Month: August 2011

Sprouted Spelt Crackers

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This is not a recipe.

This is a suggestion.

I suggest you make some sprouted spelt crackers.

They are simple.  They are nutritious.  They are cheap.  Even better, they are super crunchy, slightly sweet, and a little nutty.

And they are super satiating.  A 4pm couple-cracker-snack kept me hunger free all the way up until my 9pm dinner.

The ingredients are few.

Start with spelt berries.

Sprout them.

A few days later…

…throw them in the food processor with some herbs (fresh or dried), sea salt, a drizzle of olive oil, and maybe some red pepper flakes if you like things a little spicy.

Puree into a dough.

Use wet hands to mash dough cracker-thin onto a silpat, maybe mash in some sunflower seeds while you’re at it.

Bake ’em at 350* until they are golden brown (mine took about 20 minutes).  Turn off the oven and leave ’em in there for another 15 minutes or so to get dry and crunchy.

Once cool, break them up and snack away.

They are awesome on their own…

or with okra pickles.

Working time: less than 20 minutes.  Satisfied belly time: hours.

Relief Dance

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I had an unusual-for-me desire to go to the gym last night.  I teach a mat Pilates class there on Monday nights so I went a little early to hop on the elliptical.  My body was feeling stiff and a little sore; I need to move and warm it up without the impact of running or the stretching of yoga.

20 minutes of moving later I felt much better physically but a bit emotionally distraught.  All the televisions were showing footage of the disastrous flooding that Irene left in her wake.

Charlottesville was spared.  We experienced a little rain and a little wind but nothing compared to Cape Cod.  Or the Outer Banks.  Or the entire state of Vermont.

This type of situation leaves me grateful that the worst of my Irene experiences had me leaving my beach vacation a day and a half early.  It also leaves me feeling helpless and  compassionate to those who are now sorting through the flood-soaked pieces of their lives.  I thought about taking all of our leftover food the foodbank before we left the Outer Banks on Thursday but half a box of whole grain crackers and a ridiculous amount of carrots didn’t seem all that helpful.

I am performing a dance concert on Friday night here in Charlottesville, for which I will be paid $100. I was going to use it to buy some new dance tops but that seems a little superfluous right now.  I want to give this money to someone who is experienced hardship due to the Hurricane.  It’s not much but maybe it can buy some back to school clothes or groceries or cover a night in a hotel while the house is unlivable.

Help me find someone/a family to send this money to!  Tell me your/their story either in the comments section or send me an e-mail at gracefulfitness [at] live.com