Last week I got a box of goodies from GNC and was soooooo happy to find chia seeds!!! I’ve been reading about them on other healthy living blogger’s sites for a long while now but never had the chance to go get some myself. Since I have never cooked with them before, I was up all night browsing recipes for things I could make with chia. I ended up choosing chia pudding. It seemed to be the most popular thing and soooo easy to make. That’s great because I am NOT a great baker as you guys know! I’m more of a sauté, boil, ‘n steam kinda girl :P
Before we get started just want to quickly list the benefits of chia and why you should be eating them!
“Chia is an edible seed that comes from the desert plant Salvia hispanica, a member of the mint family that grows abundantly in southern Mexico. You may have seen chia sprouts growing on the novelty planters called Chia Pets, but historically, the seeds have been the most important part of the plant. In pre-Columbian times they were a main component of the Aztec and Mayan diets and were the basic survival ration of Aztec warriors. I’ve read that one tablespoon was believed to sustain an individual for 24 hours. The Aztecs also used chia medicinally to stimulate saliva flow and to relieve joint pain and sore skin.
Chia is very rich in omega-3 fatty acids, even more so than flax seeds. And it has another advantage over flax: chia is so rich in antioxidants that the seeds don’t deteriorate and can be stored for long periods without becoming rancid. And, unlike flax, they do not have to be ground to make their nutrients available to the body. Chia seeds also provide fiber (25 grams give you 6.9 grams of fiber) as well as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, molybdenum, niacin, and zinc.
Another advantage: when added to water and allowed to sit for 30 minutes, chia forms a gel. Researchers suggest that this reaction also takes place in the stomach, slowing the process by which digestive enzymes break down carbohydrates and convert them into sugar.”
Ahh wonderful. So that last part. The part where it forms a gel. I was so excited to create this quick pudding with just TWO INGREDIENTS!!! 2 heaping tablespoons of chia sees plus 1 cup of organic vanilla soy milk! That’s it!
Check out those lil guys. Aren’t they cute? I’d def sprinkle this over some salad for a nutritional crunch! All I did was add the seeds into the milk, stir for a couple minutes, and then I let it sit in the fridge for about 20-30 min.
When it came out, I was so satisfied to see that the seeds had expanded and created that gel like texture everyone was talking about!!! So cool!!! So I put my new creation in a martini cup, added a few mint leaves from my garden for pizazz and some pomegranate seeds for holiday dazzle.
The pudding was so GOOD!!!! Some other bloggers suggested adding vanilla extract and Stevia, but honestly, I think it was great just like this. The vanilla in my soy milk provided just enough sweetness. The best part was the subtle crunch I got when I was eating the spoonfuls of pudding. You guys will def love this. So simple. So good.
NUTRITION FACTS FOR CHIA SEEDS (per tablespoon): 68 cals, 4.5g fat, 6g carbs, 5.1g fiber, 2g protein
NUTRITION FACTS FOR CHIA PUDDING: 236 cals, 12.5g fat, 22g carbs, 11.2g fiber, 10g protein
Thanks to GNC for sending me the Chia seeds! You guys can check them out here on GNC’s website or at your local health food store (Trader Joes or Whole Foods are your best bet)! Seriously, go make some for your holiday dinner parties and add some fruit and things to make it more “desserty”. I think you will wow your fam and friends! Oh and mint leaves are key. Even if you don’t eat them :)
DISCLAIMER: FitFluential LLC compensated me for this sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Hey, is there a reason mine never thickened??
I love Chia seeds. I get mine at HEB. I like to take a while wheat tortilla and spread peanut butter on it, add a banana, sprinkle chia seeds on it, then roll it up and eat it. It’s so easy, good, and filling.
I saw your mention of HEB. Fellow Texan! :)
I’ve been loving chia seeds lately and have been making a delicious chia seed drink which I made a HOW TO video of on my youtube channel here: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FMFCBlkx0dM
YUM! I made something very similar, only I used almond milk and added chocolate protein powder. I’ve been munching on it for nearly two hours!
I hope my local GNC store has these. My husband was looking at a fitness mag at the gym and mentioned Chia seeds yesterday. I said, “OMG! Cassey has a Chia recipe on her website so we have to try it.” And today, well, you have Chia Pudding. Won’t he be pleased :) !
I have tried milled chia seeds and although the texture was more like pudding it clumps a whole lot easier and seemed to impart a flavor I did not care for. Maybe my seeds were bad, anyone else try it?
Do the milled seeds still have the gel effect?
Hi! Nice, simple recipe and it looks great! For those who cannot or do not care for the whole seed texture, there are micro-milled seeds sold by RunningFood. It’s more of a “powder” and it blends into yogurt and oatmeal really well.
This sounded so amazing I ran out and got the ingredients right away! Instead of Almond milk, I used eggnog flavored coconut milk and mint chocolate flavored coconut milk (they sell it at whole foods) and it was AMAZING. Also, to make it thicker, we just halfed the milk, but kept the chia seeds the same.
I love chia seeds!! And I will try this! We should eat this on google hangout instead of my rapsberry cream:)
Does the Chia Seed have a minty flavor on its own? Does it have any flavor? I’m a big lover of flax and its slightly nutty taste and have been curious to try out some chia!
no flavor really, but if I had to choose, i’d probs say nutty
love love love this! :) can’t wait to try it out soon, need to go get me some almond milk and give it a try! thank youuu