Basic Blueberry Smoothie

Cookie and Kate

Basic Blueberry Smoothie

This blueberry smoothie recipe is “basic” in the best of ways. It’s cold, creamy, nutritious and delicious. I crave this smoothie in the morning and it keeps me going until lunch. What more can you hope for in a smoothie?

All you need to make these blueberry smoothies are four basic ingredients: frozen blueberries and bananas, almond butter and almond milk. Blend them up for a luscious, plant-based treat!

I’m too tired in the mornings to make fancy breakfasts. Give me a dependable, energizing, dare-I-say “basic” breakfast like this blueberry smoothie, and I’m a happy camper.

I could drink this smoothie every morning for breakfast this summer. In fact, I think I will!

Continue to the recipe...

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A Sweet Pea Chef

Banana Chia Pudding

Enjoy this easy, vegan, and clean banana chia pudding for breakfast, as a snack, or dessert. 

Summer BBQs are big around here.  We love grilling and hanging out on the back patio and, well eating.

Besides the BBQ meat, one of my fave things about summer is that sweet banana pudding.

BUT I do not love the artificial pudding, which is so often called banana pudding.

Or the refined sugars.

Last year, I shared this homemade banana pudding recipe and it was amazeballs delish.  But, alas, not clean.

So, if you have a cheat day to use (like I did last year!) for your next BBQ, then that’s a fine use of a cheat meal.

BUT, if you want to hold off on the cheat meal and avoid the refined schtuff, this banana chia pudding is a very, very tasty alternative.

And, honestly – what could be easier than chia pudding?

How to Make Chia Pudding

Ever wondered how to make chia pudding?  All you do is mix the chia seeds with the milk, sweetener, and flavorings of your choice in a jar and let the chia pudding chill overnight to thicken. It’s so dang easy.  And good for you too!

In general, the ration of chia seeds to liquid should be 3 tablespoons chia seeds for every 1 cup of liquid.  Sometimes, like in this recipe, the banana adds liquid as do a few other ingredients, so it may vary slightly.  But, in general, 3 tablespoons chia seeds to every 1 cup will be a good baseline for how to make chia pudding.  You can also use either white or black chia seeds for making chia seed pudding – because of the lighter color of this banana chia pudding recipe, I use white chia seeds – but the taste and texture is exactly the same as the black chia seeds.

Are Chia Seeds Healthy?

Chia seeds are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, iron, and calcium. In fact, just two tablespoons of these tiny seeds have almost 10 grams of fiber—about 40 percent of the recommended daily intake.

Chia seeds thicken almost any liquid, which makes them great for getting that creamy pudding-like texture even when you use dairy-free milk.

If you don’t like the texture of the seeds and want the pudding to be completely smooth, just blend everything together before placing in the fridge to soak.

PLUS I’ve been asked a lot recently to share more vegan recipes, too – so this banana chia pudding recipe is a win-win-win!  Woot!

Let’s go over some of the goodness involved in this here banana chia pudding recipe, okay?

easy clean tasty high in protein (9.3g in one serving of PUDDING! whuh??) no double boilers needed (or cooking whatsoever) great texture high in fiber you get to eat banana pudding – duh! no refined sugar

Does this mean it will taste EXACTLY like the banana pudding you’re used to?  No, of course not.  This will not taste artificial, super duper sweet, or bad for you.

Instead, it will taste incredibly yummy, satisfying, and smooth…which, if you’re anything like me, you totes appreciate with your clean eating because you want to eat healthy and still love your food.

Okay, so let’s talk toppings.  In these old banana pudding cups, I topped them off with homemade nilla wafers. Again, delish, but not clean.

So, you know what’s a clean alternative that tastes great, provides that nice crunch, and actually is good for you?

Cashews!

I know – right?  Cashews??  On banana pudding?

YAAS – stay with me…it’s shockingly tasty and adds the perfect flavor and crunch to make it so yummy.

So…try this banana chia pudding out for yourself or for your summer BBQ guests.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do and that it hits that sweet spot for you, while still allowing you to live that healthy lifestyle!

Because healthy food should be delicious, too!

Banana Chia Pudding

 

Banana Chia Pudding

Enjoy this easy, vegan, and clean banana chia pudding for breakfast, as a snack or dessert.

1 ripe banana, (mashed) 3 tbsp white chia seeds ((can also use black chia seeds)) 1/4 tsp vanilla extract 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk 1 tbsp pure maple syrup, (as needed for additional sweetness) garnish sliced bananas, chopped cashews

Add the mashed banana to a small container – I like to use glass mason jars, followed by the white chia seeds, vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon. For a little added sweetness, you can also add in a little pure maple syrup. Stir to combine. Place in the refrigerator overnight, or for at least 5-6 hours, to allow the chia seeds to absorb the liquid and thicken. In an air-tight container, this pudding will last in the fridge a good 4-5 days. When it’s ready to eat, I like to top it with some sliced banana and chopped cashews for a little crunch.

This post contains affiliate links for products I use regularly and highly recommend.

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