Chia Pudding

Do you remember those little pudding cups you use to get in your lunch bag for school? The ones where you would peel back the plastic cover and lick it completely clean before diving in to the little plastic cup filled with chocolate goodness? Or were you more of a vanilla fan? Or butterscotch? Or chocolate vanilla swirl? Clearly this was a staple in my lunch bag as a kid. Although I loved having these little cups of deliciousness in my lunch bag growing up, I now know they were  packed with sugar and basically nutrient dead.

One of the main reasons my clients tell me they have trouble eating healthy well-balanced meals is that it’s too time consuming to plan and prep, and they simply just don’t have the kind of extra time it required to get it together. Sound familiar? If this is you, you’re going to love this chia pudding recipe. It takes about 5 minutes to whip together and you probably have all of the ingredients you need already on hand. My favourite part about this recipe is that you can divide it into 3 mini mason jars and keep them in the fridge, just like those convenient little pudding cups you remember from your childhood. Besides being quick and easy, these little pudding are the nutrient DENSE and will keep you feeling full for hours.

A few things to note when making this recipe:

• Use bananas that are fairly ripe. Not overly ripe like the kind you would use to make banana bread, but just a bit riper than you would want to eat.
• Make sure you blend the banana and coconut milk really really well in a some type of a blender. I use a Nutri Bullet, but any blender will do the trick. You just don’t want it to have a grainy texture to it. You want it to have a very smooth texture, and the more you blend it, the smoother it will get.
• Make sure you use FULL-FAT coconut milk. My favourite is the Real Thai brand that comes in a can because it’s so rich and creamy. If you use reduced fat it won’t be as thick and creamy, and it won’t keep you as full.
• I personally like the texture of chia seeds when they turn gelatinous, but if you’re not a fan of this texture you can add the chia seeds to the blender with the coconut milk and banana and you’ll get a different texture. If you’re not sure what way you prefer try both ways and see. Sometimes I even like to blend 1 tablespoon of the chia seeds, and leave the other two to turn gelatinous.
• You could add a little bit of maple syrup to the recipe if you’re giving it to kids or if you don’t find it sweet enough. I personally find it sweet enough with just the banana, but see what works for you.

I hope you get as much use out of this recipe as I do, and if you do make it be sure to take a photo and tag me on instagram @amandamillernutrition so I can see!

Enjoy!

Amanda