Refreshing Morning

It has been hot the past few days. When it's hot I get crabby, tired, and not so hungry. The not so hungry part is probably good for me but it's not because I don't feel like cooking so often rely on quick or take out foods. That is, until I start to get back to the basics and rely on God's good thinking.

God made vegetables and fruits in season during the warm months for a reason. They can be eaten raw which requires no cooking, they are cool which in turn cools us off, and they are easy to digest. Summer time is the easiest in which to try a raw diet. I'm not on a raw diet but we are eating an abundance of fruits and vegetables. A whole watermelon is often eaten as part of our lunch, a big salad fills us up, popcorn and sliced fruits and vegetables are a perfect summer "meal" for us.

My hot oatmeal breakfasts have fallen to the wayside and yet I've found a new favorite for breakfast.
Yogurt parfaits! A cup of yogurt (preferably Greek yogurt), whatever fruit we have on hand (whether fresh or frozen), a sprinkle or two of granola, and a Tablespoon of chia seed. This is refreshing, delicious, and healthy!

Chia Seed was a staple of the Mayans and Aztecs. It was a highly important part of their lives - they would take it on their long hunts to sustain them (supposedly just one tablespoon of the seed could sustain them for 24 hours), it was used for medical purposes (joint pain, skin conditions), and was even used as currency.

It's now easy to see why this seed was so favored that long ago. It has more antioxidants than even blueberries and has the highest content of Omega-3. We hear so much about flax seed but chia seed has more health benefits.

They can be eaten raw and do not need to be ground up. I find that they have no taste whatsoever (though they are crunchy little things!) but some say they have a nutty flavor. These seeds are a powerhouse of nutrition and take little effort to consume: sprinkle them on yogurt, salads, cereal, in baked goodies. Some people even absorb them in water until it turns into a gel like consistency and eat that for a quick energy boost, something that I plan to try soon. I've noticed that since eating chia seeds I have not had the problem of dry eyes like I had been having...the Omega-3 can help produce more lubrication for your eyes.

The chia shots are all the rage now for on the go nutrition but I stick with buying it by the bag. I use the Spectrum Essentials Chia Seed, which I find at our local health food store, but I see that Amazon has it for a bit cheaper than that even.