Chia Seed Pudding

Chia Seed Pudding

Story:
I am not very good at making healthy breakfasts.  I mean, I'm getting better at making a protein + avocado + lemon smoothie that my nutritionist recommended to me.  And there's always scrambled eggs.  But what about those mornings that I want something, like, yummy??  haha!
Enter Chia Seed Pudding.
I heard about this a couple of years ago and I tried it.  I think I did something wrong because I thought it was nasty.  It just tasted way too... I don't remember how... but I just wasn't a fan.
I tried again last week, though, with a recipe I found on Pinterest, and I loved it!  Granted, a lot of the Pinterest recipes seem to have the same proportions... and there are a hundred different ways of changing it up.  But I'll just post a basic way here.  And how I have tweaked it a little to fit our needs.  The other morning I woke up and wanted some chia seed pudding... and I hadn't prepped any the night before... and I was just a little bit sad.

Ingredients:
2 C coconut milk*
2 C almond milk (unsweetened)
2 T pure maple syrup
3 t vanilla
1 C chia seeds
(Plus any toppings)

Instructions:
Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix.  Let sit for 3-5 minutes, then stir (or whisk) again to try to break up any clumps of seeds.  Pour into individual little mason jars, screw on the lids, and place in the fridge overnight.

In the morning, just open it up, give it a stir, then add whatever toppings you'd like!  I like to put in slivered almonds and/or cut-up strawberries and/or blueberries and/or little diced bananas... whatever I have on hand!  I really like the almonds, though, for the crunch! that it gives.

Notes:
*I found some delicious with-fat coconut milk from Costco that I really liked.  It's called Real Coco, by Life Refreshed.

The first time I made it, one cup of the pudding seemed a little too much (quantity-wise) for me, so when I made it this way, I split it into five containers.

It's good the next morning.  And the morning after that.  I ate one this week three days after preparing it, and it was great!  I probably wouldn't recommend (from what I've read) eating it more than four days after preparing it.

The nice thing about this too, is it doesn't have to just be for breakfast!  It was pretty satisfying, and those chia seeds are supposedly chock-full of good-for-you stuff!  I could totally see myself eating one of these (maybe a smaller portion?) for a refreshing afternoon snack, or even for a sweet treat when I'm craving something!  I like it that much.

Enjoy!