I have no idea what it is like to "have a sweet tooth". I have always craved food that is salty, sour, and/or tart. Too much salt is obviously not good for you; however, how much salt is too much, seems to be under discussion. Watch the What I've Learned episode Low Sodium's link to Fat Gain & Insulin Resistance (Salt vs. Sugar).
In addition to salty, I love crunchy and spicy. So, it seems that any crackers might be the perfect fusion for my cravings. The cracker recipe below however, has the added benefit of high fiber and healthy oils and fatty acids. The suggested spices can be changed according to your taste. For example, next time, I may entirely skip the salt and add turmeric and black pepper instead.
It took me less than five minutes to mix all ingredients and another 20-25 minutes to bake the crackers. After that, I had a very crunchy time!
Ingredients
1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained
1 tsp salt, 1 tsp (or less) cayenne pepper, a pinch of paprika
1 1/2 cup oatmeal
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup pumpkin seeds
3 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs ground flax seed (you can alter this amount)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375° F. Mash the chickpeas (with a fork or hand masher), add the salt, cayenne pepper, and paprika (or any other spices of your choice). Add the olive oil and the two cups of seeds. Mix the ground flax seed and oatmeal with 1/3 cup warm water. Combine all ingredients by hand. Press the mixture onto an oiled cookie sheet, spread on the entire surface as thin as you can (wetting your hands to press down may help). Bake for 25 minutes. Cut into squares when still warm.
Do you like this recipe? Here and here are two more cracker recipes.
I do snack. I admit it. Despite that I like the idea of eating only once a day, I still snack.
But, in my defense, my lunch is usually less than 300 calories and I snack only within my "eating" hours, between 5 AM and 5 PM (yes, I know, this is 12 hours; therefore, my fasting period is probably not long enough to dip into the fat metabolism).
For my job, I prepare apple slices, baby carrots, and celery sticks. In addition, I have my daily banana and "other" fruit (whatever is in season).
More recently, I added sunflower seeds and whole wheat crackers for the times when I crave salt. I have also experimented with some homemade crackers (these are much better than Triscuit).
To make it easier on me, I wash the carrots and celery on Sunday, distribute them in sandwich bags and keep these in the refrigerator for the weekdays.
Once I stop working, I may not downsize to one meal a day, but I may shorten my eating period to six-eight hours a day, and take advantage of the daily intermittent fasting.
