berry green smoothie

the other day i whipped out the nutribullet smoothie maker and made a delicious greens +  berrys + seeds smoothie as a pre-workout drink. :)

ingredients:

• greens- kale (about half your container) alt. is spinach
• handful strawberries 
• handful blueberries
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 1 package of vega protein smoothie mix- tropical tango (optional)
• water! or alt. coconut water, soy milk, almond milk 

and that is it for that smoothie!

just mix all that up in whatever mixer/smoothie maker you have and voila !

never heard of vega protein smoothie mix? check this site out ---> http://myvega.com/product/protein-smoothie/

i was addicted to the chocolate mix but i decided to go out of my norm and try the tropical tango. i'm not very picky so i generally enjoy them all except i have yet to try "oh natural" which apparently doesn't have any flavor of itself. i like these mixes because they provide plant based protein and have no graininess or weird taste to them.

cocoa chia seed pudding

awful lighting late at night

we loved the simple chia seed pudding here and tonight i decided to add a few other things to see if it was any good. so if you want a little more flavor specifically some cocoa- try this!

personally i love it plain and with fruit but some days i could see myself making this version and still put some strawberries on top. have fun making chia seed pudding because honestly hard to go wrong!

here is what i did & this made enough to fill four pudding/ice cream bowls.

ingredients:

• 2 cups almond milk unsweetened
• 1/2 cup chia seeds
• 2 1/2 tablespoons 100% cocoa powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• sprinkle of nutmeg
• dash of agave sweetener

 how to:

1. i mixed all the ingredients into a bowl and after stirring really well to get it all mixed the best i could i transferred it to a big measuring cup
2. i poured from the cup to the small individual bowls 
3. fridge it for at least 30 minutes- or leave it over night and eat it for breakfast!
4. top it with sliced fruit; strawberries, banana, blueberries etc or eat it plain

WATER PLUS+

recently i started drinking lemon water and find it is best as soon as you wake up in the morning. this is something i have known about but never made it a daily habit of drinking. until now!

my mom was drinking some recently (i get all my health boosting ideas from her...i swear) and i thought why not add some chia seeds and voila! superr energy drink that is a killer immune system fighter. 

then after looking it up randomly i found out it is actually a very popular drink in mexico and latin america...so my creation is nothing new!

it is fascinating to me that my serbian mother knew that drinking lemon water is good for you when you're sick just like people in latin america.this kind of stuff is what i love researching and putting on my blog and not forgetting. i am a firm believer that health and good living is something simple and doesn't require expensive products and supplements.

i still drink warm chamomile or rosehip tea with lemon juice when i'm sick with a cold or sore throat because that's what my mom has always given me since i was little. followed by her very best homemade vegetable soup (absolutely divine), lot's of warm blankets and good sleep.

so take this simple recipe:

• 1-2 tablespoon chia seeds
• 2 cups water
• half a lemon
• 1 tablespoon sweetener agave or maple syrup [optional]

how to:

1. combine the water and chia seeds; stir and let it sit for about 10 minutes
2.  add in your squeezed lemon juice and sweetener if you choose
3. gulp it down!

++ the chia seeds will form a gel consistency almost like bubble tea feels when you eat it except much smaller and actually contains some wonderful nutrients!

i highly recommend you get yourself a bag of chia seeds. they are very beneficial and i'm just now running low on my first bag so a little goes a long way for sure. you can put them in any drink, smoothie, pudding, yogurt, salad, or in baked goods.

these seeds are nothing new and in fact were a staple food for the aztecs and mayans (look it up!) they knew it had energy boosting abilities and it's name means "strength", highly appropriate.

benefits of chia seeds

• high in protein, amino acids, antioxidants
• gluten and dairy free; vegan
• high in calcium (more than milk!), fiber, omega 3 fatty acids (more than salmon)
• high in iron, potassium, magnesium
• help with lowering depression and cholesterol
• help with weight loss; the gel seeds mixed with water will make you feel fuller longer
• no flavor; you can mix it in with anything

next time you're packing your water bottle or getting a drink add some of these seeds before you go! and when people think you're eating little critters tell them the benefits of chia seeds ;)

chia seed pudding

good evening!

here is a very very simple two ingredient pudding using a super food called chia seeds. i use them in smoothies and drinks all the time and i had never thought to make them into pudding but if you just do a few easy steps it can turn into a great dessert, breakfast or snack in minutes.

i am always on the look out for easy ways to incorporate super foods into my daily dishes and man this one is just too easy.

ingredients:

• 1/4 cup chia seeds 
• 2/3 cup water
• fruit; strawberries, blueberries and bananas are what i used

 how to:

1. mix in a bowl chia seeds with water 
2. stir stir stir!
3. put the bowl in the fridge for ten minutes
4. it will become a pudding consistency so pile on the fruit and eat up!

 ^^ i needed better lighting outdoors and of course little pup followed me around the whole time

 ^^so i got this wild CAT SHiRT; madly in love <3