Holli Thompson

Guest Blogger: Camille Styles’ Ginger-Berry Chia Seed Pudding

 
I first met Camille Styles when my husband and I were featured on her site hosting a winter hunt breakfast at our farm in Virginia. Camille is a lover of style, food, and living the life we all desire. I adore her work, so when I asked her to be a guest blogger for us, I was thrilled that she wanted to share her favorite breakfast (and that it was so healthy!)

Chia Seeds. I’ve been hearing tons about these nutritional powerhouses (they are most definitely “having a moment” in the culinary world) but hadn’t the slightest idea how to cook with them. I posted my query on twitter and was blown away by all the creative things you guys are doing with them!

Adding them to overnight oats, green smoothies, fruit parfaits, in flapjacks and of course, as the base to the totally bizarre yet increasingly popular chia seed pudding. When chia seeds soak in any kind of liquid, they actually absorb up to 10 times their weight in water, taking on a texture like gelatin.

I started experimenting with different ingredients to up the flavor and nutrition, and settled on this almond milk, ginger and berry combo that I’ve been completely addicted to for breakfasts, snacks and dessert the past week. It’s vegan, gluten free and brimming with antioxidants, so it’s truly a guilt-free treat that gives me tons of energy and keeps me feeling light.

Since I’ve been doing a lot of grab-and-go breakfasts lately, I’ve been making my pudding in mason jars, letting it gel overnight, then tossing it in my bag as I dash out of the house in the morning.

Ginger-Berry Chia Seed Pudding (makes 1 serving)

**I like to make these in single-serve portions in mason jars that I can just pop in the fridge, but feel free to double, triple or quadruple these measurements if you’re making pudding for a crowd.

Ingredients
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons almond milk (or the milk of your choice… coconut, soy, or cow’s milk works great, too)
2 teaspoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons chia seeds
6 – 8 raspberries, blackberries or blueberries, plus more for topping
1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1/4 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt
nuts or seeds for topping (I love a mixture of slivered almonds and hemp seeds.)

Preparation
1. In a mason jar or other container with tight fitting lid, combine almond milk and maple syrup. Shake to combine.

2. To the jar, add next 6 ingredients. Shake well, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. During the first 2 hours of chilling, shake well every 30 minutes to evenly distribute the chia seeds. The pudding is ready when it’s very thick.

Pudding keeps for up to 3 days in the fridge.
 
 
 
Camille Styles is the founder and creative director of popular lifestyle blog camillestyles.com, where she shares the creative entertaining ideas that inspire her parties and her life. Camille is also a regular lifestyle contributor to numerous media outlets, and does styling work for national fashion and lifestyle brands. Her modern aesthetic and eye for detail come together to create parties that are simply chic and all about fun.

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PS. On New Year’s Day I opened the doors to my signature program, Cleanse with Benefits—a gentle, whole foods based cleanse to reset your system in a healthy way. Guaranteed: no deprivation and guilt allowed! I invite you to join me, in health, to feel fab by February. Click here for more information.