Cherry Chia Seed Pudding
Chia seed pudding is one of my most favorite things to eat. You can spruce it up with basically anything you want. Feel like bananas? No problem. Want a mango version, apple pie perhaps? You got it. This healthy snack not only tastes amazingly delicious, it comes packed, I mean PACKED with nutrients. Nutrients that are so good, your body does a little dance, makes a little love, and gets down (tonight), because it’s so overloaded with joy that you just ate something so fantastical.
You know when someone tells you to up your omega-3’s? Well chia seeds are delighted to help you with that. They, just like flaxseeds are loaded with healthy omega’s. But I wouldn’t stop there because they’re also packed with protein! If you’re plant-based this is a must in your diet as protein is super important. And the next time you get asked the question: “Where do you get your protein from?” You can reply with….um duh, chia seeds (among other things).
When you eat things like chia seeds you have to make it a point to drink tons of water. Chia seeds rapidly absorb a large amount of liquid – between 9-12 times their volume. This gives them their gel like form. In plain english what it does is sticks to the walls of your IG tract and pulls out the residue (cleans you out) while it’s passing through. You also have liquid inside of you so you can feel a little bloated after eating something like chia seeds if you aren’t drinking enough water to flush it out. Get what I’m saying? Same thing with something like psyllium husk. Water is importante, but I’m sure you’ve gathered that already.
You can prep this the night before to have for breakfast the next morning or you can make it early in the day and give it at least 4 hours of chill time. However you can use chia seeds as an egg replacer same as you would a flax egg. 1 tablespoon of chia seeds to 3 tablespoons of water. Let it sit 10 minutes in the fridge and you’re all set.
Remember this is just one version of many many different variations. I’ll be posting more! So until next time, have fun making your healthy pudding!
Cherry Chia Seed Pudding
Ingredients:
- 1 cup almond milk
- 3 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup frozen cherries
- 2 tablespoons creamy almond butter
- 1/3 cup non dairy yogurt (I used coconut yogurt)
- 2 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
Directions:
- Pour all ingredients into a mason jar and shake well.
- Leave in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight so the seeds can soak and turn into their gel form. The texture is similar to that of tapioca.
- When ready to eat, top with additional almond butter, yogurt, and cherries. Enjoy!
- Alternatively if you want just plain chia seed pudding simply add 3 tablespoons of chia seeds to 1 cup of almond milk, set in the fridge as recommended, then garnish, decorate, or add as desired.
