A picture was circulating the interweb the other day of these pre-cut avocados vacuum sealed in plastic and packaged in a box. Seriously? Yes, seriously.

Photo credit: Foodbusinessnews.net

When the grocery store was questioned as to why they carried this ridiculous and wasteful product, the responded with this:

[cow_johnson general_bgcolor=”#f7f7f7″ general_color=”#0a0a0a” general_font=”Georgia” general_fontsize=”16″]”This product was developed for people who might be new to using avocados and for a little more convenience. It eliminates the guess work when it comes to ripeness and any challenges if you are not familiar with peeling and seeding a fresh avocado. The packaging is there to keep the fresh wholesome appearance and quality of the avocado without it browning prior to consumption.”‎- Sobey’s[/cow_johnson]

Sounds kind of silly right? Well this wasn’t a one-off bag (and box) of ridiculousness. A few months ago, I nearly blew a gasket while perusing the produce aisle of my local grocery store when I came across this.

Wow! What a brilliant idea to individually wrap a banana in co-extruded polypropylene plastic to ensure freshness. I can’t believe Mother Nature didn’t think of that when was creating the peel. Ugh. I applaud that companies are trying to make healthier options more ‘convenient’ but I think they’ve missed the mark on this one big time. If people really, truly don’t know what an avocado is or how to cut it, the solution isn’t in doing it for them. The solution is to educate them how to do it.  So yes, I was annoyed, but more so it made me realize that my job as a Nutritionist is so super important right now. 

‘Convenience’ foods don’t have to come pre-cut, pre-cooked and pre-packed in a bag, tube, box or plastic wrap. The only thing that should be ‘pre-done’ is the planning. Now I know, you’re busy. We all are. But nothing derails productivity more than being unhealthy. Seriously, how much do we really get done when we’re suffering from a headache and a bad case of the bloats? Taking a few extra minutes to plan healthy options and grocery shop efficiently will save you time in the long-run and improve your quality of work (and life). So to help you out, I’m going to be spending some extra time in my kitchen creating recipes that are tasty, healthy and ridiculously simple. This way,  even the busiest parents, CEO’s and Rockstars can fit a little bit of healthy into their lives.

Let’s get this party started with what might just be the world’s easiest breakfast: Simple Chia Seed Pudding. Three base ingredients and the ability to stir a spoon (or whisk if you’re fancy like that) is all you need for this tasty little combo. I recommend enjoying it while seated on the floor with a unwashed head of hair. Obviously.

Simple Chia Seed Pudding

2016-03-21 13:24:43

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Ingredients

1. 1/4 Cup Whole Chia Seeds
2. 1 Cup Coconut Milk (or Almond milk or both 50/50)
3. 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
4. Toppings: Fruit + nut or seed + superfood booster

Fruit

1. - Raspberries, blueberries, sliced strawberries, blackberries, snozz berries, all the berries...
2. - Any diced fruit- oranges, bananas, pineapple, mango ...

Nuts & Seeds

1. - sunflower, hemp or pumpkin seeds, sliced almonds, pecans, walnuts or cashews.

Superfood boosters

1. - unsweetened coconut flakes, bee pollen, goji berries, dried mulberries or cacao nibs.

Instructions

1. Take 5 minutes before bed and place in your kitchen.
2. Grab a medium bowl, whisk together the chia seeds, milk and vanilla.
3. Add toppings of choices (fresh or frozen fruit, nut or seed & a superfood booster)
4. Place in fridge overnight or for a for at least 2 hours before enjoying!

Notes

1. *My favourite topping combination is blueberries, hemp seeds and bee pollen.

Heather Allen http://www.heatherallen.ca/

Heather XO