No time to eat healthy?

An early morning rush to work or dashing to an after-school soccer practice often makes a quick stop at a fast food restaurant the easiest way to satisfy your or your family’s appetite. But, are you eating healthy? Try these portable healthy meal ideas, that save time and we know you will enjoy.

• Fill a small bag with dry whole-grain cereal, dry roasted peanuts, and raisins. Take along boxed low-fat milk or piece of fruit. A handful of raisins and a piece of fruit give you a good start toward the goal of at least 4½ cups of fruits and veggies a day.

• Toast some 100% whole-grain bread for a sandwich of natural peanut butter and fruit-sweetened jelly. Bring a calcium-fortified orange juice box.

• Try a hard-boiled egg, mini-bagel, banana, and bottled water.

• Experiment with cheese and crackers: try 100% whole-grain, reduced-fat crackers with part-skim string cheese, an apple, and bottled water.

• Boost calcium and protein with ready-to-go products like low-fat yogurt in a tube, drinkable yogurt, lunch-sized milk cartons. Single-serving Greek yogurt has even more calcium and protein – just remember to grab a spoon! Flavored yogurt can have high amounts of added sugars – look for varieties that have less than 300 grams of sugar per 8 ounces.

• Fill whole wheat pita bread with tuna salad (made with low-fat or fat-free mayonnaise) and fresh spinach, romaine lettuce, or green salad mix; take along a milk box and fresh fruit, like a small apple or grapes.

• Make a dinner wrap using a whole grain tortilla. Fill with grilled chicken, reduced fat cheese, sliced tomatoes, lettuce, sprouts, roasted red peppers, black beans, and/or garbanzo beans. To flavor and hold a wrap together, thinly spread low-fat cream cheese or hummus on the tortilla, or use a small amount of low-fat ranch or blue-cheese salad dressing.

With a little planning, you and your family can stay “on the go” and still give your bodies the nutrients they need – with less calories and fat!

Source: American Cancer Society