Chia Seed Mousse

 


I love chocolate.  I love raw chocolate, or cacoa.  I put it in my smoothie almost every day - it's a super food & its really good for you.

When I was at Wanderlust this summer, one of the food vendors, Pizza to the People (http://www.pizzatothepeople.net/), was selling chia seed mousse.  It was amazing!  I had experimented with chia seed puddings before, but their's blew mine away.  (check them out if you're in CT - great, great food!)

The first day I had it, I was starving!  I wolfed down one serving & almost immediately went back for another.  Why not?!  It was delicious, it was good for me:)  I got about half way through & realized...I was full.  I realized I was actually full after the first serving.  I just hadn't paused long enough to feel that I was full.

This happens alot, to alot of us.  We eat because we can.  We eat whatever we want, just about whenever we want.  I say I was starving that day at Wanderlust, but I wasn't really.  Thankfully I don't know what it feels like to really be starving.  I was hungry, sure.  But I had eaten once already that day.  I didn't eat so fast that I didn't even taste the mousse - I tasted it alright.  And it tasted so good I wanted more!  But then I just rushed on to the next serving. 

Mindful eating can be a wonderful, enjoyable experience.  What I realized that day, was that we don't do a whole lot of that.  I know I don't do alot of that.  I eat because I want to, not because I need to.  Most of the time, I do actually taste my food.  But there are times when I'm rushed & distracted & I don't.  I know I take food for granted.  And so it becomes a practice.  Mindfulness when eating is just like mindfulness in anything in life - on or off your mat.  It's being present for the experience.  It's feeling gratitude for what you have.

I was very grateful for that chia seed mousee & for the recipe!!  By request, here's my adapted recipe:

1/4 chia seeds
1 cup milk (almond or coconut)
1-2 TBS raw cacoa
1-2 TBS melted coconut oil
1-2 TBS maple syrup

Add chia seeds to blender & run blender to break them down.  Then add milk, cacoa & maple syrup & blend thoroughly.  Once blended, add melted coconut oil to blender.

Yup.  It's that simple.

I enjoy topping it with a sprinkle of raisins, cacoa nibs, nuts & even chocolate chips for an extra treat.

Try it!  And savor each bite!!