chia seeds

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Matcha Chia Pudding

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Matcha Chia Pudding

I live for simple recipes. Being able to throw a few ingredients together to create something special and tasty is my type of cooking, haha. Chia pudding is so incredibly easy to make, and its versatility makes it even more appealing. Check out my Raspberry, and Mint Chocolate Chia Pudding recipes! My favorite version of this pudding is plain chocolate (so awesome with bananas), but you can add virtually any flavor to plain chia pudding to use seasonal fruit, or satisfy your cravings. Mangoes are coming into season, and can't wait to enjoy some juicy, sweet mango pudding. 

Matcha powder is a fine, velvety powder made from high grade green tea leaves. Matcha contains 137 times more antioxidants than green tea, and the flavor shifts from grassy to sweet. Matcha pairs beautifully with dark chocolate, almond, white chocolate, and raspberry. Adding matcha powder to your traditional chia pudding livens it up, bringing a wonderful earthiness to this breakfast/dessert. Watch the video below and let's get cookin! 

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Raspberry Chia Pudding

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Raspberry Chia Pudding

Chia pudding is one of the easiest ways to work superfoods into your diet - not to mention how incredibly tasty and versatile it is to make! It takes virtually 5 minutes to whip together, and then all you've got to do is have enough patience to let it chill in the fridge for a few hours. I like to make my pudding at night so that there's no waiting ;) Chia pudding works beautifully as an alternative to overnight oats, cereal, or your morning yogurt for breakfast; or really wonderful as dessert. 

The only thing you need to remember when making chia pudding is a simple ratio of 1 cup milk to 4 tbsp chia seeds. You can use any type of milk, such as coconut, almond, rice, soy, or cow :) You can stir in greek yogurt for some more texture and fluff. When it comes to flavoring your pudding, anything goes! Blend up some fresh fruit, use chocolate, mint, peanut butter, nutella... the list goes on and on. 

An easy treat for Valentine's Day is to toss some raspberries into the blender and add them to your pudding. Serve it with fresh mint, or shaved chocolate for a sweet, healthy treat. Watch the video below to find out how :)

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Pumpkin Pie Chia Pudding

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Pumpkin Pie Chia Pudding

PSL Season! Are you about that Pumpkin Spice Life? Seemingly everyone becomes obsessed with everything Pumpkin Spice this time of year, and I can't complain. My not-so-secret indulgence is Costco Pumpkin Pie (it's so freaking good), and I really do enjoy certain things with a lil added pumpkin spice. (Check out the easiest Pumpkin French Toast here :) 

My girl Tracy roasted off some beautiful Kurobuta Pumpkin this weekend and made me some homemade pumpkin puree! What else to do but make the easiest dessert/snack in the world? Chia pudding! Adding pumpkin spice, maple syrup, and pumpkin puree (you can absolutely use canned pumpkin!!) makes a wonderful Fall treat that's actually packed with nutrients, dairy-free, and vegan ;) Watch the recipe that takes literally 5 minutes below, and let's get cookin! 

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Apple Pie Overnight Hemp Oats

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Apple Pie Overnight Hemp Oats

I love Fall!! Hoodie weather, the holidays...and food. Roasted veg, casseroles, pie, roasts, baked fruit...mmm!! Some of my favorite comfort food is made during the Fall and Winter months. Overnight Oats are a Pinterest favorite, and make busy weekday mornings a little easier. Today we're adding a Fall twist to Overnight Oats by adding cinnamon-spiced apples and a nutritional boost from hemp seeds :)

Hemp seeds are a nutritional powerhouse that actually do not cause any psychotropic reaction. They are packed with tons of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, amino acids, calcium, iron, magnesium, and tons of Vitamins. Adding hemp seeds to your diet is a complete bonus. Watch the recipe below! Let's get cookin :) 

Mint Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

Mint Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

Ch-ch-ch-chia :) I know you've heard me rave about chia seeds since forever, but rightfully so! They are an absolute nutritional powerhouse - an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, magnesium, zinc, iron, protein, and calcium. The craziest thing about itty bitty chia seeds is that they are FULL of fiber. Just one oz of chia seeds contains 10 grams of fiber. Why is this important? Because they have the ability to soak up 27 times their weight in liquid and bloat up! They form a thick gel that can be used in tons of recipes.

 

Chia Seed Pudding sets up in about 4 hours, so this is a great idea for overnight prep. You can keep the pudding in the fridge for 3 days. If you love the texture of rice or tapioca pudding, you'll love chia pudding! 

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Frozen Yogurt Bark

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Frozen Yogurt Bark

I am soo excited for this week's recipe. Yogurt is one of my favorite snacks, and adding fresh, seasonal fruit and granola to it is simple and delicious. Nonfat plain yogurt is a great source of calcium, protein, and probiotics. Adding your own fruit cuts down on excess sugar that comes with fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt from the grocery store. I love using Driscolls's #FinestBerries and Nature's Path Organic Pumpkin Flax Seed Granola in mine :) 

With summer heating up, Frozen Yogurt Bark is a fun alternative snack for your family. It takes minutes to put together, and once it's frozen, all you've gotta do is break up the yogurt into pieces of 'bark'! This recipe is a great activity for kids to get involved in the kitchen. I love its adaptability - Frozen Yogurt Bark can be made with any combination of fruit and granola, and can be doctored up with extras like chocolate, flax seeds, chia seeds, protein powder, maca powder...the options  are endless. I love recipes that can hide nutrition boosters but still taste great! 

Breakfast Yogurt Bowls

Breakfast Yogurt Bowls

I like to start every morning with a bowl of yogurt and fresh fruit. It's a really satisfying way to get the day going. Yogurt has tons of health benefits, including a hefty dose of animal protein, calcium, vitamin B-2, B-12, potassium, and magnesium. Whenever you hear about yogurt, you hear about probiotics. Probiotics are friendly bacteria that are naturally present in the digestive system. Eating yogurt regularly helps to regulate the digestive system, and making yogurt bowls at home is a really great way to cut down on unnecessary sugar that can come with pre-made fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt cups. Plus, they're simple to make, since you can use whatever you've got at home! Use your favorite seasonal fruit and granola in a hurry, or add in fun twists like toasted coconut, chia seeds, maca powder, or other nutritional boosts. There's not much to this recipe - I'm here to give you some inspiration (and food porn!) Let's get eating! 

Refreshing Detox Juice

Refreshing Detox Juice

If you're just getting started juicing at home, it may seem daunting. Just keep in mind that it’s all about experimenting. My favorite juice is as easy to make as A-B-C: apple, beet, carrot. I like adding different fruits and veggies to this base juice, depending on what I’ve got at home. Apples, beets, and carrots are great to buy in bulk and have on hand. As usual, organic fruits and veggies are best if it’s in your budget. 

Homemade Fruit Roll-Ups

Homemade Fruit Roll-Ups

This month’s #MISSDISH is a fun one. Growing up, fruit roll-ups and fruit snacks were some of my favorite snacks at lunchtime. One pack was never enough, and I always saved the strawberry ones for last. Over the years I’ve learned about what types of ingredients make these type of snacks so yummy. Tons of sugar, corn syrup, and other GMOs. One roll of Fruit by the Foot contains 2 tsp of sugar. Often fruit roll-ups don’t even contain real fruit. I decided to experiment with different ways to make snacks that were just as delicious but much more health conscious. 
Making homemade fruit roll-ups is way easier than you think. You can use this recipe with any fruit! It’s delicious with strawberries, mango, any blend of berries, even apples and watermelon. With two organic ingredients, you know exactly what’s going into these snacks. These are great for everyone in the family - perfect for kids and great to pack for work. Let’s get cookin!

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Strawberry Chia Seed Jam

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Strawberry Chia Seed Jam

By now I’m sure you’ve heard of the amazing health benefits of chia seeds. Chia seeds come from the desert plant Salvia hispanica. In the past few years they have gained popularity because they are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acid. They also provide about 10 grams of fiber per oz. They contain protein, antioxidants, and minerals such as potassium, magnesium, calcium, and iron. Chia seeds are also gluten free! 

This jam is simple.. organic strawberries, a little agave or organic honey, and chia seeds. Normally, when cooking jam, pectin is necessary to enable the jam to gel. In this case, since the chia seeds bulk up and gel naturally, they easily thicken your jam without any additives. It’s really delicious. Not too sweet, and such a fun texture that is great for spreading on any multitude of things. Enough talking, let’s cook