Remember Chia Pets? “Ch-ch-ch-chia!” Well it turns out those little seeds that grow ‘hair’ on silly clay figures are actually really good for you. Who knew? They can help balance blood sugar, promote weight loss by helping you feel full longer, and are the richest plant source of omega-3 fatty acids. My family doesn’t like fish that much, so I’m always looking for other ways to add omega-3 to our diet. I’ve been sneaking ground flax seed into a lot of things, and I give the kids omega-3 gummies with fish oil in them. On the bottle it notes that 2 gummies have 30 mg of omega-3. When I looked at the bag of chia seeds I found that they have 2900 mg of omega-3 per tablespoon. What a difference!! Now I just have to find a way to get my kids to eat them. I tried this chocolate pudding on Bennett, but unfortunately he didn’t like it. I even tried topping it with whipped cream, but he meticulously skimmed the whipped cream off the top of the pudding in order to avoid eating any of the seeds. I haven’t tried it on Cole yet, but I’m hoping I may have more success because I think he’ll at least enjoy making it. This is a fun recipe to make with kids, because the chia seeds form a gel around them almost magically to create a pudding. It reminds me a little of tapioca. I’d have to say I like tapioca better, but chia pudding is something I could get used to, especially considering the health benefits. I plan to experiment more with chia seeds until I make something the kids both really enjoy. If you have a great chia seed recipe, please share!
Chia Chocolate Pudding
1/4 cup Chia Seeds
3/4 cup milk
1 heaping tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Mix ingredients together in a bowl and let sit for 10 minutes. Stir it up, then place in the refrigerator for about an hour to allow it to thicken up. Then enjoy!