Salted Chocolate Chia Pudding
*makes 6 servings that are 1/3 of a cup

My chocolate cravings have been bonkers. Bonkers. They could very well be a result of stress. Call it perimenopause or, very likely, the early mornings and long days at the senior center with interrupted sleep to boot. I’m making an effort to steer clear of refined sugar, cookies, cakes and yes — even you my beloved ice cream — in an effort to avoid blood sugar spikes, stay mindful and in my best health before my next surgery in September. I’m back to a somewhat regular yoga practice, which I’ll once again be out of for 2-3 months after this upcoming surgery, so I’m being diligent. Well, as diligent as I can be as a woman who has a history of emotional eating — but, who doesn’t?

With my hormones changing, working out and fueling to feel good has been a priority in my daily life — but those cravings for chocolate are to be met. So I’m meeting them with grace, goodness and a heap of cocoa powder and chia seeds — and lemme tell you, it’s working better than any black bean brownie I’ve made or chocolate covered banana bite — at least at the moment. The fiber in the chia seeds is super filling and the addition of cocoa powder really hits the spot — not to mention the added benefits of magnesium for hormone changes. A punch of salt, a few good quality chocolate chips and strawberries and I feel like I am winning something. What, I don’t know, but it tastes and feels good — so it’s pretty much a win win for mental and physical health.

I steered clear of chia pudding for years, but I decided to give it another go very recently, and I can’t seem to stop dreaming of new flavor combinations and making the next batch.

Here’s to meeting cravings in a mindful way, chocolate, salt, sweetness and everything good we can take away from stress and hormone fluctuations. It’s ok to have cravings and it’s ok to not feel ok and, you know what, a little bit of chocolate and quietly eating this chia pudding on a cold tile floor — it can be healing.

Stay well and stay balanced. xo

Salted Chocolate Chia Pudding
*makes 6 servings that are 1/3 of a cup

Ingredients
2 cups of dairy milk or non-dairy milk alternative; I used Califia Farms Organic Unsweetened Almond Milk — so I cannot speak to how this puddin’ would come out with dairy milk
8 tablespoons of chia seeds
1 tablespoon of high quality vanilla extract
2 tablespoons of high quality cocoa powder
1 teaspoon of sea salt
2 tablespoons of honey
Chocolate chips and strawberry slices for individual topping and serving

Instructions
—Pour milk into a medium sized glass bowl
—Add chia seeds, vanilla extract, cocoa powder, salt and honey
—Whisk until all ingredients are combined and the chia seeds are separated and not clumped together; as you’re mixing you may already notice that a pudding is forming because of the higher ratio of chia seeds
—Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour and then give it another mix with a spoon or spatula
—Allow the chia pudding to set for another 2 hours or, even, overnight
—Serve chilled and topped with fresh berries, chocolate chips, walnuts and another sprinkle of sea salt