S'mores Chia Pudding

Inspired by a campfire classic, this easy to make S'mores Chia Pudding is the perfect back to school snack. This conversation is sponsored by WhiteWave Foods. The opinions and text are all mine.

With the start of another school year also comes the start of another cross country season for my son. And with after school practices every afternoon and meets just about every week, I am always trying to find quick, satisfying, and energy packed snacks for my son to fuel his practices and race days and to hold him over after practice until dinner time. Being a teenager, he would rather be eating potato chips washed down by a few chugs of a sugary soft drink. ;) Determined to come up with a few snack choice compromises that we could both love, I headed to my local Kroger to shop their Natural Foods Department...

Vanilla Bean Chia Pudding

A simple healthy recipe gets a kick of intense vanilla flavor in this Vanilla Bean Chia Pudding...

Okay, you all- I finally jumped on the chia seed bandwagon, and now I am wondering why I ever waited so long. I may have had a little bit of a prejudice against them before because all I could think of when someone mentioned chia seeds were chia pets. Do you all know what I am talking about? (And now that jingle from the television commercial is stuck in my head- Chi, chi, chi, chiaaaa... ;) )

But nevertheless I had been kind of curious about chia seeds for the past few months, but I had no clue where I would even buy them here in small town West Virginia. Then lo and behold, one day I was shopping at my local ALDI and there they were on the shelf- a bag for less than $3! I mean, what did I have to lose really? So I grabbed a bag and started asking around to my fellow food bloggers what were their favorite ways to enjoy and prepare them. Many said that they loved sprinkling them over yogurt (which is yum, by the way) or mixed into smoothies. But again and again, they mentioned chia pudding.  

The first couple of times that I tried making chia pudding I got the ratios off, and my pudding ended up more like a slurpy mess.  But this latest attempt? I nailed it! :) I decided that I want to stick to a simple chia pudding recipe, but added a kick of intense vanilla flavor. By stirring in a simple teaspoon of vanilla bean paste, this healthy and easy to make pudding becomes almost like a creamy vanilla dessert. You could also substitute a teaspoon of vanilla extract, but trust me on this- splurging a little for some good quality vanilla bean paste is so worth it for this recipe. Enjoy this Vanilla Bean Chia Pudding simply as is or feel free to top it with your favorite fruits, berries, or nuts... 

Peanut Butter Crumble Yogurt Parfait

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #WhenImHungry #CollectiveBias

Ever had that moment during the day when you have been so busy and stressed that you somehow forgot to eat lunch or you have powered through the mid-afternoon munchies and then hangry sets in? I know some of you all already know too well what I am talking about when I say hangry, but for those of you that don't  know what hangry it is basically when you are so hungry that you are pretty much angry.  You don't feel quite like yourself. Your patience wears thinner a little quicker. The smallest thing can agitate you and make you snap. Yep, that is hangry, my friends. And hangry isn't pretty.

I have been guilty of being hangry more times than I would like to admit. Rather it be because I am trying to power through some blog post guidelines while dealing with a toddler meltdown (and you know that they always perfectly time to throw down the major ones right when you are the busiest ;) ). Or out running errands, picking my son up from practice, and just getting the general business of keeping our home & family running smoothly. And boom! It hits me- hangriness. And that is when I remember that I haven't ate a thing for over 5 hours. 

My new solution to cure the afternoon hangry? This easy to make, energy boosting Peanut Butter Crumble made with toasted oats, toasted rice cereal, peanut butter, chia seeds, and satisfying SNICKERS® Peanut Butter Squares.  I can throw a couple of handfuls in a plastic baggie to go or create a quick and delicious yogurt parfait with it at home in minutes. Hangry cured. ;)