How to Create a Healthy Fast Food Menu for Home
Make a list of the tasty fast food that you normally order when you want to eat out., Reinvent the fast food meals you and your family eat., Revamp the burger and fries option., Curtail the fat-soaked pizza and turn it healthy., Make homemade fish...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Make a list of the tasty fast food that you normally order when you want to eat out.
Common examples include:
Burgers and fries with sugary soda drinks or milkshakes Pizza Fried chicken Fish and chips Tex Mex Curry and fried food such as samosas or onion bhaji Hot dogs, etc. -
Step 2: Reinvent the fast food meals you and your family eat.
You have a lot of power to reinvent and improve the healthiness of fast food in your home environment.
Select the options you enjoy the most and then follow some of the examples in the following steps to improve the fast food menu served at home.
Always use the best and freshest ingredients for optimal nutrition.
Prefer healthier oils over saturated, trans-fat or solid fats.
A recent study in the British Medical Journal stated that olive and sunflower oils are good oils that do not appear to be implicated in heart disease.All the same, try to avoid deep frying very often. , Burger and fries doesn't have to be a fat, sugar and empty calorie experience.
It can be a truly satisfying and tasty one that has plenty of nutrition:
Choose quality burger meat to make burger mince from.
Make your own patties and use olive or sunflower oil to fry them, or bake them.
Choose vegetable based burgers instead of meat ones.
Select wholemeal or wholegrain buns over white buns.
Add lots of salad ingredients, including sprouts, tomatoes, different styles of lettuce, etc.
Bake the "fries" (or chips/wedges) instead of frying them.
Cut fresh potatoes into big wedges and bake on a parchment covered tray.
If you need oil, brush a little olive oil over them prior to baking.
Make a low-sugar or sugar-free ketchup for the burger.
Add plenty of salad fillings to the burger.
Try these recipes:
Salmon burger, Grilled Foreman burger or a turkey burger.
For more homemade burger ideas, see Homemade burgers. , Pizza can be fattening if you're not careful how much you're eating take out versions.
Here is how to improve it:
Choose a thin, wholemeal pizza base.
Try to make a wholemeal base using wholewheat, spelt, or other wholegrain flour in place of white flour.
Use non-stick trays or parchment paper on the pizza tray instead of adding more fat to prevent sticking.
Choose lean meats.
Instead of pepperoni, salami, sausage and bacon, choose lean lamb strips, shredded chicken breast, ham or prawns.
Reduce the amount of cheese used by at least half or use low-fat cheese.
Alternatively, don't even add cheese.
Use vegetable toppings instead of meat toppings.
Don't have with garlic bread but do have with plenty of fresh salad.
Don't forget other Italian fast options such as pasta or lasagna with lots of vegetables in the sauce and homemade garlic bread using real butter (not adulterated) or olive oil and fresh garlic. , Make homemade fish fingers and make baked chunky chips.
Don't add too much salt and be sure to have with a salad on the side and some homemade ketchup (tomato sauce). , Instead of deep frying, fry in shallow oil, using a healthy oil like olive or sunflower oil.
See How to make Mexican baked "fried" chicken and check out the escalopes option in How to make fried chicken for the shallow frying method.
Eat with plenty of salad or steamed vegetables. , By returning to the roots of Tex Mex, you can unearth the much healthier Mexican versions that would be eaten daily and are filled with nutrients.
Some examples include:
Mexican rice Homemade tortillas Mexican pie See How to cook real Mexican food for some more ideas. , Many Asian take-outs are healthy if you avoid fried fatty or high calorie meals.
Making these meals at home is easy and can include:
Curries made with reduced ghee or other fat amounts, brown rice, salads accompanying the curry, less meat and more vegetable content, etc.
Sushi (try both fish/seafood and vegetarian versions; if you're a novice sushi maker, it isn't "fast" but it will speed up with practice) Bento boxes (although this takes a bit of work and isn't quite "fast") Stir-fries (use healthy oil, lower the meat amount, use brown rice and don't overdo sauces with too much sugar in them) Soups, such as miso soup. , This can also be made at home for cinema nights:
Nachos can be relatively easy to make by blending tomatoes, chillies and garlic, then adding vegetables of your choice (onion, pepper and more chilli is often tasty).
Warm the salsa through, then pour some chips in an ovenproof dish, pour the salsa on top and sprinkle with just a little Monterey Jack cheese or highly flavored favorite cheese.
Fresh nachos can be very tasty.
Make popcorn at home.
Instead of adding fat, add spices such as cinnamon or squeeze small amounts of lime juice and sprinkle pepper on the popcorn. , Do you get onion rings? Consider baking onion rings rather than frying them.
Do you like doughnuts? Change to watermelon doughnuts to reduce the fat content.
If you love cheesecake, make a light version at home and stick to only having one piece each for dessert. , You could also have ice-cream for dessert if you wish, choosing a fruit based sorbet option without dairy or small portions of a quality dairy ice cream. , Try different ways of putting together the fast food meals at home.
Keep notes of which work best and what sorts of substitutes you and your family like most.
Taste test! Does it taste similar? Better? Fresher? Is it more economical? Is it more satisfying than fast food? What do the other people think of your attempt? What could you do better next time you make it? Keep a folder of your favorite fast food home recipes, either hard copy or digital.
Include an ingredients list to help with quick shopping.
Build on your experiences.
Attempt them once a week until you get them perfect, and don't forget to adjust your recipe if you see fit, along the way! , Once or twice a month is probably a good average for at-home fast food treats that contain a lot of fat or raised levels of sugar, although if you've really super improved the healthiness, more often is possible, especially with Asian style and traditional South American cuisine.
Always favor fast food imitations that are filled with nutrients and that are simple.
Get children involved in making homemade fast foods; teach them that cooking is easier than getting takeouts. -
Step 3: Revamp the burger and fries option.
-
Step 4: Curtail the fat-soaked pizza and turn it healthy.
-
Step 5: Make homemade fish and chips.
-
Step 6: Create fried chicken with healthy oils and shallow frying.
-
Step 7: Go Mexican
-
Step 8: not Tex Mex.
-
Step 9: Enjoy more Asian-inspired fast food choices.
-
Step 10: Make cinema food.
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Step 11: Consider the small things
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Step 12: Complete the "fast food" experience by having fruit juice and carbonated water mixed together to make a refreshing
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Step 13: but healthy fizzy drink.
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Step 14: Learn from your experiences.
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Step 15: Reserve fast foods at home for irregular
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Step 16: special treats.
Detailed Guide
Common examples include:
Burgers and fries with sugary soda drinks or milkshakes Pizza Fried chicken Fish and chips Tex Mex Curry and fried food such as samosas or onion bhaji Hot dogs, etc.
You have a lot of power to reinvent and improve the healthiness of fast food in your home environment.
Select the options you enjoy the most and then follow some of the examples in the following steps to improve the fast food menu served at home.
Always use the best and freshest ingredients for optimal nutrition.
Prefer healthier oils over saturated, trans-fat or solid fats.
A recent study in the British Medical Journal stated that olive and sunflower oils are good oils that do not appear to be implicated in heart disease.All the same, try to avoid deep frying very often. , Burger and fries doesn't have to be a fat, sugar and empty calorie experience.
It can be a truly satisfying and tasty one that has plenty of nutrition:
Choose quality burger meat to make burger mince from.
Make your own patties and use olive or sunflower oil to fry them, or bake them.
Choose vegetable based burgers instead of meat ones.
Select wholemeal or wholegrain buns over white buns.
Add lots of salad ingredients, including sprouts, tomatoes, different styles of lettuce, etc.
Bake the "fries" (or chips/wedges) instead of frying them.
Cut fresh potatoes into big wedges and bake on a parchment covered tray.
If you need oil, brush a little olive oil over them prior to baking.
Make a low-sugar or sugar-free ketchup for the burger.
Add plenty of salad fillings to the burger.
Try these recipes:
Salmon burger, Grilled Foreman burger or a turkey burger.
For more homemade burger ideas, see Homemade burgers. , Pizza can be fattening if you're not careful how much you're eating take out versions.
Here is how to improve it:
Choose a thin, wholemeal pizza base.
Try to make a wholemeal base using wholewheat, spelt, or other wholegrain flour in place of white flour.
Use non-stick trays or parchment paper on the pizza tray instead of adding more fat to prevent sticking.
Choose lean meats.
Instead of pepperoni, salami, sausage and bacon, choose lean lamb strips, shredded chicken breast, ham or prawns.
Reduce the amount of cheese used by at least half or use low-fat cheese.
Alternatively, don't even add cheese.
Use vegetable toppings instead of meat toppings.
Don't have with garlic bread but do have with plenty of fresh salad.
Don't forget other Italian fast options such as pasta or lasagna with lots of vegetables in the sauce and homemade garlic bread using real butter (not adulterated) or olive oil and fresh garlic. , Make homemade fish fingers and make baked chunky chips.
Don't add too much salt and be sure to have with a salad on the side and some homemade ketchup (tomato sauce). , Instead of deep frying, fry in shallow oil, using a healthy oil like olive or sunflower oil.
See How to make Mexican baked "fried" chicken and check out the escalopes option in How to make fried chicken for the shallow frying method.
Eat with plenty of salad or steamed vegetables. , By returning to the roots of Tex Mex, you can unearth the much healthier Mexican versions that would be eaten daily and are filled with nutrients.
Some examples include:
Mexican rice Homemade tortillas Mexican pie See How to cook real Mexican food for some more ideas. , Many Asian take-outs are healthy if you avoid fried fatty or high calorie meals.
Making these meals at home is easy and can include:
Curries made with reduced ghee or other fat amounts, brown rice, salads accompanying the curry, less meat and more vegetable content, etc.
Sushi (try both fish/seafood and vegetarian versions; if you're a novice sushi maker, it isn't "fast" but it will speed up with practice) Bento boxes (although this takes a bit of work and isn't quite "fast") Stir-fries (use healthy oil, lower the meat amount, use brown rice and don't overdo sauces with too much sugar in them) Soups, such as miso soup. , This can also be made at home for cinema nights:
Nachos can be relatively easy to make by blending tomatoes, chillies and garlic, then adding vegetables of your choice (onion, pepper and more chilli is often tasty).
Warm the salsa through, then pour some chips in an ovenproof dish, pour the salsa on top and sprinkle with just a little Monterey Jack cheese or highly flavored favorite cheese.
Fresh nachos can be very tasty.
Make popcorn at home.
Instead of adding fat, add spices such as cinnamon or squeeze small amounts of lime juice and sprinkle pepper on the popcorn. , Do you get onion rings? Consider baking onion rings rather than frying them.
Do you like doughnuts? Change to watermelon doughnuts to reduce the fat content.
If you love cheesecake, make a light version at home and stick to only having one piece each for dessert. , You could also have ice-cream for dessert if you wish, choosing a fruit based sorbet option without dairy or small portions of a quality dairy ice cream. , Try different ways of putting together the fast food meals at home.
Keep notes of which work best and what sorts of substitutes you and your family like most.
Taste test! Does it taste similar? Better? Fresher? Is it more economical? Is it more satisfying than fast food? What do the other people think of your attempt? What could you do better next time you make it? Keep a folder of your favorite fast food home recipes, either hard copy or digital.
Include an ingredients list to help with quick shopping.
Build on your experiences.
Attempt them once a week until you get them perfect, and don't forget to adjust your recipe if you see fit, along the way! , Once or twice a month is probably a good average for at-home fast food treats that contain a lot of fat or raised levels of sugar, although if you've really super improved the healthiness, more often is possible, especially with Asian style and traditional South American cuisine.
Always favor fast food imitations that are filled with nutrients and that are simple.
Get children involved in making homemade fast foods; teach them that cooking is easier than getting takeouts.
About the Author
Edward West
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow cooking tutorials.
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