Eating vegetables can get boring when you're just steaming or roasting them. To break away from the plain vegetable cycle, check out this recipe from Eating Well.

Balsamic & Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower

From EatingWell: January/February 2008

Roasting isn't usually the first cooking method you think of for cauliflower but the results are quite delicious. The florets are cut into thick slices and tossed with extra-virgin olive oil and herbs. Wherever the flat surfaces come into contact with the hot roasting pan, a deep browning occurs that results in a sweet, nutty flavor.

4 servings, about 1 cup each

Active Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

INGREDIENTS
8 cups 1-inch-thick slices cauliflower florets, (about 1 large head; see Tip)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Toss cauliflower, oil, marjoram, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Spread on a large rimmed baking sheet and roast until starting to soften and brown on the bottom, 15 to 20 minutes. Toss the cauliflower with vinegar and sprinkle with cheese. Return to the oven and roast until the cheese is melted and any moisture has evaporated, 5 to 10 minutes more.

TIPS & NOTES
Tip: To prepare florets from a whole head of cauliflower, remove outer leaves. Slice off the thick stem. With the head upside down and holding a knife at a 45° angle, slice into the smaller stems with a circular motion—removing a “plug” from the center of the head. Break or cut florets into the desired size.

NUTRITION
Per serving: 149 calories; 10 g fat ( 3 g sat , 6 g mono ); 7 mg cholesterol; 10 g carbohydrates; 7 g protein; 4 g fiber; 364 mg sodium; 490 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (120% daily value), Folate (22% dv), Fiber (16% dv), Calcium (15% dv)

Carbohydrate Servings: 1/2

Exchanges: 1 vegetable, 1/2 lean meat, 1 1/2 fat

Skillet Gnocchi with Chard & White Beans

I absolutely love gnocchi, the way that it's prepared in restaurants is to die for. Check out this recipe from Eating Well for gnocchi with chard and white bean.

Skillet Gnocchi with Chard & White Beans

From EatingWell: January/February 2009

In this one-skillet supper, we toss dark leafy greens, diced tomatoes and white beans with gnocchi and top it all with gooey mozzarella. Serve with a mixed green salad with vinaigrette.

6 servings

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 16-ounce package shelf-stable gnocchi, (see Tip)
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup water
6 cups chopped chard leaves, (about 1 small bunch) or spinach
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings
1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

PREPARATION
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add gnocchi and cook, stirring often, until plumped and starting to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and onion to the pan and cook, stirring, over medium heat, for 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and water. Cover and cook until the onion is soft, 4 to 6 minutes. Add chard (or spinach) and cook, stirring, until starting to wilt, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, beans and pepper and bring to a simmer. Stir in the gnocchi and sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover and cook until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling, about 3 minutes.

TIPS & NOTES
Tip: Look for shelf-stable gnocchi near other pasta in the Italian section of most supermarkets.

NUTRITION
Per serving: 325 calories; 7 g fat ( 2 g sat , 3 g mono ); 8 mg cholesterol; 55 g carbohydrates; 14 g protein; 6 g fiber; 616 mg sodium; 360 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (50% daily value), Vitamin C (40% dv), Calcium & Iron (19% dv).

Carbohydrate Servings: 3

Exchanges: 3 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 lean meat, 1 fat

Hearty Pancakes

You have to love that I am sitting here, sharing heart healthy recipes while I watch Man vs. Food Nation. Anyway! Another collection of recipes from Health.com of dishes that are low in saturated fats, so try some of these and keep the bad fats away.

Hearty Pancakes

Pancakes are a morning staple, but they aren’t all that healthy if made with milk and eggs and slathered with butter and syrup.

This recipe uses applesauce to cut down on fat content and add some fiber as well. What’s more, walnuts give a slight crunch and "good" monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 2 pancakes and 2 teaspoons maple syrup)

Saturated fat: 1 g

Substituting applesauce for the buttermilk, shortening, or oil found in traditional pancake recipes adds fiber and cuts fat. The additional fiber, plus protein and good fats in walnuts, will help keep you full longer

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup uncooked farina (such as Cream of Wheat)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups vanilla soy milk
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 cup golden raisins, divided
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, divided
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 
  
• Preparation
• Lightly spoon the flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, farina, and next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine milk, applesauce, and egg in a medium bowl, stirring until well blended. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, stirring until well combined. Let batter stand 5 minutes.
• Heat a nonstick griddle or skillet over medium heat; coat pan with cooking spray. Pour about 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto pan; sprinkle each with 2 teaspoons raisins and 2 teaspoons walnuts. Cook 1 minute or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Carefully turn pancakes over, and cook 1 minute or until bottoms are lightly browned. Repeat procedure with remaining batter, raisins, and walnuts. Serve with syrup.

Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2004

Nutrition Facts:

CALORIES 347 (23% from fat)

FAT 9g (sat 1g, mono 1.3g, poly 5.1g)
PROTEIN 8.8g
CARBOHYDRATE 61.1g
FIBER 4.3g
CHOLESTEROL 35mg
IRON 4.8mg
SODIUM 537mg
CALCIUM 142mg

Strawberry Shortcakes

These are kind of my favorite types of recipe collections to post. From Health.com, here is a collection of desserts made healthier for us to enjoy without all of the calories and fat.

Strawberry Shortcakes

This traditional dessert can sometimes be loaded with fat. With ingredients like sugary cake and whipped cream, a strawberry shortcake may not fit into your eating plan.

But you won’t notice the difference if you whip up this healthier take on the original. You’ll love it just as much as the fattier version. Also, ours uses store-bought dessert shells to cut prep time.

Saturated fat: 0.3 g

You won't believe this delicious, classic dessert is low in calories and in fat. You even have wiggle room to add a scoop of fat-free vanilla ice cream to top it off.

Yields:

6 servings (serving size: 1 cake and 1/3 cup sauce)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon calorie-free sweetener
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
• 1 1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries (about 1 pint)
• 6 spongecake dessert shells (5-ounce package)

Preparation

Combine sweetener and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Stir in orange juice. Bring to a boil; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute or until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat, and stir in extract. Cool completely.

Combine orange juice mixture and strawberries in a bowl; stir gently. Cover and chill 30 minutes.

To serve, spoon sauce over dessert shells.

Tip: This luscious sauce is also good spooned over no-sugar-added ice cream, angel food cake, or fat-free pound cake.

Nutritional Info

CALORIES 113 (0.0% from fat)

FAT 0.9g (sat 0.3g, mono 0.0g, poly 0.0g)
PROTEIN 2g
CARBOHYDRATE 24.3g
FIBER 0.2g
CHOLESTEROL 33mg
IRON 0.0mg
SODIUM 169mg
CALCIUM 0.0mg

Vegetable Soft Tacos with Chipotle Sour Cream

I love this! From Health.com, check out recipes for comfort food with a vegetarian spin. For those of us who don't eat meat or are sometimes in the mood for meat alternatives, this recipe collection has great recipes that are still filling and still taste great.

Vegetable Soft Tacos With Chipotle Sour Cream
The perfect vegetarian summer meal!

Serves 4

2 cups corn (fresh or frozen)
2 limes, juiced
2 tsp. cumin
1 1/2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 red bell peppers, sliced thin
1 red onion, sliced thin
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed (or make your own!)
1 green cabbage, sliced thin
1 bunch fresh cilantro, minced
1 tbsp. white vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 avocado
3 radishes, sliced thin
1 cup sour cream
2 canned chiles in adobo sauce, seeded and diced plus 2 tsp. of the adobo sauce
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Whole-wheat tortillas

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss together corn, 1 tbsp. of olive oil, lime juice, 1 tsp. salt, cumin, bell peppers, and onion in a large bowl, then spread on half a baking sheet.

2. In a large bowl, toss together remaining olive oil, paprika, 1 tsp. salt, and black beans. Spread on the other half of the baking sheet.

3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, tossing occasionally, until beans are crispy and veggies are cooked.

4. While that’s baking, combine cabbage, cilantro, vinegar, sugar, diced avocado, radishes, and a pinch of salt. Set aside.

5. In a small bowl, mix together sour cream, chili peppers, and adobo sauce.

6. When veggies and beans are done, fill tortillas, then layer on cabbage mixture and a drizzle of sour cream. Sprinkle with cheese.

Almond Butter Brownies

I found out about this recipe for Almond Butter Brownies from Glamour's Vitamin G blog. They posted this recipe from Elena's Pantry for these brownies made with almond butter which are also gluten free. They say that they are amazing so I thought I'd share this alternative brownie recipe with yall.

Check it out here and check out The Fitnessista's slight adjustments to the recipe here

From Health.com, here is a great recipe for Chocolate Chunk Bread Pudding; it's healthy but still has the comforting and delicious taste that bread pudding should have.

Chocolate Chunk Bread Pudding

Try not to chop the chocolate too finely so you'll have good-sized chunks to bite into. Hawaiian bread pudding is a soft, sweet bread found in the bakery section of most grocery stores. Leftovers are good for ham and Swiss sandwiches.

Yield & Time
2 servings

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups (1/2-inch) cubed Hawaiian sweet bread
• 2/3 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 1 tablespoon Kahlúa (coffee-flavored liqueur)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• Cooking spray
• 1 ounce semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Arrange bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 5 minutes or until toasted. Remove bread from oven; decrease oven temperature to 325°.

Combine milk and next 5 ingredients (milk through egg) in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add bread, tossing gently to coat. Cover and chill 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.

Divide half of bread mixture evenly between 2 (6-ounce) ramekins or custard cups coated with cooking spray; sprinkle evenly with half of chocolate. Divide remaining bread mixture between ramekins; top with remaining chocolate.

Place ramekins in an 8-inch square baking pan; add hot water to pan to a depth of 1 inch. Bake at 325° for 35 minutes or until set. Serve each pudding warm with 1 tablespoon whipped topping.

Nutritional Info
CALORIES 319 (30% from fat)
FAT 10.6g (sat 5.2g, mono 3.6g, poly 0.8g)
PROTEIN 9.8g
CARBOHYDRATE 45.3g
FIBER 2.1g
CHOLESTEROL 121mg
IRON 1.8mg
SODIUM 141mg
CALCIUM 125mg

Cooking Light, JANUARY 2003

8 Energy Zappers—and How to Avoid Them

Oprah has great advice on how to keep yourself happy and keep yourself moving smoothly through life, being successful or trying successfully at everything you do. Here are some interested energy zappers that we come across and ways to beat them.

8 Energy Zappers—and How to Avoid Them

By Annie Gottlieb
O, The Oprah Magazine | From the January 2003 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine

1. Energy drain: Other people's expectations
Are you living someone else's dream for you? You're putting out energy but starving emotionally. The other person gets all the satisfaction.

Energy move: Declare independence
You bought in; you can set yourself free. No confrontation needed, just "I don't have to expect that of myself." Worst-case scenario: Someone who's not you will be disappointed. You will feel wonderful.

2. Energy drain: Loss of self
As kids, we had to play by the rules; our unique energy got caged.

Energy move: Personalize your life
Ask yourself, If it were up to me, what would I...hang on my wall? Wear to work? Do for fun? Find the pockets of freedom where you can be more yourself.

3. Energy drain: Deprivation
Duties and responsibilities fill your days. You gain weight trying to get emotional energy from food.

Energy move: Add pleasure, beauty, fun
Satisfying experiences, large and small, are the real nourishment you crave. Plan a big treat to look forward to—and a little one every day.

4. Energy drain: Envy
We often don't feel envy directly—but we might find someone else's good fortune depressing.

Energy move: Count your blessings
Comparison is a loser's game. Look at what you have, and actively feel grateful. (P.S. That person you envy—you don't know how messy her life really is. Chances are you wouldn't want it if you had it.)

5. Energy drain: Worry
When you worry, you think you're dealing with things, but you're just suffering. Worry never comes up with good ideas. It torments and exhausts us.

Energy move: Get going
Action is the cure for worry. Do one thing that brings you a step closer to coping. If it's the middle of the night, get up and write a to-do list.

6. Energy drain: Unfinished business
Unmade decisions and postponed projects drain you.

Energy move: Do it or dump it
Forget the perfect decision—just trust yourself and make a choice. Put projects in an appointment book. If you can't find any good time, that's a signal you don't want to do it. So don't.

7. Energy drain: Overcommitment
You're always saying "yes"—to your boss, mother, kids, friends; to requests, favors, meetings.

Energy move: Say "yes" to yourself
Tell someone else "no" every once in a while, just to feel your own power. You'll gain a whole new sense of your ability to take care of yourself.

8. Energy drain: Holding on to loss
Fresh loss is an emergency. But old losses you can't let go of are dead weight.

Energy move: Cry all your tears
Indulge in big-time mourning. Take off from work, stay in bed, and do nothing but cry till you're dry—and bored. Then go out and embrace life.

From Health.com, here is a collection of recipes, perfect for the summer grill season. They have put together a list of delicious healthy burger recipes to satisfy the cravings without all of the calories.

Ground Sirloin Sliders

Prep: 5 minutes; Cook: 8 minutes,

Yield & Time
Makes 6 servings (serving size: 2 sliders)

Ingredients

• 12 miniature buns or dinner rolls
• 3/4 pound lean ground sirloin
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• Olive oil cooking spray
• 2 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, thinly sliced
• 24 small dill pickle slices

Preparation

1. Remove some of the fluffy center from the buns so that they will sit well on top of burgers; set aside.

2. Combine sirloin with Worcestershire and pepper, and form into 12 (2-inch) flat patties.

3. Preheat a lightly oiled grill pan over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Cook burgers over moderate heat, turning, and evenly top with cheese, about 2 minutes per side for medium or until cheese is melted. (Use a meat thermometer to check that burgers have reached 160°.) Transfer the burgers to a plate, and grill the buns, cut sides down, 1-2 minutes or until toasted.

4. Sandwich burgers between buns with about 2 pickles per slider.

Nutritional Info
CALORIES 283
FAT 7g (sat 2g, mono 2g, poly 2g)
PROTEIN 18g
CARBOHYDRATE 38g
FIBER 6g
CHOLESTEROL 27mg
IRON 3mg
SODIUM 697mg
CALCIUM 134mg

Health, JUNE 2010

Eating fish is a great way to get a healthy, filling protein fix with healthy fats and is a great alternative to eating meat. From Health.com, here is a recipe for Pan Grilled Salmon with Pineapple Salsa.

Pan-Grilled Salmon with Pineapple Salsa

Perfect for a summer night, this tropical salmon provides omega-3 fatty acids. Add fiber, which aids in digestion, with half a cup of whole-grain rice.

Yield & Time
serves 4 (serving size: 1 fillet and 1/3 cup salsa)

Ingredients
1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
Cooking spray
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets (about 1/2-inch thick)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Combine first 5 ingredients (through pepper) in a bowl; set aside.

Heat a nonstick grill pan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Sprinkle fish with salt. Cook fish 4 minutes on each side or until it flakes easily when tested with a fork. Top with salsa.

Nutritional Info
CALORIES 294 (41% from fat)
FAT 13.2g (sat 3.1g, mono 5.7g, poly 3.2g)
PROTEIN 36.4g
CARBOHYDRATE 5.6g
FIBER 0.6g
CHOLESTEROL 87mg
IRON 0.8mg
SODIUM 375mg
CALCIUM 26mg



Health, APRIL 2002

Zero Points Value Slow Cooker Soup

One of my favorite things to make is a good soup. Soups can climb high in sodium and calories if it uses cream base or fatty meat as the flavoring. Here is a 0 point (new and old system) soup from Weight Watchers that will add great flavor, vegetables, and fiber to any meal.

Zero POINTS® Value Slow Cooker Soup

10 oz spinach, baby leaves
2 medium carrot(s), chopped
2 medium celery, ribs, chopped
1 large onion(s), chopped
1 medium garlic clove(s), minced
4 cup(s) vegetable broth
28 oz canned diced tomatoes
2 piece(s) bay leaf
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, crushed

Place all ingredients in a slow cooker; cover and cook on high power for 5 hours. Remove bay leaves, stir and serve.

Yields about 1 cup per serving.

POINTS® Value: 0
Servings: 8

10 "Healthiest" Fast Food Meals

From a friend who leads Weight Watchers Meetings in Syracuse, here is an article about the 10 best fast food meals for you. She added in the points values (before points plus) to show us where these meals ranked on the Weight Watchers scale. If you're not interested in the Weight Watchers aspect, use this as a guide to help you make the best choice when eating fast food.

10 Best Fast Food Meals

Fast food breakfasts, lunches, and dinners you don't have to feel guilty about.

By Elaine Magee, MPH, RD
WebMD Expert Review

So you're trying to eat healthy and/or lose some extra pounds, but you're on the road and in a hurry – so you find yourself in the drive-through line. Not to worry: There is such a thing as healthy fast food (or at least healthier). You can order a meal at most fast food chains with less than 500 calories, moderate amounts of fat and saturated fat, and ample protein and fiber.

Here are 10 of the healthiest fast food meals from some of the top fast food chains. (To make sure your beverage choice doesn't undo the calorie savings, be sure to go for a zero-calorie drink like water, unsweetened tea, coffee, or diet soda.)

Healthy Fast Food Meal No. 1. Grilled Chicken Sandwich and Fruit Cup (Chick-fil-A)

Several fast food chains offer a grilled chicken sandwich. The trick is ordering it without mayo or creamy sauce, and making sure it’s served with a whole grain bun.

One of the healthier grilled chicken sandwiches out there is made by Chick-fil-A. Grilled chicken sandwiches at Carl’s Jr., Wendy’s, and McDonald’s are close seconds. The Carl’s Jr. sandwich comes with BBQ sauce, while the Wendy’s sandwich includes a calorie-friendly honey mustard sauce. Make sure you order the McDonald’s sandwich without mayonnaise.

Nutritional breakdown: A Chick-fil-A Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich (without the honey-roasted BBQ sauce), along with a large fruit cup, has 400 calories, 3.5 grams fat (8% calories from fat), 1 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 55 mg cholesterol, 1120 mg sodium, 65 g carbohydrate, 6 g fiber, and 30 g protein. 7POINTS

Healthy Fast Food Meal No. 2. Chili-Topped Potato (Wendy's)

You won’t find a "chili topped potato" on the Wendy’s menu. But you can make this savory and satisfying meal happen by buying the plain baked potato and a small chili. Together, they make a balanced meal with ample protein, carbs, and fat, and half a day’s worth of fiber (12 grams).

A plain baked potato and small chili from Wendy’s has 460 calories, 6 g fat (12% calories from fat), 2.5 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 40 mg cholesterol, 855 mg sodium, 80 g carbohydrate, 12 g fiber, and 21 g protein. 9 POINTS

Healthy Fast Food Meal No. 3: Grilled Chicken Breast with Mashed Potatoes, Corn on the Cob (KFC)

When you want something far from standard fast food fare, KFC’s meal deal can be a healthful solution. Choose their tasty grilled chicken breast as your entree, and mashed potatoes and corn as your two sides. This combination offers plenty of protein (41 grams) with a moderate amount of carbohydrate (49 grams) and fat (10 grams).

A meal of grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, and 5.5-inch corncob from (KFC) contains 430 calories, 10 g fat (21% calories from fat), 2 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 90 mg cholesterol, 905 mg sodium, 49 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, and 41 g protein. 9 POINTS

Healthy Fast Food Meal No. 4: Chick-n-Minis Breakfast (Chick-Fil-A)

What’s the best fast food breakfast sandwich? Believe it or not, there are a few contenders. There’s the Breakfast Jack from Jack in the Box, which is fairly low in calories, fat, and sodium (284 calories, 11 grams fat, 4 grams saturated fat, 790 mg sodium 7 POINTS). And then there's McDonald’s Egg McMuffin, which has more fiber and protein (2 g fiber, 18 g protein) than many other breakfast sandwiches. But the title goes to Chick-Fil-A’s Chick-n-minis -- the lowest in calories, fat, cholesterol, and sodium among the offerings at the major chains.

Chick-Fil-A's Chick-n-Minis have 260 calories, 10 g fat (35% calories from fat), 2.5 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 40 mg cholesterol, 650 mg sodium, 30 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, and 14 g protein. 6 POINTS

Healthy Fast Food Meal No. 5: Chicken Teriyaki Bowl (Jack in the Box)

This dish would be better if it had brown rice instead of white rice, and the sodium is definitely high (1461 milligrams). Still, it's very low in saturated fat yet contains plenty of protein (25 grams) and some fiber (4 grams). I chose the Chicken Teriyaki Bowl over Jack in the Box’s Steak Teriyaki Bowl because the steak option has even more sodium (1739 mg) plus 2 more grams of saturated fat.

The Chicken Teriyaki Bowl from Jack in the Box contains 585 calories, 6 g fat (9% calories from fat), 1 g saturated fat (2% calories from saturated fat), 0 g trans fat, 36 mg cholesterol, 1461 mg sodium, 106 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, and 25 g protein. 11 POINTS

Healthy Fast Food Meal No. 6: Chargrilled Chicken Cool Wrap (Chick-fil-A)

I think this is the best-looking, best tasting, most satisfying fast food chicken wrap on the market. It doesn’t compare to the smaller wraps made by a couple of other chains. Although you’d probably need two of the smaller wraps for a meal, one of these wraps is likely to satisfy. It’s packed with fiber (9 grams) and protein (33 grams) and moderate in fat and saturated fat. However, it is high in sodium (1,300 mg) and any dressing served with it would add to that. The two Chick-fil-A dressings lowest in fat and sodium are Fat-Free Honey Mustard (60 calories, 0 g fat, 210 mg sodium) and Reduced Fat Berry Balsamic Vinaigrette (70 calories, 2 g fat, 150 mg sodium).

Chick-fil A's Chargrilled Chicken Cool Wrap with Fat Free Honey Mustard Dressing has

470 calories, 12 g fat (23% calories from fat), 4 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 55 mg cholesterol, 1510 mg sodium, 64 g carbohydrate, 10 g fiber, 33 g protein. 10 POINTS

Healthy Fast Food Meal No. 7: Southwest Salad and Fruit n Yogurt Parfait (McDonalds)

The grilled chicken salads offered at a handful of fast food chains are among the best options -- as long as the chicken is grilled, not fried, and the dressing is light. One standout is McDonalds' Southwest Salad, which is the highest in fiber and protein and among the lowest in saturated fat among the major chains' chicken salads.

Another good choice would be the Chargrilled and Fruit Salad from Chick-fil-A, the lowest in fat and cholesterol. (Adding a large bowl of their Hearty Breast of Chicken Soup would make this a filling meal.) Not including dressing, the Burger King Tendergrill Chicken Garden Salad is the lowest in calories, and Carl’s Jr.'s Charbroiled BBQ Chicken Salad is the lowest in sodium.

A meal of McDonald's Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken (not including dressing) and Fruit ‘n Yogurt Parfait has 480 calories, 11 g fat (21% calories from fat), 4 g saturated fat , 0 g trans fat, 75 mg cholesterol, 1045 mg sodium, 61 g carbohydrate, 7 g fiber, and 34 g protein. 10 POINTS

Healthy Fast Food Meal No. 8. Veggie Burger and Garden Salad (Burger King)

Veggie burgers come and go at fast food outlets, and at this moment the best one is also the only one among major chains. You should order Burger King’s Veggie Burger without mayonnaise, but the cheese slice is up to you.

This surprisingly tasty sandwich, which is more like a garden burger than a soy substitute trying to be a beef burger, contributes 7 grams of fiber and 22 grams of protein (25 if you opt for the cheese). Make it a meal by adding a garden salad.

A Burger King Veggie Burger (without mayonnaise), Garden Salad (no chicken) and half a packet of Light Italian Dressing totals 450 calories, 12.5 g fat (25% calories from fat), 4.2 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 1320 mg sodium, 52.5 g carbohydrate, 10 g fiber, 26 g protein. 9 POINTS

Healthy Fast Food Meal No. 9: Veggie Delite Sandwich and Tomato Orzo Soup (Subway)

Another good vegetarian option, particularly if you watching your sodium intake, is the Veggie Delite Sandwich from Subway with 5 grams of fiber and 410 milligrams sodium. Pair it with a bowl of vegetable soup for a filling lunch.

A 6-inch Veggie Delite sandwich plus Fire-Roasted Tomato Orzo soup from Subway totals 360 calories, 3.5 g fat (9% calories from fat), 1 g saturated fat , 0 g trans fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 820 mg sodium, 69 g carbohydrate, 7 g fiber, 14 g protein. 7 POINTS

Healthy Fast Food Meal No 10: Chicken Fresco Burrito Supreme and Pintos 'n' Cheese (Taco Bell)

Need a protein-and-fiber boost in the middle of the day? The Chicken Fresco Burrito Supreme gives you 8 grams of fiber and 18 grams of protein with only 21% calories from fat. The sodium is high, however – 1,410 milligrams. If you're looking for a vegetarian choice, Taco Bell's Fresco Bean Burrito has similar nutritional statistics, and goes great with a side of Mexican Rice.

A Chicken Fresco Burrito Supreme with Pintos ‘n Cheese from Taco Bell has 520 calories, 15 g fat (26% calories from fat), 5.5 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 40 mg cholesterol, 2140 mg sodium, 69 g carbohydrate, 17 g fiber, 28 g protein. 11 POINTS

(Elaine Magee, MPH, RD, is the "Recipe Doctor" for WebMD and the author of numerous books on nutrition and health. Her opinions and conclusions are her own.)