I admit, especially as a mom of 3, the drive through calls my name. And I do have some favorites. But I’ll tell you what isn’t my favorite, the cost and the calories. I’ve recently been on a health journey and lost 20 lbs. I found that eating less, in general, has been my key to success. So being able to eat my favorite food recipes, at home, allows me flexibility without the temptation of extra fries or sugary drinks. I can’t lie, it’s also super good for the bank account.
KFC Bowls
These bowls are incredibly easy and comforting. As you can see, I have been known to just heat up a simple chicken nuggets to make these bowls. BUT you can make whatever type of chicken is your favorite. You could even use grilled chicken to make these even healthier. For mashed potatoes, I use instant mashed, but you could make your own or choose mashed cauliflower for a high nutrient low calorie treat.
Assemble the Bowls
To assemble the bowls, start with a dollop of your mashed potatoes and top them with warmed canned or frozen corn, top that with shredded cheddar and your cooked chicken. I top mine off with a homemade gravy but jared is also acceptable.
To Make Homemade Gravy
Heat 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat in a sauce pan or small frying pan. Once the butter is melted and bubbly, add in 1 tablespoon of flour and stir constantly with a whisk. Once the butter and flour resembles a paste. To the paste whisk in 1/2 a cup of chicken or bone broth (you can also make up bouillon).
McDonald’s Sausage Breakfast Burritos
I personally believe that McDonald’s Breakfast is a far superior fast food breakfast! These sausage burritos are super easy and inexpensive to cook up. Buying 1 or 2 burritos for each person in my family adds up but making these at home can be very affordable. They are also a great make ahead breakfast because they freeze and re-heat really well in the microwave.
How to Make the Burritos
Add cook up 1lb of pork sausage and drain any excess fat, if necessary. Add in 1/2 a cup of diced onion and 1/3 a cup of salsa can cook until warmed through. Scramble 9 eggs and add them to the pan. Mix everything well until the eggs are cooked.
To assemble the burrito, place 1/3 a cup or so of the filling into a flour tortilla and add in a piece of Amercian cheese (I like to rip mine in half and place them in a line). Roll the tortilla up to your liking. I like to close in one end but leave the other end open. I think this is how McDonald’s does it. This makes about 10 burritos!
McDonald’s Sausage McMuffin
These are pretty easy to make and taste JUST LIKE the real thing, if not better! I was able to snag english muffins on sale at Aldi the other day for just $.49 for 6! It doesn’t get much better than that! Start by toasting up as many english muffins as you want to make. I buy those frozen sausage patties and simply microwave them but, if you have a griddle, I’d griddle both the sausage and the english muffins.
Cooking the Eggs
To cook to the eggs I use this little egg pan that helps to make them just like the McDonald’s egg patties. You can get one just like it here. It really does make a difference to cook the eggs into evenly distributed patties, just make sure to break the yolk and cook the egg all the way through just like McDonald’s does.
Sandwich Assembly
I agonized a bit over exactly how to stack this sandwich so that the flavors were just right. In the end, it probably doesn’t matter too much but I did settle on American cheese, followed by sausage, then egg. These are definitely worth making at home!
Wendy’s Chili
I have a friend who claims to be a Wendy’s connoisseur and she agrees that this tastes EXACTLY like Wendy’s Chili. Chili is always a budget friendly treat that can feed a crowd or last all week as meal prep. I like to make this one in particular because it’s thicker than some others, but full of flavor. Plus, everyone loves it when you show up to a party saying you brought “Wendy’s Chili.”
What You Need:
For this chili, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- 2lbs ground beef
- 1/4 cup chopped celery
- 3 small diced tomatoes
- 1 small to medium onion ( or 1tbsp onion powder)
- 30 oz of tomato sauce
- 1 can of diced green chili beans
- 4 cans of drained and rinsed kidney beans (about 1lb of dried beans cooked)
- 2 cups of water
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cumin
- 3 tbsp chili powder
- 1 1/2 tsp black pepper
How to Make Wendy’s Chili
Brown your ground beef in a large pot. To the ground beef, add in all of the other ingredients and stir together. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer and cook for 2-3 hours until all the flavors have melded. I find this is really easy to start at home then bring to a friends house and keep on the stove for the remaining time or place into a crockpot on low for the remaining time. Once the chili is done, always remember to check your seasonings and add extra salt or chili powder, if needed.
Taco Bell Crunch Wraps
This is definitely a family favorite!
What You Need to Make
- 1 jar of nacho cheese or queso cheese dip
- 1lb of ground beef
- 1 small chopped onion
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tbsp taco seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 cups shredded lettuce
- 1 diced tomato
- 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
- 6 large flour tortillas
- 6 tostada shells
How to Make Your Own Crunch Wraps
Microwave your tortillas to warm them and make them easier to work with. Spread 1/2 a cup of taco meat on a tortilla. Microwave the cheese dip for about 20 seconds to warm it up and spread 2 tablespoons on the meat. Top with a tostada shell, a thin layer of sour cream, a handful of shredded lettuce, tomato, and shredded cheese. To fold the tortillas, start at the bottom of the tortilla and fold up to the center, continue all the way around. Heat on a non-stick skillet over medium heat for 1-2 minutes per side. You want the outside to be golden brown. These are such a treat and so easy to make!
Big Mac Wrap
These were based on the popular TikTok recipe for Big Mac Smash Tacos or Smash Burgers. I ended up using larger tortillas so mine was more like a burger quesadilla or wrap. I love making my favorite flavors from fast food restaurants into something better. In fact, I like the Big Mac so much I also have a fabulous recipe for an even healthier Big Mac Bowl.
What You Need for Big Mac Wraps
The ingredients are actually so simple, I usually have them on hand and can make these any day of the week! These ingredients should make 4 decent sized wraps
- 1lb ground beef
- salt and pepper
- Flour Tortillas
- American cheese or shredded cheddar
- 1 diced onion
- 1/2 head shredded iceberg lettuce
- 1 diced tomato
- Diced pickles
- Thousand Island Dressing
How To Make the Wraps
Place burger side down over medium high heat on a non-stick skillet. Make sure that the burger meat is cooked all the way through before you flip the tortilla. Flip the tortilla and top with a slice of American cheese or a sprinkle of shredded cheddar. Cook until crispy and the cheese has melted. Remove the burger from the heat and place on a cutting board. Top the wrap with whatever your favorite toppings are. I like to sprinkle on onion, iceberg lettuce, diced tomato, sliced or diced pickles and a squeeze of thousand island dressing. Alternatively, you can make your own Big Mac sauce.
These wraps are absolutely delicious and are one of my favorite twists on fast food recipes.
Copycat Chipotle Burrito Bowls
I first tried these bowls when trying 22 Strict Budget Meals on Youtube and became obsessed. This chicken is a bit spicy but completely delicious! This key to this recipe is using boneless skinless chicken thighs marinated in chipotle in adobo. The process is super simple and I love chopping the chicken up and sautéing it in the sauce so that is even more juicy. You can get the full recipe here!
CHICK-FIL-A COLESLAW
You can always grab a bag of coleslaw mix at Aldi, Walmart, or your local grocery store for a few bucks. At my local stores, it runs around $1.99 but can go on sale for as low as $.99. Combine a cheap bag of goodness with mayo, sugar, vinegar, and a few spices and you have yourself a Chick-Fil-A copycat! If guests hear it’s Chick-Fil-A’s recipe they are sure to try it! And, in my opinion, this is the best coleslaw recipe out there!
More of the Best Fast Food Recipes!
To see me make all these copycat fast food recipes and provide some extra cooking tips, go ahead and watch my Youtube Video here! And now that you have a great start cooking for less this summer check out even more copycat recipes here. And, if you’re really just short on time and money, it’s ok because I’ve made a list of 15 recipes that can be made for just $5 in less than 10 minutes!
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