Chia Pudding with Fresh Berries

Last fall I did a 21 Day whole food cleanse offered up by the girls over at Simple Green Smoothies. I’d never done a cleanse before and some that I had seen seemed kinda radical. I really wanted to feel successful at it so I wasn’t really up for one that required coffee enemas (whaaaat?!!!!) and the like. Just a nice, easy first attempt that didn’t ask me to starve myself either. As much as I think it is possible that cleansing is a good idea (depends who you ask) I don’t think that it is of much value to reduce your calorie intake too far.

I enlisted my friend Karen to do it with me for moral support and we went all in. It was great and I highly recommend it. I made it through the whole 21 days, felt great, and lost a few pounds while I was at it. I was surprised to discover that I was not hungry despite taking meats out of my diet (I tend to crave protein not carbs). I also had great motivation to cut out my daily wine, which was a good idea as it had gone from a weekend indulgence to an every dinner indulgence. Overall, it was a good way to push the reset button on my diet.

I learned some new recipes too, some of which have become regulars, including a simple chia pudding that I often eat in the afternoon, the time of the day that I previously would go reaching for cheese and a cracker. Though I still crave the cheese and cracker sometimes, if I have chia pudding in the fridge it is a lifesaver!

There are lots of ways to make chia pudding. Basically you just soak chia seeds – yes they are the same ones we used to spread over ceramic heads and such in the late 70’s – in a flavoured liquid. In this case coconut milk is the liquid but you can get creative and use milk, almond milk, etc. for a different flavour. Flavour comes from the addition of a bit of maple syrup, vanilla and cinnamon or cardamon. Then you use top it with whatever fruit you have in the fridge. Jams and canned fruit could also be used. 

I happened to have some strawberries and raspberries in the fridge. Though they are not in season locally, the flavour has still been pretty good on the imported ones. Besides they look pretty and make me think of spring!

The maple syrup in this recipe is often the only sugar I eat beyond the fruit in my morning green smoothie. If your fruit was really fresh and ripe, you could probably leave out the syrup altogether. I don’t sweat it.

Chia Pudding with Berries

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Servings: 1

Author: Simple Green Smoothies

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Ingredients

• 1/2 Cup coconut milk
• 2 Tbsp whole chia seeds
• 1/2 tsp maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• generous sprinkle of cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp coconut flakes unsweetened
• 1/4 - 1/3 C fresh berries or other fruit

Instructions

1. Mix chia seeds in coconut milk well so that your pudding won't be lumpy. I have found that some chia is more lumpy than others.
2. Add syrup, vanilla and cinnamon
3. Let sit on counter or in the fridge for at least 10 minutes
4. When ready to eat, add fruit and stir