Day 6.

Woke up this morning to news that temperatures could get up into the 60's this upcoming weekend. I am SO excited! Here in northern Illinois we have had a very mild winter, which has been great, but all that is running through my mind is that we're going to get up to 60 and then a week later it will snow again. And probably keep snowing until May. Its entirely possible! But we shall see. I will definitely take advantage of any warm weather I get. I love spring. And summer. And fall. Bring it on!

This hope for warm weather also stirred up some inspiration to try a new recipe. I have to say that I love this part of my nannying job: her naptime = my time in the kitchen. I have about an hour (sometimes a more if I let her "help") to make whatever I want, and I have all of the tools right here waiting for me! Today I walked into the house with the necessary ingredients to make my own Kickin' Roasted Chickpeas.

"What do I need?"
1 15-oz. can chickpeas (also under the label "garbanzo beans")
1 T olive oil
1 T ground cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. chili powder
1 pinch each of Salt, pepper, crushed red pepper

"How do I do this?"
1. Preheat the oven to 400*.
2. Mix the spices in with the olive oil in a medium-sized bowl.
3. Rinse the chickpeas and discard any shells.  Drain. Add chickpeas to the oil/spice mixture and toss to coat.
4. Cover a baking sheet in aluminum foil. Spread the chickpeas in a single layer on the baking sheet. Roast in the preheated oven until browned and crispy, about 45 minutes.
((Yields approx. four 1/4 cup servings. Weight Watchers PointsPlus Values per serving: 4))

These Kickin' Roasted Chickpeas are very crunchy and a really good snack. I will also be trying them as a salad-topper!