Holiday Peppermint Chia Seed Pudding

How are you doing today?  Is everyone enjoying Full Moon Wednesday?  I think Full Moon Day is a vast improvement on Hump Day, what do you think?  If you missed my post on the Full Moon and how it effects us on everything from Insomnia to Romance to Difficulty Concentrating to a Great Time for a party, check it out!I’m glad most of you seemed to enjoy my little moon factoids & tidbits, and yes, blame your recent drama & insomnia on the moon!  And to new commenters and readers, thanks for coming out of the woodwork, I love that!  muah!!!!! 

Moving right along with some tidbits about me…
Recently, one of the things that I’ve been thinking about doing is becoming a certified personal trainer.  I was drawn to that not because I truly want to train people day in day out, but because I think it would be a nice supplement to my yoga teacher credentials.  Rounding out and broadening my knowledge sort of thing.

However, after much soul searching, I think the personal training certification is on hold for a bit because I am pursing the next, and highest level, of yoga teacher certification which is the 500 hour level as recognized by Yoga Alliance!!!!!  I’ve been registered at the 200 hour level since 2001 and this is the next and only jump up, and I am thrilled to be doing it!

Today I met with my guru and mentor today, and many of the previous thousands of hours of yoga teaching that I’ve done, the hundreds of hours worth of yoga retreats and conferences that I’ve attended over the years, and my own personal self-inquiry into the practice, both meditative and asana, will be “counted” in some way.   I’m really excited because I am a life-long learner and hold everything from my California Real Estate license to my Certified Lactation Educator & Counselor credential.  Jack of all trades, I tell you.  And I love it.  My brain is always working; I need to feed it with new information and new things to devour, ponder, & study and for me, since yoga is my true passion and this is the perfect path.

But enough yoga talk, let’s talk about Holiday Peppermint Chia Seed Pudding!

You may remember just a couple days ago I decided to make the Vegan Creme de Menthe bars which are a lovely combination of creme de menthe (i.e. minty flavor) and chocolate?

Well, I decided to make Holiday Chia Pudding with a wintery and minty flavor.

Averie’s Holiday Peppermint Chia Seed Pudding
2 Tbsp Chia Seeds
1/2 c Nut Milk (I used TJ’s lowfat vanilla almond milk) or milk of your choice
1/2 Tsp Peppermint Extract (Warning: Start slowly with this and do not overdo it.  Peppermint Extract is very potent stuff, nothing like vanilla extract, and a little bit of Peppermint Extract goes a long way)
1-2 Tbsp Agave (or to taste) and/or Stevia to taste

 Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir

Let it sit out for 20-30 minutes, stirring once or twice
This is after 15-20 minutes

This is after 12 hours in the fridge.  You can refrigerate the pudding for up to 2 days.

Note that the pudding will continue to thicken as time elapses.  The little seeds will soak up every drop of the liquid and will expand, thus thickening the pudding.

Enjoy the Pepperminty Pudding!

If you missed my Chocolate Chia Pudding, check this post out.

Or maybe good ole Vanilla Chia Pudding is your speed.

Or maybe you’d like to make a chocolate, oat, and chia seed cookie-bar snack?  Check this one out!

In addition to some Peppermint Pudding, I broke into a Vega bar.  

Skylar’s comment:  Good gwah-NOLE-ah (granola) bar, Mommy!  She has sampled dozens of varieties of raw bars, granola bars, flax seed crackers, you name it, she’s tried things right along with me.  

And she gave this bar the Two Year Old Two Chubby Thumbs Up stamp of approval.

So did I.  The berry flavor shines right through which was nice as does the date flavor.

I cleaned a pineapple.  We go through about 2 a week but they’re pretty acidic so gotta be careful not to get too pina-liscious carried away.

Also dehydrated some banana slices.
Before

 After

The house smells absolutely divine with the fragrant fumes of roasting bananas.  It’s like banana bread on steroids wafting through your house.  I actually ran errands on purpose because they smell Too Good!

For dinner I made a kale salad with tomatoes, brock, cukes, and my Homemade Vegan Slaw Dressing.

For Dessert, what else, but some Holiday Peppermint Chia Seed Pudding!

And I also had some Raw Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls that were calling my name.

I never tire of these little balls! (twss) .  They taste just like real raw chocolate chip cookie dough and they’re vegan, gluten & soy-free, and they’re ready in 10 minutes or less!

I had a great surprise in the mail today!!  A lovely care package of homemade goodies from the lovely Bekah of Beek Eats
Coconut Chia Granola, Cinnamon-Cumin-Maple Almonds, and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Everything is fabulous and Bekah’s a great cook & an even better friend, love ya sweetie!  Thank you!!!! 

Yoga Today is Seated forward bending in Paschimottanasana.  If you’re a runner especially, you really need to think about stretching your hamstrings in a seated forward bend or standing forward bend where you’d fold over at the waist and touch your toes.  Running shortens your hamstrings, and forward bends will counter that and helps to lengthen them back out.  And doing so will help you prevent injuries. 

For the non runners, this pose also helps to stretch and release your lower back and since we all spend too much time sitting at our ‘puters and not doin’ our backs any favors, forward bends will help your back out, too.

And with the traditional ashtanga style toe-hold

Tip of the Day: Being Green Around the House

• Make Your Own Detergent: Stop dumping polluting chemicals down the drain.  A simple, cost-effective dish detergent can be made for your handwashing or for your dishwasher.  Check out these recipes:

• 2 cups liquid castile soap
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup white vinegar
• 1 tp. lemon juice
• 3 drops tea tree oil
• Shake well before use.  Use 2 tablespoons per load.

(Tips courtesy of Holistic Moms Network)

GiveAway Alerts:   
Katie’s got a great one going on, check it out! 
Itzy’s Kitchen has something really great, too! 
Priyanka is giving away Glo Bars!  

Stay Tuned For Another Peppermint Recipe…