Oh, bring us a {Chia Pudding} and a cup of good cheer!

Chia seeds are fascinating. When soaked in water (or non-dairy milk) they turn into a gelatinous blob right before your eyes. Yup, they're able to absorb 9x it's weight in water! Therefore prolonged hydration. Plus it's chalk full of nutrients and the richest vegetable source of essential omega-3 fatty acid.

Apparently the Aztecs used to treat these puppies like gold, which says a bit on their value. It's said that they would eat one teaspoon of chia seeds (and nothing more) before a 24-hour journey to maintain endurance.

(Read 10 more benefits here!)

And let's not forget about this... (Cue 90's flashback)



Chia Pudding

Ingredients:
1/4 c chia seeds (can be bought in bulk at the People's Food Co-op)
3/4 c water
flavorings of your choice

Directions:
Mix together and let sit for 5 minutes.
Watch closely while the transformation happens right before your eyes!
Mix in flavors of your liking (I did a sweetener, cocoa powder, and raspberries)

*The seeds stay a little crunchy so if this bothers you, dump the pudding in your blender to smooth it out.


Now time for my picture taking bonanza!

Plain Chia seeds

Gettin' gelled up in water...

Look how gelatinous it gets!

Trifle Time!

I layered chia pudding, raspberries (frozen from the summer), and dessert socca to make a lovely whole food, healthy trifle (which is usually made with cake and whipped cream, psshhhh)

Love and veggies, Sam