Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia!

I spent 4 hours Wednesday in this outfit:

You guessed it! I have been invited to the Royal Wedding! You had no idea I had such connections, did you? Ha! Wouldn't that be fun though?

Seriously though, I was asked to be a model in a fashion show for a local charity that runs 2 thrift stores in our community. My job was to search these thrift stores looking for an outfit or costume to wear during the fashion shoe. The rules? Anything goes! There were models dressed in beach wear, there was a bride, a lady dressed in a beautiful evening gown (it truly was gorgeous). One model showed up in a trench coat, fedora, and dark sunglasses like she was some sort of secret agent! It was a lot of fun. I actually had 3 outfits picked out. The first was a pale yellow dress that looked just like the dress that Sandy wore to the prom in "Grease". I was worried I couldn't pull off the whole Sandy look with my hair! Then there was the gorgeous 1970's style bridal gown. I wanted it so bad! However, it was way too long for me and I would have had to pay an arm and a leg to have it shortened. (and I'm a little partial to my arms and legs) Then I saw the hat! I knew I wanted it! So I decided to find a dress that would look as if I was going to the Kentucky Derby! I found the pink dress above, a 1970's handmade bridesmaid dress! It was floor length and since I knew it would be a faux pas to wear a long dress to the Derby I had a friend shorten it! The event was so much fun and the models were able to raise $15,000 for this charity!

For the past month, I've been eating this for breakfast:

It's Chia cereal and its so good for you. You can make your own at home with the following recipe:

Super Chia Cereal

3/4 c. Chia seeds
1/2 c. Hemp seeds
1 c. chopped dates
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (or nut of your choice almonds, pecans, cashews)
1/4 c. sunflower seeds (or pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
1/2 c. dried blueberries (or dried fruit or mixture of your choice)
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. sea salt.

Mix all your ingredients together and store in a sealed container in the refrigerator to keep ingredients fresh.


You should be able to get 10-12 servings from this. There are three ways to eat this one is to mix with an equal portion of non-fat yogurt and allow to sit for 10 minutes (this allow the chia to do its thang (more on this in a minute)). The next is the mix in 3/4 c. milk or non-dairy milk of your choice, let sit for 10 minutes, then enjoy. But my favorite way to eat it is to heat 3/4 c. vanilla almond milk in the microwave for 2 minutes.


I use my 2 cup Pyrex measure because the milk bubbles up and this size keeps it from boiling over and making a mess (cause Lord knows I've got plenty of messes around here!). Mix your hot milk into your cereal, cover,



let sit for 10 minutes and enjoy!


So, why would you want to eat chia cereal? Well, lets start with the chia seeds.

Chia seeds are yes, you guessed it, the same seeds used to make the imfamous Chia pets. But what you probably didn't know is that Chia Seeds have amazing nutritional value. They have a great deal of Omega 3 fatty acid (5 grams in 2 TBSP), and as we all know Omega 3's are known to reduce inflammation and help the body fight off some of the effects of aging. Chia seeds also hold about 10 times their weight in water (which is why you let them sit for 10 minutes before eating) which is great for keeping you hydrated! They also have a good amount of antioxidants, fiber, protein and calcium. So, don't let the relation to the cheesy chia pets keep you away from this super food.

Next up we have hemp. Okay, I know your first thoughts when I listed hemp was a brightly colored leaf and some old Birkenstock wearing hippy. Right? These days though, hemp is appearing in many forms such as milk, seeds, and protein powder. It has amazing nutritional stats. Hemp contains all 20 amino acids, including the 9 essential amino acids our bodies cannot produce. It contains simple proteins that make our immunity stronger and help fend off toxins. Tests have shown that eating hemp in any form could help people suffering from immune disorders. It is the highest botanical source of essential fatty acid, with more essential fatty acids than flax or any other nut seed oil. It contains both Omega 3 and Omega 6 which is great for cardiovascular health. Its a great source of protein for vegetarians, and last but not least it is a rich source of phytonutrients, which can help protect immunity, bloodstream, tissues, cells, skin, organs and mitochondria. Umm, I think maybe we should all be eating hemp seeds!

Well if you aren't bored to tears, hang on theres more! Now, we come to dates. Recently I have fallen in love with dates! They are super sweet and very versatile in recipes. Dates have been consumed for centuries. They are digested very easily and can supply quick energy. Dates have also been known to cure intestinal issues (we shall not speak of those here). Eating dates on a regular basis has been shown to help in the growth of friendly bacteria. Dates are rich in fiber and contain calcium, sulfur, iron, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, copper, and magnesium.

Walnuts are up next! Walnuts are known to be one of the best plant sources of protein. They are rich in fiber, B vitamins, magnesium, antioxidants and Vitamin E. They also contain high amounts of Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids.

Sunflower seeds are one of those things most people don't think about. But sunflower seeds contain both B1 and B5 vitamins along with vitamin E and folate. Also present are copper, magnesium, selenium and phosphorous. If that weren't enough they also contain tryptophan which can help reduce stress, anxiety and depression. The happy seed?

Eating dried fruit is so good for you in general but I chose blueberries for their obvious nutritional superiority. Blueberries contain antioxidants and come out on top when it come to their capacity to destroy free radicals. Anthocyanins, the blue pigment found there, improve the integrity of support structures in veins and entire vascular system. Blueberries have also been shown to improve brain function and contain vitamin C, manganese, dietary fiber, and vitamin E.

Did you know that as well as giving flavor to this dish cinnamon has been shown to lower LDL cholesterol. On top of that studies have concluded that cinnamon may help people with type 2 diabetes regulate their blood sugar, and has an anti-clotting effect on blood. It could also aid in cognitive brain function and memory. Cinnamon contains manganese, fiber, iron and calcium!

Simple to prepare, and great to eat! Just don't sing that silly jingle (or paste on clay sculptures!)!

"Then God said, 'Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you." Genesis 1:29

Carie