Puddin' Love

Pudding for Breakfast?

Between runs and work I've been 'uncooking' up a storm! It's harder to eat just veggies/fruit here, as I've said before; so I rely on more dehydrated foods to fill up with goodies. Sundays in particular the kitchen gets trashed! Today I made raw granola, raw 'bread,' flax crackers and a double batch of almond milk.. oh yeah.. and CHIA PUDDING! Mmmmm. I made the pudding this morning as my pre-run fuel. I made a LOT of it! I'm about to finish it off. Yum. I was telling my Aunt about the many wonderful things you can make with Chia and they are all waiting for recipes. As a kid I used to LOVE Tapioca pudding (any pudding except chocolate really) out of the J.E.L.L.O. Box. Last year for a potluck we made REAL Tapioca pudding, it was indian style, and wow, it was amazing. Chia is similar to tapioca. The farther in advance you make it, the more puddin'gy it gets.

Yer Tis:
1 Cup Almond Milk (I make mine unsweetened)
2 Heaping Tbs Chia
1/8 tsp-1/4 tsp pure Vanilla Extract
1 Cup full of whatever goodies you want.. berries, buckwheat groats, granola, shredded coconut etc.)
Stevia or whatever to taste...

Ok, the first one I made is my usual vanilla pudding.

So stir Chia into the milk with a fork. Be sure to stir after 10 minutes or so to avoid clumps.. then just let it sit and do it's thing! Each Chia seed will gel up. Stir again, place in the fridge. Once chilled, add your favorite toppings and enjoy! I stirred in a tiny bit of dried Stevia.

If you have a thing for Banana's, add 1/8 cup more milk, and 1/2 a ripe banana, maybe an extra splash of vanilla and maple syrup and you've got naner pudding.

If you like Chocolate, reduce the vanilla a bit, add 1/2 tsp of Carob, Cocao or Cocoa powder.. sprinkle in chips and enjoy! May want to sweeten this one.

Variation: I stirred in some raspberry chunks really well and added more coconut. SO good and with lots of fruit you don't need any sweetener.

Looks like a Peppermint Frosty Martini doesn't it!?

Breakfast Blueberry Smoothie

I change up smoothie recipes every few days.  Usually I can't get enough of one particular combo for two or three days, then I'm ready to change. Right now I'm making one I happened to make a lot last Spring. It's loaded with carbs, fiber and protein, so it makes an awesome post run meal. Oh yeah, and it's YUMMY!

Breakfast Blueberry Smoothie
1 cup of Blueberries (frozen)
1/4 cup Raspberries (frozen)
1 Heaping Tbs Flax Seed (ground into meal first)
1 Heaping Tsp Wheat Germ
1 Tsp Chia Seed
3/4 cup (or more) Almond Milk (homemade recipe on this blog!)
1 Tbs of your favorite protein powder (optional)

Blend and Enjoy! Nothing too special, just lots of blueberry love.

Back in school I was really into Spirutein. I still like it, I'd just rather have straight Spirulina. However,  I get tired of everything tasting like Spirulina, so sometimes I leave it out and use Vega or pea protein powder. But you can always just double up on the Wheat Germ, which is 28% protein.

Flax Cakes with Fruity Syrup

Raw Flax Cakes Berry Sauce & Gojis

Mmm.mmmmm MM! One of my favorite things to eat for breakfast. These are inspired by Ani Phyo's first recipe on Flax Pancakes. But, as I often do, I fit this recipe to fit my needs.

    1/2 cup golden flax (any will do, but golden tastes lighter in this)
    1 apple/1/2 avocado OR (1 banana-under ripe for mildest flavor)
    1 teaspoon Yacon (or Agave etc)
    1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
    1 tablespoon water, as needed

Just process it all and spoon into thick patties on a dehydrator tray. Dehydrate at 104 for 1 hour/ flip, 10-20 more minutes.

You can add cocao, other fruit, vanilla... get creative! Awesome way to get fiber and omegas. A really satisfying meal!

For the syrup: Process berries, maple syrup (or yacon etc.) until the consistency you desire. Add soaked goji's or sliced berries... etc. An alternative is just 'syrup' and vanilla. Get creative! Nutritious and Delicious!

Goji-Blueberry Porridge

I started a batch of raw cocoa 'puffs' (buckwheat crispies). They are inspired by Ani Phyo's plain buckwheat crispies. I did a few things differently. Post to follow~

This made me hungry for something that could be eaten right now and I invented a little 'porridge' cereal.

Magic Berry Porridge (1 serving)
1 handful (total) of the following mix: almonds, pecans (you can substitute and play)
1 tsp dried blueberries (trader joes for example)
1/8 cup of Goji berries (soaked overnight then drained)
2 pinches shredded coconut
1/2 tsp of flaxseed
1/2 apple chopped large
1 tsp agave nectar

Pulse all ingredients in food processor at once, then add apple last. Pulse to chunky or mushy consistency. I like something in the middle. Place in bowl and you can add an extra drizzle of agave!

Easy! And you can soak the goji's for much less time if you want, or sub cranberries. Enjoy!

Today is a run rest day... grrrr.. I hate saying that.. because I might still run later. I get itchy when I don't. I'm having a swollen/bruised foot issue. Not sure of the cause.

Anti-Aging Dessert and Run of the Muck

My runs the last few days have been hard. My legs have been tired. Yesterday I was feeling myself however and had an awesome run! Most of the snow is gone. There is still a lot of ice; enough that I have to wear yak traks.  

Something I love is Pumpkin! It has anti-aging properties, beta carotene, alpha carotene, Vitamins C and E, Fiber and is a great source of potassium (a must have for muscle recovery!) among others. Oh, and it's fabulously delicious! Dogs love it too.

Get in Shape Pumpkin Parfait

Now, you can use greek yogurt, or whatever you wish. I personally like coconut yogurt the best, however 'real' coco yogurt can be a challenge to find (you can make it!!).
1/4 cup your choice yogurt
1/4-1/2 cup chilled canned or cooked (drained of most liquid) Pumpkin
pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg
1 tsp Pure Maple Syrup (you can use stevia, agave, sucanat etc but maple tastes best)
1/2-1tsp chopped walnuts, pecans or granola

That's it! layer from top of list to bottom and enjoy!