The Perfect Quick Pre-Work-Out Breakfast - Sonya O'Donnell's Chocolate Banana Chia Power Pudding - Followed by the Healthy Librarian's Favorite Friday Morning Work-Out

 

Sonya O'Donnell's Power Chia Banana Pudding

 

 

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Lucky me--I don't work on Friday's.

But, no matter how late I get home on Thursday nights, without fail, I wake up early on Friday morning so I can get to my favorite workout:  Caroline's 30 minutes of spinning, followed by 30 minutes of weight-training intervals that keep the heart pumping.

There usually isn't much time for breakfast--and don't tell anyone--but, sometimes I leave the house without even brushing my teeth--until I get home!  Shhh!

Last week when I spotted Sonya O'Donnell's Quick Banana Chocolate Chia Pudding, I decided I had to give it a try.  I'm a sucker for pudding, chocolate, and chia.

Nothing could have been easier to whip up!  I added my secret ingredient--1 teaspoon of instant espresso powder to give it a touch of sophistication--and a little caffeine.

Let me tell you--this pudding is THE PERFECT PRE or POST WORKOUT fuel.  It even has champion tri-athlete Brendan Brazier's perfect workout fuel or recovery ratio:   3-4 grams of carbohydrates to 1 gram of protein for post recovery. 

 

It's a perfect nutritional powerhouse, with protein from the soy milk, hemp seeds, & chia--potassium from the banana--polyphenols & antioxidants from the cocoa--and carbohydrates, fiber, & antioxidants from the dates--and, it's loaded with omega-3s from the chia & hemp.  Oh baby.  Plus, it tastes delicious!

 

Making the Power Pudding--It's as Easy as Pie

 

Easy Ingredients--Non-Dairy Milk, Chia, Hulled Hemp Seeds, Banana, Dates, Vanilla, & Cinnamon

 

 

Here's Sonya's recipe, with my modifications of espresso powder & soy milk:

 

"Chia seeds are one of the oldest cultivated plants known to man.  They are loaded with antioxidants, essential fatty acids (3 and 6), vitamins, minerals and fiber.  

Chia seeds maintain blood sugar levels as they slow our bodies conversion of carbohydrates into simple sugars.  They are great for an athletic person as they can effectively replenish minerals lost in sweat.  

Chia seeds can also help in weight loss as they swell up to 10 times their size, which prevents absorption of some calories we eat.  Chia puddings are great for breakfast as they will provide you with ample energy throughout the day."

Read more about the benefits of cocoa and chia here and here and here.

 

For a copy of the recipe on one page, click here

Ingredients (makes 4 servings):

• 1½ cups EdenSoy Extra (it's fortified with calcium, B-12, & vitamin D, etc.)  Or use the non-dairy milk of your choice.   Sonya's recipe uses almond milk
• 1 organic banana
• 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
• 2 tablespoons raw cacao powder or Penzey's non-Dutched cocoa (my fave), or any non-Dutched cocoa
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup chia seeds
• 2 medjool dates, pitted
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp instant espresso powder

Preparation:

1. Place the chia seeds in a medium sized mixing bowl.
2. Blend soy milk, banana, hemp seeds, cacao or cocoa, salt, dates, vanilla, espresso powder and cinnamon in a high speed blender.
3. Blend on high until a chocolate shake consistency is achieved.
4. Add wet ingredients to chia seeds and mix thoroughly.
5. Let stand for at least 20 minutes while chia seeds swell and become gel like.
6. Serve with a few goji berries as garnish.
7. Pudding will last in refrigerator, covered for a few days.

 

Nutrition Facts Sonya O'Donnell Chia Chocolate Banana Power Breakfast Pudding
Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories	200
Total Fat	7g
Saturated Fat	0.7g
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg
Sodium	180mg
Carbohydrate	28g
Dietary Fiber	7.1g
Sugars	14.3g
Protein	7.5g
Vitamin A 12% Vitamin C 5% Calcium    9% Iron 9%

 

 

The Workout I Don't Ever Want to Miss

 

 The No-Frills Spin "Studio" at My Neighborhood Fitness Co-op

 

That's Me--Enjoying the 30 Minute Weight Work-Out after 30 Minutes of Spinning

 

My idea of a perfect workout:

• 30 minutes of spinning to get my heart rate thumping--in the company of a fun group of 20-somethings through 60-somethings  (namely me--& my friend Janet whose almost 60)
• 30 minutes of non-stop complex weight-training moves that simultaneously use the upper body & lower body to keep the heart rate up.   Think squats, lunges, push-ups, planks, abs, & working every possible upper body muscle group.  Always different, with a mixture of light & heavy weights, bands, & even paper plates!

 

Did the Power Pudding keep me fueled?

Absolutely!!   And I followed it up with some Green Smoothie & Chocolate Oatmeal with Berries when I got home.  I've got energy to spare!  And yes, I brushed my teeth right after that second breakfast!

 

What's your favorite pre or post workout meal?

What's your favorite work-out?

 

 

 

Comments

[Mary in southern Vermont]

This looks like the perfect pre-workout meal -can't wait to try it next week! What a great excuse to eat chocolate pudding. Then on to the crossfit class - an hour of various "functional" exercises - burpees, box jumps, squats, a variety of barbell lifts and keetlebell swings. Trying to fit in one spin class a week to get ready for biking season. Post-workout is Brendan Brazier's lemon-lime recovery drink followed by oatmeal with quinoa and fruit. Yum!

[Donna]

Where did you find espresso powder? Would it be in the coffee section of the grocery store? This looks and sounds delicious!

[Lisa]

Do you need to have a high speed blender (vita mix)or could you use a regular blender on high speed?

[Pam Wright]

That recipe looks great - can't beat chocolate banana pudding! Will try it this weekend.

I love strength training! I can tell I'm stronger by the things I can do more easily - like carrying 40+ pound bags of dog food up a long flight of stairs without difficulty. I also keep a log of strength training sessions so I can measure my progress. Love it!

BTW - you are looking fabulous!!

[The Healthy Librarian]

@Mary in Southern Vermont: Your crossfit class sounds fantastic. This kind of functional fitness class it definitely my favorite. So much better than (what I used to do) just using machines or working on one muscle at a time with hand weights.

@Donna: The espresso powder is called: Medaglia D'oro--I've had it in my cupboard for years--I use it just for adding into recipes. It's a tiny 2 oz. jar that's available in ordinary grocery stores. It's got a green lid & has the Italian colors of red, white, & green on the label.

@Lisa: I can't see why you couldn't make this in an ordinary blender because it has so much liquid--the chia seeds are added at the end. The dates & banana are really the only solid foods that need to be blended, and you can help that along by soaking the dates in the milk overnight or for a few hours, to soften them up.

@Pam: Yay for strength training--it's the one exercise where I visually & physically see concrete results. I know exactly what you mean about how good it feels to lift heavy things without trouble. 40 lb sacks? Wow! You go girl! It's a real confidence builder. Thanks so much for the compliment, too! It's very cool to see that we can get physically stronger & build muscle as we get older--instead of the other way around--and only strength training can do that.

[Deborah Dreyfus]

Please tell us about your 30 minute training routine. I am always looking for new ideas for mine.

[JK]

You know my fav workout! Zumba!! (Or Hip Hop with my Zumba Teacher!)

I also do Pilates Reformer 1-2x a week for strength building and to keep my back in good shape, an hour class with weights, and a Dailey Method http://thedaileymethod.com/ class usually 1x a week.

I dislike strength training, but it's SO necessary. I don't mind it nearly as much when I can do it with a friend. My Reformer work is one-on-one with my trainer and he's FABULOUS. It's like therapy while working out--he's a good listener. :-)

I take the hour class with weights with a DEAR friend (and fellow reader of your blog) and we have fun. It's taught by the gentleman who is my trainer.

Dailey method I do on my own and I like it the least, but it's REALLY good for my back. I think I need some social interaction to make it more fun! (I skipped it today, bad me!)

I would do Zumba any time, any where.... I <3 to dance! (I also do a tap dance class once a week. Most weeks are going to be 7 classes/workouts in 6 days. I'll take Sunday off for recovery... 3 days of cardio and 3 days of strength... I don't really count my tap class as cardio or strength.... It's a little of both, but it's a lot less intense than any of my other workouts, but it's more fun for my BRAIN!)

[Donna]

I just made this and it is delicious! It's just the right sweetness...and without adding any sugar. I couldn't find any non-carrageenan, non-dairy milk in my local grocery so I used water and it turned out great. I definitely think the Penskey cocoa is the key to the the rich (and possibly addicting!) taste. Do you have this pre, post, instead of, or in addition to your breakfast oatmeal?

[The Healthy Librarian]

@Donna: Yay! So glad to hear you liked it--and it's great that it worked w/o the milk--but, the milk is a big part of the nutrition for me--I'm a HUGE FAN of Organic EdenSoy Extra---it's fortified with all the important stuff for vegans, B-12, calcium, D2, etc. A nice amount of protein, non-GMO soy, & no carrageenan, either. It's at my local grocery store--which I think is close to you. Also, noticed (in my pantry), Pacific Hemp milk doesn't have carrageenan, either. And, I'm not concerned about the 4 grams of fat in EdenSoy!! Even oat milk, which has 1/2 of the nutrition, has 2.5 grams of fat.

Don't you LOVE the texture of the pudding? I'll eat it before an early morning exercise class when I don't have time to sit down to a bowl of oatmeal. If I have time to eat breakfast--I think it's perfect post-weight-training after-work-out fuel.

But, it's great as a dessert too. You're right, It tastes too good--and I'm so excited you discovered Penzey's cocoa. Isn't it amazing??

[Carla]

Thanks so much for your blog and facebook posts. I continue to be amazed how much I learn from you!

I thought you would be interested in this youtube video about certified organic food. Peoples Pharmacy has written about FDA not being able to identify the origin of drugs. Looks like organic foods are a problem too. I wonder about the organic foods from Mexico also.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=JQ31Ljd9T_Y

[The Healthy Librarian]

@Carla: Turns out a friend of mine sent this to me last week & I too, was appalled--and all ready to post it. But...I did what any librarian would do--checked it out on Snopes.com. And....the news story is 3 years old, and not exactly the truth. You can read what Whole Foods has to say about it here: http://blog.wholefoodsmarket.com/whole-foods-market-responds-to-wjla/

[elizabeth]

Don't know if you like vanilla puddings, but this sounds good, http://www.rhiw.blogspot.com/2012/02/pure-and-simple-vegan-tapioca-pudding.html

[Davida Slobody]

I dropped two tablespoons of this decadent chocolate-chia pudding into a bowl of Uncle Sam's cereal for breakfast this morning before I left for a Crossfit workout. This little addition kept my tummy full during the workout and kept me satisfied for the 30 minute drive home. It is a DELICIOUS no-guilt boost.
Next: make the chia seed power bars!
Favorite workouts: Gator Crossfit, 4 mile power walk with "Jasper", my 10 year old Blood Hound, leading the way, yoga and long gallops on "Clipper", my 20 year old Quarter Horse (lots of leg power from oddles of Crossfit squats needed to stay seated).