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Don’t be put off by the 5 minutes reading time! It is 5 minutes that could change your life! Especially on busy school mornings.
Reasons to add this to your nourishment toolbox:
- Only 5 ingredients
- Quick & Easy to make
- Cook once, eat many times
- Easy to make flavour variations (see options below recipe)
- Nutrient-dense, brain food (see details below recipe)
- Grab & Go
- Anytime meal or snack
- Its delicious!
- Kids love it!
- You’ll easily learn the recipe by heart
Are your mornings a mad rush to get ready and off-to-school?
Or are you desperately looking for a breakfast alternative to processed cereals?
Have you found that being gluten-free, dairy-free or egg-free crosses off a lot of your previous go-to breakfast ideas?
Well…
Chia Seeds to the rescue!
This chia porridge is super-quick to make, nutrient-dense, and can even be made the night before while you are in the kitchen prepping dinner anyway.
The variation possibilities are endless too – see the end of this page for some ideas. Simply add whatever fruit, nuts, seeds and spices you may have in your pantry at the time.
Why do I call it ‘pudding-porridge’?
Well, it is nutrient-dense with healthy fats and protein like a breakfast should be; it has the consistency of porridge; but… it tastes like pudding! (Besides, you are more likely to get buy-in from your kids if you call it pudding 🙂 )
Spiced Apple Chia Breakfast Pudding-Porridge
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 1/2 cup coconut milk organic, preservative-free
- 1 apple washed and chopped
- 2 dates pitted
- 1/4 tsp vanilla seeds, or cinnamon powder
Instructions
- Place the chia seeds in a small bowl or glass jar and cover with coconut milk. Stir to make sure all the seeds are submerged in the milk.
- Cover and leave to soak for 30 minutes.
- Place the chia seed mix, chopped apple, dates and vanilla (or cinnamon) in a mini-blender.
- Blend for 30 seconds, or until the apple and dates are sufficiently chopped.
- Serve, or transfer to to a glass jar, cover and store in the fridge until breakfast time.
- This will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge – so you can make a big batch and have ready-made breakfasts for nearly the whole week
Let’s get real… Preparing food from scratch every single night will suck the joy right out of your kitchen! It will drive even the most committed of mom’s mad.
Meal plans save you TIME, MONEY and a whack-ton of FRUSTRATION!
Know what your kids (AND YOU) like to eat and add it to a weekly meal plan so that you can:
Shop once a week (saves time & money)
Know what you are making, when (saves brain-space)
Plan ahead for late home times after sports etc (see… that’s #clevermama style!)
Cook in bulk and use left-overs (saves time, money & gives you the gift of a night off!)
Free-up your brain space to think of other things! GET REAL PLANS.
Variations
The possibilities for this “porridge” are endless. Using chia seeds and coconut milk (or any other dairy-free alternative) as the base – add whatever seasonal fruit and spices take your fancy.
There is no need to blend the ingredients unless you are feeding it to a baby/toddler. As I write in my book:
“It is best to grind the seeds in a coffee grinder and then add it to a purée, as your little one’s digestive system may not yet be able to break through the walls of the seed to release its nutrients. As he/ she gets older and is able to gum food, you can simply soak the chia seeds in some liquid to soften them before adding to a purée, pudding or smoothie.”
So to make the porridge without blending, simply mix the chia seeds in the milk, add chopped fruit, nuts, seeds and spices on top, seal the jar and place in the fridge overnight… Ready-made breakfast!
Some great chia porridge-pudding flavour combinations are:
Mango and crushed pumpkin seeds with a dash of nutmeg
Litchis sprinkled with lime zest
Apricots and honey with a dash of clove powder
Make it green – Matcha or chlorella powder with a squeeze of lime juice and some honey
Or… have chocolate for breakfast! Add raw cacao powder, tahini paste and honey to the chia seed mix.
Blueberry Chia Porridge Recipe
I love that my job involves playing with superfoods! Here I am creating recipe videos for OZblu Blueberries.
Nutritional Value & Health Benefits of Chia Porridge
Highlighting the health benefits and nutrients of the main ingredients used in this recipe.
Information taken from the ingredient glossary of my book 'Mila's Meals: The Beginning & The Basics'.
Coconut milk contains high amounts of beneficial fat in the form of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs). Unlike long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs) primarily found in vegetable or seed oils, MCFAs are easier to break down. They are converted to energy rather than stored as fat. Lauric acid, a type of MCFA rarely found in nature, can only be found in coconut milk (and breast milk!).
Other nutrients found in coconut milk include:
- vitamins B1, B3, B5, & B6
- vitamin C
- vitamin E
- iron
- selenium
- sodium
- calcium
- magnesium
- phosphorus
- fibre
Chia seeds are an excellent source of: omega-3 fatty acids, fibre, protein, calcium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus and iron.
They are a good source of: zinc, vitamins B1, B2 and B3, and potassium.
Gram for gram, chia seeds have more calcium than dairy and more omega-3 fatty acids than salmon!
Naturally gluten-free, they are being recognised as an exceptionally nutritionally-dense superfood.
Chia seeds are exceptionally high in antioxidants, have anti-inflammatory benefits, provide digestive support due to their soluble and insoluble fibre content, and support healthy development of bones due to their calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and protein.
Isn't it an ingredient? "
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