Two new favorite snacks...

We have two new favorite snacks in our home that I had to share. They are super healthy and are baby love and approved. Here they are...
Peanut butter banana carob smoothie...
What is carob? It is my new favorite health food! It's a nutrient dense replacement for chocolate. Will I still eat chocolate, HECK YES, but this is great to add to smoothies where you would normally add coco powder because it is PACKED with nutrition. Carob contains lots of vitamins and minerals and has been used since the biblical times. You can learn lots about it here. 
The smoothie is awesome. It feels like you are having a serious treat and my babies could not get enough of it!

Put the following ingredients in a blender and combine until smoothie consistency is reached. 
1.5 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
6-8 ice cubes
2 bananas 
2T peanut butter
1T carob powder (you can get this at your local health store)
You gotta try!

The second recipe is roasted chick peas. This came to us as mistake. I was making white chicken chili and accidentally opened a can of garbonzo beans (chick peas) instead of great northern beans. I now had an open can of beans and didn't have everything for hummus so I roasted them instead. They are delish and packed with protein and fiber. They kind of remind me of my childhood road trip snack of corn nuts. 

Take a can of garbonzo beans, strain and fully rinse them with water. Lay a paper towel out, add the beans and take another paper towel and pat until dry. Add the beans to a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Distribute the oil by rubbing the beans around in the oil. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes until crisp and no longer soft. Take them out of the oven and sprinkle with sea salt, cumin and paprika. 
I hope you and your little ones enjoy this yummy and healthy snacks!