Sometimes I miss the salty crunch of chips, pretzels or crackers, so when the urge kicks in I turn to these guys; roasted, spicy chickpeas. They’re a tasty, easy to make treat and I typically have all the ingredients in the pantry. I discovered the recipe on What’s Gaby Cooking and I have to admit, I love the warm, spicy, toasty, salty combo! They make a great snack on their own, or as a side dish to your fave main course. 

All you need is 30 minutes, a can of garbanzo beans and some typical household spices. Kick up the heat for those of you with a flair for spicy. Enjoy!

 

 

Allergy-free, paleo roasted chickpeas

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 1 yummy bowlful

Allergy-free, paleo roasted chickpeas

Ingredients

  • 1 15-oz can Garbanzo Beans
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 tsp paprika

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degree F.
  2. Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans in a large colander. Continue to rinse until all the foamy liquid goes away.
  3. Line the counter with a few sheets of paper towel. Place the drained garbanzo beans on top of the paper towel and let them dry for a few minutes.
  4. Once the beans are dried, place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and then sprinkle on the spices. Using your hands, toss the beans around so they are all fully coated.
  5. Place the baking sheet in the oven for 20 minutes and all to roast. After 20 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and give the beans a little shake and then place back into the oven for another 20 minutes.
  6. Season with salt if needed once fully roasted and then serve.
http://inspiredeats.net/allergy-free-paleo-roasted-chickpeas/

Ever find yourself craving a tasty burrito packed with delicious, non GMO goodness that you can take on the go?

If not, you can stop reading now cuz this won’t interest you at all 🙂 If yes, then read on to learn more about Red’s All Natural – a delish, good-for-you and tasty on the go option found in most local grocer’s freezers.  Red’s Burritos are packed with NON GMO, 100% All Natural meats and fresh cheeses, frozen and shipped to grocers nationwide. They are a healthy and tasty option, though we can’t promote them as GF friendly (these guys are flour based) but they do offer a healthy alternative for our non GF friends and we can’t resist the urge to promote a good option when we find one. 

Offering vegetarian and meat based burritos, these tasty treats are a sure fire way to curb a craving when it hits. So be sure to check their site to find a grocer in your area carrying Red’s, and if you find yourself visiting their site, be sure to tell them we sent you! 

 

(more…)

Last month I found out that a friend of mine was in need of both a liver and heart transplant; sadly, I knew he wasn’t likely to survive this diagnosis, and unfortunately he passed away a couple weeks ago. When I learned of his fate, I contacted a mutual friend of ours who still lives in NYC (where my friend lived) and was in touch with him after the news broke. We chatted about our friend, and our lives, and spent some time catching up. It turns out that we both are suffering from some auto-immune issues, and he suggested I watch 2 films that he had recently seen and felt would be both insightful and inspiring for me.

The first was called Fat Sick and Nearly Dead. The second was Forks Over Knives.

I remember how important he felt these were for me to watch, so I downloaded them from Netflix the next day, grabbed my laptop and curled up on the couch to watch them. I figured I would half pay attention and do some writing while the documentaries played in the background; boy was I wrong! To be honest, I was so riveted by what I was watching that I only picked up my laptop to IM him to tell him that I was so glad he suggested I watch them.

This uplifting and inspiring story follows a man named Joe Cross while on a cross-country road trip where he vows to do a juice fast for 60 days (consuming only fruits and vegetables in liquid form). He embarked on his journey when he realized that he was overweight, and facing a lifetime of medications due to his weight and auto-immune disease. His hope was to cleanse his body and enact a sort of ‘reboot’ if you will. Along the way, he chronicles his journey as he meets (and inspires) others who are in similar situations. Joe meets many Americans that are eating the way many people consider Americans to eat; junk food, fast food, greasy diner food. They are overweight, of poor health, and many are teaching their kids the same way of life. It was hard to watch some of the interviews; I was acutely aware that many of these children will grow up to mirror their overweight, and often diabetic, sick parents.

On his transformative journey, Joe meets and inspires Phil Staples – a 420 pound truck driver from Iowa – to do the same. As we watch Joe lose more than 100 pounds, and wean himself all his medications, we follow Phil and his inspiring attempt to change his life too.

Phil was a truck driver who has little access to healthy food while on the road. I hadn’t considered that the only places that are convenient for them to stop while on the road are typical truck stops filled with greasy, fatty, fast foods. After years of eating burgers, pizzas and sodas, he was over 400 pounds, and sick with the same rare auto-immune disease as Joe. He too wanted to lose weight, gain his health back and ensure he could see his children grow up. I found myself not wanting the movie to end so that I could follow Phil’s journey further and make sure he kept up with his new-found healthy lifestyle!

In all, I was touched and inspired by their journeys, and in awe of how many vegetables and fruits you can consume when doing a juice fast. I love fruits and veggies, but I guarantee you I could never eat as many fruits and vegs in a sitting as you can while juicing. There’s something about the process of juicing that beaks down the food to a portion which you can more easily consume, while still maintaining all the nutrients typically lost in the cooking process.

You can watch the Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead – Official Trailer from Team Reboot on Vimeo. And remember, you can download it streaming from Netflix and watch it right away. If you don’t have a Netflix account you can register for a free trial and then watch it that same day.

Note: if you choose to try a juice reboot, please consult your physician first to be sure you are cleared to do so.

I will follow up this blog with my review of Forks Over Knives soon.

Wishing you good health and happiness!

Jen