Anti-Inflammatory Chia Pudding

Chia seeds were a staple of the ancient Aztec diet.

Nutrition Benefits

• Excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids
• Excellent source of fiber (~10 grams per 2 tbsp)
• High in protein (~4 grams per 2 tbsp)
• Also: calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc

With all of this in mind, I eat chia seeds daily. But today I wanted to take advantage of their water-absorbing and gelatinous properties. Plus, I had a lot of chopped pineapple sitting in my fridge. Off went the light bulb in my head and I created a chia pudding!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chopped pinapple
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 cup of orange juice
• 2 tbsp chia seeds

Directions

1. Add all ingredients, except for the chia seeds, to a blender. Blend until smooth, about 3 minutes.                                                                                        
2. Add chia seeds to a glass container. *turmeric stains plastic easily, which is why I use glass*                                                                                            
3. Add the blend to the chia seeds and mix well.              
4. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. At the 30 minute mark, take the container out of the fridge and mix well again.
6. Return to fridge.
7. After an hour of total refrigeration time, chia pudding is ready!
8. Refrigerate leftovers, covered, for 2-3 days.

How to Use this Recipe:

• On toast with peanut butter in place of jam
• Mixed into yogurt
• In a granola parfait
• On its own with other yummy toppings

I ate some of the chia pudding with Greek yogurt and fruit- YUM!

*I decided to call this anti-inflammatory due to the vitamin C (an antioxidant) content of the pineapples and orange juice, the antioxidants present in the chia seeds, and the anti-inflammatory effects of turmeric*