Dear Heavenly Bodies,

A comment about ads......
Thank you for reading this blog. We have had over 2,000 viewers. I am hoping that some of those viewers passed on the site to people who need a support system. It is bad enough when most TV programs are selling horrible food at the commercials and the Food Network and Travel Channels feature programs that applaud over eating and poor eating. I watch a lot of PBS but when I want to see a program with commercials, I tape it. I can zip through the ads and get back to the program that interested me. I also noticed that there are a lot of food commercials late at night. If I gave into eating then it would compete with my sleep and no one wins. As for a support team, my best team members are my husband first then my daughter, then family and friends and then those who seem to show up in my life as health angels. When I first started on Dr. Esselstyn's plan, I could not see myself being true to the program if I left the security of my home. Then the first house invitation. I talked with the host and we made it happen and in a very relaxed and supportive way. Then the first restaurant invite. Called the restaurant ahead of time and got someone who told me that, "the chef doesn't do special orders.". The days were getting close to meeting our friends and I just gave it another shot at calling the restaurant. I spoke to Melelia who actually asked the chef. He said, "No problem. When you come, just order the Chef's Special and I will know.". Those are health angels. With gratitude I thank them all.

Chia is not just for pets.
Found this wonderful recipe that is gluten-sugar-oil-soy and nut free.
Check out this site. Part of a new eating plan is exploring. I would rather have a new adventure than try to eat fake meat, cheese, turkey, or mayonnaise. I know what the real food tasted like and I don't want a poor substitute. That's how I found this recipe for Chia Crackers. Happy fixing and eating. Elin.

Endurance Crackers from "Oh She Glows"

http://ohsheglows.com/2012/01/31/endurance-crackers/

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Remember the chia seed crackers that we ate at Chocolatree Café just before hiking up 0.6 miles of rocky mountainside?

Here they are in all their glory.

We kicked some major mountain booty that day and I’d like to think the chia seed crackers had something to do with it. After all, the Aztecs and Mayans used chia seeds (known as a “running food”) for hundreds of years to fuel their long journeys! (source)

As soon as I got home, I knew I had to bust out a version of these in my own kitchen. I was “running” on 3 hours of sleep thanks to a 4am wake-up call and the chocolate I was inhaling wasn’t making me feel any better. The chia crackers came to my rescue!

Endurance Crackers

These Endurance Crackers are extremely light and crispy while providing long-lasting energy. They are also vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, sugar-free, and oil-free to boot! Feel free to change up the seasonings and spices as you wish. Nutritional info follows.

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Inspired by Chocolatree Café.

Yield: 22 large crackers

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chia seeds*
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup pepita seeds (or pumpkin seeds)
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 cup water
1 large garlic clove, finely grated
1 tsp grated sweet onion
1/4 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
Herbamare & kelp granules, to taste (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 325F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, mix the seeds together. In a small bowl, mix the water, grated garlic, and grated onion. Whisk well. Pour the water mixture onto the seeds and stir until thick and combined. Season with salt, and optional Herbamare and Kelp granules, to taste. Add spices or fresh herbs if you wish.

3. Spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet with the back of a spoon until it’s less than 1/4 inch thick. Not to worry if a couple parts become too thin, you can just patch them up.

4. Bake at 325F for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, slice into crackers, carefully flip onto other side with a spatula. Bake for another 30 minutes, watching closely after about 25 minutes. The bottoms will be lightly golden in colour. Allow to cool completely on the pan. Store in a container or plastic baggy.

Note: See the bottom of this post for where you can purchase chia seeds.

Nutritional Info: (per cracker, makes 22 large crackers): 77 kcals, 6 grams fat, 4 grams carbs, 0 grams sugar, 3 grams fibre, 3 gram protein.

The nutritional stats are impressive, eh?

As I reached for my garlic powder, I thought why not use fresh garlic instead? My mom recently shared a trick with me for mincing garlic: just use a fine grater instead of chopping it. I used my Microplane and it was the perfect consistency for these crackers. Just be careful you don’t saw off the end of your nail like I almost did.

10 seconds flat for fresh garlic!

I also used the same method with the sweet onion.

After grating, I whisked the garlic and onion in a glass with the water (note: I ended up using a full cup of water instead of the 1/2 cup shown here).

Pour the water mixture into the seed mixture and stir well. It will be thick and gel-like in consistency.

Now season as you wish.

I used a mixture of Herbamare, kelp granules, and kosher salt for maximum flavour, but you can really play around with the seasonings any way you like! Add some spices too if you wish. Taste and adjust if necessary.

This picture hates me, clearly.

Spread onto your baking sheet lined with parchment (or a non-stick mat, but you will have to bake them a bit longer). You want to spread the mixture as thin as possible.

After baking for 30 minutes at 325F, remove from the oven and slice crackers with a pizza slicer.

I did a large diamond shape. You can do any size and shape you want, depending on how much ninja power you are looking for!

With a spatula, carefully flip the crackers and bake for another 30 minutes until toasty and golden on the bottom. Mmm.

My new favourite cracker, easily.

Not only are they vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, soy-free, nut-free, and sugar free, but they can be made raw if you dehydrate them.

After cooling, they are crispy, chewy, and basically mind blowing ninja fuel perfect for dipping into hummus. Eric said they taste better than the ones at Chocolatree, but he may be biased. I couldn’t get over how light and crispy they are!