Recipe Review: Overnight Strawberry Chia Pudding

Resource: Joy McCarthy via Joyous Health: Eat and Live Well Without Dieting

Ingredients:
1 banana
2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries
1 cup coconut milk or almond milk
3/4 cup chia seeds
1 tsp vanilla extract
Chopped fresh berries for garnish

Directions: In a food processor, combine banana, strawberries, coconut/almond milk, chia seeds and vanilla.  Process until completely combined.  Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight.  Divide among bowls and top with chopped strawberries.

Prep Time:
5 minutes! Measure out the few ingredients and blend in food processor.

Ingredients Overview:
The list for this recipe was quite small, making it easy to shop for or perhaps find in your fridge and pantry.  I used almond milk simply because we had it in the fridge and I personally prefer it over coconut milk.  The only slightly expensive ingredient to use are the chia seeds. Don’t worry though, you won’t be stuck with them sitting to go bad as you can use them in a variety of smoothies and sprinkle over your next bowl of yogurt and granola.  

Kitchen Tools Overview:
A food processor is required for this recipe. You could also probably get away with a high speed blender too.  It is important to use something with high speeds so that everything gets mixed properly.  Yes, food processors seem like an investment but I bought a cheap one for my apartment for roughly $40.  It is a very versatile tool for the kitchen and you will realize you can use it for many recipes.  I strongly recommend purchasing one for your kitchen. 

Ease of Recipe (1-5 ranking, 1 most difficult, 5 most simplistic):
5/5.  All you do is dump all ingredients into the food processor and push a button.  No thinking, no heating and potential burning of anything! 

Flavour Review:
If you are looking for a healthy alternative for a sweeter treat this is for you.  The fruit adds a natural sweetness to the pudding and it also gives it a nice colour.  I know from experience, the better something looks, the more likely we want to eat it! The chia seeds add texture to the pudding which I liked, but some may not.  The flavour is still really tasty but because the chia seeds absorb the liquid it does have a more gritty texture. I can only eat a few spoonfuls at a time myself because the texture is not something my taste buds could eat a lot of at once. However, still a great snack on the go!

Recommendation:
I would totally 100% recommend this recipe for anyone to try! Very limited prep time and it can last you a few days as a breakfast out the door or a snack in between meals.  You can prepare it ahead and have it to keep you fuelled during your busiest times.  Try another fruit if strawberries aren’t your thing and give it a go!