The basic concept here is, take your 'crutch' foods- mac 'n cheese? Tyson chicken nuggets? Totino's pizza rolls? and figure out a way to clean it up.
Mac 'n cheese is actually the easiest! I don't have a picture, because we don't eat even a healthy version of it here. It takes no longer to boil 100% whole wheat pasta and toss it with butter and shredded cheddar. If your kids, or you, are addicted to that cheezey saucey stuff, you can buy it, plain and without added chemical junk, from many health food stores and bulk food websites. It'll take an investment of time, yes, but once you figure it out, you've got a cheap, super-easy meal, and you'll have cut out a very unhealthy food from your family's diet.
Chicken nuggets? A touch more involved. But once a month you can chop up a family pack of chicken breast, toss in a plastic bag with oil or melted butter, then in a bag with flour or breadcrumbs seasoned with salt, paprika, and garlic powder. Bake till crisp in a 350 oven. Cool and freeze in bags or plastic ware. An hour of work in exchange for many quick snacks or meals, and, again, a very chemical-laden food out of your freezer.
Pizza rolls? Pats of bread dough, rolled flat, add your toppings, roll up, brush with butter or oil, bake till golden. You can make a hundred of these at a time to freeze. Do it while you are stuck at home working on other projects.
Once you get in the habit of cooking like this once every week or 2, it becomes second nature.
Good luck, and leave a comment if you have a healthy food hack you'd like to share!
"Change is inevitable - except from a vending machine."
~Robert C. Gallagher
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