Avocado Boats and Sandwiches 2.0
I took last weekend off from posting lunches since we were at my parents’ house in coastal, NC. Between traveling with little kids (ummm…. sleep!?!?) and then the 4th of July excitement plus no school or preschool, I feel like ALL my lunches have been true grab and go’s. Here are two of my favorites recently that work on the fly.
Avocado Boats
Avocados are SO insanely health. They have good fats (that help you stay full longer) plus are a source of vitamins C, E, K and B6 plus riboflavin, niacin, folate, magnesium and potassium. They also have omega-3 fatty acids which we pretty much all need more of — the true definition of a nutritional powerhouse. Now I realize not everyone could swim in a vat of good guac like I could, but if you’re into avocados they are a food to try for daily. Here’s my lunch or larger snack idea I call Avocado boats. Nothing brilliant about this but you have lots of options.
Ingredients:
Large avocado, ripe enough to eat and halved
Olive oil, salt and pepper, dried Italian herbs
Cheese for sprinkling (if you want)
Tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots or any veggies you have handy that you can dice up
Greens: handful of spinach, mixed greens or I love arugula. (See prior posts for health benefits of arugula!)
Assembly:
Top an avocado with any of the above. Drizzle of olive oil and possibly vinegar plus the seasonings as your dressing. Easy peasy and remarkably filling.
Sandwiches (sans deli meat)
Let’s talk about deli meat. I LOVE a good turkey or ham and cheese and for the last few years have felt like since I’m buying “no added nitrites or nitrates” super healthy deli meat from Whole Foods that I’m in the clear on the “deli meat being bad for you” thing. Turns out I’ve been wrong, and this clean eating pill has been a hard one for me to swallow.
The research is basically anywhere you look that eating processed meats (even the "healthier” ones) increases the risk of cancer because of nitrates and nitrites. I thought the "no nitrates or nitrites added" loophole on expensive high quality lunch meats protected us from that risk, but unfortunately a label will state “no nitrates or nitrites added,” but an asterisk will offer further clarification of “except those naturally occurring in celery juice powder, sea salt or a vegetable juice.” And those DO have nitrites/nitrates. So, many “natural” or “organic” meats may end up with just as high a nitrite content as meats where it’s added. At the end of the day, since I'm not into eating something too regularly that can increase my cancer risk (or my kiddos) I’m all about finding some new sandwich options. Enter… the protein challenge. I’ve tried to fill up on a veggie sandwich and, umm, it’s hard. Hummus is the hero ingredient here, however not every hummus is created equal. You want to watch for oils (ideally NO soybean or canola) and ideally buy organic (minimize the glyphosate and pesticide risk.) Not that many store bought hummus brands check all those boxes. Roots (out of Asheville, NC) and Ithaca are two brands I feel better about in the hummus world. Here’s a sandwich template to work from:
Ingredients:
100% Whole wheat pita, Dave’s Killer or any clean ingredient bread
Hummus (hefty spread on both sides - Roots and Ithaca are my favorite brands)
Veggie stack consisting of any of these: lettuce, tomato, avocado, red onion, sprouts, pickle strips, cheese
Jarred roasted red peppers if you really want to kick it up
Swizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper if the hummus is a more dry one
Once you’ve tried that bad boy, tell me it doesn’t fill you up and give you quite a flavor extravaganza!?
Until next week!