Lunchbox Guacamole

This is a 2-minute guacamole for those times when you want to balance a fun snack (chips) with something healthy (avocado). While I can happily chop and mince my way through traditional guacamole on Friday or Saturday night, that’s not realistic after school when my kids need to eat right this second (which is literally what Hammie says). This recipe is made for those times. It can also be made in the morning for a school (or office!) lunchbox. This recipe can easily be scaled up.

Avocados, as you likely know, are incredibly healthy. They are full of heart-healthy fats, and they are high in fiber, vitamin K, folate, vitamin B6, vitamin E and vitamin C. They are great for supporting children’s growth and development. In the timeless words of Michael Scott, win win win :)

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Lunchbox Guacamole

1/4 large ripe avocado
Sea salt
Garlic granules
Freshly squeezed lemon juice

With a fork, lightly mash the avocado on a small plate (I leave quite a few chunks in it). Season with sea salt and add a good pinch of garlic granules. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the whole thing and lightly mix it all together. Play with the proportions. I like to go a little heavier on the garlic granules and lighter on the lemon.

Serve or put into a lunchbox container.

Serves 1

Mustard Vinaigrette

This recipe makes mustard vinaigrette for the week, because I figure that if you’re going to take the time to paste a garlic clove, you may as well paste three and make a jar full. Also, the likelihood of eating greens significantly increases if you know that a healthy and delicious dressing is waiting for you in the fridge and all that’s required is to chop up a few leaves.

I like to make my own vinaigrette because I can use high quality olive oil (many packaged brands, even the healthy ones, contain inflammatory oils), there’s no zanthan gum or other stabilizers, and I reduce packaging.

Many mustard vinaigrettes use sherry vinegar (which is tasty) but I prefer raw apple cider vinegar to amp up the health benefits. Apple cider vinegar is said to improve metabolism and help lower blood pressure. And it tastes just as good. I put this dressing into a clean 16oz glass jar (from peanut butter or tahini or the like) and store it in the fridge. The olive oil will solidify, but just put the jar someplace warm - or into a bowl of hot water - and it will quickly come back to liquid form. Give the jar a good shake and you’re set to go.

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Mustard Vinaigrette
Adapted from the mustard vinaigrette recipe (pg 41) of Cook This Now by Melissa Clark

Note: If you don’t have kosher salt, use a bit less fine grain sea salt and go by taste. Add the large pinch into the garlic cloves, then add a rounded teaspoon or so into the dressing, shake, taste and adjust if necessary. Fine grain sea salt is a bit saltier than larger grain salt.

3 medium garlic cloves + large pinch of kosher (larger grain) sea salt
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup raw apple cider vinegar
1/2 tablespoon kosher (larger grain) sea salt
1 1/4 cups extra virgin olive oil

Peel and thinly slice your garlic cloves, then paste them with a pinch of kosher sea salt using a mortar and pestle. Put the pasted garlic into a clean jar, along with the Dijon mustard, raw apple cider vinegar, remaining kosher salt and olive oil. Screw the lid on tight and give it a really good shake to incorporate all the ingredients. Use some right away, or put in the fridge for later. This dressing will easily keep for the week.

Chocolate Cherry Chia Pudding

This is one of my go-to recipes for a quick and healthy breakfast or snack. The chia seeds and milk go into the fridge the night before, and in the morning everything comes together quickly. Chia seeds are often considered a superfood for good reason - they are high in omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, calcium, magnesium and iron. I also use raw organic cacao powder here, which is more nutrient-dense than heat-processed cocoa.

You can use the vanilla-maple flavored chia pudding in a variety of ways (cacao or not). Play around with different fresh and frozen fruits to see what you like. Our favorites are warmed frozen cherries or warmed frozen blueberries.

Note that if you aren’t prepping the pudding the night before, you will need 30-45 minutes for the chia seeds to absorb the milk and take on a pudding texture. If you mix the chia seeds with slightly warmed milk (such as homemade nut milk straight from the blender), they will absorb it faster than if it is cold.

Homemade Cashew Milk: I usually use homemade cashew milk for my chia pudding, which is super easy to make: In a Vitamix, combine a ratio of 1 cup filtered water to 1/4 cup raw unsalted cashews. Sprinkle in some sea salt. Blend on high power for a couple minutes, then pour into a clean glass jar. If you’re using a high-powered blender there is no need to pre-soak the cashews or strain the milk afterwards. It’s the easiest nut milk I know.

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Chocolate Cherry Chia Pudding

Notes: You can easily scale this recipe up or down as long as you keep the ratio of 3 tablespoons whole chia seeds to 1 cup of milk. Also, if you’re serving this to small kids, please give the bowl a quick stir so they don’t inhale a bunch of cacao powder with their first bite (which I learned first hand). Finally, if you are using sweetened cocoa powder, I would hold off on the maple syrup and only add it at the end if you feel like it needs a little.

6 tablespoons whole chia seeds
2 cups milk
Pinch of sea salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons maple syrup

To serve:
Unsweetened raw cacao powder
Fresh cherries, pitted and sliced or warmed frozen cherries (which should already be pitted)

About 45 minutes before serving (or the night before), combine the chia seeds and milk in a jar and give it a good stir (a fork works well for this). Place the jar in the fridge. Come back a couple more times within the next 15 minutes to stir again. This ensures a really smooth (non-clumpy) pudding.

When you’re ready to serve, take the jar out of the fridge and add in the sea salt, vanilla extract and maple syrup. Stir well. Portion the chia pudding into bowls and top with cherries and a sprinkling of cacao powder (see note).

Serves 4