Almond Milk Chia Beverage

I got tired of buying cans of 60% coconut cream. There are a few still in the pantry, but I thought I should try to make my afternoon chia beverage out of something other than coconut milk. This is what I did with the quart of almond milk I just made.

Per half-pint mason jar:

1 tbsp organic chia seeds
1 tsp raw honey
1 c fresh almond milk

Stir it together, then lid and band the jar. Put in fridge until later. Give it another stir or shake the jar before drinking.

If you want to make "pudding" out of this, simply double the amount of chia seeds.

Coconut Chia Drink

Finally there is a use for my unused half-pint jars. This tastes pretty good at any time, morning or night. I usually make three 8 oz servings at a time. I started using Trader Joe's light coconut milk (the stuff from the can not carton) since it only contains coconut milk and water. You can get coconut milk with 60% or more coconut milk in the can at an Asian grocery store. Be sure to read the labels for the ones that just have coconut milk and water as its ingredients.

Ingredients per 8 oz (half pint) jar:

1 tbsp organic chia seeds
1/3 c light coconut milk
2/3 c filtered water
1 tsp honey or some stevia sweetener, if desired

Directions

Fill each clean jar with chia seeds. Pour in coconut milk, water and sweetener. Stir well so that the chia seeds don't all clump together. Put clean lid onto the jars and secure with a jar band.

Put in refrigerator for a few hours. The chia seeds will have ballooned in size from absorbing the water. Give the jar a quick shake before opening and drinking.

You can also blend the contents of one jar with 2 medium ripe bananas for a quick smoothie.

This doesn't have a pudding consistency and is really meant for drinking. It's also not for anyone counting calories either. Most of the calories in this recipe are in the chia seeds. A third cup of light coconut milk is about 50 calories.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies

After having made a failed batch of protein powder to presumably make chocolate covered protein bars, I have perhaps stumbled across one of the most delicious tasting cookies I have made so far. Though, the amount of sugar in the recipe is a bit much. I could certainly cut it down.

This is what went into the protein powder:

wet ingredients

1/4 c homemade sugar cane syrup, heated to 220 F and cooled
2 tbsp organic peanut butter
1/2 c homemade pear sauce
1 tsp vanilla extract

dry ingredients

3/4 dark chocolate chips
2/3 c dried cranberries
2 c old fashioned organic oatmeal, pulsed briefly in a food prep
4 tbsp organic chia seed, pulsed briefly in a food prep
2 tbsp organic flax seeds, pulsed briefly in a food prep
2/3 c organic coconut flour


And, to help bring it together as a "dough", I added:

1 egg
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/4 c organic granulated sugar (omit next time)
1/2 c brown sugar

Directions

Mix together until all the ingredients stick together. Spooned onto a baking sheet lined with a silicon mat. Gently press down onto each cookie. These don't spread out, so a dozen can be baked on a single sheet at a time.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes.

Makes 2 dozen tablespoon-sized cookies.