Peel an Apple find a Cake

A healthy snack has eluded me for years. I thought it was a little bare-looking and ascetic when i first saw it on a blog somewhere, but because of my mysterious tummy-troubles I have been eating a lot of boiled eggs, boiled chicken and a lot of cooked apple sauce, and in an attempt to get some freshness and crispness and generally non-boiled-ness back into my diet I gave raw apple slices with cinnamon a try. It has been hitting the snacking spot for me again and again these days - peeling the apple first makes all the difference for a sore tummy and strangely I have been slathering the slices in more and more cinnamon without issue. By now, crisp veggies and salads are back on my menu so I'm one happy foodie.

Tomorrow I am leaving on holiday for a week, so I have been baking up a batch of crackers to bring along. I've learned about eating out that it is important to bring something filling so I avoid getting super hungry - that's when I am liable to take a stupid chance by ordering meals with meat or nuts or something filling without being 100 percent sure they are without stuff my tummy can't handle. In addition to crackers I might buy a bag of nuts when I get there to carry around, but I thought I'd like something a little more "prepared" than just raw nuts to sprinkle on green salads. I decided on trying these Pepita Protein Bites from Zomtbakes, but I removed the chick peas and gluten by using almond flour in stead of besan flour and wheat germ. I also omitted the treacle, skimped on the honey and plunked in some nutmeg and a bit of salt to make a savoury/spicy version. Of course they didn't stick together properly. So in a way it's a fail - but I think the big chunks of spicy pumpkin seeds are going to be a big win when sprinkled on salads.

I am also bringing a handful of Cashew Cookie Larabars because they can double (triple?) as a sweet snack, dessert, and to amp up the energy content of meals if the only options that are safe to eat are also lacking in the refuelling department. And by all means, cashew cookie is a great variety of Larabar, but I am planning something for when I come back. Carrot Cake Larabars - apparently they are all the rage, and I have seen them mentioned - or rather raved about - in several places by now, here at the latest, at Healthy Exposures. Usually I will suppress my envy of the Larabar options available to the lucky people overseas (chocolate chip cookie dough Larabar? Cherry pie Larabar?) but I am craving a taste of this one like mad. So the intrepid blogger googles - and finds. I have bookmarked this Carrot Cake Larabar recipe. Trying it out is going to have to wait until I'm back from holiday, but it's certain to be one of the first things happening in the kitchen by then.