I can still remember my attempt at making guacamole when I returned home after a three month stay in Guatemala. I fell in love with guacamole while I was there, and my first attempt to create that yumminess failed miserably! I had the recipe from my host mom in Guatemala which was so good, but my problem was that I was so unfamiliar with using avocados that I attempted to make guacamole with avocados that were rock hard…. oops. Somehow I was unable to mash those babies up. I was determined to master the art of guacamole making, so I found out how to tell when an avocado was ripe: it needs to feel slightly soft to the touch when you apply a small amount of pressure (you can buy them when they are hard and just let them ripen up at room temperature which usually takes 2-3 days).
Avocados are a super food. They have a large amount of good monounsaturated fat, which has actually been shown in a preliminary study to lower blood cholesterol levels. Avocados have more potassium than bananas, and are rich in B vitamins, as well as vitamin E and vitamin K. And to boot, they are high in fiber! (Wikipedia). This is a seriously nutritious food to pack in your kids school lunches, and it’s a hit with my kiddos – they can’t get enough of this dip!
This isn’t the exact recipe that I was given from my host mom – I simplified it a bit, but go ahead and be creative!
Guacamole
- 5 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
- Juice of two limes
- Sea salt, to taste
- Optional: diced tomatoes, cilantro, finely diced onion, crushed garlic
- Mash up avocados until they are nice and creamy.
- Add other ingredients and stir – Voila!
This doesn’t last overly long without getting brown, but if you make a quick batch in the morning and pack it in a container for lunch, it will still be awesome when eaten that day. My kids like to take this to school as a sandwich alternative with some corn chips or rice crackers to dip into it. It is also so yummy as a topping on tacos, fajitas and burgers. I hope you enjoy this healthy school lunch idea!