Seeds, Nuts & Berries – Yummiest Chia Breakfast Porridge!

by Julie on March 24, 2012

Here I go again…. obsessed with yet another yummy concoction that I have been eating almost daily since before Christmas when I did the candida cleanse-it’s perfectly candida friendly minus the berries!  I just can’t seem to get enough of this breakfast and I love how simple it is to whip up in the morning or even the night before.  Now don’t you find it tricky trying to eat breakfast while traveling? Well… I think I’ve found the answer!  Recently, while in New York City, I put this breakfast together in my hotel room with ease after a quick visit to Whole Foods for some tasty berries & almond milk since I had packed the chia, spices, a few nuts and seeds & the stevia.  After looking at the limited room service menu this chia never tasted better!

I rather think the most satisfying thing about this deelish chia porridge is the fact that it is soooo nourishing!

Chia is considered a super food with it’s abundant nutrients. It contains more omega 3 & 6 than a piece of salmon, 3 to 6 times more calcium than a serving of milk protein, 11 grams of good fiber per ounce which is nearly 50% of the daily recommend that helps to prevent colon disorders like diverticulitis or IBS.  As for protein, it is considered a complete protein since it contains all 8 essential amino acids all of which when readily available for synthesis in the body, build strong healthy tissues.  And with the importance of antioxidants, you will certainly get a good dose of them to fight any free radicals roaming around in your body from any naughty foods you may have ingested like those tasty french fries that are sometimes so hard to resist!

You can see here in this food mood board that the ingredients are very simple and really….the best thing is that this doesn’t require any cooking!  The chia seeds have this amazing quality of being able to swell in liquid thus only takes 3 table spoonfuls to swell in one cup of almond milk making plenty for a breakfast meal especially once you add some goodies to it.  After about 30-40 mins they will have completely absorbed all that they can and are ready to enjoy.  I sometimes combine the seeds and almond milk, give it a good stir, add the nuts & spices and place in the fridge over night so that it is ready with out any wait in the morning.  If I don’t want it cold I will take it out of the fridge upon waking and allow it to come to room temp while I shower and get ready.  This way it’s also an easy ‘to go’ breakfast especially if you sleep thru the snooze button!  However…. you won’t want to warm it since the heat will spoil the omega oils and turn them rancid which you then won’t want to ingest or you will need even more antioxidants to fight the free radicals!

Another thing to note is that although chia is a good fibre for scraping the colon clean, if you have any issues with constipation you may want to be cautious to eat alot of chia until you have normal stools as chia can further constipate especially if the full 40 mins is not adhered to for soaking.  With inadquate soaking the chia will absorb too much moisture from your body, either dehydrating or causing constipation.  Always remember to hydrate well with lemon water upon rising each morning before meals and minimum 30 mins after breakfast and thruought the day in order to maintain good hydration and elimination.

With regard to the texture of these little seeds some may argue that grinding them is better allowing increased nutrient absorption and by all means that’s a fine idea which makes it even easier to assimilate as well as for anyone with a very sensitive colon, this may allow it to pass thru easier or for someone who doesn’t like the texture. In this case use a spice grinder and whizz them up before soaking, or toss the lot in the blender after soaking.

I tend to go a bit crazy with toppings but it’s just as delicious with only a few.  My daughter actually loves it quite plain with only the spices, vanilla & stevia.  Be sure to use your imagination with the toppings as these are just a few that I like.  I do sometimes add finely chopped apple instead of berries or a diced pear with some ginger & a few walnuts is nice too.

However, by adding a few toppings you not only jazz the flavours but you can bump up the nutrient value of your breakfast.  Seeds and nuts add more protein, omegas and minerals and the berries add vitamins and more antioxidants.   Once you have a bowl of this for breakky you’ll be good to go for a few hours as it is very satiating.

Chia Porridge w/Seeds, Nuts & Berries
Yield: 1 serving
3 tbsp chia seeds
1 cup organic almond milk
2 tbsp dried unsulphured organic cranberries
1/2-1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp all spice
1/8 tsp cardamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 drops liquid stevia
diced strawberries, raspberries & blueberries for toppings
raw almonds, cashews & sunflower seeds for toppings (preferably soaked over night)
fresh mint as garnish or topping
Method
Place almond milk in a bowl and sprinkle chia seeds in and stir immediately for a minute or so to avoid clumping.  Add cranberries & spices as you stir along with 3 drops of stevia and the vanilla.  Allow to stand for 30-40 mins to thicken, or covered in the fridge over night.  Add berries, nuts and seeds as you may and a sprig of mint.

If you are sensitive to grains, chia may just become your best friend as it is a seed, not a grain and is perfect for those with gluten allergies.

Don’t you just love spring? It’s my favourite time of year and it’s finally here, yay!  If you have a garden outside or you live near the forest, now is a wonderful time to bring in some budding branches and watch them unfold before your eyes into a pretty leafy green display if it is spring where you live.  You may even still be able find some pussy willows if you are in a cooler climate.  These all make such lovely arrangements in a simple vase even without any further additions of flowers.

I’m sorry I’ve been sooo invisible lately here on the blog.  My studies in Nutrition school are really ramping up now that I am on the home stretch with only 4 months left out of the 11 months in total.  I’m getting there and it’s still so very interesting as we make our way thru the study of the body and it’s complexities involving digestion and nutrition and how to navigate health issues in a holistic manner.  I will have tonnes to blog about once I have more time again to be consistent here- and I can’t wait!

I hope the sun shines down on you where ever you are.

Have a great week and let me know how you like the chia or if it’s already your best friend!

Julie

Related Posts with Thumbnails
Print Friendly
Pin It

{ 42 comments }

Kelli March 24, 2012 at 1:04 pm

Another fabulous post! Chia is definately already my best friend! LOVE IT and knowing it is so darn good for us is even better. Julie, your food mood boards are the best. The work that you and your sister do on this web site is just incredible! I look to you for inspiration every day.
Thank you so much! So happy to hear that school is still so very interesting.

The Kitchen Boudoir March 24, 2012 at 8:55 pm

Wow, Julie – this looks incredible. I’ve never tried chia seeds before, but this post makes me want to go out to the store immediately and buy them. Chia breakfast sounds like a plan. And food mood boards? Love that idea, and yours are so beautiful.

Rebecca March 25, 2012 at 1:07 am

Welcome back!! We’re always on the same page, even so far away, it’s crazy! I am chiaobsessed too at the moment – this looks amazing. Can’t wait for spring berries to arrive here in Paris! I’ve been making a similar concoction using Peruvian carob powder (it’s closest to taste to what is sold as Mesquite in North America, I think)- incredible! I usually have chia pudding as dessert or snack since it never fills me up enough in the morning, but I’ll try your version with nuts and berries (and mint!) yum! What kind of chia seeds do you use? White or black? Is there a difference? Is one more easily digested? Thanks and keep the lovely spring recipes coming!

Julie March 25, 2012 at 11:33 am

Hey Rebecca, thanx for stopping in:) As far as I’ve researched the white and the black are almost identical, the only differences may come from the soil they are grown in which of course can vary in it’s nutrient density which is then transferred to the plant and can change the protein profile. But very little difference so take your pick. I usually buy what ever is available at the store but my preference is the white cuz for my kids it appears more like a porridge and for me the white seeds aren’t as noticeable if they get stuck in my teeth, lol! Cheers!

Emma Galloway March 25, 2012 at 4:43 am

I adore chia porridge, so does my daughter. I’ve just got my son to win over now 😉
Gorgeous shots too! Thanks for sharing.

Barb March 25, 2012 at 4:46 am

Hi Julie, this is sooo yummy. I make this kind of pudding for dessert too – with raw cacao added. Love it.
May I ask what nutrition course you are doing? Is it the IIN course?

Julie March 25, 2012 at 11:01 am

Baarb, the course is at IHN in Vancouver, B.C. Cheers!

Chrissa (a tad bit creative) March 25, 2012 at 4:50 am

Thanks for this breakfast idea! I’ve been getting rather bored with my breakfasts lately so this is something I know I’ll look forward to.
Absolutely beautiful photography as always 🙂

Cathy March 25, 2012 at 8:34 am

This is one of the best raw breakfast recipes I’ve seen in a very long time! Thanks 🙂

Treesa March 25, 2012 at 9:01 am

Beautiful post, as always! I agree, chia is a great out ‘n’ about food. We often have it just with orange juice or coconut water spiked with spirulina when on road trips. It’s also a wonderful backpacking food. Just portion some into a bag before your trip with desired spices (like cinnamon) and then once trailside add your water (straight into your zip lock bag) and there you go. Throw in some nuts and dried fruit and you have powerhouse trail food!

Looking forward to all the good stuff you’ll have to share once you finish school. All the best to you…

Lea H @ Nourishing Treasures March 25, 2012 at 9:52 am

Well first of all – beautiful photos! WOW.

I also love chia. I wrote a post on all the benefits of chia seeds here: Health Benefits of Chia Seeds.

They are the highest plant source of omega-3’s. Just one tablespoon as more than 2300mg’s of omega 3!

Right now I am enjoying a smoothie with my daughter – and we added chia seeds of course 🙂

Julie March 25, 2012 at 10:59 am

Leah, thanx kindly for the link, I was short on time thus I didn’t include many links so yours will be nice for our readers. I am presently eating my huge bowl of chia with my family enjoying theirs! Feels so good knowing they are having something sooo nutritious right along side me.

Danielle March 25, 2012 at 10:38 am

Thanks for posting Julie!! I know what I’ll be makin for breakfast tomorrow….super stoked to try this one xoxox 🙂

Gretchen Goel March 26, 2012 at 6:47 am

Hi Julie, we missed you at the Orlando Food Blog Forum! It was at Disney last weekend.

I have tried the whole chia soaked and really cannot tolerate it. I mean I feel kinda sick from eating it. Plus it doesn’t lose it’s crunchiness even if you soak it overnight, which I find not so appealing.

I buy the micro milled chia and soak it, I am fine. I use Nutiva brand and Running Food Chia. Have you tried the using the milled Chia?

Gretchen

Julie March 26, 2012 at 8:25 pm

Hi Gretchin, I really enjoy it whole but ideally if it is ground (or very well chewed) one can more easily assimilate the vast nutrients so I sometimes blend the mixture into a creamy pudding or porridge as in this recipe– meant to say this in the post- HOWEVER, very important… that the seeds are ground fresh as the essential fatty acids-omegas-are very vulnerable to heat and exposure to air as they oxidize and become rancid oils that are NOT beneficial to our body that we must then have ample antioxidants to clean up the mess. If you are not buying your seeds from a cooler and keeping them chilled you could be susceptible to this and you still don’t know when they were ground and how the travel conditions were so pretty much they are rancid. Ideally…. you should buy them and grind them in a spice grinder for a few days use and keep chilled for optimal freshness. If the seeds are whole they are fine as mother nature gave them a protective coating to keep them stable, it’s just once this is broken that the problems arise. Same for flax seeds. As for hemp hearts, they are already shelled so they are very vulnerable too. The thing is that it’s fine and dandy to be so good at eating healthy foods but little details like this that I am learning at school will make all the difference to the benefits that your body will gain from your efforts thus improving your health versus perhaps making it worse with more to detox as one may end up eating volumes of something they don’t even realize is rancid. Glad to see you finding alternative ways to consume this valuable food, chia!

Samantha Angela March 26, 2012 at 7:12 am

That looks and sounds fantastic!
I love the texture and flavour of a chia seed pudding.

The Healthy Apple March 26, 2012 at 8:11 pm

Your pictures are amazing; LOVE your photography Julie! Great chatting tnite. So excited to see you on the West Coast in June.
xoxo

Greta March 29, 2012 at 11:07 am

your recipes and all what you write is just soooooooooooo amazing! i havent seen such a beautiful and inspiring health link. i can really feel and see that you give all your heart and love to share your very healthy recipes with us.and not only writing and telling what is good for us but all the design is so inspiring and delightfull.
i am getting more and more closer to be 100% alkaline diet eater and i am so happy that i found you and your link. its greeeaaaaatt!! thanks !
God bless! G.

Julie March 29, 2012 at 4:57 pm

Awe Greta, you are sooo kind, thank you! so glad to be of inspiration to you and look forward to your future visits here:) Keep up the good work, and remember it’s not necessary to be 100% alkaline unless you are chronically ill. Add in some proteins, nuts, seeds and legumes and whole grains if you like up to 20% of your daily intake. Cheers.

Debra March 29, 2012 at 5:35 pm

My husband and I love this porridge recipe, unadorned! I didn’t have cranberries, and had planned on adding frozen blueberries and nuts after it was ready. After doing a taste test on just the porridge we liked it so well, plain, that we’ve had it twice this week as dessert. Reminds me of rice pudding.
Thanks so much for a great recipe.

Julie March 29, 2012 at 6:16 pm

Debra, funny hey… we’re all different. I love to jazz mine up but my daughter loves it plain just like you do! So glad you enjoyed it:)

Melanie March 31, 2012 at 10:18 am

Wow – gorgeous pics! I adore them. Looking forward to trying the porridge as well. Porridge is a new discovery for me this year. I’m still shocked at just how full it keeps me for hours.

Debra April 2, 2012 at 6:58 pm

I’m coming back for a question about the shelf life of the porridge when it’s kept in the refrigerator.
I made a second batch and we’ve been eating some of it every night after dinner.
How long do you think it’s safe to do this.

Julie April 2, 2012 at 7:00 pm

HI Debra, I’m going to say 2-3 days to be safe. It’s so easy to just put together before bedtime or after dinner dishes are done that maybe it’s best to make smaller batches:) So glad you are using the recipe!

Sue April 3, 2012 at 3:33 am

I bought Chia in the States. Wasn’t sure what to do at first, so just put it in warm water with lemon juice but have realised now that I was drinking it far too soon! Now I have ready your breakfast suggestions, I can’t wait for the morning to come so that I can try it. Great site, I’m a fan

Nourished Goddess April 9, 2012 at 4:06 pm

I’m new to the States and I have to say I had not really encountered Chia before I came here.
I have been experimenting with it and LOVE it – I have made a similar porridge to this but will try this one next. Just a note that I have is that it’s important to store your Chia Seeds (actually all your nuts) in the fridge so that they don’t go rancid and therefore minimise all the good essential fatty acids. I love this site – Keep up the good work!

Lana April 12, 2012 at 4:39 pm

Pictures look amazing Julie! Hope school is going well. I’m hoping to start at the IHN next January when I’m back from Australia! If you have a moment I would love it if you would email me a little about the courses, how you’re finding school etc.! So keen to hear about anyone’s experience as I can hardly wait to jump in myself! I eat chia seeds every morning for breakfast. I soak them in water overnight, as well as soak buckwheat, and in the morning I rinse the buckwheat and add the chia, and a bunch of cinnamon and spices, some walnuts and goji berries! I find buckwheat light but filling, I love it! Thank you for another beautiful post.

Sarah April 14, 2012 at 4:45 am

I came across your blog a couple of weeks ago, and have since tweaked and converted a couple of recipes to be made with use of a Thermomix (including this recipe) – wow, they were yummy! You girls have some scrumptious recipes and beautiful photos. 🙂

Dr. Mim April 23, 2012 at 1:59 pm

I LOVE chia seeds! I am always looking for new recipes and will have to try this. It looks so yummy! Plus, you can’t beat the benefits chia seeds have for your skin!

JR July 18, 2012 at 8:08 am

I’ve been looking around for a good Chia recipe for breakfast and this one looks like it has trumped them all! I can’t wait to try this one out, thanks!

Lena August 16, 2012 at 3:32 am

Chia seeds are expensive and hard to find here in Dubai but well worth it! This delicious breakfast is perfect to put together early morning or even the night before and carry to work with me.

See so even in the desert we can be alkaline happy!

Laura August 23, 2012 at 7:30 am

Wow, I love this recipe, came looking for it after having chia porridge at a vegetarian B&B, but even 1/2 tsp was WAYYYY too much cinnamon! I was choking it down by the end, I couldn’t taste anything else. You actually use a full teaspoon?

Julie August 31, 2012 at 9:32 pm

Laura, cinnamon is sooo good for you but of course the quantity one uses is of personal preference. As you may, use less if needed to please your taste buds:)

Suzanne Holt September 22, 2012 at 6:06 pm

We just started including chia in our daily breakfast menu and I am so excited to try your recipes! Thanks for sharing this great breakfast idea – it sounds so delicious!

Anna October 16, 2012 at 8:50 am

Julie – I absolutely love this recipe. Although the chia seeds I bought from the local market have specks of dirt and occasional bitterness to it. I can’t find them anywhere else close by, so I am now painstakingly separating the seeds from anything that looks suspect before using them. Is there a good way to clean these seeds? I know washing them is out of question.

I am also considering purchasing them online.. Any suggestions?

julie October 27, 2012 at 9:34 pm

Anna, Oh gosh I have only bought them in packages so I haven’t run across this. I would google it and do a bit of research on who can ship them to you in your area but read about the company and it’s passion for sourcing good quality seeds. I have the Prana brand in case they ship to you. I like their products. Good luck:)

Matt November 20, 2012 at 10:15 am

Chia is the bomb, and this recipe is killer–thank you!

I love how alkaline, clean and grounded I feel after a bowl of chia pudding. There can be no doubt that chia packs a healthy punch when you’re eating it…and I love the ideas you’ve sparked through your additions here.

Naseem January 6, 2013 at 12:15 am

I’ve been reading your website for a few hours already today and I can’t get enough!!! This is truly amazing, inspiring and motivating, thank you so much! I just wanted to ask, is it generally ok to have frozen berries ? I’m planning to make this my breakfast but I can only get frozen berries. I’ve made a shopping list of ingredients I need to make your recipes and to make it a lifestyle for my family. Thanks again!

admin January 6, 2013 at 12:45 am

Naseem, thank you! and yes of course frozen berries are totally fine.
all the best:)

Lara January 27, 2013 at 11:30 am

Hi 🙂
I just wanted to say: Those photos are so incredibly pretty!! I look at them every day. They really remind me of spring and make me feel happy so I just used them as my desktop background.
Thank you so much for those artistic photos! I’ll definitely check out more posts from you now. 🙂
Best wishes,
Lara

Mimi February 11, 2013 at 12:36 am

Hello Julie,

When you use vanilla, what type is it that you use? From the vanilla stick?

Thank you for the great recipes and tips.

Best regards,

Mimi

Sandra February 11, 2013 at 11:26 am

After reading your recipe, I immediately bought a bag of Chia Seeds. I am hooked! I’ve been eating this from breakfast practically everyday for the last 2 weeks. THANK YOU! I am definitely going to try your other recipes.

Comments on this entry are closed.

Previous post:

Next post:

Disclaimer: The content on this site is not written with intentions to substitute professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatments. Our content is for information purposes only and should not be used to diagnose or treat health issues of any sort. Our information and statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Copyright Julie Cove and Yvonne Becker, 2009-2010. Please do not use or copy any information, recipes or photos without permission or without noting its origins on your blog or website.