Homemade hummus is one of the simplest healthy snacks to make.  All you need is a food processor or blender and a handful of ingredients, and within minutes you can have a delicious dip for veggies or chips.  Full of protein from the chickpeas, hummus also makes a great sandwich spread.  As you may have noticed at your grocery store’s hummus shelf, you can flavor it in so many different ways.  Add olives, scallions, carrots, red peppers, lemon juice, or anything else you would like in a savory dip.

Homemade hummus is also one of the most affordable snacks you can make.  This 2-cup batch of hummus costs less than a dollar to make.  This quantity would cost over five times as much at the store.  I start with dried chickpeas because canned chickpeas cost 3 times more than dried chickpeas.  I cook a whole bag of chickpeas and then freeze what I don’t need.  That way, when I’m looking for a healthy, high-protein snack, I can defrost some chickpeas from my freezer and whip up a quick batch of hummus.

I use a small amount of roasted tomatoes to add a little extra color and flavor to my hummus.  If you want a stronger tomato flavor, you can increase the quantity of tomatoes.  This hummus may be just the thing you need to help your hesitant eater to enjoy some vegetables.

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked chickpeas
1 tbs. sesame seeds
1 tbs. roasted tomatoes (or sundried tomatoes)
½ tsp. minced garlic (about ½ a small clove)
½ tsp. salt
¼ cup olive oil (and/or sesame oil if you want a stronger sesame taste)
1-2 tbs. water (or more as needed)

1. In a food processor or high-quality blender, combine all the ingredients except the water.  Process until smooth, and add water 1 tablespoon at a time until you have a creamy consistency.
2. Store the hummus in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Price Breakdown
This recipe yields 2 cups (16 ounces) of hummus and it costs a total of $.93, or $.06 per serving (2 tablespoons).  A 16-ounce container of Tribe Hummus at my grocery store costs $4.99, more than five times as much as my homemade version.  Full of protein and flavor, homemade roasted tomato hummus is a delicious, healthy snack that your family will love.

Linking to Pennywise Platter.

These coconut apricot energy bites are a delicious snack to grab when you’re on the go.  One of my favorite store-bought snack bars used to be the Almond and Apricot Kind Bar.  I loved the combination of apricots, almonds, and coconut.  However, when I realized that those bars contained 12 ingredients including soy lecithin and other mysterious things I wouldn’t cook with at home, I stopped eating them.  These energy bites replicate the flavor of those Kind bars without all the fillers.

Ingredients:
1 cup dried apricots (I use unsulfured apricots from Trader Joe’s)
¾ cup Medjool dates
¾ cup almonds
¾ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1. In a food processor, combine all the ingredients and chop them until a paste is formed.  Don’t chop them so much that you can’t see little bits of almonds.
2. Form 1-inch balls and refrigerate.  They will be set in about an hour, but you can also eat them straight out of the food processor.
3. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Price Breakdown
The total cost of this recipe is $3.78, or $.21 per energy bite.  These coconut apricot energy bites are a healthy mid-morning or after-school snack to help get you through to the next meal.

If you’re looking for other healthy snack ideas, see this post about saving money with homemade snacks.  It’s amazing how much we can save by making things from scratch.