Okay, so who else was IN LOVE with the weather this weekend? I had seriously forgotten what it feels like to be warm from the sun. Saturday and Sunday were so beautiful, that I made it a point to take a few extra walks with miss Luna. I’ve actually been doing a fair amount of cooking over the past few weeks, I just haven’t had too much extra time to edit photos and write posts, but I have a lot of new recipes coming your way, so stay tuned 🙂

Today’s recipe is………..Caramel Chia Seed Pudding!!! Doesn’t that sound delicious?

Now, since of course I’ve been really trying to cut back on the amount of sugar in my diet (and because I’m working on a cookbook for work that needs to have everything sugar free), this recipe is a VERY healthy dessert. It was also laughably easy to make, and who doesn’t love that?

Here’s how it comes together…

Print Caramel Chia Seed Pudding Yield: 5 servings Serving Size: 1/4 cup Ingredients: 1 cup vanilla, unsweetened almond milk (or another milk of your choice)

2 Tbsp of sugar free caramel dip (I like the Walden Farms Caramel Dip)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup chia seeds

Method: Mix the 1st three ingredients in a blender until everything is completely blended. Pour this into a small-ish mixing bowl. Stir in the chia seeds and let sit at least 30 minutes, stirring every five minutes or so until it's thickened. Notes Macros: Kcal = 80 CHO = 4 grams Fiber = 4 grams FAT = 7 grams PRO = 3 grams 3.1 http://www.healthyvittlesandbits.com/2014/02/24/caramel-chia-seed-pudding-low-carbsugar-free/

Optional (yet highly recommended): top with mini chocolate chips (sugar free if you want – yes, these exist) and a dusting of cocoa powder.

Now, if you’ve never used chia seeds before, don’t be intimidated. They’re actually a super cool food. What I love about chia seeds, is their ability to swell and soak up about 10 times their weight in water. So they take ordinary ingredients (such as almond milk) and after mixing every so often over a period of time (such as 30 minutes) they swell up and create a “gel”. Chia seeds are full of soluble fiber and the Omega 3 fatty acid ALA, as well as having some protein and some important minerals like iron, calcium, magnesium, and zinc. So you really can’t go wrong with these little gems. If you’re starting to get intrigued, and would like another delicious example of the gelling power of chia seeds, be sure to check out this Chia Seed Jam post for a much healthier, easier, and lower sugar way to make jam.

Due to the lack of sugar in this dessert, it’s not at all overpoweringly sweet. It just has a hint of sweetness, but if you like things on the sweeter side, you could of course add in sugar to your liking by using Sweetened Vanilla Almond milk and/or caramel dip that is not sugar free.

Here are the Macros for all you diligent trackers out there (shout out to my Mom who has been doing so well tracking for the last few weeks!) Also, note that the serving size listed here is rather small (because this one is going in the cookbook, and post op patients do not eat much food at one time), so feel free to double it and have a generous 1/2 cup if that sounds more like it to you!

Yield: 5 servings

Serving Size: 1/4 cup

Kcal = 80

CHO = 4 grams

Fiber = 4 grams

FAT = 7 grams

PRO = 3 grams

Let’s Chat:

How did you enjoy the incredible 50 degree weather this weekend?

And also,

What’s your favorite way to use chia seeds?

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