Have you heard of Chia seeds?

Every time I write or say chia I can't help but hear "cha-cha-cha-chi-a" in my head.  You know, the jingle from the chia pet advertisements.

Now you'll be hearing it in your head as you read the rest of this.  Sorry. ;)

So have you heard of chia seeds?  I just recently read about them in my friend's Kymm's blog.  She'd added them to a smoothie.  Then I saw some recipes on pinterest and my interest was peaked.  So this week when I was at the health food store I picked some up from the bulk dept.

Do you know why chia seeds are the next best super food?  They are an edible seed that is rich in omega-3 fatty acids (even more than flax seed).  They are also rich in antioxidants, don't have to be ground to be beneficial (like flax seed again) and have many nutrients such as fiber, iron, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, niacin and zinc.

If that wasn't enough they can also do a magic trick.  Yes, those tiny little seeds when added to liquid form a gel.  This gel in the stomach then slows the process of digestion which helps stabilize blood sugar.  Amazing!  It helps with weight loss because your stomach feels fuller with the little gel seeds yet there aren't any additional calories.

And did I mention that they can taste good, sort of like a tapioca texture?  I'm sold!

I did a quick search for chia recipes on Pinterest and saw pudding come up many times.  I tweaked a recipe to what I had on hand and made this amazingly tasty pudding.  It was creamy with a bit of a crunch.

Chia Vanilla Coconut Pudding

1 Tbsp chia seeds
1/2 cup coconut milk
smidgen vanilla extract
1 tsp sugar

Just mix the ingredients and wait a few minutes and voila, yummy pudding!  Seriously, it is so good I wish I had more coconut milk on hand.  According to what I've read you can also use almond milk or cows milk to make pudding.  But there is something special about coconut milk.  You may want to double or triple the recipe (which is for 1 serving).  Don't say I didn't warn you. :)