Avocado-Lime Hummus Topper

This post is sponsored by Sabra Dipping Co. The ideas and opinions are my own. I love sharing products that fit into my family's busy healthy eating lifestyle. Thank you for supporting brands that make it possible to keep Half Her Size running. 

Give hummus a quick and easy makeover with an avocado-lime hummus topping. Perfect easy appetizer, tailgate food, or healthy snack recipe.

Recipe Highlights:

1. Easy healthy snack or casual appetizer recipe.
2. Tempt kids into having fun with healthy foods.
3. A good source of healthy fats.

Last week we met some friends at the zoo. In typical style we were running late. However, unlike usual I had not planned ahead to make sure we had a healthy lunch packed and ready to go.

I don't like relying on food courts and concession stands for snacks or lunch where there are rarely options that fit into my healthy eating preferences. If we spend money on admission it is nice to save money by bringing our own food. It also feels odd to spend the day enjoying nature then stop to eat a meal of greasy, most likely re-heated, fast food.

While Mike got the kids into shoes and coats I ran into the kitchen to grab the quickest things available to make a picnic. In less than five minutes I packed two containers of hummus, apple slices, a tangerine, pita chips, and filled two water bottles.

A few hours later we had chased the kids around half of the zoo and our tummies were starting to grumble. Thanks to my quickly thrown together picnic each person had something to nibble as soon as we found a table. The food was not quite a full lunch but it was more than a snack. We scooped hummus, shared the fruit, and best of all spent time chatting with our friends and enjoying the break from our usual routine.

I love to eat like this, more than a snack but not quite a meal. These Unofficial Meals are eaten at the beach, on a hiking trail, in a park, or around the kitchen counter. The best part of an Unofficial Meal is how easy it is to serve.

Sabra is launching a brand new campaign to officially recognize the Unofficial Meal. I love it. Some of my favorite times are late in the afternoon when I pull out a few snacks for the kids and start to think about dinner. We grab some hummus, sliced vegetables, a few crackers and have a quick nibble. I get a chance to talk to the kids about healthy snacks and why it is important to chose plants and protein more often than fruit snacks - contrary to the name.

When the kids have eaten enough to keep their tummies happy for another hour they go back to playing and I get to putter around in the kitchen by myself. I turn on some music or queue up a show on Netflix and set to work on dinner. Knowing Mike will be home soon I leave the snacks out to give him extra incentive to hang out with me in the kitchen. If we are lucky we get to exchange a smooch and a few bits of news from our day before dividing and conquering the evening responsibilities.

In some ways our Unofficial Meal is the first course of our dinner. Though there is a space between them those first bites are the signal that the day has begun to wind down and we can take things a little slower. Maybe one of us will open a beer or mix a cocktail. If he kids are around things have a way of turning silly.

In many ways I prefer the Unofficial Meal. Whether at the zoo or around the counter, moments like these are why I continue to pursue my healthy-ever-after.

Visit sabra.com to learn more about Sabra Dipping Co.'s full line of products.

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