Chia Seed Pudding with Homemade Cashew Milk

I've been making and loving chia seed pudding since the beginning of my health journey, but it's only until recently that I've begun to perfect it.  Sometimes there was too much liquid so it wasn't quite pudding-like, and other times I've made it with not enough liquid so that it was so firm that I ended up making it into chia seed balls.This is one of the food items that you should always have ready and prepared at your house.  It can be breakfast, dessert, or a mid-day snack.  Chia seeds come packed with 6 grams of protein per 1/4 cup and the consistency of this treat makes you feel like you're eating something bad for you, but it's actually a health boosting food.  My mind feels satiated, as does my body.  Win for all.(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});So, in my ripe age of 29, I've finally nailed the Chia Seed Pudding recipe. I believe that the secret key to making the best chia seed pudding out there is to make your own nut milk.  I've always done this with almond milk, but cashew milk is fantastic and delicious as well, so let's roll with that.Ingredients for homemade cashew milk:

• 1 cup raw cashews (soaked 2 - 4 hours)

• 4 cups clean, filtered water

• 1 - 2 tablespoons maple syrup

• Pinch of sea salt

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Dash of cinnamon

• Dash of nutmeg

Directions:

1. Place 1 cup of soaked cashews in your blender (do not use the water you soaked them in - pour this out into the sink) and fill with 4 cups of water.

2. Start the blender on a low setting and increase speed until the water looks smooth and uniformly white and creamy - this could take up to a minute of blending.

3. Using a nut milk bag (like this one) pour the blended mixture through the nut milk bag and into a large mixing bowl. This will capture all the cashew remnants in the bag and just allow the smooth, creamy milk to come through into the bowl. Once you have poured everything through the bag, return the cashew milk in the bowl back into the blender and mix in remaining ingredients: maple syrup, vanilla, sea salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

4. Blend for just a few seconds. Voila! You now have homemade nut milk, not only saving you money but boosting the nutrient value from what you would buy at the store.

Cashew milk chia pudding

Cashew Milk Chia Pudding

Cashew Milk Chia Pudding

Now that you have your raw, homemade cashew milk ready, we can move onto making the chia seed pudding...Rule of thumb: 3 tablespoons chia seeds per 1 cup liquid (remember this and you can't go wrong!)(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});I like to make individual servings like in this photo here so I have them ready to grab and go on my way out the door.Directions:

1. Take your small mason jars (I LOVE the blue ones but they also come in purple and a variety of other colors) and fill it with 1 cup of your pre-made cashew milk.

2. Add 3 tablespoons of chia seeds to each jar.

3. Place the lid on the jar and shake to mix the chia seeds throughout the jar and liquid.

4. Place in fridge for 2 hours up to overnight and the chia seeds will expand to make a pudding-like consistency.

Cashew Milk Chia Pudding

Cashew Milk Chia Pudding

**This lasts in the fridge for up to a week but mine is usually gone much faster than that!(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});