Quick Meal That Feels Like Dessert!

Chia seed, your choice of milk and flavoring. Let it sit overnight.  

That easy.  REALLY!

Chia seeds have been a staple in countries for centuries. For many of us it is a new super food like quinoa.  The Mayans and Aztecs knew what they were doing!

Chia seeds are high in Omega 3's, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants.  They are seeds, so they have fat but the good kind since it is from a vegetable source.  The fiber helps with a feeling of satiety - ability of food to satisfy.They are high in calcium, manganese, and phosphorus.  

• Manganese - healthy bones, bone metabolism, fertility, processing of nutrients

• Calcium - healthy bones

• Potassium - protein building, electrolyte & fluid balance, muscular contractions, nerve impulses

The benefits are numerous. 

The outer shell of the chia seed swells, absorbing the liquid in the milk creating a pudding like texture. They are also a great replacement for eggs in recipes like flax seed but the advantage is chia seeds don't need to be ground.

Chia seed pudding is a quick and easy dessert to make that is full of the health benefits listed above. It is versatile as you can choose the flavoring you want to suit your mood.  I like making it in individual containers but you can just put in one big one and serve. I don't use any sweetener and then feel less guilty when it is a meal replacement. Adding fresh fruit or a dollop of preserves on the top can also add sweetness to the pudding. 

Share your favorite add-ins on That’s Vegetarian’s Blog.

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Chia Seed Pudding

3 c cashew milk (almond milk, soy milk, coconut milk, pistachio milk, regular milk)
1 T flavoring - vanilla, almond extract, amaretto, preserves...and/or3/4 t spice - pumpkin pie, cinnamon, cardamom,...1 T sweetener - maple syrup, agave syrup, honey (vary amount to taste)1/3 c chia seeds6 t preserves or fresh berries
Mix the ingredients together well.  Put in one large container and let it set in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.

Optional - add 3T cocoa powder to make it a chocolate pudding!
Difficulty level: easy
Serves 6

Prep Time: 10 min

Wait time: up to 4 hours

gluten free, dairy free, vegan, vegetarian

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*http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts 

Fueling Your Body and Soul

It is amazing how what energy we put into our body makes us feel both. Energy is not only in the form of calories but emotional, spiritual, and physical too.

Normally, I wake up. Have about 16 oz. of water to re-hydrate myself before I do anything else. Exercising first thing in the morning usually sets me on a path of 90% smart food and drink choices for the day. It helps my attitude too because my body feels good.

Yesterday, I did not fuel myself well.  It was a bad vegetarian day. Doughnut and coffee for breakfast.  Mind you it was an amazing, well-made minimal preservative doughnut from Sullivan Bakery and it was Peet’s coffee.  This was before my first glass of water.  Lunch wasn’t much better but I did manage to get some sugar snap peas in.  I swam a mile, ate some cheese and olives and then rode my bike about 4 miles. 

I managed to fuel my soul with going to a Make-a-Wish wish granting event. An Italian boy wanted to perform a rock concert in a club with his brother in NYC as his wish.  There were a good 50 people there.  It is such a great organization and it was wonderful to see the support.  They boys did a great job.  You could see the excitement in their faces. (Also, on Saturday, I volunteered for Make-a-Wish was part of the Urban Mudder on Randall's Island.)

Then, dinner was chips and guacamole with a margarita and a half. (The margarita blog is on its way, sit tight.) They were all made with fresh ingredients, no preservatives, and no corn syrup.  I had plenty of water throughout the day and Blood Orange Iced Tea from Harney & Sons.  The choices of better quality ingredients and the liquids probably did make me feel less cruddy than I do this morning.

The food intake the day before is leading to a sluggish start to the day. Fueling myself with water, fruit, and yogurt to get on the right track today along with my morning exercise and stretching.  Remember what you do put in your body does affect the way you feel physically and mentally. I want to begin and end each day knowing I am the happiest healthiest me I can be.

Quick recipe tip of the day – Add frozen fruit to your non-fat or low-fat plain yogurt.  As it defrosts, the fruit naturally sweetens the yogurt.  You get a lot of flavor, protein, calcium, and no extra calories from added sugars and no artificial sweeteners.  Cost saving and environmentally friendly tip is to buy the large container of yogurt and portion servings into reusable containers.