Ch-ch-ch chocolate chia pudding!
8:54 AM
Nom nom nom nom nom.
After having Atticus and before having Callum I did the Paleo diet. If you’re unfamiliar, the basic idea is that you “eat like a caveman,” choosing foods as close to their natural state as possible and avoiding dairy products (except eggs), processed sugars, and most grains, especially wheat. It was great for me! I lost the baby weight and then some, I didn’t count calories, and I ate whenever I felt hungry. I stopped doing it when I was pregnant because my nausea was so out of control that I wasn’t going to cut out any food that sounded palatable. But now, the holidays are over and I’m tired of wearing my fat pants. Paleo time.
One easy to make snack is chia seed pudding. Yep, the chia seeds that you can rub onto clay statues, water and “watch them grow!” as the commercials exclaim. They are rich in fiber, protein omega-3s, calcium, and antioxidants, if you’re into that sort of thing. They’ve been trending as a “superfood” for a year or two now, and while I don’t believe they (or any one food) are a cure-all for whatever ails you, they do get my totally unofficial seal of approval.
Although this is a recipe for a “pudding,” I cannot deceive you, dear readers, into thinking this is smooth and creamy like you’d expect from a pudding. The seeds absorb water and liquid and swell up and develop a kind of gel around them, but not like gelatin, especially if you are adding a milk or milk subsitute. The texture is somewhere between rice budding and tapioca. This might throw some people off, so consider yourself warned.
There are tons of ways to vary this recipe--use a different liquid, add more or less (or no) coca powder, sweeten it with honey, stevia, agave, maple syrup, add different mix-ins like cocoa nubs, sunflower seeds, pretty much any fruit you can imagine...experiment! The recipe is best when it can be refrigerated over night, but needs at least a two hours to the specific recipe for my favorite combination is as follows:
The humble beginnings.
Chocolate chia pudding
A sealable containter (a trendy mason jar, perhaps?)
1/3 cup of chia seeds
1 1/3 cup almond/coconut milk blend
1 tablespoons chocolate baking powder (unsweetened)
1/4 cup pistachios
2 apricots, thinly sliced
Combine chia seeds, milk, and cocoa powder in sealable container. Shake well to thoroughly mix ingredients. Allow mixture to chill in the refriderator for at least two hours, preferably overnight. In the morning add pistachios and apricots and enjoy!
Makes 2-3 servings which can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for several days (if you can keep yourself from eating it all in one day).
Approved for consumption.
Have you tried chia seeds yet? Any other recipes you can share? I also like to sprinkle them on a salad or on eggs, but I want to try a “milkshake” next. Any suggestions?
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