Chia Seeds

It's been a very busy week for me at the studio so I've been throwing together a lot of quick-and-easy lunches for the kids. Often times I don't feel they are worth posting, but after reading through comments on the This Lunch Rox Facebook Fan Pageit sounds like readers would love to see more "quick-and-easy" lunch ideas! So, today's lunch is exactly that...a lunch that took 5 minutes to throw together. When I know I have a busy week ahead there are a few things I like to do to make the process of putting lunches together more efficient. First, when I come home from the grocery store I start by cutting up a few days worth of fruits and vegetables and storing them in single serve Lock and Lock boxes in the fridge. I also like to spend time on the weekends making up 2-3 "baked goods" (typically I make one muffin recipe, one desert recipe, and one bread recipe). Just to give you an example, last weekend I made almond flour blueberry muffins, chia seed cookies, and almond flour drop biscuits. I store the baked goods in an airtight container in the freezer and pull them out as needed for breakfast, lunch, snacks or dinner. I've found that while it takes time up front it's well worth the effort on the mornings when we are all running around trying to get out the door on time. It also ensures I have plenty of snacks handy for the kids when we're on the go!

Today's lunch includes: peanut butter roll-up, strawberries/blueberries, cucumber, string cheese and a chia seed cookie (recipe below)

As mentioned above, this lunch includes a chia seed cookies...this is a new recipe I found recently via Pinterestand my boys LOVED them. Because chia seeds are packed with antioxidants, fiber, and omega-3 I try to include in as many recipes as possible. I adapted this particular recipe from theoriginal versionby replacing the white flour with almond flour and used a natural sweetenerin place of the brown sugar:

Chia Seed Cookies (Recipe adapted from Yummy Mummy Kitchen)

1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup almond flour
1 1/2 Tablespoons chia seeds
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup natural sweetener
3/4 cup natural peanut butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup dark or semisweet chocolate chunks or chips (I use Simply Lite bars or Chocoperfection bars which are both gluten free)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, stir together oats, baking powder, flour, and chia seeds.
In a separate bowl use an electric mixer to beat butter with sweetener until creamy. Add peanut butter, eggs, and vanilla. Slowly stir in oat mixture to combine. Stir in chocolate chips.Place heaping tablespoons of dough onto cookie sheet. Press dough into balls with hands, as dough will be crumbly. Bake 12 minutes.