Blackberry Banana Chia Pudding

I've done a lot of the writing around here, but Natalie puts in the work behind the scenes - scheduling shoots, recording recipes, and keeping deadlines. She keeps us on track. As my brother said in his wedding toast to Natalie and me:

"Natalie is the much-needed fire under Cody's ass."

The same dynamic exists for our food. While I do a lot of the cooking (and eating), Natalie plans ahead so we know what's for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Why plan? Because we've all been there.  We cruise the aisles of the market when we're hungry, and everything looks amazing. We order way too many dishes at a restaurant because our eyes are bigger than our stomachs. We grab a scone and coffee for a breakfast that we know makes our blood sugar go bonkers, but it's the only thing around.  Planning ahead helps us stick to our preferred way of eating, spend less on food, and avoid deciding what to eat when we're already hungry.

The biggest tip we've learned is to separate the process into two tasks: planning what to eat should happen separately from eating.  Sometimes this means spending time Sunday afternoon to pick a few recipes for the week. Sometimes it's writing a list before going to the grocery store. Sometimes, it's just taking five minutes to make the recipe below.

Do you plan meals and snacks ahead? If not, what holds you back?

Blackberry Banana Chia Pudding

This is one of our most-used recipes for days when we're busy at work, or are otherwise "on-the-go." We make it when we know we'll have a busy morning, and won't have time to cook. With just a few ingredients, this makes a nice breakfast or a pretty substantial snack. 

I like the consistency from canned coconut milk, but we often just make our own from unsweetened shredded coconut (we'll share our recipe for this soon). When we buy canned milk, we check to make sure there's no BPA or weird additives.

Alternatively, we've also used almond milk, and I think any other nut milk or just water would work, too.

Ingredients

• 1/2 banana, sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh blackberries (or thawed frozen berries)
• 3 Tbsp chia seeds
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground vanilla (vanilla extract should work, too)
• A pinch of sea salt
• 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk & 1/2 cup water*

*Canned coconut milk is pretty thick, so we find it works best diluted with water. If you're using another liquid - juice, almond milk, water or homemade coconut milk - no need to dilute, just use 1 cup.

Toppings

• Blueberries
• Apricots, or any seasonal fruit
• Cacao nibs
• Nut butter
• Shredded coconut

Process

• In a jar or bowl, mash the banana and blackberries with a fork.
• Add in the chia seeds, cinnamon, vanilla, and sea salt, and mix well.
• Pour in the milk and water, and mix well.
• Let sit for at least one hour. Ideally, let it sit overnight.
• Top with your favorite stuff. We typically use seasonal fruits (right now we're into berries and apricots) and cacao nibs, which add a nice crunch.