I don't know many people who are thrilled at the idea of moving, especially in NYC. I have to say that I am certainly not, so the fact that I have to for the first time in 7 years this coming weekend is stressing me out a bit. Sorting through years worth of clothes and "stuff" and deciding what to toss/donate/keep and how to pack it is tough! But the one fun thing that is involved? Truly clearing out my pantry!
I'm really testing myself with creativity as I work my way through various cans and jars and packets of food I've had forever but never actually used. I don't need that extra weight for the move and I'm certainly not tossing perfectly fine food out! In this time I've discovered I have like, 8 jars of chickpeas. Don't ask me why. I couldn't tell you. But I'm not mad about it because I've been snacking HARD on crispy chickpeas! Crazy easy to make and they're packed full of protein...which lets face it, I need for all of the heavy lifting I'll be doing this week. When I'm looking for a healthy snack, especially one I can easily bring to work, I nearly always turn to hummus. I don't need to tell you all the different things you can do with hummus - you already know. But I do want to convince you that making your own is infinitely better than buying a prepackaged version at the grocery store.
Don't get me wrong - there are some great pre-made hummus' out there. But when you could have a more delicious, healthy, clean version that happens to work out costing you less money to have it why would you go for the other stuff? I really wasn't sure what I wanted my next post to be. All I knew was I wanted something super easy. I ran a half marathon over the weekend (my first! I'm now addicted) and needless to say I've been very sore since. So the less time spent on my feet doing anything - even cooking - the better.
While grocery shopping a couple days ago I bought some crunchy sesame pita sticks for no particular reason other than they were in front of my face and looked good. I thought maybe I could munch on them throughout the week with some hummus or guacamole or something. After getting home from work today I remembered the sticks. So I looked in my cabinets and figured out what I wanted to make. I took the main ingredient of hummus (chickpeas) and the main ingredient of guacamole (avocado) and combined them in this ridiculously easy, super healthy, absolutely delicious dip. At any given time, there is an obscene amount of canned beans in my kitchen cabinets. Sometimes it's a nice assortment, other times it's seemingly all the same. Right now is one of those seemingly all the same times, with the "featured item" so-to-speak being chickpeas (or garbanzo beans, if you prefer). At this point, I've just about had all I can take of chickpea salads and hummus!
Luckily, I've been facing an unrelated dilemma that my giant bean collection ended up being the cure for. I've been on the move a lot lately and really lacking in the on-the-go snack department. Honestly, there are only so many times I can buy little bags of chips or packaged sweets from the deli before I start not feeling good about myself. "Chickpeas are small and finger-food friendly," I thought, "all I need to add is crunch!" And so became these crispy spiced chickpeas. |
AuthorAli is a Brooklyn based blogger and Certified Health Coach with the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, providing you with recipes to inspire you to cook more at home! She is a firm believer in knowing that eating healthy can be made easy and inexpensive if you simply know how to cook and understands that for the average person there needs to be balance between "healthy" and "unhealthy". Whether you are looking for easy weeknight recipes, delicious snacks, or want to try something new, Ali's recipes are easy to follow at all skill levels! For more info about Ali and her offerings, check out the About page. Categories
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