You’ll never guess my first job…
Hint: I’m going to make a whopper you can’t refuse #wompwomp #bunintended
Ding ding ding! Burger King AKA the BK Lounge. I was 14, ambitious and even won employee of the month once.
Looking back, I remember eating a lot of fast food growing up. The diet industry was nowhere near what it is today and back then, everything was about taste, convenience and the $1 menus.
While menus have evolved and offer more “nutrition friendly” options, I know fast food is still a struggle/weakness for a lot people. A lot of people still choose the convenient option over learning how to eat healthy efficiently and on a budget. It takes work. It takes patience. It’s a choice.
I honestly can’t remember the last time I had fast food, but that’s because I’ve really found joy in cooking and making healthy spins on some of my favorite foods. Sometimes it just takes a little research, creativity and effort to re-create some scrumptious foods you see on the fast food menus. Pinterest is the best place for automatic inspiration. Thankfully I also live with a home chef who is always down to get spicy in the kitchen!
Alright, there’s a point to this blog. Here are my top tips to “eat this, not that” at 5 of the most popular fast food chains. It's so important to read those nutritional labels to understand how man calories you are intaking, how much fat is in the meal, how many carbs, protein and sodium.
In addition, I recreated some healthy fast food inspired meals with my husband which all turned out to be calorie friendly and oh so delicious. In the first slideshow we recreated McDonald's cheeseburger and fries. I went for a lettuce wrap to save carbs for air fried sweet potatoes. We also made healthy cheesy gordita crunches from Taco Bell. SO GOOD.
The slideshow below is our recreation of Wendy's chicken avocado BLT, healthy homemade ice cream and healthy coffee swaps to keep those calories in check.
Hope all these tips helped! What’s your favorite fast food spot? Why do you get fast food? Would love to know! I've already gotten requests for the best options to order at Chick-fil-A and Pizza Hut so that will be my next challenge. I'm ready and excited to continue to inspire you to make the foods you love with a healthy twist. Every positive choice counts towards those goals. Happy cooking!
Ash <3