Did you ever have a chia pet as a kid? Every. single. visit. to the drug store, CVS, consisted of me trying to scheme my way into getting my mother to buy one.
It was those commercials, man! They were so convincing. In case you’re unfamiliar with chia pets, they were the plant of the early 90s that was all up on the television. The kit included a pottery shaped animal, like a dog or a cat or a pig, and chia seeds. You smothered the chia seeds with water?—I didn’t have one so I’m unsure—onto the pottery animal and overnight you’d have a whole plant! It was magic. The commercials showed this rapid growth in a time lapse that made my 8-year old self go, “oooooo!”
Now some twenty years later, they’re in this smoothie.
I feel like a gigantic cliche posting a smoothie as my first 2013 recipe on this here blog, and I wasn’t gonna do it, but I’ve been making this exact one every day for the past few days and am in love with it. So here it is…
In the winter months, I don’t want to drink anything super cold. This smoothie has no ice on purpose. And though mango is in season, I actually prefer the texture frozen mango gives this smoothie–it’s a a bit thicker.
The coconut oil and light coconut milk (I found it at Trader Joe’s) makes this morning smoothie taste all tropical-like. If you want something less fatty, feel free to use a lighter milk like almond or rice milk.
The chia seeds give this smoothie some nice texture. There’s little crunches suspended. I’m so into it.
Today a smoothie, tomorrow something delicious and rich. BYE!
Mango Banana Coconut Smoothie with Chia Seeds
Ingredients
- 1 cup cubed frozen mango
- 3/4 cup light coconut milk
- 2 bananas
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon chia seeds
Directions
- Add the mango, coconut milk, bananas and coconut oil to a blender and combine until smooth. If you like, add more coconut milk until you reach the desired consistency. At the end, add the chia seeds and pulse one or two times.
31 Comments
This really looks yummy!!! Thanks for sharing, I would love to try this. My favorite recipe with chia seeds is add them to Green Smoothies. Because chia seeds absorb liquid, adding them to your favorite smoothie can be a great way to get the fiber and protein you need in your diet. Here’s a tip! When adding chia to a smoothie recipe, first pour water into your blender and add the chia directly. Let the chia absorb some of the water for 5 minutes. This will activate the chia and turn it into a gel. Then proceed by adding your favorite fruits and vegetables (for green smoothies).
These looks so yummy. I have been looking for non-dairy treats and I like the idea of coconut milk 🙂 Thanks!
These are delicious! I love trying new combinations, thanks!
All these ingredients are the bomb in smoothies, but I’ve never done this exact combination. Time to try…
LOL I think that may be like the grass heads we used to get out of old panty hoes with dirt and grass seeds in them. Your smoothie looks so good 🙂
I am really into smoothies in the New Year & I love mango. Looks delicious.
This looks fabulous. I will have to try it as one of the ways to get back to eating in the morning. I will have to share it with my partner as well. She loves all the flavours and is always making smoothies.
This is one of my all time favorite combos! Sounds and looks unbelievably amazing and I love that you didn’t add ice.
There is no shame in posting a smoothie…or wanting a chia pet.
When a coworker was let go, and I was cleaning out files in their office, I found an UNOPENED CHIA CHRISTMAS TREE. So awesome.
Aw man, she lost her job AND her chia pet? SO SAD! Bonus for you. 🙂