I’m a deep believer in the power of chia; as a hydrating superfood that nourishes, grounds, balances and energizes us. One of my favorite ways to enjoy it is for breakfast as the weather warms, and as our bodies call to lighten up (but remain centered) and this is my favorite recipe for that purpose. BUT, there are lots of other ways to enjoy this incredible food. Among them, as a snack, or treat…as in this Cacao-Horchata Chia pudding.
When the 4pm hour hits, I find myself hankering for a snack. It’s an undeniable urge that I absolutely plan for for several reasons; for one, it’s typically been 4-5 hours since I had lunch. Two, I have another 3-4 hours before I eat dinner, and in between that time I need to finish up work, make dinner while wrangling a 2 year old, and manage any other number of surprise adventures that happen in our house in those happy hours of the day. This is not the time to be angry. So, I typically have some kind of satisfying snack planned.
When we think of a “snack,” many of us nibble on some pretzels, or cornchips, or we have a “bar,” or one of those puny little yogurt or pudding cups, or we try to ignore the craving and then binge those things while we’re making our dinner. Let me be forthcoming with you: this is a half-assed plan that is destined for failure. If we want to sate ourselves, AND feel energized to bring it in all the areas of our life that MATTER, we need to fuel better than that.
We need something with fiber, protein and fat. Real FOOD, my friends. We don’t have space for empty food in our lives, unless we want to be empty. And we don’t want that now do we?
When I was little I would have dreamed to have a little stash of chocolate pudding cups in our fridge for after-school snack. I’m my mother’s daughter for sure, and so said pudding cups were not part of our repertoire (praise be.) But now that I’m a full blown adult, I get to stock my own fridge and, right now, this is one of the most solid snacks around. It’s stocked up with all of that good fat, protein and fiber that keeps us sated, keeps our brains and digestive systems firing on all cylinders. And, it’s got a nice little snack-sized hit of protein which serves to keep us satisfied while also helping to build and repair muscle, stock up the ojas tank, and more.
…is easy to make, easy to love.
It’s creamy, just-sweet, decadent and (surprise!) really sensible.
It’s a treat that smart adults, and flavor-inclined kiddos alike, will love. (Leo is OBSESSED with chia!)
Different than my breakfast chia pudding, this recipe is blended up ahead of time, which means you may be eating it chilled or at room temperature. Keep in mind that we want it to be nice and WARM OUTSIDE (like, really warm) before you eat it straight from the fridge. And then you’re rearing to go. The recipe notes below give you a few more tips.
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