Green Chocolate Chia Pudding

As weird as it sounds, I've had 16 ounces of chia seeds chillin in my fridge for so many months that I can't even remember when I bought them. I'm guessing it was about 9-12 months ago (yikes!). Now that I know about them and what to do with them, I realize how silly it was that I let my lack of knowledge (particularly with how to make a real yummy dish) get in the way. Within days of each other, a friend listed a chia pudding recipe on her blog and another friend let me try his off the hook chocolate chia pudding. I was instantly hooked and thought this would be a great replacement for my old favorite of hot creamy buckwheat cereal in the old days.

On my road trips to the shows I work where I educate the thirsty people with jam-packed Superfood information and shower them with samples that leave them awestruck and craving more, I eat my chia pudding. I get my inexpensive chia (1 lb for only $9) from Mountain Rose Herbs, where I also get tons of loose leaf herbs for medicinal teas, spices, roots, and ingredients to make homemade raw Superfood skincare.

My favorite version is one with both fresh and dried fruit and loaded with a Superfood green powder and cacao. This is so satiating keeping my belly content for approx. 5 hrs. Keep in mind, I do eat a small glass Tupperware container of chia pudding over the course of about 30-45 mins because too much can be too filling and I want to know when I've had enough. Chia expands!

GREEN CHOCOLATE CHIA PUDDING
(this is what I like; adjust to amounts good for you)
4 T chia seeds
pour in the homemade Brazil nut mylk (like you would over cold/hot cereal) - it will absorb well and you'll need to add more; you can let it gel together or keep adding more until it's more like the cereal you remember
add some Inca Berries (hands-down my fav way to eat Inca's)
add some raisins or Goji Berries (you can soak them a bit first if you like)
add some fresh mango
add some fresh blueberries
add some fresh strawberries
OR - whatever seasonal farmer's market fruit you've picked up that's fresh and ripe
add a spoonful of HealthForce's Manna Spirulina (I prefer it to Azteca)
add a spoonful of raw cacao powder
swirl of raw local honey

I find that simple recipes for new things work best for me so that I'm not overwhelmed by including it on a regular basis (or so that I don't 'forget' about it in the fridge for too long). I'd love to hear your ideas of easy ways to enjoy chia!

Angela Stokes held a creative chia pet contest on her blog recently and my friend Eranah won! There's so many things you can do w/ this nutrient-dense seed - have fun and experiment, and learn more about it at Mtn Rose Herbs website.