Cook: Seasoned and Roasted Chickpeas

If you're searching for a healthy snack, look no further! 

Simply roasting chickpeas (garbanzo beans) with some olive oil and seasoning salt makes such a delicious snack! I had heard of this before but honestly was a little skeptical. But now, I wish I had made these ages ago!

For my book club meeting last weekend I wanted to make a little snack that everyone could enjoy. One lady is vegan, another eats gluten-free and everyone is pretty health conscious. I found the original recipe from Oh She Glows, a wonderful vegan lifestyle blog.  I took the basic concept but used different seasoning, while still keeping it basic. 

Overall this recipe is delicious and easy to make, but, it does take time. It's totally worth it, though.

Ingredients:

• 2 cans of garbanzo beans/chickpeas
• Seasoning salt
• Olive oil

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 425. Boil the chickpeas for a few minutes then remove from the heat and let cool for about 30 minutes or until you can safely handle them.

Strain the chickpeas. You can run cool water over them if you're short on time. 

Get your seasonings out! You could do anything with this recipe! I using Seasoning Salt and olive oil but you could do just salt and pepper, Italian spices, cinnamon sugar...whatever your belly desires!

Lay some aluminum foil or parchment paper on your baking sheet and drizzle olive oil and sprinkle your seasonings. 

 Pour the chickpeas on top.

Then sprinkle and drizzle some more! Roll them around with your hands to make sure they get evenly coated with olive oil and your seasonings. 

Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes, rolling them halfway through to ensure even baking.

Let cool and enjoy!

So delicious! 

If you've never had chickpeas, this is a great way to try them. I like them cold on my salad but this is the first time having them hot and it was so good! They were a hit at my book club meeting! I thought they would be a little messy because of the olive oil but they're not at all so it's no biggie to eat them by hand like popcorn! 

You can bet I'll be making more of them soon!

What seasoning(s) would you use? Do you prefer to call them chickpeas or garbanzo beans? I've always wondered, are they peas or beans? 

Till next time,
Catherine

Don't Get Sick!

Lately I feel like not a day goes by where I don't hear tons of people say that they're sick! I absolutely hate getting sick and try my best to avoid it so the more people get sick around me, the more careful I get. I figured I'd write some basic tips on how to stay healthy during cold and flu season and during all these crazy weather changes were getting. 20 degrees one day, 60 the next...only in Virginia.

(via)

With weather like this...people are bound to get sick...even if it's only allergies! 

Here are some things that I like to do to keep myself and my husband healthy when everyone else is getting sick! And a few others that I may not be so consistent on doing, but are good tips!

• Eat lots of fruits and veggies! If you keep eating healthy, your immune system will stay strong. If you eat junk, your immune system will crash because your body isn't being fueled properly.
• Don't forget to wash your fruits and veggies before eating them. They've been through a lot before getting into your kitchen. Buying local always helps though! 
• Take vitamins. A multi vitamin is always good, but vitamin C, or a vitamin B complex is helpful too. My husband and I take all 3. Well, he takes the C, I take the B. 
• WASH YOUR HANDS! How basic...yet we still don't do it enough.
• Don't touch your face or bite your nails. Germs are all over your hands. If you rub your face, you have more of a chance of those germs getting into your eyes/nose/mouth.
• Sneeze and cough into your elbow/shoulder or a tissue if possible. Do NOT cover your mouth with your hand...that's gross.
• Use hand sanitizer when washing your hands isn't possible. 
• Keep your distance from people who say they're sick or are visibly sick. It's not rude...you don't need to catch what they've got! 
• If you work in a place with a lot of client interaction, keep Lysol handy and use it often. 
• The essential oil blend called Thieves from Young Living Essential Oils is a great natural antibacterial/antifungal/antibiotic and it smells great! It comes in oil form, foam hand wash, spray, household cleaner, and hand sanitizer. I also love the blend Purification. It's also great for killing germs and freshening a stale room. Go buy them and use them...they're awesome. 
• And don't forget to exercise. A strong body is a healthy body!

If you know you're prone to getting sick easily, be sure to follow these steps extra close. There's no need to get sick when you can do some simple things to stay healthy! One of my favorite quotes is "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!"

As for the flu shot...I personally don't get a one. Never have, never will. Same goes for my husband. In my opinion and research, there is too much risk in getting the flu vaccine. They put MERCURY in flu vaccines for crying out loud. Do you realize how horrible mercury is to the human body? No thanks. I even have one mercury amalgam filling that I want replaced. What you do is up to you...but I highly encourage you to do some research first.

So there you have it...simple ways to stay healthy in the remaining months of cold and flu season!

Stay well, everyone!

How do you stay healthy when everyone else is getting sick?

Till next time,
Catherine