Breakfast recipe: Chia seed fruit pudding

My eyes perk up whenever I see the possibility of using a new highly nutritious seed in our diet. This time it’s chia seeds. Good for the body and brain, these teeny tiny seeds pack in the fiber, loads of nutrients, protein, calcium, antioxidants and omega-3s.

One of their qualities is they absorb up to 10x their weight in water, so when left to sit in a liquid, they fatten up. I recently soaked chia seeds in almond milk that turned them into the consistency of tapioca. It takes 20 minutes to soak, and can be kept in the refrigerator for up to five days. Give it a good stir, add a dollop of honey or agave and top with fresh, cut fruit. It’s pretty filling and fun to eat because what’s not fun about chowing down a pudding-like meal? Also, a little goes a long way, so while my photos show a cup filled to the brim, this could actually be two meals. 

INGREDIENTS

¼ cup chia seeds

1 cup almond milk

honey or agave

fresh fruit 

DIRECTIONS

- Soak chia seeds in almond milk for at least 20 minutes. The mixture can stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to five days. I put it in a Tupperware container and dole it out during the week. 

- Add a dollop of honey or agave. Depending on how sweet you want it, you probably don’t need a lot with the almond milk and fruit already in the mix.

- Top it with your choice of cut fruit. I like doing kiwi, mango and blueberries!