Chia Seed Breakfast Pudding

This is probably my new favorite way to get all things healthy and wondrous into my kids.

And I even bought a great big tub of chia seeds, just so I could make this more often.

Chia Seed Breakfast Pudding
Recipe from Giada de Laurentiis
Prep time: 5 minutes   Standing time: 30 minutes   Chill time: Overnight

Pudding:
1 cup vanilla-flavored unsweetened almond milk
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Salt
1/4 cup chia seeds

Topping:
2 cups fruit of your choice
4 tsp maple syrup
1/4 cup nuts of your choice, toasted

1. In a medium bowl, gently whisk together the almond milk, Greek yogurt, 2 tbsp maple syrup, vanilla extract, and 1/8 tsp salt until smooth.

It's kinda hard to take an action shot of yourself whisking.

2. Whisk in the chia seeds; let stand for 30 minutes. Stir the pudding to make sure the seeds are evenly distributed throughout. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Chia seeds have similar health benefits to flax seed, but don't need to be ground up.

3. Just before serving, toss the fruit in a bowl with 4 tsp maple syrup. Stir in the toasted nuts.

I've been buying big bags of frozen blueberries lately.
It's nice to have back-up fruit in my freezer for my little Fruit Monsters.

4. Spoon the pudding into four bowls or glasses, top with the sweetened fruit and nut mixture.

Step 1: Spoon into serving vessels. I used tumblers

Step 2: Top with sweetened fruit. You can also easily layer this.

Step 3: I chose to leave my nuts separate for a final crunchy topping.

My boys get so excited over this pudding that sometimes I wonder if I should make this a dessert. It's that good! I prefer though to make this a great protein-packed side to a carb-filled meal such as pancakes, french toast, or waffles. In fact, as much as they love pancakes, when this pudding appears on the table it is always the first thing to disappear. Can't argue with that kind of cooking praise!