Remember the Chia Pet? I do, and I never gave a thought to what chia actually was. It’s a plant in the mint family whose seeds are cultivated as food. Chia seeds are rich in high-quality protein and a source of omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and B vitamins.
Chia seeds become gelatinous when wet and can be used as a thickener in smoothies, energy bars, and baking.
Chia pudding is guilt-free yumminess that takes seconds to prepare and makes me smile every time I eat it. Here’s the base recipe for a largish single serving (but it’s so healthy that you can enjoy guilt-free seconds!):
Chia Pudding
Ingredients
5 Tablespoons Chia Seeds
You can buy black or white seeds at most health- and bulk-food stores. It’s a bit expensive, but I made a batch every for a month and didn’t quite use up all of the bag I bought. White chia apparently works better.
1 cup Liquid
water, rice or almond milk, fruit juice, cold tea
Sweetener
honey, syrup, sugar; I use ~1 Tbs maple syrup
That’s it. Try mixing ingredients up until you find your favourite combination.
I also add ~3 Tablespoons Hemp Hearts (another complete protein & full of omega oils)
Compatible Flavour, such as…
matcha
cocoa powder (could use chocolate almond milk)
blueberries; dried pineapple chunks; a bit of leftover smoothie
Directions
Mix it all together in a storage container and put it in the fridge overnight. If you’re using syrup, put it in after the 1c of liquid, or you’ll end up with a clump of super-sweet chia seeds!
The chia seeds become tapioca-like and congeal it all together. It gets even thicker after 2 days in the fridge.
Enjoy!
Other Articles in this issue
FOMO (Article)
Your Body on Yoga: The Lower Back
Take 5 – Make Time for this Quick Stretch: Wide-legged Forward Fold
Health Tip: Alcohol
Philosophy Byte: Satya
Balance At Work News: FALL 2015