If, every once in a while, you realize you’re in a breakfast rut or, worse yet, you don’t even eat breakfast (gasp!), you need this. I’ve been making this chia seed pudding each and every Sunday for months so I have something ready to eat before I start my Monday work day.

Poor hated Monday, the first day of the work week, will never reach the glory of Friday. Having a “bad case of the Mondays” rings true for me on that day because, besides being the official end of the weekend, it’s also a gym day. There’s no time between when I return from the gym and the start of my work day to make breakfast.

How I loathe working out – the days when I don’t go to the gym are by far my best days. But, this make-ahead chia seed pudding has given me one less reason to dislike Monday. It’s ready, it’s delicious and I know it’s good for my body. Just two tablespoons of chia seeds have about four grams of protein, more than ten grams of fiber, and they are full of good omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants. I eat half a batch, which amounts to about 4 tablespoons of chia seeds – a good healthy share of protein, fiber and fat.

This breakfast pudding keeps me satisfied until lunch without weighing me down. Chia seeds may be popular and trendy now, but they have long been a survival staple food of ancient people. In the Mayan language, “chia” means “strength,” and they were considered the perfect endurance food because messengers could run all day thanks to the energy from the magical chia seed.

I make chia seed pudding with my homemade almond milk, but you can choose any non-dairy milk of your choice. Just be sure to adjust the amount of added honey accordingly. When I make my almond milk, I use two pitted dates for just a tiny bit of sweetness, and I also add vanilla so I am light on those ingredients when I mix up my chia seed pudding to keep the sugar to a minimum. I always top my chia seed pudding with fresh fruit such as blueberries from our freezer, diced mango or pomegranate seeds. Also, on the rare occasion I have it on hand, I drizzle on a few spoonfuls of this obnoxiously expensive but wonderful probiotic coconut yogurt.

Chia seed pudding

Ingredients (makes two very large or three normal sized servings)

1/2 cup organic chia seeds

2 cups non-dairy milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Raw honey, to taste (I use about 1 tablespoon)

Fresh fruit for serving

Simple – just place the chia seeds in a medium bowl and whisk in one cup of your non-dairy milk. Wait 10 minutes and then whisk in the remaining milk, the vanilla and honey. Cover and refrigerate overnight to enjoy the next morning.

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