Chia Seed Breakfast Pudding

Our newest obsession to mix into weekday mornings is chia seed pudding.  It has a lot going for it:

• easy to prep (2 minutes or less the night before)
• cheap
• can customize with toppings – so no fighting over “but I wanted …”
• it’s solid (healthy, nutrient dense food that will serve my energy and blood sugar – very glucose-friendly, full of fiber, omega-3s, healthy fat, and protein)

Amazing flavors can be created with easy additions.

Let’s begin!

Tools From Kitchen.

• Fork to gently stir night before ingredients in container
• Storage container
  • I like these jars for snack-size portions we keep ready in the fridge
  • Or these as shown in our pictures below for larger portions

Step #1:  Night Before Ingredients (NBI) Base.

• (about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup depending on size you want) Milk – Dairy or non-dairy (we avoid dairy milk mostly here, but I like to use macadamia milk, coconut milk or almond milk – you could also use cashew or hemp milk)
• (about 1/2 tsp per serving) Vanilla extract 
• 2 – 4 tbsps Chia Seeds (I use 2 for kids, and 3-4 for me)
• 1 tsp to 1 tablespoon of honey/maple syrup/monk fruit (more or less depending on sweetness preferences, I find a little goes a long way)

Blend all “night before ingredients” in a container/jar (1 serving per container).

Gently stir and store in fridge.

Step #2:  Morning Flavor / Topping Options.  

I get out the rest of the topping options (see below for different combinations to consider) to create a sort of assembly line so me and the kids can pick.  What usually happens is they’re at the island stool and I’m asking them as I add to their jar.

Not cold toppings: granola, cacao, sea salt, maca powder, nuts, seeds

Cold topping ideas:  jam, fruit, dairy/non-dairy yogurt, nut butter like almond or cashew/other

• Layer it like a parfait – If you’re adding protein powder or cacao put that in FIRST, I use about a teaspoon of cacao when they want a chocolate flavor – this is great and high in antioxidants.
• Make the middle count – we really like adding a bit of crunch in the middle.

For the ones you see below, my kids are love adding: tsp cacao, greek yogurt, grain-free granola, fresh berries, a sprinkle of sea salt, and a few dark chocolate nibs.  I encourage you to experiment and find combinations you might like!

• Vanilla – night before ingredients (NBI) + fruit toppings
• PB & J – NBI + nut butter, jam/fresh berries + optional seeds on top
• Pumpkin Spice – NBI + pumpkin spice seasoning mixed in + cream/yogurt of choice + granola for crunch
• Banana Split – NBI+ yogurt/cream like coconut cream + banana
• Strawberries & Cream – NBI + strawberries + cream/yogurt of choice
• Blueberry & Cream – NBI + blueberry + cream/yogurt of choice
• Lemon & Cream – NBI + lemon squeeze or juice + cream/yogurt of choice

Add a Nutritious Kick:

• Maca powder
• Protein powder
• Collagen

Additional Notes & Keeping.

• I find that as long as it’s eaten within a week they keep well in the fridge – but wait to put toppings on until the morning of so things don’t get soggy.

As always, I’d love to hear if you try!