Banana-Chia Soft Serve and Granola parfaits October 10, 2011

 

All I have to say about this recipe is Oh My Gosh YUMMMMMMM! This parfait is decadent enough to be dessert yet healthy and filling enough to be breakfast! The banana chia soft serve is so sweet and creamy it is reminiscent of soft serve frozen yogurt and pairs perfectly with the crunchiness of granola! I know fall is among us and most of you are probably craving warm breakfasts like my pumpkin oatmeal so here is my suggestion for you: Eat this with a nice steaming hot cup of coffee or tea because you need to try this now! Cold weather be darned!

 

You might have noticed that I used chia seeds in a lot of my recipes. Chia seeds have more uses than just for chia pets! Chia seeds are very rich in Omega-3 fatty acids (even more so than flax seeds!) and are full of anti-oxidants! Chia seeds also provide fiber as well as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, molybdenum, niacin, and zinc. Talk about SUPERFOOD!

 

Chia seeds do this really cool thing when you put them in a liquid, they turn into gel. It is great for making puddings and soft-serve ice creams because it makes liquid very thick and gelatinous.

 

To make a basic chia gel:

 

1 cup liquid: water, juice, non-dairy milk

1-3 tablespoons chia seeds

 

Place the liquid and chia seeds in a container with a lid and shake to mix. Let sit 20 minutes to half an hour to thicken. The more chia seeds you use, the thicker the gel will be. This gel is now ready to be used in smoothies, in puddings, or drink it as is!

 

Banana-Chia Soft Serve and Granola Parfait

Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Soy Free, Can be Raw

 

Makes 2 Servings

 

1 cup almond milk (or other non-diary milk of choice)

2 tablespoons chia seeds

2 scoops Sunwarrior vanilla protein (optional but highly recommended!)

3-4 bananas, cut into pieces and frozen

Your favorite Granola (to keep it raw use raw granola!)

 

1. Add the almond milk, chia seeds, and protein powder (if using) to a blender and pulse a few times to mix. Let sit 20 minutes to overnight to allow the chia seeds to gel.

2. Blend in bananas, adding a few at a time, until you have a very thick and very creamy mixture (a Vita-mix or Blendtec work the best for this)

3. Use your favorite clear glass or bowl or wine glass and spoon about an inch thick layer of soft serve. Top with granola and repeat until you have used all the soft serve. Makes enough for two servings.

4. Drool, and then devour!

Hemp-Chia-Goji Power Smoothie August 26, 2011

I know, what a boring picture right? I am sorry! I have a baby you know! I do not have time to spend hours food styling all my pictures! So you will just have to take my word that this smoothie is not only delicious, but absolutely filling and satisfying.

 

Most days I am fine with just fruit for breakfast. Harper does not wake up until around 9am (I know! Crazy right?) and by the time we get around to making it downstairs to the kitchen it is usually around 10am before I eat my breakfast. Knowing that I will soon be having lunch, often times I opt for a very light breakfast. Sometimes, however, I wake up hungry and in need of something much more filling and substantial than just fruit. This is how I felt the morning I created this smoothie and let me tell you, it did the job! It kept me satisfied for 5 hours without making me feel full or sluggish.

 

I do have to warn you though, there is a bit of advanced prep involved in this smoothie. The chia seeds and goji berries need to be soaked at least 30 minutes. I usually throw the chia seeds, hemp seeds, goji berries in the blender with the water and let them soak while I take the dog out for a walk and finish blending everything when I get back. You can also let the chia seeds and goji berries soak while you get ready for work then blend the rest of the ingredients in right before you leave and enjoy the smoothie on your drive/bike/walk/bus to work. You can also soak the chia seeds and goji berries the night before.

 

I promise, though, the advance prep is well worth it…this is one delicious, nutrient packed smoothie!

 

Hemp-Chia-Goji Power Smoothie

(Vegan, Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, Gluten-Free, Raw)

 

Makes 1 Serving

 

2 tablespoons Chia Seeds

2 tablespoons Goji Berries

2 tablespoons Hemp Seeds

1 1/2 cups water

1 banana

Mixed frozen berries (I use Trader Joes Very Cherry Blend)

1 stevia packet (optional)

 

1. Soak the chia seeds and goji Berries in the water at least 30 minutes or overnight.

2. Add the chia seeds, goji berries, water, hemp seeds, and banana into a blender and blend until smooth.

3. Add as many frozen berries as you need to reach desired consistency (I like thick smoothies so I usually use about 1/2 a bag of Trader Joe’s Very Cherry Blend) and blend until smooth.

4. Taste and add stevia packet if need.

5. Enjoy!

 

And now, to distract you from the boring picture above, here are a few pictures of Harper enjoying this smoothie:

 

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