Can I take a moment to reach out for some parenting advice? We are in threenager hell at the moment and I feel like I am dealing with one tantrum right after another. I also cannot tell my daughter not to do something (no matter how nicely I say it), without the water works. I’ve always been very patient with her and try to do what I can to discourage the behavior, but sometimes I feel like it is just better to let her win and I hate that. The problem is: she gets my incredible stubbornness, so we tend to butt heads a lot. Threenager really is the best way to describe our situation right now! So any tips on that are so welcome!

Back to the food.

When I first decided I wanted to start eating healthy and get the most nutritional bang for my calorie buck (that’s a thing, right?), I started to obsess over beans and chickpeas, in particular. They’re just so tasty and suuuuper filling. Plus, they have a kind of meaty texture that is so satisfying to munch.

I came up with this salad when I had a serious salad craving and basically nothing in the house. It’s my little MacGyver salad.

And it’s good.

I mean, it’s really good.

What I really love about this salad is that it is ridiculously fast and easy to make. And it travels well. Oh, it tastes even better the next day. For such a quick salad, it is really packed with crunch and flavor – the two big factors I look for in a good salad.

This has since become my go-to salad for when I want something simple, but packed with flavor and will easily fill me up. By the way, did I mention how yum this salad is?

Simple Chickpea Salad Recipe

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Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic
• zest of one lime
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon pepper flakes
• salt & pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
• 1 can chickpeas
• 1 medium cucumber, about 6 inches long
• 1 cup mixed cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 medium red onion
• 1/4 cup feta cheese (optional)

Instructions

1. Mix the lime juice and oil in a small bowl for the dressing.
2. Finely chop the garlic and add to the dressing along with the lime zest, cumin, paprika, pepper flakes, salt, pepper and fresh cilantro. Mix well and set aside.
3. In a medium/large bowl, add the chickpeas and set aside.
4. Slice the cucumber, then chop each slice into quarters, add to the chickpeas.
5. Quarter the mixed cherry tomatoes,then finely chop the onion and add both to the salad.
6. Mix the salad and coat int he dressing. If you are adding feta cheese, crumble and fold into the bowl of salad.