Chia Seed Pudding And Hot Cereal

JCB Chia Seed Pudding or Hot Cereal (Chocolate)

JCB Chia Seed Pudding or Hot Cereal (Vanilla)

Chia seeds are my latest obsession. I found organic, 2lb bags of them at my local Costco. Yay!

Chia seeds happen to be super nutritious. Here are my favorite things about them:

1. They are rich in antioxidants.

2. They are carbs BUT basically all the carbs in them are fiber, which means they get digested by your good gut bacteria (they act as prebiotic fiber) rather than you so they don’t raise your blood sugar levels and they are considered low carb. Because they are fiber rich, this also means they are great for digestion and your gut health, and detox (important with skin rashes like eczema).

3. Chia seeds are rich in soluble fiber, so when you add liquid they expand. This helps to fill you up and can aid with weight loss, and constipation.

4. Chia seeds contain some protein.

5. Chia seeds contain omega 3 fatty acids, which are anti-inflammatory (important for skin rashes like eczema).

I’d say they are quite a superfood, don’t you think?

Now for this twofer recipe!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup chia seeds

• 3/4 cup water (or milk of choice, I like coconut milk but use water for this step)

• 1 scoop of your favorite protein powder (I like Orgain [recently on sale at Costco :)], chocolate or vanilla)

• 1 teaspoon raw cacao powder (if you are making the chocolate version)

• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (if you are making the vanilla version)

• 1 cup milk of choice (coconut for me)

• 1 Tablespoon honey, maple syrup, or other favorite sweetener (optional, I don’t add any sweetener)

• 1 Tablespoon butter or coconut oil (optional/if you will be making the hot cereal version)

• Nuts, seeds, berries, cinnamon (particularly good with the vanilla version), other favorite add-ins (optional)

Instructions for chia seed pudding:

1. Mix 1/4 cup chia seeds, 3/4 cup water (or milk), scoop of protein powder, either cacao powder (with chocolate protein powder) or vanilla extract (with vanilla protein powder), and your selected sweetener (optional) in a cup or bowl

2. Place in your fridge overnight or for 2-3 hours (until the seeds soak up all the liquid and form a very thick/solid like paste)

3. Add 1 cup milk of choice, and your favorite add-ins

4. Enjoy!

Instructions for chia seed hot cereal:

1. Follow chia seed pudding instructions numbers 1-2

2. Add 1 Tablespoon of butter or coconut oil and microwave until hot and the butter or coconut oil melts (about 2 minutes)

3. Follow chia seed pudding instructions numbers 3-4

Jennifer Brand, MPH, MS, CNS is a clinical nutritionist helping children with dry, flaky, weepy, red, itchy, painful rashes navigate the journey to healthy skin and enjoy a childhood free from disruptive skin symptoms.

Chocolate (Avocado, Sweet Potato, or banana) Pudding or frosting

Photo credit: Jennifer Brand

If you don't tell them it's avocado (banana or sweet potato), they won't know... I frost cakes with this too!

Avocado is a superfood, loaded with healthy fats (omega 3s), and fiber. Avocados are a great source of vitamins C, E, K, and vitamins B2, B3, B5, B6, and folate. They also contain important minerals like magnesium, and potassium, and they provide lutein, and beta-carotene, important antioxidant nutrients.

If you can’t use avocado, try this with sweet potato! Sweet potatoes are a complex carbohydrate, and a good source of prebiotic fiber (to feed those good gut bugs). They are rich in vitamins A (in the form of beta carotene, which your body converts to vitamin A) , C, B3, B5 and B6, potassium, copper, and manganese.

The flavonoids in cacao make it a superfood. Organic cacao contains a variety of unique phytonutrients (plant-based goodness), including high amounts of sulfur, magnesium and phenylethylamine. In fact, it's said that if you crave chocolate, you may have a magnesium deficiency. 

*Note: Children under age 2 shouldn’t consume chocolate because it contains caffeine and added sugar, which aren’t recommended for little ones.

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe avocado, 1 baked sweet potato, 1 banana

• 1/8-1/4 cup milk of choice (more, or less depending on how creamy you want it)

• Cacao powder

• Honey or maple syrup

Instructions:

• Put all in a food processor or a blender, add cacao and sweetener to taste (you’ll likely need less sweetener if using banana or sweet potato)

Enjoy!

Jennifer Brand, MPH, MS, CNS is a clinical nutritionist helping children with dry, flaky, weepy, red, itchy, painful rashes navigate the journey to healthy skin and enjoy a childhood free from disruptive skin symptoms.