Chocolate Hazelnut Chia Seed Pudding

I'm usually not hungry at all first thing in the morning, especially when I have to wake up at 5:00 a.m. for work. You'd think I'd be used to it after 15 years of waking up at the crack of dawn to get to work and getting up with the kids, but my body, more specifically my brain are still in snooze mode until around 10:00 a.m. 

So the last thing I want to do is add to my fragile state by trying to make breakfast for myself and 4 children.

In an effort to stay away from boxed cereal I have come up with a few breakfasts that require little or no effort.

This pudding falls into the zero effort category. It has just 3 ingredients and you simply chill it over night (or for at least 4 hours) and wake up to a chocolate pudding for breakfast! Nice huh? 

What are Chia Seeds?

Chia seeds come from the desert plant Salvia hispanica, a member of the mint family that grows abundantly in southern Mexico. 

Chia is very rich in omega-3 fatty acids, even more so than flax seeds.  And, unlike flax,  they do not have to be ground to make their nutrients available to the body.  Chia seeds also provide fiber (25 grams give you 6.9 grams of fiber) as well as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, iron, niacin, and zinc just to name a few.

When added to water and allowed to sit for 30 minutes, chia forms a gel. Researchers suggest that this reaction also takes place in the stomach, slowing the process by which digestive enzymes break down carbohydrates and convert them into sugar.

You can use any liquid you like for this pudding, some suggestions are:  almond milk, rice milk,  coconut milk and hemp milk. I have been staying away from soy milk because it is a GMO and some research suggests it may have harmful effects on your body and your hormones.



To make the pudding:

Mix together 2 cups chocolate hazelnut milk with 1/2 cup chia seeds. Drizzle in about 3 tablespoons honey, preferably local, Organic honey. Let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes then refrigerate over night.

You could probably eat this in as little as 1 hour after mixing buy I find that I like the consistency better after at least 6 hours.


You could definitely have this chocolate hazelnut pudding as a dessert but I suggest adding a bit more honey. Also, since chia seed is so high in protein I like this for a breakfast treat. The consistancy of this pudding is very similar to tapioca but without all the sugar.

sources:

Dr. Weil dot com

Carrot-Date Energy Ballz

Right now in the valley of the sun it smells sickly sweet like orange blossom heaven. It only last for a few short days when the dozens of orange trees that line so many streets here in Arizona start to bloom. The petite white flowers make me swoon as I drive home from work taking in deep breaths of the fragrant, cool March air. Add that to the brilliant multi colored desert sunsets behind the darkening mountains that surround us here and I am in euphoria.






It makes me miss one of my closest and dearest friends, Becky. She went to school with me here in Phoenix many, many years   not to long ago and the blooming orange trees were one of her most favorite things. She moved back to her home town of Indianapolis shortly after we graduated but she keeps coming back here to visit me as often as life permits...... usually around orange blossom season. I so do wish I could bottle up natures most perfect fragrance for her.

PHOTO CREDIT

I'm glad that this no-cook, no-fuss sweet and healthy snack that I'm going to share with you has orange zest in the ingredient list, otherwise my little story would seem superfluous, because I always have a well thought out point to my ramblings and didn't want to throw you all off......  errrr.


I just love healthy grab-and-go snacks, especially when they take all of 10 minutes to throw together. I cringe when I see people with all of the boxed, processed "health" snacks in their carts and wonder if they really believe that they are healthy and convenient.

I found this recipe on Skinny Jeans Food and was pleasantly surprised at how amazing these little snacks were. I was a bit skeptical about the raw oat thing but they turned out to be one of our new favorite snacks. Sweet, simple and the orange zest really made the flavors POP.

Eight ingredients, THAT'S IT!

Using a food processor to finely shred your carrots is key to getting the ballz to stick together.

Chia Seeds are an excellent source of fiber, fatty acids, proteins, vitamins, and antioxidants. They are also the richest source of Omega-3 fatty acids among non-marine whole food items

I used barley oats instead of regular oats because they were in my freezer but after doing some research it seems that barley oats are higher in {nutritional} calories and a bit lower in fiber and protein than regular oats. So unless someone knows of a good reason other than to help your teenage wrestling champion put on some weight than I'm going to stick with regular whole oats next time.

Grind the oats to a fine consistency in your food processor.

Silvia at Skinny Jeans Foods named these wonderful goodies Amaze Ballz  and  fittingly so. I enjoyed them at work for an afternoon pick me up and just two of them kept me satisfied until dinner.  I brought a couple with me hiking for an energy boost and packed them in kids lunch boxes for a fun surprise.

Skinny Foods site is dedicated to single serving portions for those of you without an army to feed. I obviously had to double this recipe. They didn't last long between school snacks and me grabbing a couple every day to take with me on my adventures. Next time I will make even more as they keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Amaze Ballz


1/2 cup rolled oats

5 medjool dates (the organic ones at whole foods are amazing!)

7 walnut halves, chopped

1 TB chia seeds

zest of one orange

1/2 TB maple syrup

1/2 ts vanilla extract

1 carrot, grated

Pour the rolled oats in the food processor and chop until finely ground. Remove the pit of the medjool dates, and chop them with a knife. Add piece by piece to the ground oatmeal flour (so that they distribute better). Process long enough that the mix starts to get sticky. Now add the remaining ingredients, and processes until the mix comes together (quite a sticky dough). Take small portions and roll them between your hands in a ball like shape. Store in the fridge! Enjoy!

1 amazeball: 54kcal

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