Overnight Chia Pudding

 

I’ve been trying to switch up my breakfast routine instead of just having cereal every morning.  To make it super convenient, I’ve been trying different overnight oatmeal and pudding recipes so I wake up and my food is all prepared for me! 

Chia seeds can absorb up to 12 times their weight in liquid, so if you put them in milk overnight, it turns into a thicker pudding that is really energizing and fills you up for hours.  (You can read this post for more health benefits of chia).  

It only took a few minutes to prepare the night before.  It’s a mix of a bunch of recipes I found online.  You can feel free to adapt the pudding with whatever mix-ins you like best! 

Overnight Chia Pudding (serves 2)

Ingredients:

• 6 T chia seeds
• 2 cups almond milk (I used regular milk, but I think the almond would give it more flavor)
• ½ t vanilla
• ½ cup mixed berries
• 2 T pomegranates
• 2 T coconut, toasted
• 2 T raw pistachios, chopped
• ½ t cinnamon
• ¼ t cardamom
• ¼ t ground ginger
• Dash of salt

Directions:

1.  Toast your coconut ahead of time (careful to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn)

 

2. The night before, prepare the pudding.  Blend the milk, vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger & salt in a blender on the lowest speed. 

 

3.  Slowly pour in your chia seeds and blend for 2-3 minutes.  Add ¼ cup of the berries to blend them into the mixture (I saved the rest to top the pudding in the morning).   

4. Pour into mason jars or any covered container and refrigerate at least 6 hours. 

5.  In the morning, stir your mixture and top with the remaining berries, pomegranates, pistachios, and coconut (I forgot my coconut unfortunately!)

 

I did a similar breakfast with overnight oatmeal as well.  It’s the same concept, but you just refrigerate ¼ cup uncooked oats, 1/3 cup milk, ¼ cup Greek yogurt, 1½ T chia seeds, ¼ t vanilla, and fruit in a jar overnight and enjoy the next day!   

 

 

I think it would actually taste best to combine the two recipes and add a bit of oatmeal to the chia pudding overnight.  The pudding was pretty liquidy, so if you like a thicker breakfast, reduce the milk quantity or add a bit of oatmeal to the jar. 

Fall is almost here…and that means Pumpkin Everything!

We stopped by ABC last night to pick up some beers.  By the way, if you haven’t been to the ABC on Kennedy just east of MacDill you need to check it out!  Its exterior has been updated with a beautiful stone facade, and the interior feels more like a Whole Foods than a liquor store.  They also have a “Brew Stop” station where you can fill up growlers with a constantly changing selection of craft beers.  

I got overly excited yesterday because while browsing the beers, I noticed that they had already set up a whole section for fall themed beers!  Autumn is my favorite time of year – the start of the holiday season and pumpkin flavored everything! 

We picked up a variety pack of the Sam Adam’s Harvest Collection – which includes their October Fest, Harvest Pumpkin, Harvest Saison, and traditional Boston Lager.  So last night we escaped the summer heat and enjoyed some fall flavors (and we lit fall candles too!)

I really do enjoy Sam Adam’s Beers of Summer variety pack (especially Porch Rocker), but if I do have to trade in my fruity summer beers, I’m glad it’s for beers spiced with cinnamon & caramel.  

It seems that I’m not the only one anxious for fall to start – Starbucks recently announced they will be releasing their famous Pumpkin Spice Latte August 25^th this year – a month earlier than normal. 

This probably just means that retailers will start abusing the holiday season even more and start selling Christmas decorations before Halloween is even over. Crazy…

Anyways, to prepare for the months ahead, here are some pumpkin recipes to try out.  I’ve made all of these in the past so I know they’re quality recipes!  

Pumpkin 7 Layer Magic Bars (from Bakers Royale).  OMG these are one of the best desserts you will ever eat!  So many yummy ingredients in each bite – I’ve made these a few times and they always turn out super moist and delicious: 

Sweet Pumpkin Butter (from Oh She Glows).  I made this a few years ago and it was great to dip apples or pretzels, or to spread on toast: 

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecake (from Sprinkle Bakes).  I made this for Easter in 2013 (more on my tradition of making cheesecakes for Easter another time…) If you plan to top it with powdered sugar stripes, make sure to do it right before you serve it, otherwise it will just soak into the cheesecake and disappear: 

Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Ribbon (from Crafter Baker Says…)  I made this for Thanksgiving in 2012:

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal (from Undressed Skeleton).  This is a healthy way to get your pumpkin fix:

Happy fall everyone! (a month early…)