So, who isn’t thinking about losing weight and looking hot in a two-piece right now?! I for sure am thinking about it more and more as the weather warms up and summer gets closer. And since I don’t have quite as much time to exercise right now (who knew babies could be so demanding?!) I am watching my diet like a hawk and definitely limiting my sugar intake. Which led me to this recipe for Coconut Mango Chia Seed Pudding. Did you know you could make pudding with chia seeds?? I love it! Once this mixture sets overnight, the chia seeds plump up and thicken and you’ve got cold, creamy, good-for-you pudding! I made mine with lite coconut milk but you could use almond milk if you’d like and even use a different fruit besides mango. Very versatile! And DELICIOUS. Great guilt-free treat!
It’s the middle of summer. It’s freaking hot. Like hotter than it has ever been in my 31 years of life. Sweating, sticky and smelly are pretty accurate descriptive words of just about everyone around me, including MYSELF. Who knew it was possible to gross yourself out SO much?!? But it totally is.
Naturally, people are wearing less clothes. And thinking about their figure a little more. Ok, not all people are thinking about their figure but I know I am! Can’t you tell by all the low-calorie, fat-free, sugarless, uber-healthy recipes that I post?! Oh. Maybe not. Ok, usually my recipes are sinful and totally NOT healthy but I like to think of them as treats and hope that other people think of them the same way (am I delusional or what?!). However, I have posted a few nutritious cookie, cake and brownie recipes and hope to keep that list growing. And these pancakes most definitely qualify as good-for-you food! We are totally addicted to these things in our house. I have made them once a week, every week for probably the last month or two. They are an absolutely fabulous gluten-free option and are perfect for breakfast or a snack. I have even thrown some cocoa powder in them for a chocolate version that was quite delicious!
Of course you could always throw in some chocolate chips but I like the cocoa powder because it gives it that chocolate factor without all the added fat and sugar. Feel free to use this recipe as a base and and throw in things like nuts, dried fruit (unsweetened is best) or whatever you happen to be craving at the time! It is so, so good.
3 c. Gluten-Free Oat Flour (I just process thick cut oats in my processor until I get three cups of oat flour)
½ t. Aluminum-Free Baking Soda
1 t. Aluminum-Free Baking Powder
1 t. Ground Cinnamon (feel free to add more if you really like cinnamon...I probably do more like 1¼ t.)
½ t. Fine Ground Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
Wet Ingredients
3 c. Water
1 c. Creamy, Unsalted, Raw Almond Butter
¼ c. Pure Vanilla Extract
4 t. Fresh Lemon Juice
½ c. Light Amber Agave (or honey, sucanat, etc)
Add-Ins
6 T. Chia Seeds
¾ c. Thick-Rolled Oats
Instructions
In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients. In a blender, mix the wet ingredients until smooth and it has a milk consistency. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until thoroughly combined. Fold in add-ins. The chia seeds will make the mixture VERY thick as it sits (almost the texture of a drop cookie) so if you'd like it thinner, don't add as many or just thin it out 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach the consistency you want. Warm a griddle to medium (I do 325 degrees) and coat with a bit of coconut oil. Scoop batter with a large spoon onto your griddle. Cook for four minutes on each side, until the sides and tops start to look dry. Top with maple agave and fresh blueberries (my personal favorite way to eat them!) and enjoy!
Strawberry Pineapple, Peach and Strawberry Chia Jam
Have you heard about chia seeds yet? They are an awesome super food that have so many health benefits, it’s truly unbelievable. From lowering blood pressure and bad cholesterol to helping surpress appetite, I am sold on these little seeds of goodness. Do a quick Google search and you’ll find all kinds of information on them.
The first time I ever saw them was in a water bottle that the cashier was drinking out of at my local health food store. They looks like hundreds of little bubbles in her water. She explained what they were and all the benefits and I was intrigued but didn’t purchase any until recently. I love to put them in my oatmeal and my juicing concoction I make in the morning. I’ve also had them baked into thin, crisp bars (recipe courtesy of my friend Joelle…I’ll be blogging it soon!) and can now add jam to my list of uses for chia seeds! The seeds actually absorb water like crazy so instead of using pectin to make the gel-like consistency of jam, these seeds do all the work! It’s totally amazing and so, so tasty. I just used honey to taste to sweeten this jam, so even though I list an exact measurement, feel free to use however much tastes good to you.
Gorgeous Strawberries
I made three different kinds, Strawberry, Strawberry Pineapple and Peach. I think I like the Strawberry Pineapple the best. Because I made three different kinds, I went ahead and froze two of them, so we’ll see how those hold up after they’re thawed out. So far I’ve enjoyed it by the spoonful, on whole-grain sprouted bagels and plan to make some whole wheat waffles to try the spread on. I am so excited about this stuff…healthy and good for you. Enjoy!
1 c. Fresh Strawberries (or fruit of your choice), finely chopped and slightly mashed (you can also pulse the fruit in your food processor, which I'm going to try next time)
¼ c. Water (I would use a little less if you have a significant amount of juice from your fruit)
2 T. Chia Seeds
3 T. Raw Honey (or agave, stevia or other natural sweetener)
Instructions
Warm fruit and water in a bowl in the microwave for 1 minutes. Stir in chia seeds and honey and let set on the counter until cooled. Place a jar or other air-tight container and let gel overnight. Top whole grain bread, bagels, pancakes, waffles, etc with the jam...or just eat by the spoonful. 🙂
