Takeout, delivery and drive-through foods are often economical timesavers. However, unfortunately, if you indulge a lot, there is something that may be even faster: How quickly some of those nutritiously questionable foods may start playing havoc with your health.

It's fun and wise to experiment with ingredients and spices for split-second copies you can make at home. Often, just a few tweaks are all it takes to create a dish reminiscent of the original, like gourmet pizzas that are prepared with chicken breast, cilantro and a sweet and spicy sauce, or burgers stuffed with low-fat pepperjack cheese and olives that get part of their bounce from pinto beans and Mexican spices.

Cooking can be easy, nutritious, inexpensive, fun and fast, as the following savvy substitutions prove. The dishes are delicious evidence that everyone — including you and your kid helpers — has time for tasty home cooking and, more importantly, the healthy family time in the kitchen that goes along with it!

Another benefit: You effortlessly become a better cook since there are no right or wrong amounts. These are virtually-can't-go-wrong combinations, so whatever you choose to use can't help but draw "wows" at the table.

Here are some helpful ideas:

—Friendly, Rather than Fried, Chicken: Dredge chicken pieces in a mixture of egg and low-fat buttermilk and then in whole-wheat bread crumbs that have been seasoned with curry powder and ground ginger. Bake at 425 F for about 20 minutes, until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 F.

—Pizza with Pizzazz: Turn on broiler. Top whole-wheat English muffins with low-sugar ketchup that's been mixed with sugar-free apricot jam. Top with shredded, drained canned chicken breast, shredded fresh spinach, fresh cilantro, ground cumin and cardamom and white cheddar cheese and broil until cheese is melted and bubbling.

—Burgers That Beat the Rest: To lean ground beef, lean ground chicken breast or lean ground turkey breast, add drained, ground pinto beans and jarred Mexican or Italian seasoning blend to taste (these tend to have no salt, compared to paper packets, which tend to have a lot of it). Create a well in the middle of each burger and stuff with small pieces of low-fat pepperjack cheese and finely diced black olives before cooking to an internal temperature of 160 F.

—Chinese With Ease: Get prepackaged wonton wrappers from the supermarket refrigerator case and fill with cabbage mix from a packaged coleslaw mix. Sprinkle with cooked diced baby shrimp, freshly ground black pepper and peach chutney before sealing according to package instructions. Brush skins all over lightly with olive oil and bake at 425 F for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.

—Tostada That's the Total Package: Brush whole-wheat tortilla on one side with olive oil and place that side down in a skillet and heat until it gets a bit crispy and puffy. Carefully remove with a utensil and place on a paper towel to absorb oil. Top with chunks of tofu you've sauteed (in olive oil that's been seasoned with cumin, cilantro, garlic and onion powders), shredded soy cheese, cooked pinto beans, cooked brown rice, salsa and chopped black olives. Top with guacamole (which is made from the "good fat" of avocadoes) and vegan sour cream.

Photo courtesy of FoodNetwork.com

Gourmet English muffin pizzas can be a nutritious homemade alternative to takeout pizza.

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.