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.
Great post! I love your site and your recipes so much! I use tons of chia seeds – in raw crackers, granola bars, on salads and for raw wraps. I haven’t tried chia pudding yet – so I guess that would be one of the first things I would try. Thanks so much for the giveaway opp!
i use chia seeds in oatmeal, smoothies, and home made granola!
I’d definitely try using chia seeds in my early daily oatmeal breakfast!
I’d make chocolate chia seed pudding 😀
I’ve been wanting to try chia seeds forever, but I can’t seem to find them anywhere in D.C. I guess the first thing I would do is to try adding them to oatmeal, just to get a feel for it.
The first time my mom bought chia seeds, I would always put them in yogurt, I had no idea what else to do with them. My mom bought them because she said I wasn’t eating healthy enough at the time! When we ran out, my mom stopped buying them because they’re pretty expensive.
A few months later, I came across this Chewy Oat Squares recipe: http://www.eatingbirdfood.com/2010/05/chewy-oat-squares/ One of the ingredients is chia seeds, so my mom bought them again. After that, we kept on buying them! Everyone in my family loved the oat squares, even my brother who hates healthy food! I haven’t made them in a while, and some free chia seeds would probably encourage me to do so 😀
Then I found this Chewy Granola Bars recipe: http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/homemade-chewy-granola-bars-without-corn-syrup For the 1 cup combination, i would add chia seeds, shredded coconut, pepitas, and sunflower seeds. They are deee-licious!
What I’ve been doing the past few months is adding them to oatmeal along with flax seeds, cinnamon, honey, and shredded coconut. It’s so good! You don’t even taste the chia seeds (if you don’t add too much.)
And last but not least, I’d obviously use them to make your awesome recipes!
Ooh thanks, those recipes both look really good!
I would use the chia seeds to bake with and add them to my oatbran! i LOVE chia seeds 🙂
I would make some overnight oats… yum!
i would make chia seed pudding and add it to oats of course! ive been wanting to try em for so long!
I’m laughing out loud over chia seeds sprouting in your sink. Sorry you had to deal with the mess but at least you got a funny story out of it! You won’t believe it but I still haven’t tried chia seeds, though I see them literally every day on blogs. I think I would want to make overnight oats with them–theylooked so healthy and tasty in all of the pics I saw!