Tonight I worked late.

My stomach ached with hunger, but I still had to pick up cat food for our equally hungry cat (I think she actually laughed at me this morning when we were out of cat food and I gave her a bowl of milk.  Is that an old wive’s tale?  Do cats really like milk?)

Anyway, I finally arrived home, but still had to let out the dog, feed the cat, and answer an important text.

Ugh, I was painfully hungry by now, despite my rule of eating every 3-4 hours to avoid this kind of hunger; once I go past the 4-hour mark my body retaliates by sending strong signals of distress!

I knew I didn’t feel like cooking anything – I’m home alone tonight – but didn’t want to mindlessly snack.  So I chose fast food.  Yep, that’s right…fast food.

Why so surprised?

Ohhh, I get it…you thought I meant, like, the REAL fast food.  Fries, shakes, condiments…that kinda stuff.

Nope, not me. Believe me, I had my share of fast food in college where a 2am trip to Taco Bell, and a late night run to 7-11 was considered acceptable meal planning.

Today, my fast food is a little different.  Yes, it’s fast, and it’s food, but it can be done much more healthfully than what you’re thinking.  And you know why I want you to know this?

Because I’m like most of you.

I live a full, abundant life where I’m constantly seeking the balance between work, home, health, friends, family and…food.  It’s a fine-tuning that happens daily.  Some days the balance is perfect.  Other days, not so much.  But just because I let myself get uncomfortably hungry between meals, doesn’t give me license to eat junky.  That would have really put me off balance!  Rather, I chose to make my dinner fast…which translates to “healthy, simple and satisfying”.

Here was my fast-food meal tonight:

1) Artichoke and red onion hummus, eaten right out of the container – about 4 spoonfuls hit the spot.

2) A green salad – I literally pulled out a handful of greens from a packaged assortment, put it on a plate, and sprinkled it with balsamic and sea salt.

3) A handful of walnuts

4) A handful of baby carrots

5) A handful of blueberries

5) A warm glass of vanilla flavored-almond milk (warmed it on the stove while I was eating the other stuff)

6) A piece of dark chocolate

Yes, I stood at the kitchen counter while eating…another dietary no-no if you’re going to follow the rules.  But tonight I didn’t mind the rules.  That’s okay.  None of us are going to be perfect when it comes to food. In the grand scheme of things I ate healthy, feel healthy and will go to bed with  a healthy mindset.  No regrets from this fast food meal!

You can do this too.  As long as you have the healthy choices in the fridge, you can throw together a fast food meal in no time, knowing that less-than-ideal planning can still result in healthy eating.

Just so you know, while I was eating tonight’s meal, I baked some fresh salmon and a yam for my dinner tomorrow night.  Just sayin’.

How can you healthy-up your ‘fast food’?