Homemade Hummus

Each stage of parenting brings new experiences, new memories, and new challenges.  Currently the challenge in our house is keeping these kids' tummies full.  Seriously, how much can a 5 and 3 year old eat?  Apparently a lot.  And to make it nutritious on a budget?  Wow!  Our two choice seem to either be let them starve or starve ourselves.

So we find ourselves getting even more creative around here.  Looking for fulling wholesome snacks that won't kill my budget.  Sounds like a tall order doesn't it?

One of the ideas that really intrigued me was making our own humus.  Hummus in the store is filling, but so expensive.  I've only bought it one or two times.  But I knew it would fill my little ones tummies and be something I'd be proud to put on my table.

In searching out recipes, I came across two that we had to try.  The first was this Spinach Artichoke Hummus.  It's green, full of vegetables, and goes great with wheat thins.  It has a distinctively different taste from hummus.  Although the base is chickpeas, the spinach gives it a completely different twist.   You can't think of this one as hummus when you're eating it.  It's a great dip in its own right.

The second was this Roasted Red Pepper Feta Hummus.  I love, love, love this one.  I eliminated the feta and added extra garlic (but I add extra garlic to everything).  Both of my kids loved it as well.  It's sweet and smokey, the perfect afternoon snack.

Hardy and filling both of these dips where easy to prepare and stash in the fridge for an afternoon pick-me-up.  They are extremely economical, and delicious too.  Served with some pretzels, wheat thins, or carrot sticks, you can't go wrong with either one.  Enjoy!