Seeds

Nope not seeds that you plant. Seeds that you eat. Why eat them? They are a high quality, nutritious and filling snack. Eat them raw and unsalted. You can eat them soaked, ground or mashed. Do not heat them as this produces a toxic substance and decreases the vitamin, mineral and essential oil levels. Roasting (pumpkin seeds in particular) takes the raw seed and makes it a dead seed, again dramatically decreasing the good stuff that you want!

Here are 10 seeds that definitely deserve a space on your pantry shelf.

1. Chia

2. Hemp

3. Pomegranate

4. Flax

5. Pumpkin

6. Apricot

7. Sesame

8. Sunflower

9. Cumin

10. Grape

Chia Seeds >>> Did you know that they contain 2.5 X more protein than kidney beans? These little tiny black seeds that love to get stuck in your teeth are nutritional powerhouses! 3 X the antioxidants of blueberries, 3 X more iron than spinach, 6 X more calcium than milk, 7 X the vitamin C than an orange, 8 X the omega 3 in salmon, 10 X more fiber than in rice and 15 X more magnesium than broccoli! All you need for a serving is 1 tsp! You could take that in your carry on bag when you fly across the country!

What I think is so significant from these numbers is this. If you are a woman reading this, there is a chance you take a calcium magnesium supplement. Yes? Try adding these little guys into your life. I won't get into why I don't think trying to drink milk to get your calcium is a good thing today. How about iron? Omega 3? It's all here wrapped up in this tiny little seed!

So, here's one of my favorite ways to use Chia Seeds.

Simple Chia Seed Pudding

You need a small mason jar (either the short little guys or the narrow ones that are a bit taller)

1 cup Almond/Coconut/Cashew Milk

1 Tbsp Chia Seeds

2 drops of Pure Vanilla Extract

Couple spinkles of Cinnamon

Whisk all of the ingredients in a bowl. Add to mason jar and place in your refrigerator until set. It will be pudding consistency, if not you can change your ratio of your liquid to seeds. Either less milk of choice (no dairy though) or add a little more chia seeds. Top it off with fresh berries and voila!! So good in so many ways! Enjoy!