Healthy Fast Food

A skillet stew I make

If you're too busy or tired to cook dinner because your active life doesn't let you enjoy preparing meals anymore, here are 11 foods to have in your pantry at all times so you don't have to eat processed, unhealthy food or overspend on eating out. You'll have to have a few extra items in your pantry such as spices, fresh celery and onions, or soy sauce to flavor my list of 11 main go-to foods:

1) Bags of baby carrots - It took me years to make the swap from whole carrots that I had to clean, scrape, and dice to the bags of baby carrots. Yes, I know whole carrots last longer and cost less, but if already clean, cut, and easy to grab, you'll toss them into whatever other vegetables you're preparing for dinner.

2) A 5 lb bag of potatoes - I scrub and dry them then store them in the crisper drawer of my refrigerator. Food experts tell us not to refrigerate potatoes, but they last far longer refrigerated, and don't turn a poisonous green. I'm much more likely to grab a washed potato to bake, microwave, or toss into a stew.

3) Top-round London broil steak - It's very lean and requires braising to tenderize. Lately, I'll cube one-pound packages and freeze them to make a quick one-pot stew ready to eat in about 2 hours. Leftovers can be portioned and frozen for microwaving.

4) Frozen mixed vegetables -  Good in the stew, as well as, a variety of meals. Additionally, I want manufacturers to return lima beans to the mix. Who decided to remove them and why?!?

5) Good rustic grainy bread - Lucky me, I live near Fairway supermarket in NYC.

6) Your favorite cheese - I love most cheeses, but I always return to extra sharp New York cheddar. Another tip is to always keep a few good bottles of red wine in your home so if you have guests but don't have time to cook a whole dinner, you can still offer them filling and delicious food and drink.

7) I also keep a crisper drawer of fresh fruit - Apples, grapes, blueberries, pears, oranges, sometimes peaches, strawberries, or plums. Add the fruit to the wine, bread, and cheese along with nuts if you have them.

8) Skim milk - A staple in our house. Along with ...

9) Eggs - I buy 2 dozen eggs at a time.

10) Canned salmon and/or tuna - Another cupboard staple. In a can, each fish is fully cooked. You can turn salmon or tuna into sandwiches and the salmon into grilled patties -- one of the reasons stocking eggs is a must!

11) A 5 lb bag of all-purpose unbleached flour - To thicken a gravy or make a batch of biscuits, or pancakes, or French toast! 

These inexpensive foods make good snacks and fast meals. Fast food should always be real food. It doesn't have to be unhealthy, mean empty calories, or require a lot of work.

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In the last year I made several changes in what I buy at the supermarket.  I  eliminated processed foods and have changed the way I think about food preparation.  The idea is to make healthy choices without feeling deprived.  Sometimes you need light snacks and no fuss fare when you don't have a lot of time to cook.  And realistically, you need a few treats too.  Still, being aware -- coupled with small changes, make a difference in what you eat (and spend).  I stopped buying three grocery items this year.

I gave up soda and switched to drinking ice tea.  If I find myself at an outdoor function on a hot August night, I'll probably drink a can of Dr. Pepper to quench a thirst, but I no longer keep sodas in my refrigerator at home.  And I don't miss them.

Also, I  stopped buying bags of frozen french fries, one of my favorite cheat foods.  [Nachos may be my first love, and potato chips are not far behind.]  Instead, I cut up fresh white or sweet potatoes, brush them with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and bake them golden brown in the oven.  It still only takes 30 minutes.  And eating a handful of nuts usually satisfies a potato chip craving.

Another food item to go is canned soup.  When I don't plan ahead and use dried beans, I buy cans of pink, pinto or navy beans.  It's just like opening a can of soup, but without the thickeners and preservatives.  Simply add water, season to taste and simmer for 5 minutes.  What could be easier?

Another lighting fast soup to prepare is healthy miso.  Buy miso paste in a tub at the supermarket, or health food store and microwave a tablespoon of it, adding water, seaweed and vegetables.  Delicious!

Once you get used to eating real food, it tastes much better, at least that's my experience.  And unprocessed food costs less.  Lately, I favor steel cut oats, quinoa and millet, so boxed cereals may be next on my hit list [except for Raisin Bran once in a while].  Have you given up a grocery item recently?

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Eaters Beware

Journalist Michael Pollan recently published an interesting book called “In Defense of Food.” In it he argues we could maximize health by only eating food our ancestors would recognize. He advises us to focus on eating real food – mostly plants – and not too much of it. Pollan opposes processed food and corporate farming and says much of what we're eating now isn't even food, but "food like substances" … or "imitations of real food."

Here are his seven rules for better health:

1) Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food.

2) Don't eat anything with more than 5 ingredients listed, or with ingredients you can't pronounce.

3) Don't shop in the middle aisles of a supermarket. That's where most processed foods are displayed. Instead, buy along the sides where real food like eggs, milk and fresh vegetables tend to be.

4) Don't eat anything that won't rot -- like Twinkies.

5) Leave the table when you're about 80% full.

6) Don't buy food where you pump gasoline.

7) Eat meals with people you love.

His book certainly makes you think about what you're putting in your body. While I haven't gone the organic route just yet – because I like the convenience and variety of a supermarket – over the years, I've cut down on junk food and have gone back to eating fresh food with few ingredients. I also buy an assortment of fruits and vegetables and salad. Sometimes I'll even bake a loaf of whole grain bread.

Here is my recipe:

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

3 1/2 cups rye flour

2 1/4 cups buttermilk [Eyeball the amount as you work the dough.]

4 tablespoons brown sugar, or honey

1/4 cup of caraway seeds

1/8 cup flax seeds [Eyeball the amount.]

2 packages dry yeast

2 teaspoons salt

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 eggs [The eggs are optional, but I use them to add protein.]

Extra whole wheat flour to sprinkle while kneading

Make sure the wet ingredients are lukewarm. Mix everything in a bowl until the batter is firm. Kneed until the dough is easy to handle. Place the dough in an oiled bowel. Cover and let rise in a warm place until the dough doubles [about an hour]. On a cutting board kneed again and shape into a loaf. Oil a large loaf pan and press your dough into it. Allow the dough to stand again in a warm area until it doubles. [Extra tip: For the best tasting bread you'll ever make, bake it in a cast iron dutch oven with a lid, instead of a loaf pan. You can add a cup of raisins also.] Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and bake for 25-30 minutes until done. Remove bread from the pan while it is warm. Slice and enjoy!