I like my smoothies to be fairly thick; I more often eat them with a spoon than drink them through a straw. Usually I rely on various food powders and frozen fruit to thicken it up, but frozen fruit isn’t exactly what I crave when it’s 15 degrees outside.One day, I set out to make a smoothie with a luscious, creamy consistency. What resulted was this pudding.  Mango, banana, and chia are all useful for adding body to foods. Add them all together, and bam!, creamy dreamy pudding.

Chia seeds are a stellar nutritional choice. They are an excellent source of omega 3 fatty acids, both soluble and insoluble fiber, calcium, and protein. A couple of tablespoons is all you need to reap the full benefits of this amazing seed, and since it swells up to 9 times in size when soaked, a couple of tablespoons is plenty! In addition to blending them up in your smoothie, chia seeds can be used to make pudding (similar to tapioca pudding), sprinkled on oatmeal or salads, ground and soaked to make a chia egg (like a flax egg), and more. These versatile seeds can be on the pricey side, so I’d recommend buying them in bulk.Silky Smooth Mango Banana Green Pudding

serves 1

-1 mango
-1 banana
-2 packed cups spinach
-2 Tbsp orange juice
-1/3 cup almond milk
-1/2 Tbsp chia seeds

-Blend all of the ingredients except the banana until smooth. Add the banana and blend again. Serve.