Chia Breakfast Bowl

Hey, y'all!  Happy Thursday.  Today I wanted to share a simple, healthy recipe that comes from my cousin in law, Runner Girl.

You may have been hearing lately about the health benefits of chia seed (yes, the same stuff we seeded our chia pets with years ago.  Or y'all who were lucky enough to have chia pets did).  If not, check this out.

Anyway, I was intrigued by the whole chia phenomenon, and I knew RG was eating more healthfully, so I asked her if she had any good chia recipes to share.  And boy, did she!  This stuff doesn't look pretty, but it sure tastes good.  And it is so easy to make.

Here's what you do.  In a small bowl, mash a banana.  Add 2 T chia seed, 1/4 c milk (RG uses unsweetened vanilla almond milk or vanilla soy milk, which makes this vegan, I use skim), a splash of vanilla extract, and 1-2 shakes of ground cinnamon.  Mix together, cover, and refrigerate overnight or at least 2 hours.  In the morning, give it a stir and top with chopped walnuts or almonds, granola, fresh berries, or whatever else sounds good.

And that's it.  The splash of vanilla and sprinkle of cinnamon really take the taste over the top in this delicious meal or snack.

This recipe, prepared with skim milk, and topped with 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts, contains 267 calories and is low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium, and high in dietary fiber, manganese, magnesium and selenium.

See?  Told ya it isn't pretty

So at this point, you might be wondering where to get chia seed.  Well, most health food and natural foods stores should have it, and I've seen it in the natural section of my local grocery stores as well.  You can also buy it online.  Or, if you're super lucky, like me, your best-ever brother-in-law will give you some for your birthday (by the way, I need a refill, best brother in law ;)