Chi-chi-chia everything!

Happy Foodie Friday, y’all! I am sharing with y’all one of my favorite additions to any meal—chia seeds! I find new ways to use chia seeds in recipes every day with the help of Pinterest, and I love how the food turns out every time. These tiny seeds are packed with nutritional benefits. I recommend chia to anyone—especially people with allergies or who live a vegan lifestyle. If you are trying to lose weight, eat chia before your meal, and it will keep you from eating so much. Pregnant women should eat chia during their pregnancy for the omega three they need to produce for their developing babies’ brain development.

When mixed with water, chia seed swell and make a great egg substitute, so they are perfect for baking! Chia seeds contain high levels of fiber, omega fatty acids, vitamins and minerals, antioxidants (higher than flax or blueberries), calcium (more than whole milk), magnesium and copper.

We keep our chia seeds in a glass jar on our kitchen counter for easy access. They don’t go bad like flax seeds do, so they can sit out as long as they are dry. When they are eaten wet, the chia helps keep you fuller longer! I keep two teaspoons of chia in our water jar with sliced lemons to drink, and we also use the chia seeds wet in this chia seed pudding recipe.

For breakfast, I sprinkle them on cereal, in smoothies, on top of avocado toast, baked in muffins, and on top of Greek yogurt with honey and fruit. For lunch and dinner, I sprinkle them in salads, make salad dressing, cook them into stir-fries, make burger patties, mix them into quinoa, and sprinkle onto sandwiches. For dessert, I make energy balls, chia bars, add into smoothies and freeze into popsicles, bake into nut free banana bread and into lemon cookies, mix with muddled fruits to make jam, and mix with fruit juice to make tasty drinks. I have tried a lot of recipes with chia and plan to continue testing different ones I see from here on out.

I’ve been asked by a few people what brand of chia I buy, and my answer is simple—Salba. I buy this brand because it is raw, vegan, and gluten free. Their website lets you order directly from them and get it shipped to your front door, which is much better than searching for small over-priced boxes of chia seeds in the grocery store.

One of the best descriptions of Salba chia and its numerous benefits actually comes from the product description on the company’s website: “Salba chia is incredibly nutrient dense, contains no trans fat and is naturally gluten free. If that’s NOT STRONG enough, it is also Non-GMO Project Verified and the only form of chia used in clinical health and medical studies. Just a 15g serving a day of this potent superfood will bring your daily nutritional intake to the top of its game.”

Head over to their website and check out their products. They even have travel packs for chia junkies like myself to use when they are out and about! I hope you try a recipe with them soon and tell me how you use them in your diet.