My kids are back at school, which means I’m back to the daily challenge of making lunch boxes interesting and being able to pull out snacks between mealtimes without notice.

Each January, I start the year with a more calorie conscious approach to food, which for me means reducing the bad carbs. And as a rule (all year round), I try to cut out the store bought convenience food and snacks that are laced with sugar and preservatives.

This calls for a batch of homemade Hummus! This takes just a few minutes to make and can be refrigerated in small portions in plastic containers that can easily be taken out for a quick snack or sent to school. In this recipe you can use any nut butter if you don’t have Tahini on hand – in fact, kids may prefer this flavour, and by making it yourself, you can determine the amount of cumin that goes in, in line with your kids’ taste preferences.

Here’s what goes in:

1 can of Chickpeas, drained

1/4 C Nut Butter or Tahini

1/4 C Lemon Juice

2 tablespoons of Olive Oil

1/2 teaspoon of freshly crushed Garlic

1/2 teaspoon of ground Cumin

A pinch of salt

A little water if needed

Start by combining the Chickpeas, nut butter and lemon juice in your blender until you get a fairly smooth texture. Then add the olive oil, garlic and cumin and continue to blend until you have the desired consistency. A little water can be added if you’d like it be less stiff. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to a week.