Snack Attack

Snacks can be a bit of a nemesis for me. When I want a snack it's usually at the time of day where my blood sugar drops and I'm ravenous for something good (which pretty much happens at 4:00 pm every single day of my life.

The problem is...when I want something "good", I don't mean "good-for-me-good". I wish I was one of those girls that just craves a salad or carrot sticks. When given the option between steamed veggies and french fries at a restaurant, I ALWAYS want the fries. In fact, I'm quite certain that I could eat fries several times a day, each and every day. Then I could have ice cream for dessert. I love ice cream with my whole heart.

Sometimes I give in to these cravings and, you know what? Even though they are terrible for you, I don't feel guilty about eating them once and a while. My quality of life would be severely compromised without French fries and ice cream. A life without ice cream, is just not a life I'm interested in.
Anyway. I digress.

Since I can't eat junk food every time I'm craving a snack, I've had to come up with some alternatives. I'm always on the hunt for healthy things to munch on after school. I was delighted when I got my September issue of Food Network Magazine and they had a whole feature on after school snacks. They have these nifty little books in each issues that you can tear out and they give you 50 ideas for a certain type of food. This little book had 50 fun snacks to explore.

I was particularly intrigued by #21 on the list: Crunchy Chickpeas. I made them on Sunday and my hubby and I loved them. But I will give this disclaimer; they are much better when they are fresh out of the oven than they are cold. I think I'll heat up the extras in the toaster oven when I go back for more. But other than that, I thought they were really unique and tasty. They almost reminded me of an exotic popcorn type of thing. Plus, they are incredibly good for you!

Crunchy Chickpeas
~Not the best picture, but they smell heavenly!~

• 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• Kosher salt

1. Heat the oil, cumin, and paprika in a large ovenproof skillet for 2 to 4 minutes.
   
2. Season with salt and then pop in a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes.