chia seed pudding - three ways

The past few months I have seen chia seed pudding on just about every blog. I was kind of skeptical because, why mess with pudding? And maybe the texture would be gross? But I am making a huge effort to health up my diet (my eating has been out of order since Christmas....actually since Thanksgiving) and decided to try a healthier option to quell my sweet tooth.

I whipped up a basic batch last week and guess what? It's really good! And healthy. And you can add whatever you want as a topping. It makes for a fun breakfast.

After my first attempt, I decided to try it again with a few variations. I tried cinnamon (perfect for breakfast), double chocolate (a perfect dessert when you are trying to not always eat ice cream), and banana (a perfect sweet snack).

Making chia seed pudding is easy. You just mix a few things together and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours to set. You can use any non-dairy milk you like. My favorite is unsweetened coconut milk but unsweetened almond milk would be really good too.

chia seed pudding - three ways

-cinnamon (1/4 cup chia seeds, 1 cup Silk Unsweetened Coconut milk, 1 teaspoon cinnamon)
-double chocolate (1/4 cup chia seeds, 1 1/4 cup Silk Unsweetened Coconut milk, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons honey, chopped dark chocolate - about 1/4 cup)
-banana (1/4 cup chia seeds, 1 cup Silk Unsweetened Coconut milk, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 mashed banana)

Put the ingredients of each in three separate bowls, mix together, cover, and refrigerate for at least four hours before eating. These puddings will last for about a week. The banana version will last just a few days because the banana starts to brown.

I have been eating the "cinnamon" version every morning topped with berries. It is kind of like plain yogurt so you can top it with whatever you might put on plain yogurt.  Also, the chocolate is amazing with a few raspberries on top.

If you're interested in trying this simple recipe, grab some non-dairy milk such as Silk. I have always been pretty grossed out by cow milk but the Silk products taste really good and they're a great way to add more plants to your diet.

Stop by Silk, register, and get a coupon for your next purchase.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

by minted

One of these years I am going to skip Christmas cards and send New Year's cards.  Or better yet, Valentine's. 

I love all the Christmas cards I receive but the past few years, I have had absolutely no time to put together a quality Christmas card. November and December are my busy months...but January is a little bit slow.  I should just admit defeat on the Christmas card front and start sending cards in January or February.

One of these years, I might plan ahead and order New Year's cards from Minted.  They have such pretty designs.

Any of the cards and prints at Minted can be personalized with photos, text, color, or shape.

The Valentine's designs on Minted make me want to send Valentine's.  SO CUTE.

On top of holiday cards, they also carry Save the Date Cards, Custom Art Prints, and Business Cards. They have so many pretty and inspiring designs. 

LOVE.

strawberry sweet cream ice cream sandwiches

I love ice cream and I love cookies, so I put these two loves together and make ridiculously good ice cream sandwiches.

I "ruined" one plate by trying to build these when the ice cream was super soft.  Not a good idea.  I thought it would be easier since I could scoop and spread without utilizing any upper body strength but my laziness got the best of me.  The ice cream oozed out of the cookie sandwich and filled the plate with a puddle of ice cream and soft cookies.  

In the end, it was a delicious mistake because I froze it and then had a plate of cookie/ice cream goodness.  Sometimes laziness pays off.

By the time I got to the second plate, I had learned my lesson and used firm ice cream. Tip - build these suckers fast, ice cream melts!

strawberry sweet cream ice cream sandwiches {makes about 18}

for the cookies
-1/2 cup unsalted butter - softened 
-1/2 cup sugar
-1 egg and 1 egg white
-1/4 cup milk {I used non fat but whatever you have is fine}
-1/4 cup International Delight Sweet Cream {if you don't have this on hand, substitute with milk or cream}
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
-2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
-1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
-1/4 teaspoon salt

for the ice cream
-a pint of vanilla ice cream {you might need a bit more depending on how many cookies you have and how thick you want the filling}
-1 1/2 cup chopped strawberries
-the juice from one half a lemon
-2 tablespoons International Delight Sweet Cream {again, you can skip this and add in honey if you want the strawberries to be super sweet}

1. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
2. Use an electric mixer to cream together the butter and sugar.  Let mix for about a minute and add in the eggs and vanilla extract.  Continue to mix until well combined - about another minute.
3. While the mixer is on low, add in 1/3 of the dry ingredients, then the milk, then 1/3 more of the dry ingredients, then the Sweet Cream, then the remaining dry ingredients.  Mix until just combined.
4. This dough is sticky, so lightly flour parchment or waxed paper and roll the dough out onto it.  Using floured hands, make the dough into a log shape, wrap up in the paper and refrigerate for a few hours, until firm.
5. Once the dough is firm, slice in 1/4" thick pieces and lay out on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes.  Longer if you want the cookies crisp, but I like mine soft.  Allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheets then transfer to a plate to cool completely.

6. Once the cools are completely cooled, make the strawberry syrup.  Just chop the strawberries into tiny pieces and put in a small saucepan set over low heat.  Mix in the lemon juice and let the berries cook for about 10 minutes.  They will reduce and thicken.  Remove the mixture from the heat and allow to cool completely.  Once cooled, whisk in the Sweet Cream.
7. In a large bowl, combine the vanilla ice cream and strawberry mixture.  You could just skip all of this and use strawberry ice cream but the flavor from the fresh strawberries is pretty amazing....far better than any standard store bought strawberry ice cream.
8. Pop the bowl of ice cream into the freezer so it hardens.  This is where I messed up and began building my sandwiches that became a soupy delicious ice cream mess.

9. Once the ice cream is firm but still scoop-able, build your sandwiches and immediately place them in airtight containers {lining with parchment paper helps with stacking them on top of each other} in the freezer.

I want to make these again, except as a sort of cake.  My idea is to bake to halves of cookie crust in large sheets and then layer it all in a rectangle pan and slice into sandwich pieces.  I think this will make the sandwich building part a little easier because everything will be able to freeze together.

Also, different kinds of fruit would be amazing - peaches or plums sound pretty good to me :).

Love ice cream + coffee? This summer, International Delight is bringing your favorite Cold Stone Creamery ice cream flavors to coffee and they're celebrating by giving away five $400 grand prizes to throw this summer’s ultimate Ice Cream Social!  To enter, visit the ID + Ice Cream Pinterest board and pin your favorite image using the #IScream4ID hashtag. Good luck!
 

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine.

caprese and kale salad

Caprese salad is one of my most favorite salads ever.  It is perfect in the summer when tomatoes are at their best.  Lately I have been building this simple and delicious salad on a bed of kale.  The kale adds a nice crunch and makes me feel a little healthier.  If you aren't a kale fan, use any green you love.

I always top my caprese salads with a splash of balsamic vinegar, a tiny drizzle of olive oil, and sea salt. When Olivari Olive Oil asked me to try out their oil and post on the little things in life for their "year of the little" campaign, I knew I had to share this salad.  It is so simple, yet so amazing.  Totally one of the little things in life that makes me happy :).

caprese and kale salad {serves one}
-a cup {or more} of chopped kale 
-1 large tomato {I have been buying and loving heirlooms this summer}
-1 ounce of fresh mozzarella
-fresh basil {I like a lot}
-a splash of balsamic vinegar
-a tiny drizzle of olive oil {I use about two teaspoons}
-sea salt

To make this salad, just pile the kale onto a plate and top with sliced tomato, mozzarella, and chopped fresh basil.  Drizzle the balsamic and olive oil over the salad and sprinkle on a little bit of sea salt.

Olivari Olive Oil is celebrating "One Year of Little". Visit their Facebook page to learn why the little things are everything.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Olivari . The opinions and text are all mine.