5-Minute Lunch Box #6: Brownies-No Cooking Required

I had Jason help me out with his quick lunch box treat. These brownies are very kid-friendly and make a great healthy dessert or snack.  The taste reminds me of fudge :-)

I know you can't hear the audio, but when we finished, Simon said, "we're done already?" :-)

Recipe adapted from Organic Avenue 

No-Bake Brownies

by Organic Avenue

Prep Time: 5 mins

Keywords: vegan

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 1 1/2 cups raw walnuts
• 1 cup pitted dates ( I used Medjool but any dates should be fine)
• 1/3 cup cacao powder
• 1 tsp vanilla bean (I used vanilla extract)
• 2 tsp of water
• Additional walnuts to top the brownies (optional)

Instructions

In a food processor, grind the walnuts and salt until fine. Add the dates and process until dough forms. Next, add the cacao, vanilla, water and process again until well mixed.

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Guacamole Salad

I came across Ina Garten's recipe and had to try it!

Ingredients:

• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and 1/2-inch diced (I skipped this ingredient)
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup small diced red onion
• 2 tablespoons minced jalapeno peppers, seeded (I didn't add this either)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (2 limes)
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 2 ripe Hass avocados, seeded, peeled, and 1/2-inch diced

Directions:

Place the tomatoes, yellow pepper, black beans, red onion, jalapeno peppers, and lime zest in a large bowl. Whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic, and cayenne pepper and pour over the vegetables. Toss well.

Just before serving, fold the avocados into the salad. Check the seasoning and serve at room temperature.

I made this salad for my lunch with garlic bread and saved some for the boys' lunch box the next day.  

Quick, delicious, and healthy :-)

5-Minute Lunch Box #4: Donut Holes-No Cooking Required

>>> Click to Get 5 Kid-Friendly Snacks Your Family Will Love <<<

These donut holes are not only good for lunch boxes but my chipmunks enjoy them as an afternoon snack and breakfast treat.  This snack is made from fruit and almonds, so it's a great alternative to snack cakes and candy.

Ingredients:

1 ¾ cup raw almonds

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 vanilla bean, scraped (I used a tablespoon of vanilla extract instead)

2 cups dried pineapple, chopped

2 cups pitted dates

1/3 cup shredded coconut

Directions:

In food processor, place almonds, salt, and vanilla. Process into a fine powder first.  Slowly add chopped pineapple and dates, mix well.  

Place in a large bowl and mix with shredded coconut. The donut holes will last a week in the fridge but never more than a day in my house. :-)

Recipe adapted from

Ani's Raw Food Kitchen: Easy, Delectable Living Foods Recipes

Other Lunch Box Tips

5-Minute Lunch Box #3: Sunflower Seed & Oat Bars

Even though this recipe takes about 5 minutes to make, you will have to bake or refrigerate the bars to make them firm.

My chipmunks love these so much that I usually freeze a few batches to last the whole week.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups rolled or quick oats

1 cup sunflower seeds (raw or toasted)

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup carob chips (or cacao nibs) OPTIONAL

2/3 cup nut or seed butter of choice (I used almond butter)

1/2 – 2/3 cup agave nectar or brown rice syrup (adjust based on how well things stick together)

Instructions:

1) Mix oats, sunflower seeds, raisins, and carob chips in a large bowl.

2) Whisk together nut butter and agave. Pour into oat mixture, and mix well, till everything is sticky and combined. If it’s too dry, add a bit more agave.

3) Press mixture into a shallow baking dish that you’ve lined with foil or saran wrap. Cover with more foil/saran, press well into the baking dish, and refrigerate for 4 hours. Cut into bar shapes, wrap, and keep refridgerated till ready to use. They ought to last two weeks at least.

OR:

4) After mixing wet ingredients with dry, crumble mixture into bite sized pieces and bake at 375 degrees for about forty minutes, or until crispy and brown.

OR

5) Follow step 4 until you get to baking, and dehydrate for 10 hours at 115 degrees instead for a more-raw option.

Recipe from Choosing Raw

I went shopping in my closet (my favorite type of shopping) and found his handy basket to store all the bento-style containers. 

Previous lunch box tips

Lunch Box Tip#2: 3 Reasons Water Bottles are Better Than Juice Boxes

Save money- Sigg and Klean Kanteen 12 oz stainless steel water bottles are about $12 each.  I know 12 oz isn’t really a lot of liquid but my kids are in a good position to refill their bottle whenever needed during the day. I like stainless steel water bottles because it limits their exposure to BPA and are extremely durable.

When you consider the average price of juice boxes, these water bottles pay for themselves within a few weeks.

Better Health- We all know the benefits of filtered water over soft drinks and sugary juices, so I fill their bottles with water each day. I don’t have a problem with my children drinking juice.  My issue is that most of the juices designed for school lunches have a lot of sugar. Even though the organic brands tend to have less sugar, they’re expensive when you consider that most aren’t 100% juice.  

Reduce Waste-I’m not much of a fan of unnecessary waste and juice boxes rank pretty high on the unnecessary list.  Every year American children throw away an estimated 67 lbs of lunch waste per person. I wouldn’t be surprised if most of that is from prepackaged juice containers.

Even if you don’t decide to get stainless steel water bottles, consider a reusable alternative to juice boxes today. Save some money and reduce the impact on our environment.