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.
the comparison trap really strains us, doesnt it. Everyone has different needs, wants, etc. when it comes to food and we should embrace our so called “individuality” when it comes to food choices. And that definitely takes time and confidence. Well said Katie!
Looks good, and I bet a lot of oatmeal lovers will enjoy it, but for some reason I have a kind of intolerance for oatmeal. I couldn’t eat it as a kid and I tried again when I read all these blogs and how much they loved it, but I just can’t enjoy it.
I hate comparing myself to other people. I always feel terrible for it so I try to stop as soon as I can.
I got a lot of good recipe ideas from other bloggers, but I don’t ever feel pressured to eat certain things. I’ll give all the foods a fair shot, but if I don’t like them, I’m not eating them. Way too many things out there I DO like to be wasting my time with foods I don’t.
I definately have to have my morning oatmeal or oatbran. If you haven’t tried oatbran yes I completely recommend it! I find it’s much creamier than oatmeal and has much more fibre in it. While I’ve never tried chia seeds in my oatmeal/bran I usually add in 1 tbsp of flax seeds (you have to love those omega fatty acids!). I assume it would have about the same effect as chia seeds as it adds a fun bite to it!
Just make sure it is ground flax seed you are eating, otherwise you do not reap the full benefits of flax. Grinding the seeds releases the oil and therefore the omega-3!
Good tip! I didn’t know that for the first year I ate flax… I thought I was doing such a good job, eating the whole seeds!
Amen! Life is too short for (IMO) brussels sprouts. So Hubby gets more!
I’m going to have to try the blender trick, as well as the banana trick.
I think when your book comes out I may have to quit my job, just so I have time to focus on making all your recipes!!!!!!
I’ve actually never tried chia seeds…but they sound yummy now! Hm, yea i’ve def eaten some food just because they’re healthy. like fish bones (YUCK!) i didn’t want to eat them, but they were “supposedly” supposed to improve my bones…
I really love your tips for making oatmeal last longer and taste better! I do like oatmeal, but I feel like sometimes other bloggers can really go overboard on their obsession with it and posting about it every.single.day. I get it that it’s good, but…it’s just oatmeal! I can’t wait to try out your tips!
Ick, I never make myself eat things just because it’s a blog world trend! Honestly, I’m not a huge fan of oatmeal. I like it occasionally – I had oat bran this morning at it was AWESOME, and it had chia seeds but thats not the point – I’m not gonna force myself to eat it because everyone else does. Luckily there aren’t many foods that I don’t like!
Have you tried using chia seeds as an egg? It works just like a flax egg, in fact I personally think it works better!
I haven’t! I really need to, huh?
Yeeeaaahhh, Katie!! You tell it, girl!! 😉
I used to struggle with eating ‘perfect,’ but I’ve gotten to the point where I eat what I want, when I want, & feel HAPPY about it! Life is meant to be enjoyed!! 🙂
I can’t eat things I don’t like, whether they are healthy or not. If something hits my tastebuds wrong I can’t even swallow. Blech. I am a FUN dinner guest, really. 😉
Like, I love the idea of getting to eat a huge bowl of oatmeal, but I only like oatmeal if it is super thick and dense with the consistency of an oatmeal cookie. Which automatically leads to only a smaller portion.
What a wonderful post, Katie! I wholeheartedly agree that one should never force him or herself to eat something unappetizing! I love healthy food, but there are definitely some healthy foods I absolutely will not eat (beets being the primary one haha). I personally don’t worry too much about what I eat compared to others, but I can definitely see how that could be and is a problem.
As for the chia sweds, I’m so glad you posted this, because I just tried making chia seed pudding and DID NOT enjoy it one bit. But just last night I was thinking to myself that I still ought to try chia seeds in my oats… What perfect timing!
And by sweds I meant seeds…clearly I can’t type properly on my phone lol
Ooh I am right there with you on the beets! In fact, I picked up a beet the other day on the Whole Foods hot bar, because it sounded good (marinated in orange-sesame sauce, or something like that). But even in the yummy-sounding sauce, I still didn’t like it!
Also, i-phones are the bane of my existence! My mom keeps asking if I want one for Christmas every year, and I keep saying NO! I can’t type on those things at all! lol
cool trick! i’ll take my chia seeds with me. personally, i use chia b/c i find it tasteless, but prefer them ground, otherwise they end up stuck in my teeth. i used to sneak them in those homemade larabar/fudge baby recipes, but i haven’t made those recently.
I wish I could try this, it seems like every post I read these days features chia seeds! But they’re simply not available in Ireland. I usually sub in ground flax anywhere chia is used but I don’t know if it’s that suitable a substitution? Having never had chia seeds 🙁
I don’t force myself to eat any food I don’t like – I think there are so many different options out there that there’s really no need. It might be different if I didn’t like an entire food group, like vegetables in general, but that’s not the case for me. Why force myself to eat oranges when I love all other fruit? I’ll just eat all the other options!
The Health Warrior company offered me 8 bags for a giveaway… I’m emailing them right now to see if it can be open to non-US readers! 🙂
Oohhh thanks Katie, that would be fab! 🙂
They said no :(. But at least I tried!
Aww thanks anyway Katie, Maybe they’ll make it to our shores one day 🙂
Hi Aine – I live in England and I get mine from gojiking.co.uk as they’re the cheapest, not sure if they deliver to Ireland (it says UK), but if they don’t healthysupplies.co.uk might deliver to you, and amazon.co.uk also have chia seeds in stock. It’s worth checking out! HTH 🙂
Thanks Jenny, I’ll check that out! 🙂
Aine, I live in Ireland too and I order Chia Seeds from iherb.com! A big tub costs $3.50 to ship, I can’t remember the price of the tub itself but I know it’s way cheaper than my local healthfood store.
Another vote for iherb delivering to Ireland here! I’ve also seen chia seeds in Nourish health food stores and Down to Earth on George’s Street (but those are all Dublin based which might not suit). I’ve only bought one pack of chia seeds in an actual shop though becuase iherb still works out cheaper even with shipping ! The post man in work just LOVES me as I’m always getting packagings 😉
You can also use camelina seeds if those are more accessible.
I actually put them in cooked oatmeal too! I purosefully cook my oatmeal with too much water. After 2ish min in the microwave, I take it out and stir in 1 Tbsp chia seeds, then let it sit for 5 mine. Stir it up, and voila, no more liquid in the bowl! Perfect for when you add too much water by mistake too!
I completely agree with you about not eating food we don’t like, just because it’s healthy. That’s such bullshit. Life is too short to eat foods we don’t enjoy. There are so many healthy foods out there, that there is definitely no shortage of nutritious things to eat…nutritious things that we actually WANT to eat.
I don’t like veggie juice, so I’m not going to go juice a stalk celery no matter how many other bloggers do it. That goes against eating intuitively, which is something I strongly believe in. Satisfaction comes from giving our bodies what they want. 🙂
Ick! Carrot juice! LOL I’ve tried it a few times… but it is just awful to my tastebuds. Awful awful awful! Actually, just raw carrots in general. I guess I am not part rabbit :).
Sometimes I really want to like foods that everyone else likes. My struggle is eggplant – it s such a common vegetarian option at restaurants, but I just can’t get on board with it!!
I have a love/hate relationship with eggplant. Some days I love it, others I hate its texture… I think it also depends on the eggplant. You can get a really ripe, yummy one, or a really chewy, icky one!
Have you ever tried the small Japanese eggplants? They’re sweet enough to eat raw, whereas the typical (huge) ones you can get in the states are quite bitter.