Blueberry Chia Pudding

This is my favourite breakfast by far! 

I love the ease, the versatility, the goodness of a chia pudding. I’ve made it with water, with almond milk, with coconut milk, with freshly squeezed tangelo juice. I’ve flavoured it with vanilla, activated charcoal, crushed raspberries, mesquite powder, cacao, Butterfly Pea tea, turmeric, blue algae and peanut butter. I’ve made multi coloured chia puddings, hot chia puddings, and topped my chia puddings with smoothies. If you have seen my Instagram account, the chia pudding makes a regular appearance! There are so many possibilities, you are only limited by your imagination. I never tire of these little bowls of goodness, nor have I even scratched the surface of flavours to create.

I started eating chia on a regular basis due to its fantastic levels of iron.

I have had ongoing problems with my iron for as long as I can remember. Recently I discovered it was due to gluten, the effect of having two of the Celiac genes causes issues with my absorption of iron. As I was looking into foods that were high in iron I discovered all the other benefits of chia. It’s high in iron, antioxidants, protein, calcium, Omega 3, fibre, B vitamins. I’m not so good at remembering to take vitamins so I much prefer to get them naturally in my food.

I know most recipes call for you to soak your chia pudding overnight and yes, this will give you the best results and a lovely thick consistency. Don’t let that put you off. Let’s be honest, it’s not always so easy to be that organised. I will sometimes put a chia pudding together and then go for my morning exercise, depending if this is a run or a dog walk or the gym, this will be anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours for the pudding to soak and those beautiful little seeds to expand fully. I sometimes make a huge batch in a mason jar and that will cover me for a few mornings, flavouring it each morning depending on what I feel like.

This Blueberry Chia pudding is beautifully creamy, with a contrasting tartness. I have used Maqui berry powder mixed in with the blueberries but this is optional – if you don’t have any, just leave it out.

This tart Chilean berry is a powerhouse of nutrients

and is believed to be one of the most antioxidant rich foods in the world. It's due to  anthocyanins and delphinidins (are the purple pigments and no I probably couldn't pronounce them!) that has these berries have very high antioxidant levels. Maqui berries are said to increase insulin levels, thereby having benefits for diabetes, they also have great anti-inflammatory properties. Chronic inflammation in the body can have serious effects on the body. With the stressful lives we seem to lead these days, it is highly beneficial for us to be eating foods that fight inflammation. So mixing the blueberries and the maqui together you are doing wonders for your system! 

Although this recipe is super simple and so many people already make chia puddings, I really wanted to share this as my easiest and most favourite breakfasts – so simple, versatile and perfect to take travelling with you. I introduced a friend of mine to these (she readily admits her wife game is weak in the kitchen) so if she can make chia puddings delicious then maybe I can take the fear out of someone else who is unsure where to begin with eating some of these weird healthy things!

INGREDIENTS:

3 tbsp Chia seeds

1 cup of coconut milk (or your choice of milk)

1 tbsp coconut yoghurt (or your choice of yoghurt - my favourite is Pure n Free)

Pinch vanilla powder

½ cup blueberries

1 tsp maqui powder

METHOD:

Mix your chia seeds with your yoghurt, vanilla powder and milk. I prefer to add it all to a jar with a tight lid and shake it up. Let it sit for a few minutes, then shake it up again and place in the fridge overnight

When ready to serve, blend the blueberries with the maqui. Layer the chia pudding with blueberries then top with coconut yoghurt and frozen blueberries.

Notes:

•  I love adding yoghurt to my chia puddings for an extra creaminess. This is entirely optional, you can omit it if you prefer
• I used frozen Australian blueberries in this recipe as it was winter when I made it, so blueberries were not in season. I would choose fresh over frozen where possible however for the top of the pudding the frozen berries were a beautiful contrast
• If you don’t like blueberries, use strawberries, cherries or mango instead. Kiwi fruit is also delicious!