Proof Is In The Pudding

Excess calories, high fat content, and too much sugar are just a few reasons you should pass up the drive-thru window. For my action project, I wanted to let my associates, family and friends know that you can make healthy versions of your favorite fast-food dishes at home.

I believe that people buy fast food for three reasons: speed, convenience and price. However, fast food has many hidden costs, including the high price of bad health. Not to mention the fact that for such cheap food, you're actually being overcharged by a big amount. So the real reason isn't price, but convenience. You can get much cheaper food by cooking for yourself, but you're not always home to do the cooking, or you don't always feel like cooking.

I spent a lot of time over the past four months in the lunchroom at my office listening to people’s reasoning for occasionally giving in and buying fast-food: mom’s said it’s easy, college interns said it’s cheap, overworked executives said it’s quick, the hungover assistant admitted it’s the salt and grease factor. Regardless of why people go for fast food, I learned that people are also concerned with healthy, obesity and general wellbeing that comes from food choice.

In challenging the fast food system, I found that you must have two things: creativity and organization. In terms of creativity, you have to think outside the box: for example, a burger doesn’t have to be beef, it can be chicken, turkey or bison; a nugget doesn’t have to be chicken, it can be zucchini, spinach + feta, cod or mushrooms. In terms of organization, you have to be willing to take the time to plan out your meals; for example: make a weekly-dinner menu and go shopping on Sunday night, this way, you’ll have all the ingredients at home and you won’t be able to make an excuse about why you don’t want to cook.

Here are some ideas I learned from my co-workers:

1. Jen said Plan ahead. Many times we get fast food because we're hungry and we have no alternatives. But if you plan your day each morning (or the night before), you can figure out better alternatives. Make sure you're home during mealtimes, for example, or pack a lunch or dinner to take on the road. With a few minutes of planning, you can save some money and eat healthier.

2. Joey said Cook in bulk. Along those lines, you could take an afternoon and cook a few different foods in bulk. A big pot of soup or chili, for example, is easy to make, and you can put single-serving containers in the freezer to grab when you head out the door. With a little creativity, you could probably come up with a bunch of your favorite foods to cook in bulk.

3. Aex said Sandwiches. Make a sandwich in the morning to take with you (they're very portable)—you’ll save a ton of money.

4. Anna said Make your favorite fast food. If you get a hankerin' for a certain fast food, make it yourself. You can buy the ingredients, easily make a bunch at once, and freeze them individually for quick consumption later. Much healthier, and tastier.

5. Seth said Always pack snacks. Keep a bag full of snacks to take with you on the road, as they can keep hunger at bay and thus keep the need for fast food to a minimum. Fruit, cut-up veggies, nuts, trail mix, blue corn chips and salsa, dried fruit ... the possibilities are endless. If you pack snacks that need refrigeration, toss an ice pack in the bag.

6. Nick said Bring water. Often what we think is hunger is actually dehydration. If you drink water, you feel less hungry. Always have a bottle of water with you on the road, at your desk, along with your snacks, and keep yourself hydrated (and less hungry) all day long.

Over the past four months, I asked my co-workers what some of their favorite fast-food meals were. With those suggestions, I spent time in the kitchen coming up with alternatives—healthy, quick, affordable options. I was surprise at how easy this was: when you identify what you want, say a burger, it’s amazing how quickly you can invent a creative, cost-effective recipe. I shared some of the recipes with people in my office, friends and family, and everyone had the same reaction: they wanted to take action and start cooking.

Here are all nine of my food challenges:

1. The Burger Challenge: Turkey Burger
2. Soup + Salad Challenge: Tomato Soup with Crunchy Grilled Cheeses
3. Fried Wings Challenge: Baked Chicken Wings
4. Junk Food Snack Challenge: Zucchini nuggets
5. Egg McMuffin Challenge: Southwestern Egg Scramble
6. Chicken Nugget Challenge: Golden-Panko Nuggets
7. Club Sandwich Challenge: Avocado Chicken Sandwich
8. French Fries Challenge: Sweet Potato Fries
9. Chili Challenge: Homemade soup

In closing, I believe that the proof is in the pudding. The original saying is from Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, the phrase dates back to at least 1615 when Miguel de Cervantes published Don Quixote. In this comic novel, the phrase is stated as, "The proof of the pudding is the eating." Meaning, the true value or quality of something can only be judged when it's put to use. I put my culinary skills to the test and found out that if you want to eat quick, cheap and healthily, you can.....but you have to be willing to do the leg work.