Posted on Thu, Jul. 17, 2008

My teenage son was eating way too much of his favorite fast food, the Chicken Burrito Bol from Chipotle, and I set out to help him curb the habit.

First, the money approach. By my estimate, he was spending $100 a month on the burritos, but when I pointed this out, he just shrugged.

Next, I aimed for the gut.

''Fast food is so unhealthy,'' I said.

''Not Chipotle,'' he shot back. ``It's all natural.''

Then I found the ammunition I needed at my son's second-favorite place (after Chipotle) -- the Internet. If you click ''nutrition info'' at chipotlefan.com, you can plug in ingredients and toppings to tally the calorie and fat content of favorite items.

The damage from my son's Chicken Burrito Bols: 645 calories and 31 grams of fat each.

''Wow,'' he said. ``That's a lot of fat.''

Finally, I tried to make it up to him by adapting a recipe from the Chipotle website for a lower-calorie -- and vastly cheaper -- version of his favorite meal.

We've served today's Copycat Chipotle Chicken over salads, in quesadillas, with nachos and as a burrito filling. It's got a spicy kick that my son admits tastes similar to the real thing.

Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross' latest book is Cheap. Fast. Good! Their website is desperationdinners.com.