Greek Chia Seed Pudding

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My mother in law recently discovered this honey-flavored 'yogurt of the gods' at a nearby grocery store. She insisted that it was the most amazing thing ever, and as a very seasoned greek yogurt aficionado, I was skeptical. But I am not only prideful about my greek yogurt ways, I am also the first to admit when I am wrong. And wowza, was I wrong about how delicious this stuff was.

I wanted to find a way to incorporate the amazing, honey, creme brulee like taste into a healthy breakfast with chia seeds. The result is something pretty spectacular - creamy, sweet, and healthy at the same time. Eat it for breakfast... or for dessert.

Greek Chia Seed Pudding

Servings: 2
Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup greek yogurt, vanilla or honey flavored, divided. (I used honey-flavored greek gods yogurt. Click this link to see if it is sold at a store near you.)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 pinch salt
• 10 almonds, roughly chopped

Directions:

1. Combine chia seeds, water, 1/2 of the greek yogurt (about 1/4 cup), vanilla extract, and salt in a tupperware or bowl. Whisk until well combined and let sit in the fridge overnight (or at least for two hours).
   
2. Remove from the fridge when ready to eat. Divide into two bowls (or just eat half of it!) and top with remaining greek yogurt. Top with roughly chopped nuts and devour!
   

WHAT ABOUT YOU?
Have you tried any amazing foods lately that knocked your foodie socks off? Share! I want to try them too :)

Homemade Coffee Syrup with Truvia (Zero Calories!)

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I love coffee. I'm pretty sure my brain doesn't turn on until cup 2. There's also a Starbucks in my building... which is a blessing... and a curse. When I found myself ordering a skinny mocha latte, I often felt disappointed afterwards because it meant I'd just consumed about 115 calories (and it honestly made me just too full if I drank it right after lunch, when I really "need" it). Those liquid calories will sneak up on ya, folks. And if a tall (smallest size) skinny (their lower calorie version) latte is at least 100 calories, I shudder to imagine what their larger, non-"skinny" drinks ring in at.

Then, I discovered this little combination! I'll grab an iced, unsweetened cup of black coffee from Starbucks (or make it with the lunchroom Keurig) and squirt in a bit of my very own homemade coffee syrup (which I put in a travel size shampoo container from Walgreen's). Ahh. Refreshment. Deliciousness. Love.

Other skinny recipes: Skinny Egg McMuffins, 25 Calorie 3-ingredient Chips, Skinny Spinach and Asparagus Dip, Grilled Eggplant Nachos, Skinny Fries

Homemade Vanilla Coffee Syrup

Calories: ZERO
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Notes: This recipe is made with Truvia, a zero-calorie natural sweetener. If you're not worried about calories, feel free to substitute regular granulated sugar for this recipe. Splenda works too, but I generally choose to avoid it because I prefer not to ingest something so highly chemical in nature, whenever possible.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Water
• 1 cup Truvia (or other Stevia product. Sugar and Splenda will both work as well, but the nutritional values will be different).
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Directions:

1. Bring water and Truvia to a boil on the stove.
2. Reduce to a simmer and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Stir in Vanilla Extract, then remove from heat and spoon or pour into containers (such as a travel-size shampoo container from Walgreen's). Refrigerate between uses.