This colorful Vanilla-Cinnamon Spirulina Chia Pudding is a quick and easy breakfast recipe. It’s packed with nutrients, but don’t worry – it’s still delicious.
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Pumpkin Quinoa Chia Pudding [Recipe]
Strangely enough, it does rain in San Diego.
Especially when I make something pretty that I need sunlight to take pics of.
Chia pudding, pumpkin… none of that is strange. Adding quinoa to the mix may be a little odd, but it is quite good! (As is the occasional rain.)
Our anti-inflammatory diet experiment had led to a lot of creativity. Since we are grain-free, I’ve been using sweet potato and quinoa as our main carbs. Vegas claims to not like quinoa, so naturally I’ve been sneaking it into everything. Like this pumpkin pie-inspired breakfast.
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Strawberry Cinnamon Protein Pancakes + WIAW
I lost Vegas.
Not literally, thank god.
We’ve been doing a little 21 day reset. Vegas said she’d give it a week and then see if she wanted to keep going. She lasted a week like a champion… but then I lost her.
Actually, we both went a little off the reservation Saturday night. I got back on track Sunday, but Vegas was done. She’s still been basically eating whatever I eat… just with a side of caffeine and peanut M&Ms. She had no complaints about the protein pancakes we had for breakfast (more on that below).
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Cleaning Up My Act + WIAW
It is time I clean up my act.
Let’s be real – it’s beyond time.
It’s generally pretty easy for me to keep my diet in check during the week. The weekends… it’s another story. Since I’m not competing this year I haven’t been following any real nutrition plan. Of course, I took that to the extreme.
What I know about myself is that I love to indulge. I also know that when that starts happening too much, I feel like crap. It affects me physically and mentally. I’ve been struggling lately, and I know it’s time to reign it in.
For a few years now I’ve been doing my own version of a cleanse… it’s really more of a jump start though. Basically, it’s eating super clean and eliminating common allergens like eggs, dairy, nuts, and gluten. The first 10 days is meatless. The last 11 days include chicken and deep sea fish.
I’m only through Day 1, but here’s my first reactions:
- Not taking pre-workout is hard
- I’m going to need to buy a lot more veggies
- Some of the dishes I made when doing this previously are really good – I’m excited to bring them back
- Fruit can make a fun ice cream dessert
- Good lord, I miss meat
This WIAW is my first on the 21 clean(se). I’m still working out the best foods to bring and when to time protein and carbs to get the energy I need.
Read on for my eats, and then check out Jenn’s blog for everyone else’s delicious creations!
Breakfast:
My morning cocktail had to be modified. The Aminos I usually use aren’t really clean, so I modified by using ACV and juice from half a lemon. It wasn’t too bad.
Cleanse meal #1 was chia pudding. It’s been a long time since I’ve made a chia pudding, but I used to eat them all the time. Today’s was a berry theme, with my favorite pea protein for added stay-power. I served myself in a martini glass… 2 cocktails in one morning! 😉
Berry Chia Pudding
- Mashed berries, to taste
- 1 T chia seeds
- 1/3 C unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 scoop Growing Naturals vanilla pea protein
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
In a small bowl, mash berries until they are a chunky puree. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate overnight (or at least 2-3 hours).
In the morning, uncover and stir. Add additional liquid or sweetener as needed.
Mid-Morning Snack:
This happened in two parts. My new pre-workout was dates stuffed with tahini. It was delicious, if not a little messy. It was slow to get going on my workout, but I felt better once I got into it.
Post-workout I made sure to get my protein and carbs in. Can’t lose my gains!
This is my Liquid Sweet Potato Pie made with a date instead of Stevia (Stevia is permitted, but I’m trying to limit it), no extract, and – knowing I have a lot of greens coming my way – I left out the spinach.
Lunch:
Salad of epic proportions and a creamy red pepper soup. See what I mean about the greens?
Afternoon Snack:
Roasted veggies from my trusty Tupperware. Brussels, shiitakes, broccoli, and eggplant with coconut oil, cumin, and cayenne. Coconut oil is a very, very good idea when roasting things. Why do I always forget to use it?
Dinner:
I was starving. Not gonna lie. I forgot my quinoa at home, so I missed my delicious, filling carbs. The better to fuel with when I got home!
Sautés are a quick and easy hanger cure. I tossed some red pepper in a pan to soften while I washed and chopped kale. Then, I added the kale and some pico de gallo to the pan, cooking until the leaves were just beginning to wilt. Lastly, I mixed in the pre-cooked quinoa and a bit of lime juice to warm. Toss it all in a bowl and top with avocado and freshly ground pepper.
Dessert:
Super clean, #strangebutgood dessert. I made protein ice cream by mashing together half a banana, some avocado, pea protein, cinnamon, and unsweetened coconut milk. I froze it for a couple of hours, then blended it in my Vitamix. Topped with cinnamon-honey coconut flour fluff and cacao nibs.
Color = questionable. Taste = good!
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Day 1 done. 20 to go.
Have you ever needed to clean up your act?
What is your favorite pre-workout? Do you keep it clean?
Do You Chia? [ChiaSeed Recipes]
We all had chia pets growing up.
The adult thing to do with EAT the chia. The seeds, not the pet… actually, I wonder if you could eat the pet…
Today I am guest posting on my friend Heather’s blog – Better with Veggies. This vegan-rockstar endurance athlete is tearing up the slopes on a snowboarding adventure!
Click here for a little chia education and some tasty (and easy!) recipes like…
Blueberry Pear Overnight Oat Chia Pudding
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I’m going to be sweating it to keep up with blog this week… work is out of control! Sorry if I am slow to comment.
Do you use chia seeds? What’s your favorite way to incorporate them?
Have you ever walked around with seeds stuck in your teeth? Why don’t people tell you these things?!
Butternut Squash Chia Pudding
Book Club dinners when you’re on a cleanse are hard.
They’re even harder when you’re hosting and therefore responsible for food. The icing on the cake is that the theme is French (to go with this month’s book selection). Who ever heard of French vegan food?!
This may have had me sweating a bit.
So I said to myself: Man up. You can do this thing. I think. 
Predictably, I’m got a late start today so the details will have to come later, but it went really well! Like, 100x better than I expected.
The menu included:
- Provençal Spread and Veggies
- Salade Niçoise with Tempeh “Tuna”
- Oven-Roasted Tomatoes Stuffed with (vegan!) Goat Cheese
- Roasted Eggplant Bruschetta
I warned everyone ahead of time that it would be a clean dinner… and they subsequently brought meats, desserts, and wine. 🙂
French wine Dessert was the saddest thing for me to miss. There are so many possibilities for making French desserts that would have been fun to create. There will be many other dessert opportunities in my life though. And bottles of French wine.
In order to feel a little less left out, I created my own dessert to enjoy. And you know what… I can honestly say it was satisfying. (But I did swoon a little over homemade banana pudding.)
Chia pudding has long been a breakfast favorite. As of last night, it’s been upgraded to dessert.
No this isn’t chocolate cake. But it is good.
Made like a traditional chia pudding (chia + liquid + congeal in the fridge), the twist here is the sweet squash and a quick blend at the end.
The cocoa-flavored stevia did give it notes of chocolate-y goodness. I also loved the classic pie flavors the vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg lent the dish.
A spin mix in the Magic Bullet at the end smoothed out the chia to make this like the pudding you grew up eating, (Thanks to Kasey @ Power Cakes for the idea!)
Yes, you can have your pudding even if you don’t eat your meat.
Butternut Squash Chia Pudding
- 1/2 butternut squash, roasted
- 3/4 C unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 T chia seeds
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 7-8 drops cocoa stevia
- Shake of salt
In a small bowl, mash up butternut squash until it becomes a puree (some small pieces are ok). Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 mins (or overnight for breakfast). The chia will absorb most of the liquid.
Place mix in a blender (I used my Magic Bullet) and blend until smooth (about 20 seconds). Remove, place in bowl, and enjoy!
Note: This would make a great post-workout snack! Just add a scoop of protein powder and increase the amount of liquid you mix in.
Unfamiliar with the benefits of chia? Click here for my post on why they rock!
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I cannot wait to share the rest of the meal with you all!
For those with diet restrictions, do you ever feel left out in food-centric social settings? How do you navigate?
Has anyone ever been to France? I’m thinking that may be this year’s big trip…
Sweet Potato Pie Chia Pudding
We’re on Day 5 of a successful cleanse!
16 to go.
Honestly, it hasn’t been hard. It’s been so great having the friend support, and seeing them feel good makes me even more determined.
Results come quickly! My friend sent me the following message yesterday morning:
I have an inordinate amount of energy. This from a girl who consumed no less than 6 servings a day of caffeine… I’m like, let me clean the whole house, do laundry, and work all day with my kid on my hip. WOO!
I’m so proud of my best friend!!!
The daily breakfast smoothies continue. I do love smoothies. With all of the random things I throw in them, I rarely end up with the same concoctions (except my favorite Liquid Sweet Potato Pie).
Atlanta is finally getting cold(er) this week and the thought of a cold drink for breakfast was too much to handle. Then I remembered – seeds are allowed on the cleanse… that makes chia pudding legal!
I typically make fruit-based chia puddings like this peach cobbler chia or this banana cashew… but there was a giant sweet potato staring at me. With my favorite smoothie in mind, I decided to try it as a chia pudding.
Sweet Potato Pie Chia Pudding. Sweet chia, it was good.
Nuts aren’t allowed, so that ruled out adding my usual nut butters… again, seeds are legal… sesame… tahini!
Turned out to be a genius mix-in. The nutty, toasty flavor came through subtly, adding a cool dimension.
The martini glass certainly added something as well. 🙂
Sweet Potato Pie Chia Pudding
- 1/4 large sweet potato, baked
- 1 T chia seeds
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 1/2 C unsweetened vanilla coconut milk (or other liquid of choice)
- 2 tsp tahini
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ginger
- 2-3 drops vanilla stevia
- Shake of salt
- Pinch cloves
In a bowl, mash up the sweet potato until smooth. Mix in all other ingredients and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or overnight). If it looks too thick, add more milk or water as needed.
Stir and enjoy!
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Weekends are always my clean-eating weakness, so I’m really excited to have a dinner and game night with my cleanse buddies!
Have you made chia pudding before?
Are you celebrating Valentine’s Day this weekend? Share your plans – let me live vicariously!
Greek Protein Mess
By Friday of last week I had to force myself out the door for a workout.
I say forced because I am determined to do cardio everyday and I just wasn’t feeling it. Not being able to run is dragging me down… 30 mins on the elliptical (or any machine) is not my idea of fun. My ADD and I need scenery! I tried to push it this week with running… every time the pain becomes excruciating at 0.8 miles.
Anyway, Friday I stayed on the elliptical by promising myself that if I was really miserable I could stop after 10 min… then 20 mins. This works really well for me – by the time I get to those marks, I tell myself “10 more mins isn’t going to KILL you.”
30 looooong minutes later, I did 45 mins of Back/Biceps. I coaxed myself through some heavier weights with thoughts of breakfast. #fatkid
Specifically the Greek Protein Mess waiting in my fridge. I wish I’d heated it so I could call it a hot mess.
Have you guys seen the Wallaby Greek Yogurt? I found it a Whole Paycheck Foods last week and fell in love. This is the creamiest, most flavorful Greek I’ve tried (that’s what she said)! 17g of protein and just 4 g of sugar, its my dream yogurt.
With the last of the container I was hoarding, I made a post-workout protein-filled mess. Mess because it was a total hodge podge… and I had the shakes (sure sign of a good gym session) so bad that I spilled the protein powder and the cinnamon and then sloshed the chocolate milk out of my bowl.
This is one mess I plan to make again! Recipe following the recap.
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So… yeah. My knee. I’m frustrated. It better not ruin my plans to run the Nashville Rock ‘N Roll Half in April! I’ve been really good about getting cardio in with the elliptical and the stationary bike. The Mile-a-Day Challenge has been just the motivation I need.
I’ve also been loving Body Rock. The hotel I stayed in last week had a terrible gym, but Body Rock saved the day. The 30 Day Challenge is no joke! Especially the Sean’s part of the Day 3 workout. Holy quad burn, Batman.
Workout Recap (1/16 – 1/22)
- Monday – 100 push-ups
- Tuesday – Body Rock Day 2, 1 mile run, Shoulders, 100 push-ups
- Wednesday – This Body Rock, 1 mile run, Ab Ripper X
- Thursday – Body Rock Day 3, Stationary bike (intervals)
- Friday – Bis/Back, Elliptical (intervals)
- Saturday – Body Rock Day 4, 1 mile run, 20 spiderman push-ups
- Sunday – 1/2 mile run (knee gave up), Tris/Chest, Ab work*, 100 push-ups
*Sunday’s ab work was basic but good – if you ever need a quickie just try doing 100 reps of your favorite ab exercises. I did 100 sit-ups on the exercise ball, 100 bicycle abs, and 100 baby crunches. Then I did Hayley’s 6 minute plank rotation.
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Greek Protein Mess
- 1/2 C plain Greek Yogurt
- 1/2 C unsweetened almond milk
- 1 T chia seeds
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 2 tsp peanut flour
- 1 tsp maca
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 5-6 drops NuNaturals Liquid Coca Stevia
- Apple
Mix everything (except the apple) in a bowl and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Remove and stir, adding more milk if necessary.
Top with diced apple, or other fruit of choice.
Refuel yourself!
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This weekend I completed a fun art project (and I’m NOT artsy like my aunt). Can’t wait to share with you tomorrow!!!
Do you like doing cardio on machines? How do you get through it?
Some of you said last week you were doing/wanted to do Body Rock. How do you like it so far?
