I’m not a nutritionist. I’m not a doctor. 

But I know about food. I know how to cook… pretty well, I’m told. I know about carbs and calories, sugar and fat, balanced eating styles. I know about food obsession and addiction, from firsthand experience. I know that most of us sit somewhere on the scale of “eat to live” and “live to eat”.  

That said, I can definitely tell you that exercise and a lifestyle of wellness is not just in the gym (or dance floor or activity).  It begins in your internal terrain. A need for good nutrition and recovery actually supersedes exercise!  You might be surprised to hear that. 

I am often asked what I eat. When?  How much?  Am I a “meal person” or a “grazer”?

My answer:  yes.  I eat meals AND I snack!

I generally choose the good stuff. I’m a firm believer in (basically) the 80/20 “rule”.  80% of the time, I eat clean and healthy.  20% of the time, I treat myself reasonably. (My treats are french fries, nuff said.)

The days of “no snacking between meals” 

are long over. Thank you. I didn’t like that rule. 

I love snacking. And I do snack. A LOT. 

Some days are linked together with a string of snacks, either because I’m really hungy and need to, or I don’t have the time or the right schedule for full meals. 

I’m offering this snack recipe to you all because it has quickly become a staple and favorite. Everyone loves it. Even those that don’t like chickpeas. It’s high in protein and the right fats. Not bad on the glycemic scale either…. leave out the raisins if you need no sugar. I use golden raisins because I don’t like the brown ones. And I put all the aromatics on the garbanzos before roasting, lemon, balsamic, aminos. I also roast a bit longer, letting them get dark and a bit dry and crunchy, and let them cool in the oven after i turn it off. 

Enjoy!

RECIPE

* 1 cup of roasted chickpeas

* 1/2 cup of almonds

* 1/2 cup of raisins

You can vary those proportions as you like, and you can double or triple the batch as needed. For me, this yields four snack servings or so.

Roasted chickpea directions:

* 2 cups cooked chickpeas

* 1 tbsp olive, coconut, or avocado oil

* 1 tbsp tamari, nama shoyu, or Bragg’s liquid aminos

* 1 tbsp lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, or apple cider vinegar

Mix all ingredients and bake in an oven set to 375 for about 35 minutes, moving the chickpeas around with a spoon halfway through. You want them to get nice and brown! After you’re done roasting the chickpeas (and dehydrating, if you wish), simply mix them with the almonds and the raisins.