Chia Seed Pudding with Flavor Variations

My daughter could eat this 24/7. I probably could too, especially the chocolate flavor, but I believe in eating in moderation. Too much of something good, can be bad. For example, too many flax seeds can mess with your hormones; too much spinach can give you kidney stones. This is a lot of chia seeds for one day, for one person, to eat on a regular basis. My recommendation is to divide this into 3 servings and top with lots of fruit and other desired toppings. Scroll to the bottom for flavor variations.

Basic Chia Seed Pudding

2-3 servings

• 1 cup raw milk, or milk of choice

• 3-4 Tbsp. chia seeds, *see notes

• 1 tsp. vanilla

• 1 Tbsp. maple syrup, optional

• Toppings, optional: fruit, nuts, granola, coconut, cacao nibs etc.

1. Stir together milk and chia seeds.

2. Whisk in the vanilla and maple syrup, breaking up any clumps of chia seeds.

3. Let sit for 15 minutes, whisking about every 5 minutes to break up the clumps.

4. Chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

5. Give the pudding a stir and top with desired toppings.

6. Store in the fridge for up to a week.

NOTES

I don't like the pudding quite so thick, so I prefer 3 Tbsp. of seeds. If you like a thicker texture, go ahead and add 4 Tbsp. per cup of liquid.

This will keep covered in the fridge for about a week, so it's terrific for meal prepping. We generally eat it for breakfast, but it makes a yummy dessert as well.

If you don't like the texture, go ahead and give it a whirl in a small blender or food processor for a smooth texture.

Fruit Flavored Chia Pudding

• 1 cup milk

• 1/4 cup fruit

• 1-3 tsp. lemon juice, depending on how flavorful your fruit is. Lemon intensifies the flavor.

• 1 Tbsp. pure maple syrup

• 3-4 Tbsp. chia seeds

1. In a blender, blend milk and fruit until smooth.

2. Add lemon juice (omit vanilla, or reduce to 1/2 tsp.)

3. Whisk in maple syrup and chia seeds. *Fruit flavor tends to be more thick from the addition of fruit, so I generally just use 3 Tbsp. chia seeds.

4. Follow directions above.

Chocolate Flavored Chia Pudding

• 2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup

• 1 Tbsp. raw cacao

• 1/8 tsp. or two pinches salt

• 1 tsp. vanilla

• 1 cup milk

• 4 Tbsp. chia seeds

1. Mix syrup, cacao, salt and vanilla until smooth. I like to double the recipe in a quart jar and mix chocolate with an immersion blender until very smooth.

2. Gradually whisk in milk and chia seeds. Chocolate tends to need more chia seeds to thicken up, so I generally use 4 Tbsp. rather than my usual 3 Tbsp.

3. Follow directions above.

4. We love this chocolate version topped with bananas and this granola.

*For variety, experiment with different extracts. For example: add 1/4 tsp. coconut extract and reduce vanilla to 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract.