Easy Hummus

Part of my senior internship is requiring me to teach a nutrition education class to patients who are mostly low income and/or homeless. Or at the very least very insecure about home and food. 

They may be experiencing hardships in trying to find healthy food to eat. If they have food to eat, the cooking areas and utensils may be limited.

So my goal is showing them how they can fix yummy, healthy food when they have a super limited budget and may have very little experience or equipment when it comes to preparing food.

One of my favorite easy to prepare snacks is hummus. It only requires a few ingredients, of most you usually have in your home. No real prep work as you're just throwing a bunch of stuff together and mushing it together. The only problem is that most people usually make it with a blender, food processor, immersion blender or something similar. The people I will be talking with may not have access to these handy dandy items.

So I came up with an easy peasy hummus that requires nothing but your ingredients, a plastic zipper bag, and something to smash with (your hands, a rolling pin, can of veggies, etc...).

Easy Hummus

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon cumin

1-2 teaspoons Salt Free Seasoning Blend

1 teaspoon garlic powder

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 tablespoons water (more if needed)

1. Open, drain and rinse one can of chickpeas. You can either leave the skins on or take them off for a smoother hummus.
   
   2. Put all the ingredients, except for water, into a plastic baggy.
   
   
    3. Smash. I used a rolling pin and palm of my hand for about 6 minutes to get it to look like this. If the hummus looks dry add water to the bag a couple tablespoons at a time. Smash until it looks like peanut butter.
   
   
    4. Either place in a fridge for later or put into a bowl with a side of veggies or pita chips and enjoy. Hummus is also great to use in place of mayo or miracle whip on sandwiches and wraps.
   
   

My hummus turned out a bit rustic looking due to leaving the skins and probably could of used a touch more water to make it creamier. However it looks, it tastes delicious and hits the spot for a snack or lunch.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 47 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  165 Calories from Fat  51

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  5.7g 9%

Saturated Fat  0.9g 5%

Cholesterol  0mg 0%

Sodium  10mg 0%

Potassium  329mg 9%

Total Carbohydrates  22.5g 7%

Dietary Fiber  6.4g 26%

Sugars  4.0g

Protein  7.1g

Vitamin A 1% • Vitamin C 3% Calcium 4% • Iron 13%

Nutrition Grade A

Nutrition data is based on 12, 2 tablespooon, servings. Such as if you were to use the hummus for dip with friends or sandwich spread.

I Am Here, I Am Here, I Am Here

Nevermind the poor Dr Suess reference in the title. Just a bit of silliness, though I do feel like a tiny Who once in a while.

Anyway, I am here. I've been busy with school stuff and learning lots. Well, applying lots and learning some. It's been an exciting semester so far. Right now I'm working on a general nutrition lesson plan and diabetic education plan. Also making diabetic friendly, low-sodium menu plans. One using a slow cooker and utilizing leftovers as a cost saving feature.

I'm no longer a Beachbody coach. While I think it's a great company, it just wasn't for me. I'm not much of a salesman (saleswoman?) I guess.  So now instead of bringing in any money I'm concentrating on not spending any more then absolutely necessary and cutting costs where I can.

Also, over at Mamavation they are doing a virtual 5K this coming weekend. I decided to sign up and kick off my running season. Last year I didn't do a single 5K, and barely ran at all. If you would like to check out and sign up for this free virtual 5k and mayhap win prizes just go over to Mamavation and check it out.