Three Ingredient Fix

I was out to dinner with a couple of good friends on Thursday.  We were joking about staying on top of everything: work, kids, food, exercise, sometimes doing a better job than others. My friend Meg shared a story, her son woke up that morning and requested “something not bread for breakfast.” Meg looked and they were out of eggs,  yogurt and all other typical non-bread breakfast items as she was due for a food shop. She looked in the pantry and spotted something. “Do you want to have soup for breakfast?” Her son loved the idea and perhaps a new tradition was born.  We all know those times when it’s slim pickings in the house, your supply of staple items exhausted and, like Meg, you have to be creative or at least flexible.  Meg’s story  reminded me of a post I read on Cannelle  et Vanille. A reader asked her the 3 items she always has handy. Her answer was “lentils, eggs and some sort of green”.

 The 3 items I have on hand and use regularly are avocados, jarred tuna and greens.

Avocados go so far beyond guacamole for me. I often bring them to the office for breakfast. I slice them down the middle, remove the pit and sprinkle them with sea salt or black pepper and agave. I eat them “straight” with a spoon. I also use avocados in smoothies and this time of year in my “Breakfast Pudding.” I mix ½ avocado with cocoa and chocolate hemp powder and a dash of cayenne. I blend these ingredients until they are smooth but thick. At lunchtime I use ½ avocado as a bowl for tuna or other salad. And at dinner I often cube avocado into  tomato  or black bean soup or slice one into fish tacos.  And let’s not forget guacamole. I am the proud owner of a new mocaljate that is already seasoned and well used.

My second item, the jarred tuna, is my go-to protein source. I have written about 2 of my favorites Zoe and Tonnino. I suggested Zoe for the “Let’s do Lunch Challenge” and the jalapeno Tonnino was one of my “4 Current Obsessions”. This tuna is great over greens or on Mary’s Gone Crackers. For an easy dinner I chop up any veggie I have into the tuna, add a squeeze of lemon or lime and viola!

Finally, I guess Aran and I overlap in that greens are definitely a necessity for me. Lately, I’ve been purchasing greens from a company called Olivia’s Organics.  My new favorite is their “50/50 Blend” which includes: Spinach, Tango, Lolla Rossa, Red & Green Romaine, Red and Green Oak, Red and Green Chard, Mizuna, Radicchio, Frisee, Beet Greens, Arugula, Tat-Soi and Red Mustard (most of which my spell check doesn't recognize). Olivia’s also makes single, to-go containers of greens. I use greens in omelets and juices. I wilt greens with garlic a lot for an easy side dish and use larger greens, such as kale leaves, for a wrap. I am partial to the clamshell (think shoe box size) containers as I find they stay fresh the longest.  And of course I love combining my top three tastes, avocado, jarred tuna and greens in a salad with lemon vinaigrette and a dash of hot sauce.
What 3 items do always have handy? What’s your equivalent of the “soup for breakfast” moment? Any other avocado uses I omitted?