Finding Time to Eat Healthy

In today's society, it is hard to find the time to cook and eat healthy meals. Teenagers and children have so much going on in their lives that they aren't home around dinner time, and with the many hours of sports practices and commitments, it may seem like the only option in fast food.
It is true that people are busy and finding time for something other than McDonald's or Wendy's seems near impossible but it is actually not as difficult as it may seem. If you only have one busy night in the week then I think it is acceptable to designate that as the night you go out to dinner every week. However, if you have more than one night a week with a full schedule, which most people do, then you should plan ahead and leave fast food as your last possible resort. I have a few different things that I do on nights that I have multiple activities. One thing I try is packing myself a dinner (a turkey sandwich, grapes and a granola bar), before the day starts. It only takes about 3-5 minutes of my morning to throw a few things together and put it into a lunch box. Then, if I have 30 minutes between two activities, I already have my dinner made and I don't have to worry about figuring out how to cook something in that short amount of time.
Another great way to avoid fast food is cooking ahead of time. My mom does this often with her spaghetti casserole. She can make it during a free hour in her day and keep it cool in the refrigerator. Then it is available to cook in about 15 minutes around dinner time. It is fast, easy and a healthy alternative to fast food.
Something else that is great for eating healthy is slow cook dishes in a crock pot. You can create anything from sloppy Joes to weenies to chicken tacos. All you have to do is create the dish is the morning and then attend to it later in the day, then it is ready to eat for dinner. This takes a little extra time in the morning, however it saves you time in the evening. Especially if you are in a lot of activities and only have thirty minutes in between two practices, crock pot recipes are always my mom's number one go to.
Lastly, some people don't like to cook healthily because they are too tired or worn out from the day's events. That is very common among teenagers and their parents. It's not something you should be ashamed about but you also shouldn't default to fast food or pizza because of this. It would be much healthier to have something fast and easy such as subs for dinner. All you need is bread, lunch meat and your preferred toppings and then you can eat your subs with fruit. It is simple yet healthy and you will feel much better eating a healthy sub than you would after eating a big mac.
It is understandable that people get caught up in their busy lives and often resort to fast food, but there are other options for dinner. I encourage you to think twice about the next time you are planning on going out and decide if you can find a different alternative instead.