my food journey with anne......

if you have been following these last few weeks you know i started a quest of finding healthy, tasty meals for a close friend who is on a VERY restricted diet. she is going through cancer treatments and part of her plan to kick this horrible thing is eating only the best foods for her body.
 trying to plan tasty meals that are small, filling and easy to eat is hard all by itself. so let's face it when you can't have meat, dairy, carbs, fruits and dare i say chocolate!! ;(  there are only soooo many salads you can eat.
i also decided while on this fabulous and challenging food journey with her, i was going to create meals that were not only good for her, but also meals and snacks my family or any family could eat too.
so last nights dinner was parchment baked salmon with brussel sprouts and garlic, light, easy and loaded with protein! that wasn't all that challenging. the real challenge was creating a dessert that didn't contain dairy, sugar, fruits or chocolate that would be tasty for her and  my family would enjoy it also! so this is what came out of my brainstorming.
chia pudding, made with coconut milk, chia seeds, cinnamon and vanilla. it is thick and creamy and kind of like tapioca pudding. i topped hers with coconut sugar, cinnamon and crushed almonds as you can see it looks delicious and it tasted yummy!!!
 so here's a few facts about chia seed: 
        it has five times the calcium of milk, chia seed has double the protein of any other seed or grain. it also contains boron (a trace mineral that helps get the calcium in your bones, a great thing for anne since this awful disease is attacking her bones too)
 it is extremely high in fiber, provides energy, helps induce weight loss,  lowers cholesterol, and provides intestinal regularity, and is easy to digest. do i need to go on? oh, but wait, here's another interesting fact, did i mention, my kids loved it too!!!!! ding, ding, ding!!!! we have a win!!
below is the kids version, they topped it with strawberries, blueberries, crushed almonds and a drizzle of maple syrup. breakfast, lunch, snack, dessert really does it matter when you eat it! something yummy for anytime of the day.
 i have decided i am going to try and bring you on this food journey with me, by posting pics and blogging and sharing some of my new recipes with you as often as i can. bare with me though, between the kids, everyday life, work, and did i mention remodel, packing and moving and let's just throw a wedding out of town in there for good measure i may get behind. i will try and do my best tho. hope you enjoy our little treat as much as we did!

                                                        vanilla chia seed pudding
1 can coconut milk
12 0zs. warm water
1/2 cup chia seeds
1 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Dash of sea salt 

whisk together the coconut milk and water until smooth.  whisk in the remaining ingredients for about a minute or two.  let set for five minutes and whisk again for another minute.  
 cover and place in the refrigerator overnight.  the chia seeds need about eight hours to absorb the liquid.  in the morning whisk again, then enjoy your pudding.
the pudding becomes thicker the longer you leave in refrig. i made mine tuesday and it is really thick and delicious today! feel free to mix in any flavors, like honey, different nuts, fruits. i love that the kids liked it too. what a great after school snack or before practice pick me up.