Chia Seeds: They're Not Just for Chia Pets Any More!

When we arrived in Denver Friday afternoon, one of the first things we did was go to Whole Foods.  I. LOVE. WHOLE. FOODS.  I love the concept.  I love the variety.  I love the people.  I love not having to wait to eat my groceries.  Yes, I'm a foodie.  As long as the term does not imply that I am a gourmet.  In high school French class it became obvious that the proper term for what I am is a GOURMAND (appreciates all things food, so to speak.  A person who enjoys eating and often eats too much) vs.  a GOURMET (a connoisseur, with a DISCERNING palate).  Oops!  Just looked it up.

foodie  

Web definitions epicure: a person devoted to refined sensuous enjoyment (especially good food and drink). I'm all about the devotion to sensuous enjoyment, but am not sure I am REFINED, in any sense of the word.   ANYWAY, on our first trip to Whole Foods, we picked up some dinner and consumed it right there in the store, at the little tables set up just for that purpose.  I also bought some CHIA SEEDS.  I'd been wanting to try them in a pudding recipe I'd seen.  Remember Chia Pets?  Same seeds, different concept. I remembered the recipe slightly differently than it was posted and so this is what I did, even though the recipes I looked at later call for coconut milk. Chia Seed Pudding 1/2 c. chia seeds 2 c. almond milk (add more the next day if it's too thick) SOAK OVERNIGHT. Or two days, as the case may be. Add 1/2 t. vanilla, a couple of dashes of cinnamon, and a packet of stevia to sweeten it.  VOILÁ!  Was that simple or what? Chia pudding. We're trying to find ways to describe it...it is the color of puce/concrete/gruel. It is pudding-like in consistency with chia seeds adding "textural interest." Jason and I like it; Sierra is put off by the look and feel; Bridger refuses to try it. Why chia seeds? They're considered a super food, offering protein, fiber, and omega-3s. I do like the pudding! Perhaps I should have read all of the nutritional info BEFORE I tried it.  I wasn't aware there are about 10 grams of fiber in a little serving of pudding. That's a lot of fiber!  Hmmm. Poor kids. This may be an uncomfortable evening for more than just those of us who tried it. As we left Whole Foods today, after our third or fourth meal there in two days, I was admiring our cashier.  He was tall and handsome and epitomized all things Denver to me.  He had pulled his dreadlocks into a swirl behind his head and he had on a vintage-styled t-shirt featuring a multi-armed image of the Hindu faith.  He went on break while we were eating outside on the patio and I smiled to see his carrying a a bottled green juice and an apple. He munched his apple while checking out his smart phone.  I SO wanted to take his picture, but I haven't gotten quite that daring yet.  Yes, my sense of daring at this stage of life is limited to consuming large amounts of fiber which may be inadvisable for an out-of-town guest visiting a daughter and boyfriend in a small one bedroom apartment.