Mornings are often spent on autopilot. Getting out of the door on time is enough of a challenge – but having a good breakfast doesn’t have to be one, too.

Rather than skipping the morning meal entirely or grabbing something on the go, chia seed pudding is a super easy, tasty, and nutritious option that can be prepped in minutes the night before. Chia seeds are mixed with milk (non-dairy works perfectly well, too) and left in the fridge overnight. The tiny seeds absorb the liquid and plump up like tapioca with a very similar texture.

Instead of one big batch, I make individual serving containers of pudding and toppings that are ready to grab on the way out the door. Even simpler – mix up a batch before leaving work so it’s ready and waiting the next day.

The best part about this no-fuss pudding is the variety of flavor combinations that keep a breakfast routine from getting boring. The type of milk used changes the base flavor: low-fat milk, soy, almond, and coconut milk all make excellent chia seed puddings.

Like a “breakfast sundae” (“pudding”, “sundae” – these are not bad words to get you through the morning!) toppings are limited only by imagination. Fresh and dried fruit, spices, nuts, seeds, and granola can be mixed and matched for a healthy, delicious, and filling meal. Chia seeds, said to have been a staple of the Aztec diet, offer serious nutritional value including Omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, antioxidants, protein, calcium, iron, and manganese.

There are days when nothing but an egg sandwich will do, but for the days in between chia seed pudding is a breakfast that not only tastes good but also leaves you feeling good…and satisfied.

Chia Seed Pudding Recipe

Ingredients:
¼ cup chia seeds
1 cup milk of choice
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract (optional)
1 TB honey or agave (optional)

Instructions:
Mix ingredients, cover and set in fridge overnight. Thin with additional milk if desired and add toppings.

Simple flavor combinations to get started:

• Coconut milk pudding topped with mangoes, pineapple, dried flaked coconut, toasted pistachios
• Almond milk pudding, topped with blueberries, cherries, toasted almonds
• Soy milk pudding, topped with peaches, toasted pecans, cinnamon, drizzle of maple syrup
• Low-fat milk pudding, topped with strawberries, bananas, toasted walnuts, raisins

Jennifer Murray is an avid cooker, baker and lover of food. She grew up making traditional Italian recipes with her grandparents and can’t resist a homemade project – from making sausage to baking black and white cookies. Jennifer tries never to miss Sunday gravy, only makes serving sizes suitable for large family holidays and recently started teaching cooking classes in New York. She previously shared a delicious recipe with ATG for Chocolate Whiskey and Beer Cupcakes.