Sweet Potato says... make snack part of dinner

It doesn’t seem to matter how much I pack into my daughter’s lunch (she said, after having done it for, um, three days) or how substantial I know my son’s afternoon snack is at daycare, by the time we’re all home and I’m making dinner they start to whine and wheedle for snacks. I used to try to fend them off until dinner — it’s usually only 20 minutes away, for Pete’s sake! — but now I realize it’s useless. They must be fed once we get home. Right away. Or nothing else can really happen.

I could — and sometimes do — toss a few of our beloved Amy’s Cheddar Bunnies in a bowl and pray that keeps them from circling my feet. But now I’m trying something new: Make snack part of dinner. Since they’re hungry and therefore a bit more motivated, I’m getting an extra serving of vegetables in them before they even come to the table. They end up gobbling them up, and that way I’m less fussed about what they eat at dinnertime. The spoonful of sugar in this case is dip. Dips just make eating raw veggies a lot more fun and can be its own awesome source of nutrition. But you don’t need to point that part out. So, now when I’m chopping up veggies for school lunches I’m going to be making a bit extra with dinner, I mean snacks, in mind!
 
This is a really easy and delicious version of hummus that doesn’t require tahini (which I never seem to have handy).
 
White Bean Dip
 
1 x 424 g can of white kidney beans (cannellini would be great, too)?
2 cloves of garlic, minced very fine?
1/2 tsp cumin?
1/2 tsp ground coriander?
2 tbsp olive oil?
salt and pepper to taste
 
Method
 1. Drain the beans well in a sieve. Dump all ingredients in a food processor and pulse away until you have a creamy but not perfectly smooth texture. Move the contents around with a spoon or spatula half way through to make sure the spices are well blended.

2. Serve with raw veggies and crackers.

Want more great dip ideas to tide them over until dinner? More recipes from sweetpotatochronicles.com:
 
Edamame dip
A protein packed winner — so easy to make!
 
Garlic and kale dip
This great, creamy kale dip means they’re dipping they’re veggies in veggies. Genius.