Friday, June 20, 2014

Foodie Friday: Vanilla Chia Pudding

Vanilla Chia Pudding - Copyright 2014 - Go Wellness - Michelle Loy, MPH, MS, RD, CSSD
If there's one sweet treat I remember enjoying as a child, it was pudding.  Vanilla was my favorite. Fast forward to 2014, and I can't even remember the last time I've had pudding...at least the instant kind that I ate as a child.  I've probably moved away from eating pudding for two reasons.  One...it just doesn't show up on my radar as something I want to eat too often.  Two...as a dietitian, I probably just know too much and I've realized that the instant-type of pudding is not the highest quality of foods in my dietitian book.  That and my little guy seems to have a sensitivity to dairy foods, too.  At the same time, I've been trying to figure out how I could make a dairy-free and more nourishing version of pudding for my kiddos to enjoy.  I've made a chocolate pudding using avocado as the base, which turned out well.  However, as a lover of trying new things, my search has continued for more ways to give this pudding thing a shot.  Enter chia seeds!  I'd been seeing and hearing about "chia pudding" for a while, but I didn't officially try it until recently.  Initially I experimented with a chocolate chia pudding to no avail. I still need to work on that recipe to get it right, but I finally discovered a vanilla chia pudding that has been taste-tested and approved by my entire fam!  See my littlest one's finger dipping into the pudding below? Yes, she couldn't wait for mommy to stop taking pictures to start digging in!

Vanilla chia pudding - Copyright 2014 - Go Wellness - Michelle Loy, MPH, MS, RD, CSSD
I love that this is so simple and tasty and that it can hit the spot should you have a craving for a creamy, sweet, and higher quality treat.  If you like tapioca pudding, you may really enjoy this as it has a texture similar to that of tapioca.  I've seen some versions that are blended after mixing, so that may give it a little creamier texture, if you prefer that. If you give this one a shot, please let me know what you think!  I love getting feedback.

Vanilla Chia Pudding

{Print this recipe}
Ingredients
1 1/4 c unsweetened almond milk
1/4 c chia seeds
1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
*small amount of fresh vanilla bean paste ~1/8 tsp (optional -- I purchase a bag of vanilla beans that I keep on hand for things like this.)

Directions
1.  Combine all ingredients into a glass container. (I use a large mason jar.)  Mix well.  Set in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.  Stir well just before eating.  (The seeds can tend to clump together at the bottom over time.)  Enjoy!

Serves:  3
Nutritional information:
Calories:  121  Carbohydrates: 13 g   Fat:  7 g (3113 mg omega-3)  Protein:  11 g   Fiber:  7 g   Cholesterol: 0 mg   Sodium: 71 mg
Good source of:  vitamin D and riboflavin
Excellent source of:  vitamin E, vitamin B12, calcium, manganese
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