Little Bites Of Joy: Tangerine Cacao Chia Pudding

One of my favorite recent splurges was a tangerine essential oil from Young Living. Worth every penny (and it cost a pretty penny!) At the beginning, I cherished it and dabbed a drop on the inside of my wrist and breathed in the amazing vapors. More recently, I've adventure to include it in foods and let me tell you, it's out of this world.

Everyone has a good recipe for chia pudding, but this one, if I may say so myself, is out of this world. There's something about the combo of orange/tangerine and cacao. Not sure what it is. Perhaps I grew up with it in Romania, but I can't remember....for some reason, it hits a deep spot in me from my childhood. I still have yet to place it but whenever I taste it, I love revisiting. (Upon writing this story, I asked my husband if he could place it and he said..."I know what it is...Milano Cookies". I can't believe he beat me to it! Hence the name...Thank you, Nate...)

Chia balances blood sugar, fills you up with fiber, anti-inflammatory omega 3's, and it's so fun to eat! Kind of crunchy, keeps you hydrated (since it absorbs at least 10 times its weight in liquids), and keeps you satisfied for a long time. I love it - it's in my essential pantry items list (although I keep it in the fridge).

This chia pudding pretty much makes itself. The work is super minimal, but I highly recommend giving it a good stir so the seeds don't all get lazy on the bottom of the jar.

4 cups almond milk

3 heaping tablespoons cacao

4 heaping tablespoons chia seeds

2 tablespoons maple syrup

5 drops Young Living tangerine oil (link HERE)

Easy version (but might be more clumpy): Mix all the ingredients in a mason jar and give it a good shake. Please make sure you do this next step - once you've given it a good shake, stir it up a bit with a long spoon just to dislodge any chia that may have stuck to the bottom. Keep it in the fridge for at least 4 hours, and give it a good shake (or stir) every so often. Some people weep when they eat this. It's that good.

Harder version, but worth it: In a strong blender, combine the milk, cacao, syrup and tangerine oil until smooth. Pour this out into a bowl and whisk to make sure it's all combined well (and just to look at it - it's so pretty :)