I have bought the pre-made ones at Wholefoods before but they did not wow me. I know how amazingly fantastic chia seeds are for you, hydrating, full of fiber, high in magnesium, high in Omega-3 fatty acids (actually ALA which is not the great one) but still good.  I mean come on “chia” is the ancient Mayan word for strength!

So I looked at a lot of different recipes and methods to make the pudding and this one is closest to Michele Tam’s version from Nom Nom Paleo (don’t look at her’s because then you’ll never come back to my site) she has some mad photography skills.  But I’ve changed a few things and added some pumpkin because PUMPKIN!  Hope you like it, it’s really a great great way to start your day!

Buy my favorite stevia here, with no aftertaste!

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This is probably my favorite grain free treat that I make.  My son would agree!  It is similar to my banana muffins but has that little extra oomph on top that makes it more like a coffee cake.

I use Kerrygold grass-fed butter as the topping.  Grass-fed butter has a whole host of nutritional benefits that I wanted to share with you.  Given the choice I would pick grass-fed butter, ghee, coconut oil, olive oil or avocado oil any day over margarine, and vegetable/seed oils for baking and cooking.

Grass-Fed Butter:

According to Kris Gunnars from the website Authority Nutrition:

Butter is basically just milk fat, also known as butterfat.

Butterfat is highly complex. It contains about 400 different fatty acids, and a decent amount of fat-soluble vitamins.

Fatty acids are actually more than just energy sources, some of them have potent biological activity.

As it turns out, many of the fatty acids in butter can affect our physiology and biochemistry in some way, leading to major health benefits.

This includes the fatty acid CLA (conjugated linoleic acid). It is popular as a fat loss supplement, and studies show that it can have powerful effects on health.

Grass-fed butter contains 5 times more CLA than butter from grain-fed cows.

Butter from grass-fed cows is also much higher in Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin K2, compared to butter from grain-fed cows 

and p.s. don’t’ be afraid of the saturated fat, the link between heart disease and saturated fat has been debunked in my opinion.  I will be writing about that at a later date but if you want to read something on that, here is a link to a WSJ article.  Everyone has an opinion on this and there is scientific studies done by both sides.  This is the one I personally agree with based on my reading and studying and what has worked for me.

The topping also includes 2 Tbsp of coconut sugar.  You need the sugar to make the topping crunchy, stevia will not work.  Coconut sugar is still sugar but it is lower in fructose than sugar, has a lower glycemic load and does contain more nutrients.  For an occasional treat it is a decent sugar substitute.

This is probably my favorite grain free treat that I make.  My son would agree!  It is similar to my banana muffins but has that little extra oomph on top that makes it more like a coffee cake.

I use Kerrygold grass-fed butter as the topping.  Grass-fed butter has a whole host of nutritional benefits that I wanted to share with you.  Given the choice I would pick grass-fed butter, ghee, coconut oil, olive oil or avocado oil any day over margarine, and vegetable/seed oils for baking and cooking.

Grass-Fed Butter:

According to Kris Gunnars from the website Authority Nutrition:

Butter is basically just milk fat, also known as butterfat.

Butterfat is highly complex. It contains about 400 different fatty acids, and a decent amount of fat-soluble vitamins.

Fatty acids are actually more than just energy sources, some of them have potent biological activity.

As it turns out, many of the fatty acids in butter can affect our physiology and biochemistry in some way, leading to major health benefits.

This includes the fatty acid CLA (conjugated linoleic acid). It is popular as a fat loss supplement, and studies show that it can have powerful effects on health.

Grass-fed butter contains 5 times more CLA than butter from grain-fed cows.

Butter from grass-fed cows is also much higher in Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin K2, compared to butter from grain-fed cows 

and p.s. don’t’ be afraid of the saturated fat, the link between heart disease and saturated fat has been debunked in my opinion.  I will be writing about that at a later date but if you want to read something on that, here is a link to a WSJ article.  Everyone has an opinion on this and there is scientific studies done by both sides.  This is the one I personally agree with based on my reading and studying and what has worked for me.

The topping also includes 2 Tbsp of coconut sugar.  You need the sugar to make the topping crunchy, stevia will not work.  Coconut sugar is still sugar but it is lower in fructose than sugar, has a lower glycemic load and does contain more nutrients.  For an occasional treat it is a decent sugar substitute.

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Did you know there is a box below in the recipe card where you can adjust the serving size and it will recalculate the measurements for you?  You know, just in case you wanted to make a double batch!

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• Blood sugar spikes – Flour digests very quickly in the body which causes blood sugar levels to spike.  What does this mean to me you ask?  It means I am hungry two hours later for more of the same type of food.  Research indicates that over consuming carbohydrates is one of the leading causes of diabetes and overall rise of inflammation in our bodies.  (More information on inflammation in future blogs!)
• Food cravings – I admit I love to eat!  However I find when I eat foods containing grains, I eat more and I eat more things that are not what my body needs.  Research shows the refined flours unleash a chemical reaction in our brains that increase food cravings and lead to consuming more food than we otherwise would have had we not eaten these ingredients in the first place.
• Stomach pain – upon consuming flour and other grains my stomach immediately feels uncomfortable.  Is it devastating? Not always…but I know these ingredients are doing more harm than the temporary good feeling I get from eating them.  I’ve learned that this uncomfortable feeling is because the flour is not digesting well in my gut and is creating inflammation, possibly even leaking out harmful substances in to my blood stream creating more inflammation!
• Allergies/intolerances – Not all of us need to be gluten free or even grain free.  However research indicates that most of us can benefit from cutting gluten out of our diets and even all grains especially if we tend to be the ones that have inflammatory responses such as stomach pains, bloating, dark circles under the eyes, fatigue, achey joints, skin rashes, persistent cough, headaches, asthma or tendencies to over-eat.

This recipe is awesome because it provides protein, low glycemic carbs (banana) and some sweetness all from whole foods. I love eating these before a run.  Great for breakfast or a snack and the kiddos even like them! (heated up with some grass-fed butter is awesome!)   I always use liquid stevia in my recipes as it’s my natural sweetener of choice.  1/4 cup of honey, maple syrup or even coconut sugar could be used (omit the apple sauce, which is there for bulk).  I love when people make my recommended recipes, so post your final results and tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can see! Happy Baking!

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