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Vanilla-Almond Chia Pudding w Berries & Cherries

Aloha Meatless Monday friends! Big thanks to my friend, Meg Bollenback, who is guest co hosting for me today with Tina Muir. Please check out her lovely recipe and show her some love. The linkup will work the same and Meg will be checking out your recipes today. How fun!

Meatless Monday|Linkup| Tina Muir|Confessions of a Mother Runner

 

Hi everyone! I’m Meghan and I am so excited to say hi to you and guest post for Deborah today! I blog over at Meg Bollenback and have enjoyed participating in the Meatless Monday link-up for many months now. So many great recipes are posted each week, and I am really happy to share in the hosting duties today.

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I thought I’d tell you a little about myself before I get into today’s recipe. I live in Alexandria, Virginia (not too far from Deborah!) and am an absolute food and cooking lover at heart. Always have been, always will be. I love so many things about food, particularly how it helps me show love to those I care about, how it reminds me of different travels I’ve been on, and because it calms me down. I feature recipes that range from meatless (I’m a huge veggie lover), to easy one-pan dinners, to Chinese and Taiwanese favorites that I’m learning thanks to my fiancé and his mom in my Wok This Way series. You can check out my recipe box on my Eats and Treats page. My goal is to show that cooking with whole foods and making dishes for yourself or family can be a simple and relatively quick task. Making a healthy meal or dish isn’t as hard as many people think!

 

Besides cooking, I really love learning about and supporting the local and sustainable food movements. About a month ago, I announced that I’m writing a storybook/cookbook about the local food and drink scene of western Loudoun

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So, let’s get into today’s recipe! I have to thank my sister for turning me onto the idea of chia pudding; she’s recently adopted the habit making it for breakfast and has told me for a couple months now how easy and delicious it is. After making this one, I have to agree with her! I loved this recipe for three reasons:

  • It only took a couple minutes to prep (though it did need to chill overnight, or for at least 5 hours).
  • By prepping it in a jar, I was ready to take it with me in the car in the morning on my way out to do book interviews in Loudoun.
  • It’s a cool breakfast! Literally – it’s chilled! This is super appealing to me right now because the east coast has become a thick, insurmountable brick wall of humidity. I often feel the need to stick my face in the fridge for a moment to wake up in the morning.

 

 

 

Vanilla almond chia pudding

From a health perspective, I like eating chia seeds because they contain a great dose omega-3 fatty acids and fiber. This kept me full all morning after eating it, and I liked the pudding-like texture.

I also like that this recipe is easy to customize in terms of toppings. The flavor of this pudding is similar to angel food cake and that inspired me to use various berries and cherries that are plentiful in farmers markets right now. If you’re not a fan of berries or cherries, not to fret! At the bottom of this recipe, I list out some other topping ideas that I think would be delicious to try with this as the summer goes on and melons and other fruits start to come into season.

 

 

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Vanilla-Almond Chia Pudding with Berries and Cherries

Makes 1 serving

Prep time: 5 minutes

Chill time: At least 5 hours or overnight

¾ cup of vanilla-flavored unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice)

2 to 3 tablespoons chia seeds (use more for a thicker pudding-like consistency, use less for a soupier consistency)

2 to 3 teaspoons agave syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond extract

4 strawberries, sliced

¼ cup blueberries

5 or 6 frozen cherries

1 or 2 fresh mint leaves, optional

Guest co host @Megbollenback brings a yummy Vanilla Chia Pudding to @MeatlessMonday today

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In a jar that has a lid or bowl, combine the almond milk, chia seeds, agave syrup, vanilla and almond extracts. Close the lid on the container and give it a good shake! If using a bowl, just stir to combine everything together and cover with plastic wrap.

Chill in the fridge overnight, or for at least five hours. This time allows the pudding to set. You can also prep your berries in a separate container and leave them to grab in the morning.

When you’re ready to eat or take with you in the morning on your way to work, school, wherever your daily adventure takes you, just add the berries and cherries on top of the pudding. Top with a mint leaf if you have it available – it complements the sweetness from the berries really well.

Additional topping ideas for summer:

– Fresh or frozen watermelon chunks with a spritz of fresh lime juice

– Cantaloupe and honeydew melon chunks with chopped pistachios

– Slices of peaches or plums (would be great to add blueberries to this, too!)

– Slices of banana, strawberry, coconut flakes and mini chocolate chips (why not?)

 

Thanks again Meg for hosting! Aloha everyone!



About Deborah Brooks

Hi I'm Deborah! I spend my days successfully raising a husband & 2 teens in the VA/DC area. I am a lover of all things running & fitness. As a life long vegetarian, I've always been passionate about healthy living & exercise. Looking for partners in crime, I started my own chapter of Moms Run This Town (MRTT) which has grown to over 700 members. I've met so many amazing women who inspire me daily to keep moving forward. You can usually find me running with my crew and training for the next crazy adventure they talked me into. I love to keep up to date on new running & fitness trends. I definitely choose my running gear based on color and love to express my fashion sense while exercising.

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Comments

  4. Tina Muir says

    Yummy! What a great idea, I need to make chia pudding more often, and I did get more ordered which should arrive today, perfect timing! Yay Meg! Glad you are hosting with me today! Wooohooo! Deb…if you are reading this….which you shouldn’t be…..GO HAVE FUN! :p
    Tina Muir recently posted…Meatless Monday-Hawaiian Vegetable RiceMy Profile

  10. Sarah says

    This looks delicious! I love chia pudding for breakfast or even a snack/dessert! My oldest fell in love with chia pudding as well earlier this year so I got really excited! She actually fell in love with chia seeds in general but my youngest didn’t fall in her foot steps, YET. I can’t tell you how many nights I debate on making it and decide not to because I think I should switch things up and wish I would have in the morning.
    Sarah recently posted…Strawberry Watermelon Cucumber Spinach SaladMy Profile

    • Meghan says

      Kids (and really all humans) are so funny with their different tastes! Hopefully your youngest will come around. Also – one thing I noticed is that you can make these puddings and leave them in the fridge for more than just overnight. So, say you make a couple on Sunday, you can eat them whenever you feel like it throughout the week rather than the next morning. That may help you out on days when you’re craving one, but still give you the flexibility to make something else if you want it.
      Meghan recently posted…Vanilla-Almond Chia Pudding Recipe | A Guest Post on Confessions of a Mother RunnerMy Profile

  11. Jess@hellotofit says

    Hi Meg!!! This recipe looks great. I love chia pudding and usually add Greek yogurt to the mix. Cantaloupe and pistachios sounds like a great idea. Deborah, hope you’re having a good time!

  12. JIll @ Champagne for Everyday says

    I have to admit, as a whole food and veggie fiend the one thing I haven’t tried yet is chia pudding! I think it’s because I am SO addicted to oatmeal with cinnamon, stevia, and vegan protein powder topped with berries that I have a hard time thinking about how I will fit it in to my day. Time to try something new!!! This looks so good, I will give it a shot!
    JIll @ Champagne for Everyday recently posted…Wood Accessories & Why Everyone Should Wear A WatchMy Profile

    • Meghan says

      Great question, Wendy! No, it’s not the agave – that just helps sweeten the pudding a little. Chia seeds absorb liquid really easily, and when they do, they become gelatinous and soft. So, just combining the seeds with milk and letting it refrigerate is what makes the pudding set. I’m not sure if you’ve ever made a flax seed egg by mixing ground flax w/ water, but the process is essentially the same; these seeds just become gelatinous and help things stick together.
      Meghan recently posted…Vanilla-Almond Chia Pudding Recipe | A Guest Post on Confessions of a Mother RunnerMy Profile

  21. Marcia says

    Looks delicious! I’ve yet to try a chia pudding. I’ve got 2 meatless Monday recipes planned, alas I failed to post today. Next week for sure!
    Marcia recently posted…It’s a SicknessMy Profile

  22. Kelli says

    This sounds tasty. I’ve used chia seeds in a pudding before (a recipe out of Matt Fitzgerald’s Racing Weight cookbook), it was pretty good. Thanks for sharing this spin on chia seeds!
    Kelli recently posted…Ironman Mont Tremblant 70.3My Profile

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