Moms are heroes. The ultimate multi-taskers. They act as chef, chauffeur, dry cleaners, cheerleaders, advisors, friends, doctors, wives, back-scratchers, hair-brushers, bath-givers, and bullies to the monsters under beds. All of that, while a lot of times holding a job in the workforce or volunteering. Can we just take a second to give moms everywhere a round of applause?

The point of all of that? Moms are BUSY!

With kids scattered in every different directions and various responsibilities aside from parenting, one thing we can safely say today’s moms are probably short on is time. There is inevitably a time when there’s just not enough time to get 3 meals cooked for everyone and still have everyone where they need to be at the right time.

Even just ten years ago, if you got into a time-crunch and needed to stop at a fast food restaurant for a quick dinner, you were out-of-luck if you were trying to watch your weight or make health-conscious choices.

But today with the increased concern in heart health, childhood obesity, and diabetes, there are so many options to choose from. Just because you’re short on time, doesn’t mean you have to shortchange your or your family’s health.

Here are a few of my favorite fast-food options:

McDonald’s: Only have time for a quick drive-thru breakfast this morning? For a fruity, nutty, delicious breakfast, try out McDonald’s Fruit & Maple Oatmeal!

At 260 calories(if you skip the brown sugar), you also get 4.5 g total fat, 49 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber, and 5 g protein. It also provides 2 servings of whole grains! Pick up some black coffee to go with it, and you’ve got yourself an unbeatable breakfast in a pinch.

Panera Bread: Panera is one of my newest favorite places to eat out because of all of the variety they offer! (And it smells nice.) It’s so easy to make healthy choices there. My favorite is the Power Chicken Hummus Bowl!

Full of all-natural, antibiotic-free chicken on top of baby spinach with cilantro jalapeno hummus, cucumbers, diced tomatoes and red onions, this power bowl is topped with freshly squeezed lemon juice and fresh cilantro. Ordering this menu item will give you 330 calories, 14 g total fat, 20 g carbohydrates, 7 g dietary fiber and 33 whopping grams of protein!

Taco Bell: I have a certain genetic predisposition to Taco Bell passed on by my mom. But seriously. Who doesn’t love Taco Bell? (Me, when I’m trying to make good food choices.) But never fear, the new Fresco menu offers a few healthier options!

The Fresco Chicken Soft Taco comes in at 140 calories, 3.5 g total fat, 16 g carbohydrates, and 10 g protein. Don’t forget about the Vitamin C in the tomato salsa! Not bad for a taco.

Chick-fil-A: The Grilled Market Salad is my top pick for Chick-fil-A because of all the yummy toppings that don’t completely miss the point of a salad. Grilled chicken on top of Romaine and baby greens, topped with shredded red cabbage, carrots, blue cheese, red and green apples, strawberries and blueberries tastes light and refreshing while still filling me up!

Isn’t that a beautiful salad? And they are made fresh every day! Without dressing, this salad is 180 calories, 4 g fat, 4 g fiber, 25 g protein, 13 g carbohydrates and 230% of the Vitamin A you need in a day! Add on half a packet of any of their yummy dressings and you’ve got yourself an awesome lunch. You could definitely do worse.

I hope these proved helpful and gave you an idea of where you can start when you’re in a crunch for time and don’t feel like blowing your diet for the day! Take those few minutes you saved and take a deep breath, sit back, and enjoy your healthy meal.