First, thank you to those of you who commented on yesterday’s post. The whole weekend, possibly longer, I went about life with a small shard of glass in the back of my left hand. I have no idea how it got there, but it started to nag at me and hurt, begging me to take a closer look, to pay attention. Finally, on Monday, I looked closer. I inspected the bump that had turned an angry red, and discovered that what I ignored had grown into something sore and obvious. Something about blogging had started to feel like that overlooked splinter.
The feeling of putting myself and my family and my inner thoughts out there into the blogosphere (Hello, here I am! How are you?), not knowing who was reading, just that about 14,000 of you come here, 14,000 individual people drop by each month and yet, sometimes it feels like a ghost town. It shouldn’t bother me; I know that commenting is a thing of the past — now people drop by, read, move on. I do it to blogs I love on a daily basis! But part of the reason I do this is to feel connected to others, and the community aspect of blogging from the good old days is… well, a thing of the past? Although I wasn’t consciously looking for validation, I guess I wanted to know… is anyone out there?!! How are you? Who are you? Right here, I’m an open book, I guess. So thank you for saying hello and sharing a piece of yourself with me. It means so much to me, it really does.
Whew! Now moving on…
I discovered this recipe on the package of chia seeds I picked up a week ago and had to share it with you! After reading up on all the health benefits of chia seeds (they are highly nutrient-rich, a whole grain, and loaded with fiber, protein, Omega-3 fatty acids, and many micronutrients: they are good for your skin, your digestive tract, heart health, and metabolism). The best way to get all the benefits from chia seeds is to soak them, or sprout them, in water or, as I learned, coconut milk. This makes them easier for our bodies to digest, plus, the seeds will not absorb water from you during digestion if they go in already soaked. Interesting!
I’ve been enjoying mine this way, as a breakfast pudding. I just mix 1/4 cup of chia seeds and about a cup (or a cup and a half) of coconut milk, 1/4 cup water, plus 2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup, and stir well, then refrigerate. Let sit for 30 minutes or even overnight, and you will find a thick pudding-like mixture. I eat about a half cup for breakfast, with fresh fruit on top — bananas or strawberries are great with the coconut. It’s refreshing, sweet and savory, healthy, and filling. Give it a try and let me know what you think! Or better yet, if you enjoy chia seeds, share how you like them best in the comments section (but even if you don’t comment, I know you’re out there, ha ha!) 🙂 Have a wonderful day.
Can’t wait to make this! This is right up my alley! We make a very easy avacado breakfast pudding frequently, but I am all about changing it up! And, just and FYI- I would feel devastated if you stopped blogging… Your ever faithful reader 🙂
I’ve never done anything. With chia seeds except add them to smoothies. I’m gonna try this!
Hello! I’m here! I’ve commented a few times in the past, but like you, I often read and enjoy and then go back to work. 🙂 In any case, I do really enjoy my breaks with your blog and appreciate the topics you cover: books, family, beauty (in all forms – inner, outer, personal, space/landscape, art, cooking, music, living a beautiful life). I am a public health researcher and mother of two little ones (age 3 and 5), living in Golden, Colorado. I live for: time with my kids (particularly anything outdoors), great music, fantastic books, delicious food, yoga, and positivity. No wonder I like your blog.
I bought a bag of chia seeds, and I’ve been so skeptical about the texture of pudding that I haven’t been able to bring myself to make the pudding. But I’m going to give it a try!
Hooray! You’re out there! Tricia, thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing some pieces of who you are. I feel like I know you better now! I’ve always wanted to visit Colorado.
Kristen — I’ve never tried them in smoothies! Now we both have something new to try!
And Brooke, if you don’t care for the texture of pudding, you can add more liquid. My mom says she likes chia seeds in fruit juice, so maybe it would be more like a smoothie texture? I’d at least give the pudding a try. I think it sticks with you longer!
I, too, have been silently enjoying all of your posts for what I’m now realizing has been quite a long time! Everything you share about your boys makes me excited to see what’s to come as my daughter gets older (she’s about to turn 2), and though I’ll probably never be very stylish myself I absolutely love seeing your outfit photos. My family is getting ready to move to St. Louis for the summer while my husband completes a 12 week internship, and I’ve thought about how great it would be to run into you and be able to say hello in person! I’m very hesitant to leave our circle of supportive friends behind and be alone in an unfamiliar city for this length of time, but thanks to your posts I’ve been able to look forward to exploring everything St. Louis has to offer. I’ll keep my eyes open for you!
ooo I’ll have to try this recipe, it sounds delicious. I usually sprinkle my chia seeds on steel cut oatmeal (w/ cinnamon and a pinch of brown sugar), on poached eggs w/ pasta, or simply on salad. I guess I’ve been missing out not soaking it prior!
Does soaking them make them taste slimy?
Rachel, so glad you are going to spend some time in St. Louis! I do hope I run into you!
And Kristin, they don’t taste slimy in the pudding form at all. But maybe in drinks they do? I actually don’t know.
Oh! And also, I tried this recipe with fresh strawberries and fresh mint leaves and it was SO good!
Lauren, you would LOVE Colorado. I enjoyed your Asheville posts a while back and thought to myself that you’d be right at home in Denver or Golden (where we live), or any number of other Colorado mountain towns. If you ever want to come out this way, I’d love to share some info on beautiful places to check out! Summertime is my personal favorite — hiking among the wildflowers, followed by tubing down a creek, and sitting down with the whole family at a microbrewery garden for food and drinks can’t be beat.
I’m going to give them a shot – I’m inspired. I think I’ve been hesitant because they seem like they’d be a weird texture. But what’s the harm in trying? Maybe it will break me out of my habit of eating oatmeal every.single.morning.
Hey Lauren,
I’m guilty of following the pack and not commenting mainly because I didn’t see others commenting either! It’s funny because I’ve wanted to comment for a while and your past couple of posts are clearly a sign that I should.
I started reading your blog a few years ago as a lost twenty-something year old without any children and without any plans for them either. Yet your blog intrigued me and became my guilty pleasure (guilty because I thought it was bizarre to not want kids and love reading about people having them, lol). I’ve always respected the way your raise your kids and your ideas about parenting and community and relationships are so friggin eloquently written and so classy and respectable. Things have changed in life and now I’m planning on having kids in a couple years. I’ve been saying for years to friends (who also don’t have kids but are fascinated by you) you need to listen to this woman’s ideas! I was talking about you literally an hour ago on the phone with a friend. Haha! She is brilliant! She respects her kids as adults, she doesn’t judge other moms for choosing to do things differently, she’s a grateful person, she has so much to teach. Your ways of parenting have taught and inspired me to do the same with little humans of my own one day.
I think it’s great and so important to express a need for validation because sometimes our mind reading abilities don’t work so well 😉 So thank you for this blog and sharing your experiences and thoughts with the mysterious internet!
Oh my goodness, Jane! Your words made me tear up. I am so honored that you keep coming back here and feel inspired by this blog, so honored that you would speak highly of me to others. It’s the highest form of flattery, really.
It’s funny, because I almost didn’t publish what I had written. I struggled with sounding whiney or insecure, needing validation, and equated that with feeling weak somehow. But I have to be honest in this space — making myself vulnerable is the only way for me to grow. I think if I go on pretending that I don’t care (about no one commenting or sharing themselves here), I’m living a lie, because I do care! I cherish the moments when a reader tells a bit about herself. I feel like I have a better picture of that individual, and as a result, feel closer to her/you! It’s such a good feeling to understand that there are people like you out there who are gaining value from what I put so much work into. It makes it all worth it. Every single second.
Hi Lauren, What kind of coconut milk did you use for the pudding? The canned version? Or the “coconut milk beverage” (like the one from SO delicious)? Thanks in advance!!
Kay, I used a can of coconut milk, which is why I also had to add 1/2 cup of water. However, you could use the coconut milk beverage. Just eliminate the water if you do; otherwise it will be too runny.
I love chia seeds! I tried sprouting them a few times, based on a tutorial I found online, but each time, ended up with moldy seeds and no sprouts. I will definitely be trying the coconut pudding, though! I sometimes get grossed out by textures (tapoica pudding is straight up booger pudding, you know?) but I am going to try to get past that and just do it for the health aspect.
Thanks for continuing to blog! I kind of dropped out of the whole thing once my kids expressed that they didn’t want to be talked about online, and I like being able to get a glimpse into your world, creepy as that may sound. You guys are such a cool family, and I love the way you’re raising your kids.
Dude, I hear you on the tapioca complaint — booger pudding, ha ha! I agree. But chia pudding is different because it still retains a crunch, it’s not all soft and chewy like tapioca balls. Ugh. And for sprouting the seeds, have you tried this:
http://www.amazon.com/Chia-Obama-Handmade-Decorative-Determined/dp/B001PKU28E
I’m sold.
Dear Lauren, I know I’m really late to this, but I hope you get to read this nonetheless. I just want you to know that I’m so thankful for your blog. I have two kids aged 1 and 3 and in the beginning, I read your blog mostly to find consolation in the fact that other families also have those too-early-mornings or days with lots of fighting and whining. Now it’s more for inspiration of how wonderful living with kids in a simple way, spending lots of time outdoors, reading and being active can be.
I’ve been following many blogs but a lot of them have become too commercial for me. Yours is the one I turn to first on my day off because of your honesty and because I can be sure to read your opinion without later finding out that the post has been sponsored. That said, I do understand that people have to make a living and I would still follow you if you went commercial. I love your pictures, reading and music tips, travel reports but mostly I admire how you talk about your family without oversharing, being very sensitive to your boys’, husband’s and friends’ right to privacy.
Thank you for keeping this blog going!
Have a nice weekend! Best wishes from Germany.
Meike, thank you so much for such a thoughtful and encouraging comment! I agree– a lot of blogs I used to read are now so commercial that I just can’t tell what’s real and what’s not. It’s really disheartening. But no worries! We have consistently turned down sponsors in the past and I plan to in the future. It’s something that I’ve held firm to; it’s just not something I’m willing to bend on. I think it changes the tone of a blog too much, and that’s not what this is about to me!
Thank you again. I am so glad you enjoy this site!