Long ago I decided that eating healthy food tastes ridiculously better than eating junk food. I mean, have you ever slathered real butter over a whole grain chocolate muffin made with all real food ingredients? Ever enjoyed a Strawberry Cheesecake Parfait made with fresh, real food ingredients? So much yum! You can’t pay me to trade those in for a poptart from a box after enjoying such delicious real food.
Still, I think we all have our junk-food-guilty-pleasures, right? While I love so many nourishing dishes – a steaming pot roast, cheesy potatoes, fresh from the garden green beans, tossed green salad with homemade ranch – I do have my moments that I get an absurd hankering for Lays potato chips. The Stax kind. These are dangerous in my hands and I forget all things wise and nourishing when I have some {hangs head and shrugs sheepishly}.
What I’m here to share with you today (besides my Lays Stax confession – but I don’t want to talk about that anymore) is that there are many super fun, super nourishing foods I make regularly for my family and they really make us feel strangely like we’re eating junk food. Among them are our two favorites:
I’m sorry, but is there any better way to eat vegetables? (Yes, I know avocados are fruit. But they are green so in my head they will always be a veggie, not that it really matters.)
Our family can stand in the kitchen and eat an unbelievable amount of sweet potato fries. We feel zero guilt and 100% joy over this because I make them with healthy oils that can withstand high temps, so we don’t have to fear the fried food. We salt them with Redmond Season Salt and we eat and we eat and we eat. There is nothing bad about these and everything good. Sweet Potato Fries. Best “junk food” ever.
Unless we’re talking about Guacomole. This gives Sweet Potato Fries a run for their money. Yes, we eat Guac with chips, but c’mon now. We’re eating avocados and salsa. Happy, happy health food. (I get chips like these with are a step above, but also, tortilla chips in general aren’t too bad with their three or so ingredients.)
So there you have it. There are many real foods that taste awesome and feel like a treat to eat. Cream Cheese Corn? It’s like eating a bowl full of candy. Strawberry Cheesecake Parfaits? Wowza. Homemade Chicken Nuggets? It doesn’t get any better than this.
What are your favorite healthy foods that taste like you’re eating junk food?
Want to learn more about making your favorite foods the healthy way?
Grab our free Simple Real Food Substitutions printable!
This printable shares all our favorite real food substitutions that makes food tastes so delicious without compromising good health! Get yours here.
Actually, potato chips are one of the healthiest junk foods you can eat! Most of them are not fried in very healthy oils, and they are pretty high in sodium, but a serving of potato chips actually has more potassium than a banana! And I think there is even a gram or two of protein, and of course, no added sugar is always good :) I always avoid the flavored chips though since they can be neuroexcitatory :/
I totally disagree. The oils used in cooking potatoes chips are not healthy. Vegetable oils are not good to use at those temperatures. Coconut, tallow Avocado and extra virgin olive oil are fine
Yea, Jennifer, I respectfully disagree, too. A hamburger at my local Culver’s has fewer calories than their chicken sandwich. And their milkshakes are made with milk. But that doesn’t mean I can eat a hamburger & milkshake every day with wild abandon.
I beieve the point of the post was to find foods that have the fun and mouthfeel of junkfood – but are actually made with whole ingredients and prepared using healthy methods.
To that end, Laura I will forever be grateful for discovering palm oil through your blog. You have made it possible to bring fried eggplant, homemade pita chips, french fries, and chicken nuggets back into my life now that I can make all that “junk” at homein a healthy way.