Morning Sunshine!

So I try to be healthy, but I am terribly lazy. Living in an apartment also means I don’t feel like turning on the blender or juicer at 6 in the morning. I want my neighbours to like me. So when I saw this raw cacao chia pudding recipe on Pinterest that requires no equipment besides a tablespoons and a jar, I knew I had to try it.

I’ve never used chia before. I knew that when you soak them, they swell up and go gelatinous. Well they certainly did! They reminded me of tomato seeds with the gel sack around them. My breakfast gets made while I’m asleep and I can eat it at home or take it to work. Chia is so darn good for you, I can’t believe I haven’t tried it before. I think I’ve found a good 2014 breakfast to obsess over.

CHOC CHIA PUDDING

INGREEDIENTS:

2 tbs chia seeds (I used white chia, which is actually grey)

1 cup milk (I used homemade almond milk [always using Sarah B’s recipe] but you don’t have to be that committed).

I tbs raw cacao (I used two because I apparently can’t read recipes)

Sweetener of your choice (I used raw honey from Stanthorpe but of course you could use a vegan option)

Add-ins of your choice (I used banana and coconut, but will be buying blueberries and strawberries soon. I would also add sunflower or pepitas or chopped almonds, but I already added almond pulp, as you can read below).

My other variation:

As I had just made almond milk, I added two tablespoons of the almond pulp leftover from that. It adds some bulk and nutrients and means that the almond pulp doesn’t go to waste (although it’s a great addition to hummus as well).

 

DO:

Stick everything but the fruit/coconut in a jar. Shake well (very well!). Leave in fridge overnight and then add fruit or other add ins of your choice. Use a bigger jar than me. I was adding sliced banana bit by bit. I’ll have to find a good sized jar to take this to work in.

What does it taste like?

Hmmm… well as I said, I added too much cacao, so it had this intense, dark chocolate flavour. The bitterness of the cacao was perfect with the sweetness of the banana. I’d use less cacao just to stretch it further next time. You can never hoard too much cacao.

Enjoy!

 

CHOCOLATE HIT!

Think chocolate can’t be good for you?

Wrong.

One of my post work out smoothies:

Banana (chuck it whole in the freezer before you go. The longer you work out, the more frozen it is)

1 tsp Honey

2 heaped tsps Raw Cacao

Protein powder (optional)

1 cup of milk (I used soy, but plan to make my own nut milk these holidays)

Local, organic honey tastes a million times better than supermarket stuff

Raw Cacao is not heat treated like cooking Cocoa. It is HEAPED full of more antioxidants than goji berries, green tea, and all the usual antioxidant superheroes. There is an element in cacao that inhibits calcium absorption, so consume in moderation.

 

This smoothie is a great post workout drink. Not everyone will want protein powder, but I’m recovering from some injuries so I add it. A more natural alternative would be spirulina, but it WILL turn your drink green (and can be an acquired taste).

 

Chuck it in the blender. Drink it.

So, so good.