Are you ready for some serious chia’rific goodness?
We’ve been eating all sorts of chiafied creations over here. It’s only my duty to share, right?
I was recently sent some great products from the fabulous people over at GNC to review.
Let’s talk about the GNC Total Lean™ Lean Shake™ first.
This is a meal replacement shake intended to be used twice a day for weight loss with the included exercise, meal and diet plan.
A very reasonable, easy to follow plan if you ask me, even though replacing meals with shakes isn’t really my thing. (I’m more of what some might call a “volume eater”- I like to eat the most food as possible for my calories.) I’m not exactly looking to restrict my diet right now either with my marathon training, but I’m also not one to turn away the opportunity to taste test something, especially when it’s chocolate flavored.
I tried out the Lean Shake™ last week as my afternoon snack. The directions say to mix 2 scoops with water. I mixed one scoop with unsweetened vanilla almond milk and added a scoop of instant espresso.
It did a really great job at holding me over until my late dinner. As far as meal replacement shakes go, the taste and consistency were pretty darn good also.
You can click here to read more about this product and the supplement facts.
Now it’s ch-ch-ch-chia time!
Of the many benefits of chia, some of my favorite ones are listed out in this short article that I found.
Simply stated, chia seeds have twice the antioxidants of blueberries, are a great source of Omega-3 fatty acids, are high in fiber, are relatively easy to digest, may help dieters feel fuller longer, may also help endurance athletes by decreasing recovery time and are just plain fun to add to pretty much anything. Whoa, that’s a lot.
So…. I’m sure you can imagine my excitement when I received this huge tub of chia seed from GNC.
We have been putting them to good use.
This morning some seeds made their way into the boys’ oatmeal. (I just sprinkled them in after adding the water and let it sit for a good 5-10 minutes.)
They also found themselves in my
Ginormous Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Bowl
(similar to my go to oatmeal bowl).
In the bowl: 1/3 cup Coach’s Oats, 1 cup water, 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk, 2 stevia packets, cinnamon to taste, 1 tablespoon chia seed, 1 medium apple (cut into small chunks) and a splash of vanilla.
I cooked it for about 15 minutes or so on the stove
until it was nice and thick (and got a few overcooked crunchy parts).
It was delicious and even more so once I got done doctoring it up with some nonfat Greek yogurt, sugar free maple syrup and a tablespoon of peanut butter.
Mmm….
It also went really well with my very first Dark Chocolate Peppermint Mocha from my new kitchen appliance.
I was in heaven. Chia heaven.
A glimpse of heaven that lasted approximately 60 seconds before some workers got into a little altercation about a screwdriver.
Welcome to my life.
Just for fun, here’s all sorts of ways we’ve been chia-fying our lives lately thanks to our GNC friends.
We even have our very first “STUFT in the Kitchen Video” featuring the making of our Mighty Green Microwave Muffins.
Here’s a look at our chia creations:
– mixed in with my green eggs and oats
– in the boys’ great egg oat pancake
(I promise it tastes like French Toast.)
– simply sprinkled somewhere on my many yogurt bowls
– or sprinkled anywhere for that matter
I came up with this little creation today after I had ignored the umpteenth request for “sprinkles”.
Good bye Dec A Cake.
Hello chia.
(I’m really excited about this. I can’t wait to add some “sprinkles” to the boys’ special birthday breakfast tomorrow. He he! What a treat! Lucky dogs tots.)
Other STUFT chia ideas (not pictured):
– use it in overnight oats
– sprinkle it on peanut butter or make a paste with PB2 and put it on an apple
– add it to healthy cookie dough dip instead of flax
– sprinkle on top of yogurt (anytime, anywhere)
– add it to scrambled eggs
– add it to smoothies to thicken them up (and give them a nutritional boost)
I’ve also read people make a paste with chia seeds and water. I have yet to try that.
All in all, you can pretty much add it to anything, even baked goods.
With that, here’s our little “STUFT in the Kitchen” debut. It’s Joaquin and I making a chia version of a mighty green microwave muffin.
Video notes- Not the best video as I shot it with my phone. It was a little experiment. If we make some more I may need to invest in a good video camera.
Toddler Mighty Green Chia Microwave Muffin
(follow same directions as this Green Microwave Muffin)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup egg substitute (can use 1/4 cup and add a little non dairy milk instead)
handful of fresh spinach
1 banana
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2-3 tablespoons oats
1 tablespoon chia
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
cinnamon to taste
agave(or other sweetener) to taste
Mama’s Mighty Chia Microwave Muffin
(I used the same ingredients as above, but substituted 1/2 cup pumpkin for the banana, 2 tablespoons of coconut flour for the whole wheat flour and 2 Splenda packets for the agave.)
Just in case you need a closer look at what I did to my huge muffin here you go.
Before
After
He he he!
Okay, I really need to get some shut eye. Big day tomorrow!
Some little guys I know are turning 2!!
Yikes!
I think the celebration will call for some serious chia sprinkles.
Do you use chia? If so, how? I need some more ideas!
Disclaimer: FitFluential LLC compensated me for this sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

That microwave muffin looks BEASTLY! Do you think I could sub the real egg for a flax egg? I’m allergic to egg whites 🙁
Brittany- I totally think you could. If you try it let me know. Or if I try it out before you do, I’ll let you know! ha ha! 🙂
I LOVE chia. My favorite is banana chia pudding for breakfast – I heat it a bit before eating and it tastes like dessert. YUM. I need to try those green micro muffins!
Okay Laura, so tell me how you do it. I might have to try it for dessert tonight. 🙂 I love anything with warm bananas and chia. 🙂
You should! Here’s the link: http://www.sprint2thetable.com/2011/03/garam-masala-daal/
Let me know what you think!
LOVE CHIA!! But it always reminds me of Chia Pets…and thats just weird to me. I usuallly just drink them down with water the day before a long run.
Oh, good idea to drink them with water. Hmm… I haven’t tried that yet.
Happy Birthday to the boys!!! And I love chia but am pretty boring about what I do with it. I either mix it in juice and drink it or add it to yogurt. I have also put it in muffins, pancakes, etc! Just don’t spill them… they are a beast to clean up and you will find them for years to come 😉
Oh yaya, thanks Kinley! 🙂 Oh and I sure know about them being not fun to clean up. Unfortunately I bet I ahven’t cleaned up the last mess. It’s just beginning around here. 🙂
Happy Bday to those adorable boys of yours!!
Thanks Sash!!! 🙂 They send their hugs to you!
OK this post is seriously making my mouth water! I LOVE CHIA SEEDS! I swear they have made a HUGE difference in my hair and skin!! I like making chia “gel” (mixing 1 tbsp of chia seeds with some water and letting it soak overnight) and THEN mixing it into my morning oatmeal! It makes my oatmeal sooo voluminous, i love it! and also sometimes i will stick the entire oatmeal/chia mixture into the blender after it cooks and it makes it even bigger. happy birthday to your beautiful children!
Katie- I’m so going to try your chia “gel” trick. How much water do you use? I’m all about making anything I can more voluminous. Ha! Thanks for the birthday wishes for the boys too! 🙂
cha cha cha CHIA~! girl, you already have some great ideas for chia!
I need to try this… and when you say egg substitute, um… is it still egg? what is it? (I don’t do eggs…) 😀
Kris- Egg substitute is cartons of egg whites from Costco. Ha ha! Do you do flax eggs? I bet they would work. I’m liking chia more and more by the day!
i’m loving all of your chia ideas! i’m still trying to use up a big bag of flax seeds before i buy any chia seeds, but i use them pretty much the same ways you mentioned for your chia seeds. i love how you can really add them to anything for some added nutritional benefits and a little extra texture!
Ashley- yes, I love flaxseed just as much! You can make cool paste or aything though, but still just as fun to sprinkle all around, right? 🙂
Chia seeds are THE bomb! Your green stuff always looks so much more exciting than mine because I put a TON of cinnamon in everything turning it brown 🙂 Everyone thinks it’s chocolate, lol.
Ha ha! I’ve totally done that before too and yeah, it’s not the most appealing color. LOL. 🙂 We need to get together for some hometown green cooking. 🙂
i’m going to call you mama chia or stuft mama chia. Ya, thats it! i like all these ideas! I’d say the green eggs and oats is the best. Hands down!
Oh… I like that. Stuft mama chia. 🙂 He he! I’m a little obsessed now with my experimenting (and sprinkling). Hugs!
I love chia! I made a chia pudding with hemp milk and roasted kabocha…it was amazingly creamy and delicious! It’s also really good mixed with peanut flour, almond milk and a little cocoa powder. It makes the most amazing frosting on my evening oat cake. Oh and I’m so with you…total volume eater here! I hope the boys had an incredible birthday!
I would like that recipe please. Can I use butternut squash for it? 🙂 You are the queen of fun concoctions Sarena! 🙂 Thanks for the frosting recipe too. WIll be trying that soon! Mmm… oh, and so glad you’re a volume eater too. 🙂
I seriously need to get with the program and get some chia seeds! I love you green eggs and oat combo. 🙂
Molly- yes get some. They are so fun! 🙂 So much you can do with them! 🙂 The green eggs and oats is my favorite combo too. 🙂 he he! And, I’ll just say it’s the boys’ favorite also. I have a feeling.
Thanks for the Chia ideas!!!! I have a giant bag, but never remember to use them!!!
I’d LOVE to know what their meal plan is…but I’m looking for something at 2000-2300 calories because I need to gain about 10 lbs (I’m not exercising other than walking, so…). Is the meal plan online or free? Is it in that cal range?
The meal plan is lower because it’s for people who are trying to lose weight and is a little restrictive. I know you need some higher calorie plans. Hmm…. have you checked out mypyramid.org? They have some really great recommendations there.