Vanilla chia pudding with strawberry coconut cream

There's been a little bag of chia seeds sitting on my counter for several weeks. I've sprinkled a little on a couple of smoothie bowls. I've blended some seeds into a smoothie drink. But, I've never made chia pudding. Until today! 

I'm not going to lie to you guys, the texture is straight up weird. For real. It's kind of like eating gummy worms as pudding. Hahaha. But, the flavor is dang delicious! And the benefits of chia seeds are pretty amazing. Did you know chia seeds are: 

• high in omega-3 fatty acids
• high in calcium, potassium, and magnesium
• a great source of protein
• high in antioxidants

So much good in such a tiny little seed. To make the pudding you simply use 1 1/2 cups of liquid and 3/4 cup of chia seeds. But, there are simple ways to amp up the flavor and nutrition like I did with Califia Farms almond milk, maple syrup or honey, vanilla extract or almond extract, fresh berries... the possibilities are kind of endless! 

I also added coconut cream with strawberry puree folded in as a topping and a couple of mint leaves. Coconut cream is also a really versatile dessert option that you can do all sorts of things with! You simply buy canned whole fat organic coconut milk and use remove just the solid part from the can (reserving the liquid for other uses later). Then whisk it for a few seconds until it gets a nice fluffy texture. Then use it like you would whipped cream!