home. Tonight, I opted for a Kashi frozen dinner. If you have to eat frozen dinners, Kashi is the way to go. It's a great choice from start to finish. I chose the Spicy Black Bean Enchilada (my favorite Kashi meal) for tonight's dinner. Like all of their frozen meals, it came in a recycled cardboard outer container. Of course, this container will now be recycled again. The inner container is also recyclable. The meal is vegetarian, as well, chock full of veggies, legumes, and whole grains. I do eat meat, but not on a regular basis. While this dinner is low fat and low calorie, it's high protein and high fiber, plus it has more than half the recommended daily allowance of whole grains. Last but not least, it tastes great! The pilaf is a little spicy and the enchilada has just touch of cheese. I am left feeling full and satisfied, which many frozen dinners cannot accomplish.

Tomorrow is the 7th day of my fast-food-free-week and the challenge will be over. I don't think fast food will be on my menu very often anymore, though. I've learned that it's not the end of the world. There are so many other choices that are convenient, and sometimes it's just worth it to take a little extra time to make a meal. Tomorrow I will be working late again. Since I know this ahead of time, I have planned to put a roast and potatoes and carrots in the crock pot before work in the morning. It should take less than 20 minutes in the morning, and my husband can cook some brown rice to go with it tomorrow evening. When I get home dinner will be waiting, the family will have already eaten, and we will have leftovers for an easy Sunday lunch after church. Not bad, huh?

By the way, local strawberries are easy to get right now. One local farm's are even sold by the basket at the grocery store. I tried some and they are so sweet that they taste like someone sprinkled them with powdered sugar, even though I ate them straight from the basket! Add an angel food cake and you have an easy, healthy, delicious dessert or snack. My daughter had some just before bed tonight.

How do you save time and still eat healthy? I would love some more ideas and I'm sure other readers would love to know, too.