Opening an empty fridge on a weekday morning looking for something to eat for lunch can be a pretty draining task. Dining in restaurants, overnight getaways and having company on the weekends can definitely set us all off on the wrong foot come Monday morning.

With a little prep time here and there (say on a Sunday afternoon for a couple hours) we can turn those grins upside down when that fridge light comes on.

Leftovers are usually my go-to for lunch the next day, but on days when there’s none, I like to have a few more alternatives before I defrost something from the freezer or head to the Whole Foods salad bar.  

Here’s what I had this week that got us off to a great start. Tommy too!

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

If you like garlicky with a splash of tang and subtle richness, then you’ve come to the right place. You may of course buy hummus in the store as long as you can pronounce the ingredients, but for a healthy snack that will take me through the week, I find it’s worth it to make it myself. It literally takes 5 minutes.

8 oz box chick peas (garbanzo beans) or can

1 cup roasted red peppers (I used all the peppers from this 12 oz jar)

½ of an avocado diced

½ of a lemon’s juice freshly squeezed

¼ cup olive oil

3 garlic cloves, crushed

Dash Sea salt & pepper

Add all ingredients to food processor and pulse until well incorporated. Adjust seasonings to taste if needed. You may also use a blender, though may have to add a bit more liquid to keep it from getting stuck.

“Pistachio” & Chocolate Pudding

This recipe is perfect if you have an avocado and banana that are both getting ripe and you’re panicking because you don’t know what to do with them.

For the nuts, I actually didn’t even use pistachio (though you may), but I wanted to use something that most people have in their fridge, and since I didn’t feel like washing the food processor twice just to blend the nuts, I thought ….what about this cute little nut butter I have in the fridge. I ordered this little collection from manna organic bakery and they sat in there in the fridge for like 2 months, I guess because I thought they were so cute in there. I had pecan, walnut, mixed nuts and a couple others. I ended up going with the pecan. OMG. There is a hint of honey in the blend and the combo is killer. If you’re looking to expand your nut butter collection, you must check these out. Other option is to use any variation of nut butter that you have and let me know how it turns out!

Ingredients

1 Avocado
1 Banana
1 Tbsp nut butter
Pinch salt

Place all ingredients to a medium bowl and using stick blender, stir until well incorporated. (You may also use a food processor). Chill for about an hour. You might notice the top layer gets a little brown in the fridge. Don’t fret. Just skim it off with a knife and you’ll see some goodness underneath.  

To make the chocolate pudding, simply add 1 Tbsp raw cacao powder to the first pudding. You may omit the nuts, but I liked the texture and sweetness they brought to the table. No pun intended.

Easy Pickled Egg Salad

If you have access to a local farm, please go and get yourself fresh farm eggs. I promise you won’t go back. If you’re having trouble finding a spot, check out this website. You choose your state and it will help guide you to some local goods that are near you. http://www.eatwild.com/products/

This egg salad is a really nice thing to have on hand for a few days. It’s perfect for any time of day and very easy to put together. I find it’s even better after it sits for a day or two.

Ingredient Note: Pickled onions

Take a moment to let your onions soak for at least 10 minutes (or even a few hours) in apple cider vinegar. It takes the strong flavor out of the onion, so you’re not tasting it for hours afterwards, plus it adds a pickled punch that goes so well with the eggs but doesn’t overpower them. Totally kid friendly. 

Busy people tip

Hard boil the eggs the day before if you wish. After boiling, be sure to have them take a plunge in a large bowl of ice water so they’re easier to peel.

Ingredients

6 Eggs Hard boiled, cooled, and peeled

2 Tbsp red onion (minced and soaked in small amount of apple cider vinegar)

1 large pickle, thinly sliced

1 celery rib thinly chopped

2 Tbsp plain Greek yogurt  

1 Tbsp organic yellow mustard

1 Tbsp organic mayo

Sea salt & pepper to taste

Cut eggs in half and remove yolks. Add yolks to large bowl and mix with the mustard, mayo, and yogurt. Set aside.

Dice egg whites on a clean cutting board and add them to a large bowl. Add yolk mixture along with pickles, onions, and celery, stirring until blended well. Refrigerate 1 hour.

Serve on an open-faced piece of bread or serve with crackers.