Today’s post is an easy dessert I like to make – strawberry chia yogurt.
My recipe is not an exact science. A little more or a little less, whatever works. It’s a single serving recipe – perfect for us single gals! No chance of wastage because we can eat it at one sitting. The strawberry chia yogurt is made in a cereal bowl, so if you’re feeding more people, just use the recipe for each cereal bowl per person.
The most time consuming part of this recipe is all the waiting. First I have to wait for the strawberries to defrost. Though, if you happen to have fresh strawberries on hand, feel free to substitute! Once the berries are defrosted, this dessert takes minutes to put together. Then there’s more waiting for a few hours while the dessert sets up.
As a single woman, it makes more sense to avoid wastage and buy frozen produce for foods that spoil fast.
Read: 13 Tips to Save Money by Reducing Food Wastage
Chia seeds
I buy chia seeds at Walmart, a brand called Joe’s Tasty Travels. Oddly, at the Walmart where I usually shop – Grandview Corners in Surrey, BC – the Joe’s foods are in a rack outside the electronics department – well away from the grocery section.
Very weird, but this brand has good prices on nuts and seeds.
When you add chia to yogurt and then let it set in the fridge for a few hours, the chia seeds puff up. Almost like tapiocas. The chia seeds swell up and become gelatinous, thickening the yogurt to a pudding-like consistency.
Chia seeds are known for their health benefits because they’re a good source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. I’m all about watching my weight and reducing my blood sugar level and chia seeds are supposed to assist in those areas. Chia seeds are supposed to be an anti-inflamatory, but I guess I don’t eat them often enough to notice a difference one way or the other.
Mostly I use chia seeds in my strawberry chia yogurt, but I occasionally use them in baking too.
For more information on the health benefits from chia seeds, see this article on WebMD: https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-chia-seeds#1
Tips
There’s not too much I can say in the way of tips for this easy strawberry chia yogurt recipe.
The yogurt I use is Olympic Krema Vanilla, a creamy Greek-style yogurt. This is a thicker style of yogurt, not runny. I recommend using a similar Greek yogurt.
If you’re using plain Greek yogurt, you’ll want to sweeten this recipe up a bit. Add a heaping spoonful of sugar or a couple of packets of a no-calorie sweetener. You can even add a little vanilla for more flavor.
Or be like me and buy the vanilla flavored Greek yogurt!
My measurements are really casual. I eyeball half a cup to 3/4 cup of sliced strawberries. The yogurt is a couple of spoonfuls. You know – a couple of glops! Ha ha! Probably about half a cup or a little more.
You can experiment with other fruits if you like. I’ve tried raspberries and pineapple, but the overall texture of the strawberries has been the best fit for me. I found the raspberry seeds along with the chia seeds just a little too busy. The pineapple was a little bland for my taste. Strawberries are just right!
I use a regular cereal spoon to scoop out the chia seeds. It might be a heaping teaspoon or as much as a tablespoon. A little more is not going to hurt.
I often make the strawberry chia yogurt in the morning, or sometimes at lunch time, and let it sit in the fridge until dinnertime. It’s my dessert!
Strawberry Chia Yogurt
Ingredients:
1/2 cup to one cup of sliced strawberries, thawed or use fresh
1/2 cup (or a bit more) vanilla Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon chia seeds
Directions:
Put strawberries into a cereal bowl and mash with a fork.
Add yogurt to bowl.
Sprinkle a spoon of chia seeds over the strawberries and yogurt.
Use that spoon to fold and stir the ingredients until they’re nicely mixed.
Put in the fridge for a few hours. Or even leave it overnight. And then enjoy! Yummy!
Makes one serving.
Published by Cheryl @ The Lifestyle Digs on November 12, 2021.
