A lunch time mess.

But worth it for a masterpiece!

I mean come on, would you scold Michelangelo about paint brushes and paint cans everywhere as he painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel? Would you tell Da Vinci to “clean as he goes” while he worked on the Mona Lisa?

I think not.

I had this for a little protein and Vitamin C(hocolate), to help me power through clean up.

These (that can be seen in the background above) have been soaking since the early AM.

Maybe next time I can spring for a bigger bowl, hmm?

I was only going to soak half the bag but Mr. I’m Full of Suggestions wondered aloud why I wouldn’t soak the whole bag, so in they went.

After soaking for 8ish hours, I cooked them for over an hour and then made a bunch of hummus. Enough hummus to feed a small army, as matter of fact.

First, plain old garlic.

(Please ignore the Kashi cracker shaped scoops missing from the mound.)

Then, Roasted Red Pepper.

OK, OK I’ll make my self a sample plate!

But then. THEN!

Almond Cinnamon Hummus

With two kinds of hummus made and still a bunch of chickpeas left to use, I wanted to do something CRAZY. Crazy I tell ya!

I remembered a post from Kath Eats a few weeks ago where she made hummus with cinnamon, and slowly the boulders in my head started to shift and I took inventory of what I had in stock.

I used (approximately)

2 cups of cooked chick peas
2 Tablespoons of almond butter
2 tsp of cinnamon
2 Tbsp canola oil
2 Tbsp maple syrup
Splash of lemon juice

A.Mazing. Incredible. So good I can’t believe I ever squirreled up my face at the idea of cinnamon in hummus. Did you hear that crazy lady hollering from the roof tops today?

“Cinnamon! In hummus! Pure Genius!”

Yeah, that was me.

I promptly shoved the red pepper hummus off the sample plate and cut up an apple. Dessert for dinner!

Two breakfasts and a head sized salad for lunch, I was not very hungry for dinner. Not to mention I had almond butter at every single meal today! Healthy fats? Check. A hummus sampling smorgasbord was the perfect dinner.

Little Miss I’m Awake and Hungry for Heart to Heart at 5am But No Way Am I Taking a Nap climbed up onto my leg as I sat down to write this post, and the next thing I know:

There’s even an adorable little puddle of drool on my leg.