Chia Colada Pudding

So, I’ve fallen in love with chia… with all the wonderful properties, it’s a fantastic addition to any diet! And it makes for a fantastic, guilt free dessert with LOTS of variations!

Today I had an idea (well… yesterday- I just got around to making it today!) for using up some left over pineapple and juice. Why not make a tropical chia pudding… kinda like, you guessed it… a pina colada!

Can you say YUM?!

So… there’s no pics… as we ate it all… and though the recipe should have been 4 servings (2 each) we finished it in one sit down… it’s a good thing it’s a “guilt-free” dessert… casue it IS just that good!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Can (Thai Kitchen) Lite Coconut Milk… this is just over 1 1/2 cups
• Top up with reserve pineapple juice to make 2 cups liquid
• 1/2 can pineapple tidbits
• 6 Tbsp chia seeds (1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp)

(*See Note)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place coconut milk, pineapple and juice in blender. Blend until very smooth. Add chia seeds and pulse until mixed will.
2. Seperate into 2-4 dishes. Allow to chill minimum 2 hours.
3. ENJOY!

NOTE:

I used the remainder of the pineapple tidbits after making ham and pineapple pizza the night before. You can use the full can (of each) but the amount of chia seeds used would have to be adjusted accordingly. Even with the measurements above, another Tbsp would have been better to make it more thick.

1 Cup fluid = 3 Tbsp chia… and a little trial and error!

Chia berry pudding

When I tell my clients I’m planning on shifting to a Vegan (and as raw as possible) diet, I often get crossed eye looks. When the majority of people’s diets out there are (often) highly processed, nutrients cooked out of the food, and replaced with chemicals and fillers, it seems foreign for someone to willingly walk away from all that convenience.

But with proper planning and preparation, eating Vegan is easy and Raw fairly simple! Though I do still eat animal products occasionally (though I’m trying to keep it to byproducts like yogurt and whey powder) I’m hoping to make the transition to 100% Vegan and eventually as much Raw as possible. For now, I’m trying new recipes and taking my time finding what works for me!

The hardest thing was breakfast. When I usually only ate eggs, it was hard coming up with something to replace it with.

Until now!

I’m totally addicted to this berry pudding- and it has lots of options with using different berries!

INGREDIENTS:

1 banana
1 1/2 cups mixed berries (try 1 cup strawberries and 1/2 cup another berry)
1/2 cup almond milk
3 tbsp chia seeds

DIRECTIONS:

In a food processor, process the fruit until smooth. Add the milk and chia seeds, pulse until blended.

Watermelon cucumber salad

I always forget about this salad but it’s a regular at my father in laws house in the summer time. It’s PERFECT for the hot weather- super easy to throw together and absolutely refreshing!

The ingredients might be odd- I know the first time I had it, my first reaction was “HOW can that possibly be good?!” and then “that’s it?!”… The flavors work perfectly well together and it’s SO easy to prepare!

INGREDIENTS:

Watermelon
Cucumber
Feta Cheese
Fresh cracked Pepper

Dice watermelon and cucumber, combine in bowl. Crumble feta cheese, top with fresh ground pepper and mix together.

Like I said: SUPER easy to make! And the ratio of the ingredients can easily be adjusted to personal tastes!

Chocolate protein Pudding

Mmmmmmm… Chocolate! I tend to play a lot with my protein powder… Looking for new and delicious ways to use it! And if it tastes richer than it actually is- all the better!

I don’t know why I didn’t come up with this sooner- maybe because it is a simple recipe- a stupid simple recipe!!!

Simple is nice!

SERVES 2

INGREDIENTS

1/2 Cup Vanilla Protein Powder
1/4 Cup Cocoa
5-6 packs Stevia
1/4 Cup + 1 Tbsp Milk of choice (flax milk used)
1/2 Tbsp Gelatin
Cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine all ingredients. Mix well. Eat!

…like I said… Simple!

The first couple times I made this, I didn’t use the gelatin- I thought adding it would help set it, but if I was making it and eating it right away (instead of refrigerating it for a couple hours like tonight) I would omit it.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION per serving

Calories 144.5
Fat 2 g
Carbs 9 g
Fiber 3.5 g
Sugar 2 g
Protein 27 g

The flower used as garnish is a nasturtium bloom… Yes, they are edible! Great on salads, they add a peppery taste!

Lemon Blueberry Chia Pudding

What happens when you want dessert and have no chocolate to make the chocolate chia pudding?

You use what you got and hope for the best!

And the best part? It turned out!

And don’t worry, it tastes MUCH better than it looks! The cocoa hides the color of the dark seeds- looks like mud pudding!

Makes 2 servings

INGREDIENTS:
Zest 1 Lemon
Juice from 1/2 Lemon
Almond milk (to make up 1 cup)
2-3 packs Stevia
3 Tbsp Chia Seeds
Blueberries for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

Zest lemon (it’s simply easier to do before juicing) and set aside.

Juice 1/2 lemon. Place in measuring cup and top with almond milk to 1 cup. Stir in Stevia and lemon zest and mix well.

Add chia seeds and stir in. Allow to sit for 1 hour, stirring occasionally to break up any lumps while it’s “gelling”.

Spoon into 2 dishes, top with blueberries, and ENJOY!

Chocolate Protein Paleo Muffins

MMMmmm… chocolate! Personally, can’t get enough! It was probably a contributing factor to reaching 210+ lbs! Well… that… and sugar in general… and lack of exercise… BUT, I loooooooooove chocolate!

And with these, I get it every single day!

I adapted the other Paleo recipe I had to allow for my sugar/chocolate cravings I may have- and this keeps them at bay! Having this little bit each day is enough to resist any binging- AND they’re healthy!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 Cup Almond Flour
• 1/2 Cup Coconut Flour
• 1/4 Cup Tapioca Flour
• 1/2 cup non fat greek yogurt
• 2 scoops chocolate protein powder
• 1/4 cup Stevia in the raw
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 4 egg whites
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup 70% cocoa
• 1 cup milk of choice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl and mix well.

2. Pour batter into a prepared muffin pan.

3. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

4. Allow to cool in pan before transferring to wire rack.

 

Makes 6 large muffins

 

NUTRITIONAL INFO per muffin

• Calories 243
• Fat 7 g
• Carbs 28 g
• Fiber 10 g
• Sugar 3 g
• Protein 17 g

And don’t think of these JUST for morning breakfast/snack- they also make an AWESOME dessert! I’ve adjusted the recipe to just make 2 (one for me and one for hubby) and as soon as they’re out of the oven and cool enough to touch, cut them in half, put them in a bowl, top with berries and 0% Greek yogurt… voila! A healthy dessert!

Pineapple “Gelato”

MMMmmmm… pineapple! Nothing screams tropics than a nice juicy pineapple! And nothing beats a nice fresh juicy pineapple!

(screw the canned stuff!)

You may try and convince yourself that the canned stuff is adequate, but lets face it- it’s not!!! Some fruits you can “get away” with the canned stuff, but not pineapple! Once you go fresh, you’ll never want canned again!

But how do you get through the chain link armor to the sweet goodness?!

You don’t really “peel” a pineapple. It’s more like mining for gold with a hammer and chissel! Though it probably seems similar to scaling fish as well- bits and pieces flying everywhere- especially if you don’t cut into the flesh enough! However, I’d take “scaling” a pineapple over fish anyday! At least you don’t have the smell!

But once you get into the good stuff- be prepared to pucker! Tart, tangy, sweetness- there’s all sorts of tastes in one!

I was stupid excited to try gelato with pineapple! I’m certain I’ve had it before, but combining it with coconut milk would be a taste of the tropics and perfect for the stupid hot weather we’d been having recently! Not to mention, light on fat compared to icecreams!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 fresh pineapple
• 2 cans lite coconut milk, such as from Thai Kitchen

DIRECTIONS

1. Remove top, bottom, and tough outer scales and inner core from pineapple. Cut into chunks.
2. In food processor, process until smooth. If desired, once pulsed a few times, remove 1/2 cup or so of finely cut pineapple to top with when serving.
3. Add both cans of coconut milk and process until smooth.
4. Freeze according to icecream maker instructions.

Note that I’m certain an icecream maker doesn’t have to be used, but it’s how I made it! The process of the icecream maker is to incorporate air during the freezing process, making it fluffier.

The pineapple flower I wanted to try after seeing a pictograph of making them- the link no longer works, but the “photo essay” is pretty easy to follow! The hardest part was cutting it thin enough without tearing and figuring out how long and at what temp to bake it at!

The ONLY way this could have gotten better was if I actually remembered to put in the Malibu Rum during the last 5 minutes in the icecream maker! Instead I used it like a sauce… which was just fine!

;D

Coconut Whip Cream

When I first saw the idea of using coconut milk as whip cream, the first thoughts in my head were “will this actually work?” and “How will it taste?”

For breakfast I decided to make the coconut whip cream to use with fresh tropical fruit instead of the typical maple syrup. With a can of regular coconut milk, I put it in the fridge overnight in preparation of breakie the next morning!

The next morning, I cracked open the can, and just as they said, there was a thick cream on the top of the can!

Perhaps a little too thick?!

The impression I got was that I would be able to scoop it out and whip it with vanilla and cinnamon… easily… by myself. As it was, I had to carve it out of the can and there was no way I’d be able to mix it to a smooth consistency!

So into the food processor it went! I still ended up with a few lumps, but it wasn’t unpleasant or anything!

This will be good for anything that uses “normal” whip cream… and a much more NATURAL way to add that creaminess and topping to a dessert!

DON’T THROW OUT THE SEPERATED COCONUT WATER! Try this recipe instead! (or add it to your morning shake or OJ for a tropical blend!)

Chocolate Maple Mug Cake

Sometimes you just want something sweet. For me it’s every day… Most days I ignore it… But today wasn’t one of them…

(sorry, Hun, my bad!)

However, with this recipe, you can get your chocolate fix without a huge recipe. It gives you exactly what you need- chocolate sweetness with no left overs!

INGREDIENTS:

3 Tbsp Flour
3 Tbsp Maple Syrup
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 Egg
2 1/2 Tbsp 70% Dutch Cocoa
3 1/2 Tbsp Almond Milk
Dash Vanilla
2 Tbsp Applesauce
1/2 tsp Oil

DIRECTIONS:

Place all ingredients in a mug and stir to mix completely.

Cook in microwave 1-2 minutes depending on microwave (ours is kinda old and a little “weak”)

Do not over cook- should be saucy! Like… Molten lava cake in a cup! YUM!

BTW… This is supposed to be 2 servings- so you can either separate the batter and cook in separate cups or share out of the same cup….

Or eat it all yourself…

NUTRITIONAL INFO (entire recipe)

Calories 377
Fat 10 g
Carbs 68 g
Fiber 7 g
Sugar 40 g
Protein 11 g

(BTW, don’t watch “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” if you’re having sugar/chocolate cravings, lol!)

Recipe for disaster?

So, I’ve designated Saturdays to be new recipe DAY… breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all brand new recipes (we’ll see how long this goes on for!) and with the new ice cream maker, both hubby and I are excited to play around with different, funky flavors! This weeks was his idea- caramel icecrem with cherry dark chocolate ripple.

My teeth are rotting just thinking about the sweetness… it’s going to be FANTASTIC!

I am somewhat basing my recipe off of others… just to make sure I don’t completely botch it up! So I started going through my Pinterest icecream recipes and found one that uses dulce de leche (pronounced [DUEL-say deh LEH-chay] based on U.S. English pronunciation)

I doubted I would be able to find that in the grocery stores, but I remember finding this recipe that turns condensed milk into caramel. If I can’t find it, I’d make my own!

I’d seen other ways to make it- on the stove top, but the warnings of exploding cans made me leery of trying it. As this used a slow cooker, I thought it was much safer- though I was still expecting to hear a gun shot it the middle of the night!

So before I went off to bed, I set up the crock pot, covered my can of condensed milk with water, and stuck it on low until the next morning.

Sorry… it’s a little dark…

Turned off the slow cooker and went off to work, letting the water and can cool daown. Got home and decided to crack it open to see if I had successfully magicked the condensed milk to caramel…

And what do you know? There be caramel!

We’re going to have some WICKED icecream tomorrow! Recipe will come! But it WON’T be healthy, I’m certain!!!