By: Hettie Basil Lighttower
Last time we talked, we enjoyed a few great ideas for healthy sweet treats. I have collected a few more of them, but I’d like to share a few non-sweet ones with you today. We can switch around our taste buds can’t we?
Did you know that when you buy those wonderful snacks we all love called Cheez-its…. They are so full of hidden and not so hidden yucky yuck ingredients? One of the great things about going on vacation as a kid was mom filling all the cubby holes with snacks and foods that we could just grab and eat instead of stopping and losing time on the road. We could get to our destination much quicker if we just ate those glorious Cheez-its by the handfuls! And I don’t know if they were made the same then as they are now. But the way they are now, are not so great for you. Here’s a healthy alternative:
“Cheese Squares”
Shred finely… 8 oz of sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup of flour (make it gluten free by using almond flour)
4 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp cold water
½ Tsp of both salt and paprika
Blend all the ingredients together and roll out until 1/8-1/4 inch thick and cut one inch into squares. Separate the squares onto a baking sheet. Poke a hole in the middle of each square with a toothpick. Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes. They will harden as they cool. Voila!! A healthy guilt free snack! And then this one sounds pretty good too….. you own gluten free crackers. Take a bag of lentils (always sift through for stones or ones discolored with spots and such) and put them into your spice grinder until they are a powder. Add desired spices and salt (I always use pink Himalayan salt because it has so many great additional trace minerals and no additives). Blend in with a fork coconut oil and or butter as you choose. Just enough to make the powdered lentils into a dough like consistency. Spread out into a cookie sheet. Place in oven at 350F for 8-10 minutes. Take out let cool for a bit then cut into squares or whatever shapes you like. Space them out a bit then replace them back into the oven until edges start to brown.(5-8min)
I just made these lentil crackers and they were delicious. And of course you can top them off with anything you like. And by the way in the first recipe notice it suggests to shred your own cheese? I realize it is an extra step for your end result. But guess what? It is actually healthier to shred your own cheese. #1 pre-packaged shredded cheese has fillers and unhealthy powders added to them to keep the cheese from sticking together. Now, of course, we all LOVE the convenience and joy of shredded cheese without risk of skinned knuckles and other finger injuries with our grater. BUT, sadly, we are NOT getting just shredded cheese in those packages. Read the ingredients! So sad. So scary. The ingredients should literally only say “cheese” on there. But it doesn’t. It is so much better to grate your own.
And #2 reason to shred your own cheese is that it puts your OWN love and energy into it. That is a real thing! If you have read previous articles of mine you already know about frequencies and intention and those intangibles are very important. They make a real difference in anything we do. Everything is frequency. So, put your own love and intention for better health and healing into your masterpieces. You will be glad you did. Remember how much better something tastes when that special person in your life made it for you? You can make your own for you all day long, but let that best friend bring you a batch of cookies and they are the best cookies! It is the love frequency that counts. That you can’t see.
I hope you enjoy these new alternative snacks. Oh and by the way, it is also so, so, so much better for you to pop your own popcorn rather than from those pre-packaged handy-dandy bags. First of all they are in the microwave(bad). Second the lining of the bags are not just paper. Third preservatives and additives and fake flavorings……naa, naa, naa. Not good for you. Buy it in bulk, store in jars (the kernels will last years in jars), then add some coconut oil to cover the bottom of your frying pan, pour some kernels in there just a cup or less, put on high heat til hot then to medium heat with lid on your pan of course and adjust the heat lower and then to off as you hear the popping slow down. Give the pan a shake now and then to circulate the cooking. Voila! Amazing healthy popcorn! Season as your wish….. melted butter, steak seasoning, get creative….. lemon pepper….. you would be surprised at what tastes amazing on popcorn.
Send in your notions and comments to [email protected]. I will include them in the next available column as per their arrival relative to the publication deadline of Tuesday by 12 p.m. of the same week. If you wish to be anonymous let me know. Kindness is contagious~*