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Elena's Healthy Ways

Healthy Food. Healthy Habits. Healthy Life.

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Overnight Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

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Cacao Chia Pudding

This Chia Pudding is great for breakfast, dessert or as a healthy snack. It’s free of dairy, gluten, refined sugars, eggs, and any chemicals. Just unsweetened almond milk, chia seeds, unsweetened cacao powder, honey (or maple syrup), sea salt, vanilla extract and banana. Made with natural and very nutritious ingredients that are very easy to always have on hand. These chia puddings are great to satisfy cravings for sweets or chocolate in a very guiltless way. I have never met someone (either grown ups or kids) that did not enjoy these easy to make sweet treats. I can never make enough!

Cacao Chia Pudding
 
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Delicious and easy to make cacao puddings that will satisfy chocolate and sweet cravings while nurturing your body. Great for breakfast, snack or dessert!
Author:
Recipe type: Breakfast, Snack, Sweet treat
Cuisine: Healthy, gluten free, dairy free, egg free, sugar free.
Serves: 2 to 4
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups of unsweetened almond milk (you can also use unsweetened vanilla almond milk).
  • ⅓ cup of chia seeds.
  • 2 tbsp of unsweetened cacao powder.
  • 4 tbsp of honey or maple syrup.
  • A pinch of sea salt.
  • 6 drops of vanilla extract.
  • 1 ripe big banana.
Instructions
  1. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
  2. Refrigerate overnight (or at least for 4 hours).
  3. You can add banana and strawberry slices on top of you pudding right before eating.
  4. You can use less honey if you don't like it too sweet.
  5. Yields two 8 ounces servings or four 4 ounces servings.

 

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Cacao-Buckwheat Energy Balls

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Cacao-Buckwheat Energy balls

These energy balls are perfect to satisfy anyone’s sweet cravings but with a healthy alternative that’s gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, and egg free. This recipe requires no baking. The only equipment it requires is a food processor, although you can still make it without it if you are willing to spend a little more time chopping everything really well so it all blends well together.

I love to use wax paper to wrap these energy balls as if they were candy so I can easily carry some in my handbag and to include in my kids’ and husband’s lunchboxes. You can keep them in the fridge for around two weeks and use them as a sweet treat after a meal.

The star ingredients that make these energy balls so healthy are the buckwheat and the cacao. Buckwheat is a gluten free seed that adds important amounts of dietary fiber, protein and antioxidants that will help stop cravings for unhealthy refined carbs like pastries and cookies. Aside from being delicious, cacao is considered a super food because of its high content of nutrients. It’s full of healthy antioxidants, magnesium, iron and calcium.

The sweetness in these energy balls come from Medjool dates instead of from refined sugars. Dates are one of my favorite ways to sweeten smoothies, baked goods and other sweet treats. They are loaded with fiber and amino acids that help fight constipation. They also contain plenty of minerals and vitamins and are a natural energy booster. A few of these energy balls will satisfy your cravings while giving your body healthy energy and many nutrients it needs.

Let me know if you make these.

Healthy wishes!

Elena

Cacao-Buckwheat Energy Balls
 
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This delicious bite size energy balls will satisfy sweet cravings in a healthy way that will keep your energy levels up without any guilt!
Author:
Recipe type: Snack, sweet treat.
Cuisine: Healthy, sugar free, gluten free, dairy free, egg free.
Serves: 15-20
Ingredients
  • 1 Cup Medjool* dates.
  • ¼ cup of unsweetened cacao powder.
  • ⅔ cups of raw buckwheat** or buckinis**.
  • 6 drops of vanilla extract.
  • 1 cup of dry shredded coconut or coconut flakes.
  • ½ tsp. of cinnamon powder.
Instructions
  1. Sprinkle the shredded coconut with the cinnamon and lightly toast it in a skillet over low heat. If you are using coconut flakes instead of shredded coconut, use the blender or the food processor to make the coconut pieces smaller.
  2. Toast it just for a few minutes, moving it around until you can smell the aroma and until the coconut starts turning light golden.
  3. Set aside on a plate so it cools down for later use.
  4. Add the dates, cacao, and vanilla into a food processor and pulse until the mixture becomes fully blended. It should look like a thick paste.
  5. Add the buckwheat and pulse only a couple of times. You want to blend the buckwheat just a little but you still want to be able to see and feel the buckwheat grains.
  6. Use a teaspoon to scoop out some mixture and form a ball using your hands, in the same way you would make a ball if using Play-Doh. I like to make small bite size balls about 1 inch in diameter.
  7. Roll the balls on top of the toasted coconut until they are fully covered.
  8. Store in an airtight container in the fridge or use wax paper to wrap each ball individually as if it was a piece of candy.
  9. Enjoy!
Notes
*Medjool dates are softer and have more moisture than other types of dates. If you are not using Medjool dates, just cut the dates in half, place them in a bowl, cover them with water, and let them soak for at least half an hour. Then, drain the water and follow the recipe.
**Make sure you use raw buckwheat or buckinis instead of toasted buckwheat. Raw buckwheat has a mild taste and it’s softer than toasted buckwheat. Toasted buckwheat (also called kasha) can sometimes taste a little bitter and it is much harder. Buckinis are also a great choice to use, as they are raw buckwheat that has been previously soaked in water (to make its nutrients more easily available to our bodies) and then dehydrated.

 

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Healthy Mango-Banana Ice Cream

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MangoBananafinal

This Mango–Banana Nice-Cream is so easy to make and so delicious that you will more than likely want to double the recipe to keep some in your freezer. I can never make enough. It is also great for cooling down on a hot summer day with a sweet treat that has no refined sugars, gluten, or dairy.

You will need a food processor to blend everything together. Once it’s ready and served you can sprinkle it with chia seeds and shredded coconut as toppings for a good crunch and for additional fiber, protein and nutrients.

MangoBananaIngredients

Healthy Mango Banana Ice Cream
 
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A refreshing, sweet, and healthy treat easy to make for everyone to enjoy!
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert, snack.
Cuisine: Healthy, gluten free, dairy free, sugar free.
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 3 cups frozen mango.
  • 1 cup frozen banana (about 1 banana).
  • A pinch of sea salt.
  • Optional: Chia seeds and coconut flakes as toppings for extra fiber and protein.
  • Equipment needed: High power blender or food processor.
Instructions
  1. Leave the frozen fruit outside of the freezer so it softens a little.
  2. Take a big knife and cut the frozen fruit into smaller pieces to make it easier on the blender or food processor.
  3. Blend all ingredients until smooth.
  4. You can use a spatula to move the fruit around so they all blend together evenly.
  5. Serve and sprinkle with chia seeds and coconut flakes for additional nutrients and texture.
Notes
If you are like me and want to make a bigger batch and store it in the freezer, just add a teaspoon of vodka when you are blending it so your ice cream stays creamy (instead of icy).
You don't need to add this if you are eating it right away.

MangoBananaFreezer

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