Driving Carefully Through Fast-Food Lanes Yields Convenient and Healthful Results by Lisa Messinger on Creators.com

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If you're out of breath after cooking throughout the busy holiday season, what could be more appealing than a steady drive-thru diet? If you'd like those rides to be healthful as well as quick, you'd be wise to have your new year to-do lists include a roundup of a peppering of fast foods that experts consistently recommend for the nutrition conscious.

— In its advertising, Taco Bell has introduced the nation to "Christine," a purple bikini-clad woman who has lost 54 pounds over the last two years by following the chain's Drive Thru Diet (www.DriveThruDiet.com, their site that sometimes includes coupons for a free sample). The menu features seven Fresco Tacos and Burritos, including carne asada steak, grilled chicken and ground beef that have 9 grams of fat or less. The Fresco Steak Soft Taco includes just 160 calories and 4.5 grams of fat.

— Long before Taco Bell's "Christine," there was Subway's "Jared," who touted his massive weight loss by selecting the sandwich maker's low-fat choices. Subway continues to offer low-fat sandwiches on its menu and also recently introduced a slew of breakfasts for the nutrition conscious. They just kicked off their "New Year's Inspiration Zone" menu in conjunction with the NBC hit show "The Biggest Loser." The menu includes the new cheese-topped Fresh Fit Turkey Melt 6-inch sub on whole-grain bread with 7 grams of fat and 330 calories.

— The 340-calorie breakfast croissant with ham and eggs at Burger King is often touted by nutritionists who zero-in on the best choices on fast-food menus. The Home of the Whopper chain's little-publicized Veggie Burger, when ordered without mayonnaise, is a 330-calorie selection.

— An Arby's regular roast beef sandwich can be a calorie-friendly choice at 350 calories. Their Chopped Turkey Club Salad or Chopped Farmhouse Chicken Salads weigh in at about 250 calories each.

— Kentucky Fried Chicken recently jumped on the nutrition-conscious bandwagon with the biggest launch in the company's history: its "un-fried" grilled chicken. KFC promoted its penny-per-calorie, 395-calorie Kentucky Grilled Chicken Meal as a hearty and healthy choice: a grilled chicken drumstick and thigh accompanied by green beans and mashed potatoes with gravy.

If the ease and simplicity behind the fast-food fitness menus inspire you to whip up some fast copycats at home, here are a few quick options:

BIGGEST LOSER ROSEMARY-SKEWERED GRILLED CHICKEN

Juice of 3 oranges

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon honey

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes

6 large sprigs of rosemary about 10 to 12 inches long, with half the leaves removed

Yields 6 servings.

Preheat a grill or grill pan on medium high heat.

Place the orange juice into a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the orange juice has the consistency of a very thin syrup.

Add the Dijon, honey, garlic and ginger and continue cooking over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes.

Remove from heat to allow flavors to meld and reserve.

Evenly divide the cubed chicken among the rosemary sprigs and skewer the chicken onto the exposed part of the rosemary sprigs.

Grill chicken for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 F on an instant read thermometer.

Remove skewers from the grill to a serving plate, drizzle with the orange sauce and serve immediately.

— NBC-TV "The Biggest Loser"

STEAK TACOS AL CARBON

2 pounds top sirloin

8 flour tortillas

1 small red onion, chopped

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 green bell pepper (roasted, peeled, seeded and sliced; see Note)

1 red bell pepper (roasted, peeled, seeded and sliced)

1 yellow bell pepper (roasted, peeled, seeded and sliced)

Hot sauce, for serving

Heated store-bought tomatillo sauce, for serving

Yields 4 servings of 2 tacos each.

Cook the top sirloin on a grill.

Cook each side 2 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 F on an instant read thermometer.

Put 2 tortillas on a plate, and then add onions, cheese, grilled sirloin, bell peppers, hot sauce and tomatillo sauce.

Note: To roast bell peppers, carefully place them over an open flame, turning frequently with a utensil, blackening the skin. Carefully place in a food storage bag for 20 minutes or until cool. This will have the effect of steaming the peppers. Peel the skin off with your fingers, remove the seeds and ribs and then slice.

— Adapted from "El Cholo Cookbook" by Merrill Shindler (Angel City Press, $18.95).

Lisa Messinger is a first-place winner in food writing from the Association of Food Journalists and the author of seven food books, including "Mrs. Cubbison's Best Stuffing Cookbook" and "The Sourdough Bread Bowl Cookbook." She also writes the Creators News Service "Cooks' Books" column. To find out more about Lisa Messinger and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.