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Life in the Fast Food Laneby Leanne Ely, C.N.C. |
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If you're like me, there are times in my week where fast food is an absolute necessity. But here's the rub: I don't do drive-thru's. Instead, I make my own fast food. Consider how much it costs on a weekly basis to do drive-thru--even if you go cheap and get water to drink--it really adds up fast. And when you consider the health hazard awaiting you at Mickey D's--one pass through the drive thru can add up to a whopping 82 grams of fat if you order a super-sized meal--it just makes more (dollars and) sense to eat at home. Now for the fast part of the equation. I have one dinner that I call the 911 Emergency dinner. It just plain could not get any faster than this. But what's great about it, is that it's healthy, low in fat and absolutely delicious--no kidding. Here's the recipe: Emergency Dinner! Serves 3
Cook rice according to directions and heat the beans up. By the time the beans have heated through, the rice will be done. This meal takes 3 minutes to make. Divvy up and serve, top with cheese, salsa, and low fat sour cream. If you're really gonna get crazy, give 'em a warm tortilla with it...talk about living la vida loca... Per serving: 652 Calories (kcal); 6g Total Fat; (7% calories from fat); 21g Protein; 127g Carbohydrate; 2mg Cholesterol; 499mg Sodium While beans and rice may not be the most exciting, thrilling recipe on the block, it wins hands down over a Big Mac or other nutritional nightmare, any day of the week. The addition of cheese, salsa and sour cream make it an often asked for meal in our house. If you are in a huge hurry, you could even throw this in a plastic bowl and let the kids eat it in the minivan on the way to soccer practice. I cannot guarantee the cleanliness of such a proposal, however. You're on your own there. This recipe, Emergency Dinner!, is from the chapter "Life in the Fast Food Lane" from my new book, "Healthy Foods: an irreverent guide to understanding nutrition and feeding your family well." There are over 100 taste tested (by real life families) recipes in the book, all healthful and nutritious, and completely delicious without tasting "good for you". Leanne Ely is the editor of a new, weekly paid subscription newsletter called Menu-Mailer. Menu-Mailer will give you the menu, healthy, family recipes and a grocery list every week delivered right to your email address. Menu-Mailer is available for limited time for $9.95 for a three-month subscription. Send an emai lto: leanneely@aol.comfor more information. To get Healthy-Foods, a free, weekly newsletter send an email to: healthy-foods@hub.thedollarstretcher.com Do you have a time or money saving idea that wasn't included in this article? Please send it to tips@stretcher.com. We get the best ideas from our readers!
Other Dollar Stretcher Food Articles: Grocery Master List To Coupon or Not to Coupon Reduce Your Food Budget Rush Hour Recipes
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