I feel like I am constantly trying to find new ways to pack healthy fats into Willow’s diet. Some days, she eats really well. Other days… it’s carb city and milk. On THOSE days, I’ll try to focus on snacks with high fat content and protein. Enter chocolate chia pudding.
This is Willow’s favorite “zert!” Without fail, she will eat this. She may not touch dinner or just be playing with her spaghetti or whatever and if I clean her up and give her a couple minutes… I’ll ask ” do you want some pudding for dessert?” And that’s all it takes. I don’t feel guilty offering this “dessert” because it is packed with vitamins, minerals, protein, healthy fats, potassium, iron, the whole deal. It lets me rest easy knowing she is at least eating something and has a belly full of goodness. I probably make it at least twice a week.
But anyways, here we go. This recipes makes about 2-3 servings in a mason jar. I just scoop out as needed and make more when it’s done. You can double or triple as you need, but I get afraid of it going to waste so I tend to make a smaller batch.
Recipe
You will need:
- 1 banana
- 1/2 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
- 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp peanut or almond butter
- 1/2 tbsp maple syrup (optional sweetener)
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
To make:
There are two ways to make this, depending on if you like whole chia seed pudding or have it blended up a bit. I personally like to blend the chia with everything else so they don’t stand out too much. If you like chia in whole form, blend everything together first then stir in chia before putting in refrigerator. If not, then follow the below:
- Add all ingredients to your blender and run until smooth.
- Pour into a mason jar, close lid up tight, and refrigerator overnight (or at least 4-6 hours).
- Serve!
The beauty of this recipe is that you can alter as you’d like – add cinnamon and pumpkin puree instead of chocolate and peanut butter, or add some soy yogurt and fruit… endless combinations and still a healthy snack for your toddler.
I hope that your sweetheart loves as much as mine does. Thanks for reading. xx bianca
