A Simple Chia Seed Pudding for the Win

I enjoy cooking and love trying new foods, so I was pretty excited when my mom introduced me to the vegetarian food blog Cake and Beans last month. In addition to their blog, I follow their Instagram page, and one day they posted this beautiful photo of chia pudding that instantly had me craving a food I had never tried.

Sure, I've used chia seeds in smoothies and homemade energy bars, but never pudding. I was intrigued, so I began experimenting... and wouldn't you know it, even though the texture took me a little bit of getting used to, it has become one of my favorites for breakfast and morning snacks.

Hello... I am chia seed pudding. Put me in your belly!

If you've never tried chia seeds but you're game for giving healthy foods a shot, these tiny little seeds pack a good punch of fiber, antioxidants, calcium, omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and carbohydrates, so they're well worth a trial run.

Though I'm a poor excuse of a food blogger, I'm going to give you the recipe I used to make the pudding pictured above, which I came up with after perusing through a ton of Pinterest recipes and played with until I found the right mix of solids, liquids and flavors. 

Almond Milk Chia Pudding

1/4 cup chia seeds

3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

Dash of cinnamon

Heaping tablespoon of dried cranberries* 

Handful of fresh raspberries**

Directions: In a small bowl, stir the chia seeds, almond milk, and cinnamon together. Add dried cranberries. Place in refrigerator for about 1/2 hour or until the seeds have absorbed the moisture. Throw the fresh berries on top and enjoy.  

*Get creative here... I've also used fresh pomegranate seeds and blueberries. 

**Top the pudding with anything that sounds good... I usually end up throwing sliced banana on it.

Do you have any favorite chia seed pudding recipes?