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...

Coconut Mocha Chia Pudding

I am partnering with Hamilton Beach today to bring you all this recipe for a creamy & low fat Coconut Mocha Chia Pudding. As always, all opinions expressed below are 100% my own.

I have no shame in admitting that I am a total coffee addict... and a coffee snob. You will rarely see me sipping on fast food coffee. Believe me when I say this, you all- I have tried most of them, but they are just not my cup of java. That being said, I am also all about saving money and being frugal. And yes, I know that being a coffee snob and being frugal do not exactly mesh. I know most "coffee snobs" in the traditional sense of the term have no problem dropping $5 on a cup of coffee goodness, but that is just not something that is in my everyday budget. Nor do I feel like wrangling a toddler & hopping into the car every morning to go pick up said snob-worthy coffee. 

My solution? Making good coffee at home every morning. :)

And while the quality of the coffee you choose to brew at home has a lot to do with how good it will taste in your favorite coffee mug, owning a good coffee maker is also essential. Up until about a month ago, I had been using the same coffee maker for the past 6 years.  It wasn't anything fancy, but it did the job... or at least I thought that it had been.  That was until I was offered the opportunity to try Hamilton Beach's new FlexBrew 2-Way Coffee Maker.  Seriously, you all. I had no idea what I had been missing! The Flex Brew gives you the option of brewing either a 12 cup pot of coffee the traditional way, or you can use the single brew side to brew one cup of coffee using either your favorite K-CUPS* or fresh grounds. And the best part? It really doesn't take up that much more space on my counter than my old coffee maker did. ;)

Being the self-proclaimed coffee addict that I am, I am always looking for ways to incorporate coffee into some of my recipes. Given my recently acquired fondness for creamy & healthy chia pudding, it only made sense that I would try and make a coffee flavored one. This delicious Coconut Mocha Chia Pudding combines fresh brewed chilled coffee with coconut milk, chia seeds, & cocoa for a delicious treat with a little bonus pick-me-up...

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...