Chia Pudding Recipe

You know those seeds that you put on a pottery face at Christmas?

You wet them and smear them on to the pottery.

Those are chia seeds.

I don't use those pottery faces for my chia seeds, but I do make food out of them.

I love Chia Seed Jam.  

I thought I had posted the recipe in a past blog, 

but I can't find it.

So, when I make some chia seed jam again, I will post that recipe.

I also love 

Chia Seed Pudding.

As you can see in the photo, I was able to finish the last bit of pudding, and 

it was delicious, and it was very easy to  make.

There's no cooking involved.

It's a refrigerator pudding.

Here's how you make it.

Depending on how much you want to make, and I usually double this recipe, multiply it times 2.

You won't regret it!

Here's what I used:

1 cup of milk of any kind: cow's milk, soy, almond, etc.

1/4 c cocoa

1/4 c chia seeds

1 teaspoon real vanilla

1/4-1/2 cups chocolate chips

(For this recipe, I used chocolate milk.)

Mix all the ingredients together, stirring gently with a spoon.

When they ingredients are mixed together, put in refrigerator to set.

Before serving, add about 1/4-1/2 cup of chopped nuts of your choice.

Nut allergies, of course, don't use.

Let me know if you like this recipe.  It's a favorite here at home. 

Worth Repeating: This Has to be Quick because It's Almost time for Downton Abbey

Three Beautiful Things This Week

Three Beautiful Things This Week was inspired by a wonderful blog that Three Beautiful Things. Everyday, Clare writes about 3 Beautiful Things that happen each day in her life. It's a wonderful blog! I can only hope to imitate her in a very small way.

1) The garden is providing enough veggies for each day's consumption.

Isn't that great!

2) It's been hot and humid, but I am most grateful for air conditioning.

3) I started a new "clay painting" today.  I'm looking forward to working on it more tonight.

 

Quick! Make a List! What gives you joy? Write for 3-5 minutes without stopping

The things that give me joy:

my children

attending daily Mass

my dog

the kitties

a good book

working with polymer clay

working with glass

taking a walk on a cool day

writing a great blog post

getting rid of the stuff

Opening the windows on a cool night

watching the rain fall

Hearing the rain on my roof

the first snow fall of the year

working in my garden

long days and short nights

making beautiful beads

giving away my beads

seeing a smile on someone's face

hearing the tree frogs stop croaking after the first frost

walking along the river's edge

seeing parts of the city I have not seen before

learning something new

cooking a good meal

picking tomatoes from the vine

eating a fresh tomato

cuddling with my dog

seeing an old friend

drinking a glass of wine

sleeping well at night

Isn't it amazing all of the things for which we can be grateful?

This is a way to change your thought patterns and it helps to write down and see all that you have that blesses you with joy.

 

Worth Repeating: The Old Rocking Chair

I heard the story, the other day, that a Facebook friend knew a man whose wife was having a baby very soon.  She wanted to hire a "Night Sitter" so that they could sleep through the night while the "night sitter" got up and took care of the baby.  She was stunned.  So were a lot of us to hear this.  It wasn't that the mom was working and needed the help.  She was planning on staying home with the baby.  Of course, dad would continue to work.  Nevertheless, how many of our husbands would get up and help us with our babies at night?  The couple had family in town who was willing and able to help.  The mother to be simply wanted one because many of her friends either had one or had had one when their babies were born.  The man was complaining because the cost of such a sitter was $1000 per week!  (If only I had earned that much as a teacher to take care of other people's children day after day after day!)

Then I looked at the rocking chair.  It's almost 35 years old.  We  bought it right before Jenny was born.  We shined it up and put it in the living room.  Jenny was a good baby, but she managed to get her days and nights mixed up.  She was so sweet and mellow at night, you couldn't help but enjoy her.  Nick on the other hand was all boy from the day he was born.  He would sleep for 20 minutes at a time, wake up to be fed and stay awake for 2 hours!  That was his schedule.  He was just a happy, bouncing baby boy.

I don't remember the number of hours I spent in this chair with my babies.  We'd be awake when everyone else in the neighborhood was asleep.  The soft glow of the night light in the living room, lit my way to the chair with the baby.  We'd rock and talk.  We'd rock and play.  We'd rock and look at the world around us.  We discovered our hands.  We held fingers.  We'd smile at each other.  Hours upon hours were spent in that chair.

When the kids grew a bit older and they'd get sick, we'd often find ourselves together in the rocking chair even during the dark hours of the night.  I'd rub aching tummies and sooth feverish brows with a cool wash cloth.  We'd take temperatures.  We'd drink the normally forbidden glass of pop that did help to sooth the aching tummies.  We'd count chicken pox blisters.  Once in a while, we'd even turn on the TV softly and watch until we went to sleep.

There was no night sitter and no family close enough to help.  We did this, and it was very hard at times, especially when I was exhausted or sick, too!  The reality is that, in spite of the difficulties of being awake when you didn't want to be awake, I would never trade this special time with my children.  This is time that can never be replaced or lived again.  I feel blessed to have had this time.  I thank God for it!

My children are grown now.  There is no more cuddle time in the rocking chair.  When their children are born, I am hoping that one of them will take it to their home to rock and care for their children.  We'll see.  Maybe they will have a special chair of their own.  However, no one or event can take that time from me!
I was blessed!