When I first tried chia seeds (in the form of chia pudding), I wasn’t a fan. I wanted to like them: they’re so good for you. But eating something just because it’s good for you?
Ridiculous!
You don’t have to suffer for health.
If you aren’t big on a certain food, there are plenty of ways to get all your nutrients somewhere else. For example, my sister hates bananas. So she gets her potassium from foods she does like, such as yams, spinach, and broccoli. No big deal. Remember that mental health is an important component to overall health, too. If you’re choking down foods you detest, your mental health will suffer.
Going back to the chia… Although I didn’t like the pudding, I was willing to give the seeds a second chance. Perhaps I’d enjoy them in a different form. After all, everyone in the blogworld seems to adore them. So when the Health Warrior Company offered me some samples, I accepted.
And I discovered that I do like chia seeds. They are awesome in oatmeal!
Never-Ending Oatmeal Bowl
(serves 1)
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 1/2 cups milk of choice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup more milk of choice
- sweetener and add-ins of choice
Either cook oats, milk, and salt on the stovetop, or place your oats and salt in a large, microwaveable dish (I use a pyrex 4-cup measurer) with the milk of choice. Microwave 1 and 1/2 minutes, then add your chia and 1/2 cup more liquid. Microwave 2 more minutes. Don’t open the microwave door yet. Instead, leave your mixture for five minutes. Then stir and put in the fridge—uncovered—overnight. Next day, it will magically be thick and ready for your favorite add-ins!
For sweetener, try using The Melted Banana Trick.
Also, I really like to put the cooked oatmeal in my Magic Bullet and blend just a little. This “blended grains” trick really helps all the flavors to meld together.
Do you ever eat foods you don’t really like, just because they’re good for you?
Or do you ever feel pressured to eat a certain food because other bloggers like it? We are all different and our bodies crave different things (and amounts). We should NOT base our food choices on what anyone else is eating. It’d be really weird (not to mention boring) if we were all exactly the same.
This is one of the main reasons I’m not planning on doing another “day in the life” post even though a lot of readers have asked. I don’t feel comfortable knowing others will compare their eating habits to mine or try to mimic what I eat. The way I eat is only perfect for me. You need to listen to your own body, not to what anyone around you is doing.
I’ve had to use this method quite often because I actually fail completely at your voluminous oats trick: it won’t work for me whatever I do (cooked on full, medium and low power in the microwave for various amounts of time with different grains, cooked on the stovetop…), so after several tries I put chia seeds in, which actually didn’t fully absorb all of the water either, but more than the oats alone. Now I tend to just keep trying it then draining the water off (because I fail) when I come to eat them.
I’d been eating the VOO recipes from Oh She Glows every single day for breakfast until I found your site (now I alternate them with yours 🙂 ), so I’m very familiar with chia seeds and their magical effect! Love them 🙂
I don’t eat foods I don’t like just because they’re good for me, but I try to make myself eat something I don’t like at least a couple times before deciding I really don’t like eat! Most of the time, I end up loving it!
Sometimes, I also begin by adding a little to a recipe and adding a little more each time.
Love the post Katie. Never had chia seeds – but love flaxseed in oats!
I made this and am going to eat it tomorrow morning after my run. I don’t know yet what I’m going to put in it.
I also went a little stir-crazy this weekend and made your deep dish cookie pie, raw chocolate fudge cake, some variations of lunabars/fudge babies (you have to try “chocolate covered cherry”: cocoa powder, dried cherries, dates, and cashews), and blueberry pancakes. My poor blender and food processor! Both are old and not very powerful. I am pining for a vita-mix!
Haha it’s nice to know I’m not the only one who runs my little blender ragged. My poor Magic Bullet… the sides of the cups are all chipped. But it keeps on chugging! 🙂
Let’s face it. I really don’t like avocado either! But I also don’t see why everyone loves coconut butter so much. I love the blog world because I’ve learned SO MUCH about trying new foods, but just because one of my favorite bloggers likes something doesn’t mean I will and it doesn’t mean I still have to eat it! It was a hard concept to learn!
There’s just so much to do with chia seeds! I love adding them into smoothies, and oatmeal. It’s amazing how such a tiny seed can grow and make something more voluminous.
i love to make chia pudding! it’s especially good when you grind the seeds first, makes for an extra smooth pudding. i’m also going to start adding them to my smoothies, once my vita mix gets here! yay vitamix!!!
I’ve been meaning to try chia seeds in my overnight oats in a jar (OOIJ) for forever. I’d also like to put them in smoothies.
i’ll use them in all sorts of recipes, the one i’m thinking of right now are homemade vegan energy bars!
I’m a recent convert to overnight oats and could never have enough chia seeds for those!