Fast Food Fundamentals

I received a request yesterday for suggestions on how to make sure there were healthy options on hand all the time to make meal preparation fast and easy.

See this post for some suggestions: http://carsickcaravan.blogspot.com/2010/11/staples-save-skinny.html.

And to that list I'd add a bag of lettuce, baked Scoops, light buttermilk ranch dressing and slivered almonds. When I'm in a hurry, I tend to lean toward a salad, the turkey dogs or scrambled eggs.

My salads are heavy on the raw veg and lettuce (like, fill a mixing bowl), and light on the cheese, meat and something with chew factor like baked chips or almonds. I mix and match ingredients. Two of my favorite go-tos are:

• Fake crab with almonds and shredded low-fat cheddar
• Chicken heated with a little taco seasoning, baked chips and queso fresco or feta

If there's good stuff on hand, you're more likely to eat it.