Yep - It's me again!  Two posts in one day...wow, I am on a roll. :0)  So I just got back from the doctor and she has informed me that apparently my body and my brain were on two different wavelengths.  I thought that life was running pretty smoothly right now, with no extra stress (at least not any more than usual).  Well, I was wrong!  I was having some physical symptoms that were really worrying me, and the doc has assured me that they are all related to stress.  I have Joe on the hunt for some herbal remedies and I am going to really work on my exercise routine and diet to see if I can fix this without prescribed meds (or as I call them "alien chemicals" that I don't like putting into my system!).

So why not start off with a healthy snack!?  I have seen a lot of posts about different kinds of roasted chickpeas (garbanzo beans) so I figured I would try them as something different to add to my list of snacks to fix my salty cravings.

Here is some nutritional information I found on nutritiondata.self.com about Garbanzo beans.

This food is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein and Copper, and a very good source of Folate and Manganese.
Read More http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4326/2#ixzz1lA7GeL00

I have never had Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) but they seem like a much healthier choice than downing another cupcake or a tube of Pringles. :0)  To make these particular roasted chickpeas you will need:  Olive Oil (or cooking spray to have less fat), a can of garbanzo beans, sea salt (or use imitation salt, or if your spice has salt in it you may could skip the extra salt all together), and a spice of your choice (I used McCormicks Perfect Pinch Cajun, but any spice you like would work fine...I may do Taco seasoning next time).

So how do you make 'em you say??

1.  Rinse your beans and pat dry with a paper towel.  Make sure they are really dry or they won't get as crunchy in the oven.  I mean REALLY dry.  I thought mine were dry but they still turned out a little chewy with only a few crunchy ones (the crunchy ones are much better).

2.  Toss the beans in olive oil (or spray with cooking spray) with a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of your seasoning.

3.  Arrange your beans on a jellyroll pan and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes...or until you taste one and it is nice and crunchy.  Make sure you shake the pan a few times during cooking to roll the beans around and avoid burning them (I shook mine every ten minutes - no burning).

4.  Roll your beans out onto paper towels to cool a little (they cool fast) and then enjoy!

My house filled with the spell of spices in like two minutes!  They are actually pretty yummy!  Even though one can doesn't seem like a lot, it would have been more than enough for Joe and I to snack on (if I hadn't eaten them all already! - hey its the only thing I have had to eat all day). :0)

So I have taken the steps towards making a small change.  Hopefully I will keep the ball rolling!!