Roasted Chickpeas

I attend a Thursday night women's Bible study, and this week it's my turn for treats.

We are studying the book "Made to Crave" by Lysa TerKeurst.  It's about how to crave God more than food.  As we're all working through our unhealthy relationships with food in order to have a stronger relationship with God, I figured it would be inappropriate to bring a super fatty treat.

So I figured this is the perfect time to try a recipe I've been wanting to try for months:  roasted chickpeas.

First of all, chickpeas = garbonzo beans.  Same food, two names.

I wanted to make two batches, one sweet and one savory.

For the sweet batch, I followed this recipe on Two Peas and Their Pod.

For the savory batch, I found tons of recipe ideas but they all required ingredients I didn't have or just seemed to be different than what I had in mind.   So I made up my own recipe.  My family loves the baked Ranch oyster crackers that I'm sure you've all had.  So I took inspiration from that recipe to make the savory chickpeas.

Here's how it all went down.

I gathered the supplies:

First I drained the chickpeas.  I used two cans for each batch.  I dumped two cans at a time into a strainer and rinsed them under cold water, then I spread them out on paper towels.

Chickpeas have a little "skin" on them.  I didn't think this would be too appetizing, so I removed it from each and every chickpea.  Individually.  Seriously.  Next time I make these, and they're just for my family, I'll leave the skins on to see if they're really that bad.

It's a very easy process.  Just lightly pinch a chickpea between your thumb and finger, and the chickpea slides/shoots right out of the skin.  Repeat one million times.

The pan on the left has skins removed and the pan on the right has no skins removed:

You can't really tell in this picture, but the chickpeas appear brighter in color and less dull after you remove the skins.

I first mixed the sweet flavorings in a bowl (cinnamon, sugar, and canola oil).

Then I stirred in the chickpeas until they were evenly coated.

Then I sprayed my cookie sheet with non-stick spray and spread out the coated chickpeas on the pan.

Then I repeated the process with the other chickpeas and the savory seasonings.

I whisked the oil, dry Ranch dressing, garlic salt, and dill weed:

Mixed in the chickpeas:

And spread them out on a pan sprayed with non-stick spray:

I baked both pans at once at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.  Then I stirred them around and switched the pan placement in the oven and baked for another 10 minutes.  I stirred and baked for another 7 minutes.  My sweet chickpeas needed about 5 more minutes than the savory ones.  I used two different brands, so I'm assuming that's what made the difference.

You may need to bake yours longer or shorter depending on your oven (and your chickpeas).  You want the chickpeas to be crunchy throughout (no longer soft in the center).

The sweet chickpeas have one last finishing step:  coat them in honey and let them dry/harden.

And the finished treats:

*My Notes:

• Even though I made a double batch of each recipe, it still didn't make very much.  If you're making these for a crowd, I'd suggest using at least three cans of chickpeas per recipe (mine are two cans each). 
• Jared said the Ranch chickpeas were bland, so you may want to consider increasing the amount of Ranch seasoning and garlic salt.
• I was amazed at the difference in final texture between the two batches of chickpeas.  I'm guessing the brand made the difference.  The Ranch chickpeas ended up much smaller (they were the Bush's brand).  The honey cinnamon batch didn't shrink as much and I preferred their final texture (they were Simple Truth Organic, which was actually the cheapest brand when I went shopping!).

For the full printable Honey Cinnamon Roasted Chickpeas recipe, please visit Two Peas and Their Pod.

Here's my recipe:

Ranch Roasted Chickpeas

Ingredients:

• 2 cans chickpeas
• 4 teaspoons canola oil
• 1.5 tablespoons dry Ranch seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dill weed

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Drain chickpeas and rinse with cool water.  Spread chickpeas out on a double layer of paper towels.  Remove skins, if desired.  Allow chickpeas to dry.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, Ranch seasoning, garlic salt, and dill weed.
4. Pour chickpeas into bowl and stir until they're all evenly coated.
5. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray and spread out chickpeas on pan.
6. Bake for 35-40 minutes, stirring about every ten minutes.  Chickpeas are done when they are no longer soft in the center.  (Go ahead and sneak one to test!)
7. Allow chickpeas to cool.  Enjoy!

Jessica

Easy Healthy Cookies

If you've ever been on Pinterest, you've likely seen these:

These are cookies made by mashing bananas, adding instant oatmeal, and mixing in whatever extra you like.  Then you bake the cookies and enjoy.

Click here for the full recipe on The Burlap Bag.

I made these recently as a healthy dessert when we had a friend over for dinner.  I added mini chocolate chips and a dash of cinnamon.

Unbaked

Baked

We all thought they were pretty tasty.  There's no way these would trick your taste buds into thinking they're actual chocolate chip cookies, but I think they're great for what they are.

I made another batch yesterday and added mini chocolate chips to half of the cookies and dried cranberries to the other half.  I only used one banana (and 1/2 cup oatmeal), which makes about 5 small-ish cookies or 4 slightly larger cookies.

These are cheap, easy, healthy, and tasty.  If you try these, I'd love to hear what you mix in!

Jessica

Where do we fit?

Ever since Griffin was diagnosed with Asperger's, I have struggled to find my footing and figure out where we fit. 

I don't feel like we fit in with families coping with debilitating disabilities.  What do I have to offer to a parent of a child who isn't mobile, can't be potty trained, or has a severe cognitive disability?

We don't even seem to fit into the world of autism.  Griffin is on the high functioning end of the Autism Spectrum, but so many kiddos on the spectrum are nonverbal or struggle much more with daily life than we do. 

Yet I can't pretend that we don't have this diagnosis.  I don't quite fit completely into my old spot as a mom of three healthy run-of-the-mill "neurotypical" (you're not supposed to say "normal") kids.

Not knowing where we fit has paralyzed me and kept me from moving forward in any direction.

Then my friend Jessica invited me to attend a conference with her.  She has a pretty adorable four-year-old son with autism.  Maybe she just wanted a companion for the conference she was already planning to attend.  Or maybe she recognized my wide-eyed paralysis and decided to give me a gentle nudge. 

So last Saturday Jessica and I ("the Jessicas") attended a conference that helped us understand how to work with our kids' schools to create a successful IEP (Individualized Education Program).  This is a crucial starting point for me since Griffin is starting kindergarten in the fall and I have NO idea how to work with the school to help Griffin have the most successful school experience possible.

There was just one problem.  The conference was for parents of children with disabilities. 

I've never considered myself a parent of a child with a disability.  Is Griffin disabled? 

The conference was filled with a mix of parents/guardians and educators (teachers, therapists, etc.).  When everyone at our table was introducing themselves, I was afraid to tell everyone I have a son with Asperger's.  I mean, one mom at the table has four children and each has special needs ranging from ADHD to hearing impairment.  Another had a son with Downs Syndrome.  And two were special education teachers/aids who work with severely disabled children.  I felt like I might get boo'ed out of the room. 

But guess what?  No one even flinched when I introduced myself.  And the conference was totally applicable to us.  Not only did I get to spend time with my friend, but I also gathered lots of valuable information.  Plus two of the women at our table invited us to another workshop just a few days later.

I decide to take hold of the opportunity, so Monday evening I attended a workshop called Educational Rights and Responsibilities:  Understanding Special Education in Illinois.  This workshop was incredibly informative and helpful for me.

But here's another confession:  I never envisioned any of my kids being in special education.  I guess the words "special ed" tripped me up just like "disability" did. Please hear me that I do not in any way want to offend anyone who is in the special education system.  This is just all so new and confusing to me.  I'm trying to wrap my head around the fact that these terms and services apply to my son.  Or do they?  I don't know.  I'm only two conferences in.

One thing I have learned through this last week:  people who work with or parent kids with special needs are incredibly gracious and compassionate.  No one belittled my parenting struggles just because Griffin's disorder isn't more devastating.  I didn't have to explain how Asperger's affects kids' behavior.  I also didn't have to justify my presence at the conferences.  These people accepted me and even applauded me for being proactive and gathering information.  They offered me helpful advice and gave me lots of resources and contacts to help me. 

I used to say that we were in "no man's land."  Now I think of it more as we're in a neutral spot with ties to both worlds (the general neurotypical population and the world of diagnoses, disabilities, IEPs, and special education).  It should be interesting as we create our own road map through these worlds!

Jessica

School Money Printable

Today is another milestone for Nolan:  he's eating school lunch for the very first time.

Last year (in kindergarten), he wanted to try getting hot lunch, but he always ended up changing his mind and just wanting to take his lunch instead.  Last week he told me that he wanted to try a school lunch when they have cheese pizza (or "chizza" as he calls it) because "that seems to be a big hit," according to Nolan. 

I actually have no idea how much a school lunch costs these days.  Believe it or not, I searched for quite a while and couldn't find that information anywhere.  So, I decided just to send $5 to cover today's lunch and possibly another if he decides to buy a hot lunch again.

I sent the money with an adorable free printable from AnythingButPerfect.com.

You can download this adorable free printable in four colors here.

But HURRY!  Their website says that all their free printables will be deleted February 28, 2013 (which has already passed).  Click here to see all of their adorable free printables!

Happy Friday!
Jessica

This time last year...

When I wrote about Nolan's Wacky Wednesday, I looked through our pictures from March of last year so I could find a picture of him doing Wacky Wednesday last year.  I couldn't find it.  So I went back to March two years ago, thinking maybe he had done it in preschool.  No luck there either.

But I did love looking back at older pictures on our computer.  It was very interesting to see what everyone looked like and what we were up to this time last year.

I realize it won't be quite as interesting to you as it was to me, but I'm sharing anyway. :)

March 2012:

It was warm enough to play outside without coats!

She got sidewalk chalk everywhere!

Nora's hair was crazy.  Some things never change.

Griffin was done with naps, but he occasionally fell asleep in weird places and weird positions.

We pulled out our old wooden border and put in these stones.

We also put in a new weed barrier and new mulch.

We FINALLY took out this old nasty door to our garage...

And put in a pretty new solid door, which I painstakingly painted.

It got warm enough to play outside in short sleeves and shorts!

Nora discovered her love for dressing herself.

We bought new blue and green sand for our sand box.

I pushed the kids in the stroller everyday to get Nolan from school.

I got Nora's hair into this adorable ponytail!

Griffin and Nora had an Easter egg hunt at their Wednesday morning church program.

We took the kids to a movie.  So fun!  And yes...I was still chubby.

Nora was still sleeping in a crib, and one day Nolan climbed in to play with her.

We traded in this car that I bought my freshman year of college...

for this car!!

And Nora got her first hair cut.  Thanks Aunt Kristi!

I had so much fun looking through all the pictures from this month last year.  I loved the pictures from March two years ago too, but I won't make you look at those.  :)  It's crazy how much changes with little ones!

Jessica

Wacky Wednesday

This week is Dr. Seuss week at Nolan's school, and today was Wacky Wednesday.  The kids were encouraged to dress in wacky and silly ways.  Nolan came up with his ensemble. 

He wanted to put the collar up on his gray shirt and put a brightly colored undershirt with it instead of white.  Then he got inspired to wear his t-shirt over his collared shirt instead of under it.  You can't tell from the picture, but he put his pants on backwards.  He chose his white high-top basketball shoes rather than his everyday shoes.  Finally, he asked me to gel his hair into a faux-hawk.  I did my best, but his hair wasn't really long enough.  His missing tooth accessorizes his outfit perfectly.

You may think this is just a silly addition to a normal school day, but it's not.  It's a milestone.

I remember last year when Nolan's school did Dr. Seuss week and had Wacky Wednesday.  We tried to convince Nolan to wear his clothes backwards or out of order or mismatched.  It was rough.  There were tears.  He had a very hard time with things being different than normal. 

Going back further in time, Nolan had a few issues in preschool as well.  I still remember one of his teachers telling me they thought Nolan had OCD and might need help.  His pediatrician just told us to keep an eye on him.  Nolan couldn't handle getting a stamp on his hand or doing messy activities.  Now that Griffin is in the same preschool class and has his own issues, the teachers have been teasing me and wondering if I'm a neat freak.  One stroll through my house will tell you otherwise! 

When I think back to Nolan's preschool days and our concerns about him, and then I look at the picture of Nolan this morning with the wacky outfit he created himself, I can't help but feel proud of him.

This is a good reminder for me.

At the beginning of a problem with the kids (a problem with their behavior, a parenting issue, a health issue, etc.), I feel overwhelmed.  I worry and wonder where this will lead.  And then we work on it and find help or answers and do whatever we think is best for our kids.  Before we know it, progress is being made and hurdles are overcome.  Nolan never let his preschool teachers stamp his hand, but he did let them put paint on his hands for a handprint art project before the end of the year.  We celebrated the victory.

The problem is that I tend to celebrate the victory momentarily and then jump right into tackling the next problem.  Let me tell you, with three kids, there is always a next problem! 

Something as simple as Wacky Wednesday being nothing more than a funny addition to our day reminds me that none of the struggles we face last forever.  I'm sure that this is a lesson I'll have to learn over and over {let's be honest}, but I'm grateful for the chance to pause today and be proud of my wacky kids.

Jessica

Writer's Block

Well, you may have noticed a bit of a pause in my blogging.  It's due to a mixture of equal parts overscheduling, lack of sleep, recurring tummy troubles, random busyness, and plain old lack of writing inspiration.

I have at least 3 unfinished craft projects I can't share with you yet.  God's been working on me, but I can't quite form it into pretty words yet.  My kids have said and done hilarious stuff, but I really don't know if the general public would be as amused by those stories as I am.  There have been more fruitless attempts at cleaning.  I've been exercising like it's my job but with no real success to report. 

So I haven't written.  And the longer I go without writing, the more pressure I put on myself.  And the more pressure I put on myself to write, the harder it is to form something to write.  You see my predicament.

So I was thinking that maybe if I break the silence with this pointless rambling mini-post, perhaps I would rattle loose my writer's block. 

I'll let you know if it works. :)

Jessica