Cinnamon Chia Pudding

It has been a long and somewhat painful process transferring the last three and a half years of bebe meals to my new host and format.  The great thing is the ability to comment is available again (although all previous comments were lost) and the format is easy to maintain and update, meaning I'll be posting recipes and more weekly!  I still have a few things to finish before it's 100% but it's almost complete.

This weekend I had the privilege of presenting my class called Pack the Fun in Lunch at the Natural Parenting Expo here in Madison, WI.  It was a blast and I met so many amazing parents and kids.  We made Sandwich Sushi, Ladybugs on a Log, Cinnamon Chia Pudding and St. Patty's Smoothies.  I'll be sharing all of the recipes starting with the pudding recipe.

This recipe is one of the new favorites in our house! It is surprisingly easy to make and you end up with a creamy pudding with a tapioca like texture packed with nutrition and taste.

Cinnamon Chia Pudding - 12 Months+

Ingredients:

•½ cup raw cashews

•5 pitted dates

•1 ½ cup unsweetened almond milk

•2 tbsp chia seeds

•1 tsp. pure vanilla

•½ tsp cinnamon 

Soak the cashews for a few hours or overnight in room temperature water.  Rinse and drain the cashews.  Puree the cashews, dates and ¾ cup of almond milk until smooth and creamy (this make take a few minutes).  Whisk the remaining ¾ cup almond milk, chia seed, vanilla and cinnamon together.  Gently whisk in the cashew mixture until well combined.  Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes (this gives the chia seed time to absorb the liquid and give it a pudding consistency).  Enjoy!  A perfect sweet lunch box treat made without any sugar and full of nutrients!

This recipe is vegan and gluten-free.