Healthy Chocolate Berry Pudding

Do you like the consistency of pudding and gel foods?  A pudding recipe I love is chocolate chia seed protein pudding.  I'm also a fan of putting chia seeds in drinks (water to tea to smoothies) so that it forms a gel like consistency.  What about you? I have another recipe for a delicious pudding that I LOVE!  This one is chocolate pudding and would also be great for kids.  Unlike the boxed kind in the store, there are no artificial ingredients, it is high in fiber, vitamins and minerals and protein.  It is loaded with fruits, so no need for extra sugar.  The recipe is from One Green Planet's Raw Chocolate Berry Pudding.

Ingredients:

• 1 banana
• 1 large handful frozen strawberries
• 1 large handful blueberries
• 3-5 dates or prunes (I used prunes)
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons cacao
• 1/4 cup non-dairy milk (or more, add as needed) (I used soy)
• 1 tablespoon nut butter/coconut oil to make it creamy
• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder (My optional addition)

 Directions:

1. Blend all ingredients together until silky smooth.  Top with optional fresh mint leaves.  Serves 2-3.  The consistency is like a thick smoothie.  It is sweet with a subtle chocolate flavor.  Delicious breakfast, summer treat or post workout recovery snack.

 Another favorite pudding recipe is a Turkish gum pudding.  I was lucky enough to have it in Istanbul, and it was so good!  Although not as healthy ;-).

Chia Seed Protein Pudding

Chia seed protein pudding with blueberries

Want an easy, tasty way to get chia seeds in your diet?  Here is a recipe for Chia Seed Protein Pudding.  It is high in protein, fiber, omega 3 fatty acids and a good source of iron and calcium.  Chia seeds have many health benefits including:
-High in omega 3
-High in protein
-High in fiber
-High in antioxidants
The ancient Central Americans used chia seeds as a fuel source during physical activity, and chia seeds may have potential health benefits for athletes.  These seeds absorb water and make a gel like substance.  Make sure to have plenty of fluids when eating chia seeds because of this.  The pudding used in this recipe has a high liquid content so the chia seeds can absorb the liquid. 

Chia Seed Protein Pudding
Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

• 2-3 tbsp nut butter
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 c chia seeds
• 2 c soy milk (note: can substitute other milks or water)
• 1-2 scoops protein powder 

Directions:

1. Combine nut butter, cocoa and cinnamon in a bowl until mixed.  
2. Add remaining ingredients.
3. Stir continuously with a fork until well blended.  It will be clumpy; try to break up most of them.
4. Put in refrigerator for at least an hour.  Stir every 15-20 minutes for best results.

Nutrition information per seving:
230 calories, 13 gm fat (2 gm saturated fat), 15gm carbohydrate, 11 gm fiber, 1 gm sugar, 16 gm protein.

I got this recipe from another sports dietitian friend, Dina Griffin, and altered slightly.  I enjoy having a couple spoonfuls in the morning or through the afternoon for a little energy (typically not a full serving).
For another great chia pudding recipe, here's a chia seed breakfast parfait with fruit and oats.  Looks tasty!
Enjoy these tasty, healthy ways to enjoy chia seeds.

Breakfast Nachos

I have to admit, I did not come up with this creation.  The credit all goes to my brother-in-law for this concoction.  Who knew nachos would be great for breakfast?  The combination of tortilla chips, eggs, peppers, cheese and chicken mango sausage worked together to make this a tasty, creative dish.

 Start by layering tortilla chips on a plate as normal for the basis of nachos.  Top with shredded cheese.

Scramble eggs with various additions such as peppers, onions, mushrooms, etc.
This recipe was also made with chicken mango sausage from Trader Joe's.  I'm not a sausage lover at all, but the chicken mango sausage on this added a nice flavor variation.  The bro-in-law just cut up the sausage and sauteed til it was done.

Now you can just add the scrambled eggs and other toppings on top to complete the dish.

Next time, I'd like to use the following:
-Blue corn tortilla chips
-Use peppers, spinach and onions with the eggs
-Top with fresh tomato
-Add avocado/guacamole and black beans

And of course..... salsa!

YUM.   

Tasty Turkish Dishes (Part 2)

This post is a little late and is a continuation from my last one about my trip to Turkey.  I was there December 2-9th, then came back to Kuwait.  I left Kuwait December 12th to come back to the US.  So, now I actually have some time to put this together.  It was weird to leave Kuwait and come back to this side of the world again, but I am happy to be back home.  I hope to do more international traveling again soon ;-).

Here are a few pictures that show some of the traditional dishes:

These dishes are traditional dishes that were tasty, but quite heavy. The Turkish spices and unique way of cooking these meats can not be found any where else.  I honestly can't remember what they are called, but they are somewhere on the menu below :-). 

Another popular beef Turkish dish is their dumplings.  Topping the dumplings is yogurt (often served with many dishes) and a tomato paste.  Along side is a salad of tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers.

These dolmas (grape leaves stuffed with rice and seasonings) were the best ones I have ever tasted.  Sooooo good!

The next dish is a lentil soup that is popular in Turkey.  It can come with or without the buttery layer on top.  Sooo good :-)

Now let's talk breakfast.  Turkish breakfast typically includes pastries, toast, cheeses, olives and of course tea.  I was a little worried about trying these things for breakfast, especially olives.  I don't like olives.  I did try these ones though, and they were different than any olives I have tried.  I actually liked the green ones!  (The black were good too, but I liked the green ones better.)

This was the usual breakfast spread.  The pastry on the blue rimmed plate is a cheesy pastry, the ones on the white rectangle plate is a sweet pastry that was my favorite.

Let's move onto to dessert.  There are soooo many DELICIOUS Turkish desserts!  The picture below is a dish that is like pudding with a gum like flavor.  Sounds a bit strange, but it was very good.  It also went good with the pistachio dessert also pictured (forgot the exact name).

These are just a few to wet your appetite.  Turkish cuisine is definitely very diverse, delicious blend of flavors and spices and is very unique.  A must try for all!