Having the time to prepare a healthy dinner after a long day at work is a major challenge. When you come home hungry, it's second nature to grab something that looks appealing and is just sitting there, ready to be popped into your mouth. All too often, it's an unhealthy choice. These are two ways to solve the problem.

Bring It Home

Not all take-out food is unhealthy but you have to do a bit of sleuthing to identify some healthy options that appeal to you. Look around the neighborhoods between your work location and home and identify some healthy foods you like in local natural food stores or supermarkets with take-out sections, inexpensive restaurants or even fast-food chains. Granted, this requires a bit of time on your part but it isn't something you have to do forever. The time you invest in one round of research can reap rewards for months, or even years.

Make an appointment with yourself to do your sleuthing on a set day, put it on your calendar and don't be late for your date. If you like shopping, it should be fun. If not, consider this modern man's way of hunting for food. Cave man didn't eat poison berries, and for the same reason, you shouldn't eat unhealthy food. It can kill you just like bad berries; it just takes a lot longer.

If nothing in your community fits the bill, talk to local merchants and let them know, for example, that you'd like chicken or fish that's broiled instead of fried, and some vegetables that are steamed or grilled. Healthier options are one of the fastest growing trends in today's prepared food business and stores and restaurants are trying really hard to cater to the needs of consumers -- you. That's how they make money so there's a very good chance they'll oblige.

Stock the Fridge

The tendency to eat whatever is in front of you or within easy reach can be used to your advantage. If you like cooking, do it on Sunday and make enough for leftovers during the week. If you're not a cook, frozen dinners can be healthy if they're not loaded with sodium or added fat. Look for ones that contain a lean piece of meat or fish and vegetables with spices or marinades as seasonings. Tomato sauces are much healthier than cream or cheese sauces.

Decent frozen food shouldn't need artificial flavorings, color or preservatives -- after all, the freezing is supposed to preserve it. Organic frozen foods are a good option because they're made without the additives and rely on natural flavors. Do a little sleuthing to find dishes that you personally like and keep your freezer stocked.

If you're too hungry to wait while you're warming up the dinner, have some precut, ready-to-eat vegetables in your fridge. If they're raw and you want to dip them in something, salsa is a healthy choice, so keep it handy. To make it easier to steer the hand to the vegetables, designate one or two containers for healthy instant-munch food. That way, you don't have to think about what to grab.

With these options, there's some planning involved, but once you've identified how to conveniently get the healthy foods that work for you, the day-to-day motions become habits. And once developed, habits become easier to maintain, even if they're good for you.