Jarred Tropical Warrior Pudding #LunchInspiration

Liz of Books N' Cooks is hosting an event that was going to be "back-to-school," but since so many kids aren't going back to school, as we continue to battle the coronavirus pandemic, she settled on lunch inspiration.

This is something that I make at least twice a week as a healthy, easy, and portable snack. Warrior pudding is easy to make. The proportion is 1/4 cup chia to every 1 cup of liquid; you can get creative from there.

Why is it called 'warrior pudding'? Because, as my bag of organic whole chia seeds - tagline "Aztec Superfood" - explains: "The chia seed was eaten by Aztec for strength and was a main staple food along with corn and beans."

Ingredients serves 3

Chia Pudding

• 1/2 cup chia seeds
• 2 cups milk (I used an organic oat milk)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
• Also needed: lidded mason jar that holds at least 2 cups, 3 lidded mason jars for transport

For Serving

• coconut cream
• dried dates
• dried coconut shreds
• chopped mango
• macadamia nuts

Procedure

For chia pudding. Place maple syrup in the bottom of a mason jar. Pour in the liquid. Add in the chia seeds, stirring so that they do not stick together in clumps. Place the lid of the jar on and shake vigorously. Place in the refrigerator overnight. You'll want to stir or shake the jar at least a few times.

To serve, spoon 2 Tablespoons of the chia pudding in the bottom of a mason jar. Add in a few spoonfuls of coconut cream. Add in dried dates and coconut shreds. Scoop in another layer of chia pudding and another few spoonfuls of coconut cream. Top with mango and macadamia nuts.

Place the lid on the jar and keep it till lunchtime!