Guilt-Free Friday: Crackers

One of the hardest things I’m experiencing about this Paleo lifestyle is that it’s really hard to snack on stuff.  You’re kind of required to cook all the time, which is difficult to pull off with a busy lifestyle.  And sometimes you just have the munchies and you want to snack on something NOW, not cook and wait til it’s done.  That was probably a lot of the problem with my weight management prior to this – I’d just snack because I had the munchies, and invariably I’d snack on something BAD for me, either loaded with bad carbs or stuff that really wasn’t even food if you read the ingredients closely.  Sure I could grab a handful of grapes or nuts or something, but sometimes that’s just no fun!

Then one evening I thought, Crackers!  That’s fun to munch on!  And I had this big ol’ bag of almond flour in the freezer to tap into, so I scoured the internet for a good almond flour cracker recipe and voila, I found one!  It’s delicious, AND it’s easy!  Score!  This is from Zen Belly Blog, which happens to be loaded with a lot of great recipes that I'm definitely going to have to try!

They’re actually pretty filling too, for being such little guys, so your munchies don’t last very long.

One fun thing about these is that they’re versatile.  The recipe I found made them with rosemary.  I left that out and just used salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and they tasted AWESOME.  And since they were so easy, I experimented with different flavors like parsley and parmesan cheese and also honey and cinnamon for a dessert cracker.

If you’ve been interested in these recipes I post but haven’t tried them yet, you no longer have an excuse after I post this (unless you have an egg allergy, in which case you’re off the hook ‘cause there’s egg in this) – it’s too easy and too basic NOT to do.  Just get yourself some almond flour, which you can find at Schnuck’s, most health food stores, or online, and get crackin’!

1 egg

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cups almond flour

Your choice of seasonings – I used 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
In a large bowl, beat the egg and the olive oil.
Mix in the remaining ingredients and mix well, and knead it a bit with your hands.
Turn out onto a sheet of parchment paper and flatten out.
Cover with another sheet of parchment paper or wax paper and roll out to 1/8 inch thick.
Remove the top sheet of parchment and cut into 1 inch squares with a pizza cutter.
Transfer, parchment paper and all, to a baking sheet and bake for 14-20 minutes, checking occasionally.
The outside crackers might be done sooner than the center, in which case just remove the pan from the oven and carefully transfer the finished crackers to a plate to cool.
They’re done when they’re just barely golden.
Store in an airtight container and enjoy whenever you want!