Iron Rations: Mango Chia Seed Pudding

I realized the other day, that while we have tons of recipes available here on the site, we don’t have any healthy desserts!

So it’s time to fix that!

The problem with desserts is that we expect them to be super sweet, and as any loyal reader of this site knows, sugar is the enemy!

So what can we put in our face-holes that will satisfy the craving for a sugary treat, but won’t sabotage your diet?

The simple answer to that question – fruit.

Even though fruits have natural sugar, they also are packed with vitamins and fiber. That’s why they are a major part of our clean-eating plan!

Sometimes you might want to be fancier than just plain fruit though. Maybe you have a child you want to trick, maybe you’re having company and you don’t want to just throw and apple at their head after dinner, or maybe you just want to mix things up a little.

Whatever the case, this homemade “pudding” will hit the spot while giving you a nice dose of vitamin A, C and fiber!

Before we go any further I want to take a second to talk about chia seeds.

These tiny little nutrient bombs are great for so many reasons:

• Chia seeds deliver a massive amount of nutrients with very few calories
• Chia seeds are high in protein, fiber and omega-3 fatty acids
• Chia seeds are known to lower the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes
• Chia seeds are easy to incorporate into your diet because they have no flavor!

Oh, and even though they are a whole grain they are gluten-free.

Now that is out of the way, let’s look at the recipe!

Mango Chia Seed Pudding

Chia pudding is ridiculously easy to make, and takes only a couple of minutes to whip up.

This tasty treat delivers about 262 calories, provides approx 4.5 grams of protein/11 grams of fiber/31 grams of carbs (not to mention packing a one-two punch of vitamins and minerals), and can be eaten right away or stored in the fridge for up to four days.

Let’s do this!

Ingredients (Serves 2):

• 1.5 cups Frozen Mango
  
• 1 cup Water
• 1 cup Coconut Milk (Silk or Blue Diamond brand)
• .25 cup Chia Seeds
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
• 8-10 Macadamia Nuts

Oh, and a blender!

Step 1:

Blend the mango with 1 cup of water until you have a thick sauce, the consistency of a smoothie. If you are using fresh mango you can forgo most of the water and just add a little bit to get the blending going.

Step 2:

Pour the coconut milk into a small mixing bowl and add the chia seeds, vanilla extract and nutmeg; then get to stirring.

Step 3:

Stir constantly for 4-5 minutes, breaking up the clumps of chia seeds as they form. Once they have absorbed a good portion of the liquid just let it stand for another 10 minutes.

Step 4:

Pour the mango purèe into two small bowls, then gently layer the coconut milk/chia seed mixture on top.

Step 5:

While this is ready to eat right now, I prefer to put mine in the fridge for 4 hours or so to let it set.

Step 6:

Place the macadamia nuts in a paper towel and crush with a spoon. Pour the crumbles on top and dig in!

There are a couple of final things to point out:

• This will work with any fruit really, it doesn’t have to be mango.
• Chia seeds are super absorbent, so the texture might be a little weird at first if you’ve never partaken in this superfood before. Give them a chance!

So blend up a batch and let me know what you think!

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