Chocolate Hazelnut Chia Seed Pudding

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I'm usually not hungry at all first thing in the morning, especially when I have to wake up at 5:00 a.m. for work. You'd think I'd be used to it after 15 years of waking up at the crack of dawn to get to work and getting up with the kids, but my body, more specifically my brain are still in snooze mode until around 10:00 a.m.

So the last thing I want to do is add to my fragile state by trying to make breakfast for myself and 4 children.

In an effort to stay away from boxed cereal I have come up with a few breakfasts that require little or no effort.

This pudding falls into the zero effort category. It has just 3 ingredients and you simply chill it over night (or for at least 4 hours) and wake up to a chocolate pudding for breakfast! Nice huh?

What are Chia Seeds?

Chia seeds come from the desert plant Salvia hispanica, a member of the mint family that grows abundantly in southern Mexico.

Chia is very rich in omega-3 fatty acids, even more so than flax seeds. And, unlike flax, they do not have to be ground to make their nutrients available to the body. Chia seeds also provide fiber (25 grams give you 6.9 grams of fiber) as well as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, iron, niacin, and zinc just to name a few.

When added to water and allowed to sit for 30 minutes, chia forms a gel. Researchers suggest that this reaction also takes place in the stomach, slowing the process by which digestive enzymes break down carbohydrates and convert them into sugar.

You can use any liquid you like for this pudding, some suggestions are: almond milk, rice milk, coconut milk and hemp milk. I have been staying away from soy milk because it is a GMO and some research suggests it may have harmful effects on your body and your hormones.

To make the pudding:

Mix together 2 cups chocolate hazelnut milk with 1/2 cup chia seeds. Drizzle in about 3 tablespoons honey, preferably local, Organic honey.

Let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes then refrigerate over night.

You could probably eat this in as little as 1 hour after mixing buy I find that I like the consistency better after at least 6 hours.

You could definitely have this chocolate hazelnut pudding as a dessert but I suggest adding a bit more honey. Also, since chia seed is so high in protein I like this for a breakfast treat. The consistancy of this pudding is very similar to tapioca but without all the sugar.