Happy Valentine’s Day!

Have you started the day with breakfast in bed, roses and chocolates? Or rushing out the door without even remembering it’s Valentine’s Day? I always find it’s one or the other – you’re either the loved up kind or the ones who couldn’t care less. I’m somewhere in between this year. I had a lovely Pre-Valentine’s date night last weekend, eating yummy Mexican food and Crunchie McFlurry’s (yes I do eat ‘unhealthy’ food sometimes, but it’s all healthy for the mind!)

Today, however I’m spending it away from my boyfriend as he’s living it up in Disneyland Paris – with strict instructions of bringing me back as many Tangled merchandise as possible! I used to have waist length hair so Rapunzel is of course my favourite Disney Princess, plus I always have some kind of project on so the song ‘When Will My Life Begin’ is LITERALLY me in a song! If you haven’t seen Tangled then you may not understand…and we can’t be friends.

Enough about my love of Disney, let’s talk about these delicious layered chia pudding parfaits! Now if you haven’t tried chia pudding before, be warned as it has quite a gloopy texture. If this isn’t your thing then I would recommend swapping some of the chia seeds for GF oats to create an overnight oat/chia breakfast instead. The reason this breakfast works so well is that the flavour combinations of chocolate, vanilla and raspberry are a winner! Whether your favourite flavours are banana/chocolate, classic vanilla or fruity berries, there’s something in this breakfast for everyone.

Start by layering your parfait with the delicious chocolate & banana pudding, subtly flavoured with a hint of almond butter. This layer doesn’t have many chia seeds so it has a much creamier texture.

Next, layer your vanilla chia pudding. Easy peasy to make, this is simply chia seeds, almond milk and vanilla. Sweetened slightly with maple syrup, it’s the perfect neutral middle layer to help carry the stronger flavours.

Finish this yummy Valentine’s breakfast with a show stopping, vibrant raspberry layer. Blending the raspberries and milk at the beginning creates a silky smooth consistency, looking just like pink milk! Mixed with the chia seeds, this fruity layer has a sharpness from the raspberries which contrasts perfectly with the sweet chocolate and vanilla layers.

These Valentine’s chia pudding parfaits are

The perfect breakfast to make for the one you love
Ready to assemble in the morning
Sweet, tangy and fruity
Creamy, gloopy (in a good way) and crunchy on top
A fun and colourful way to start your day

INGREDIENTS

Chocolate Chia Layer
1 medium ripe banana
60ml almond milk
1 tbsp cacao powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp almond butter
2 tbsp chia seeds

Vanilla Chia Layer
40g chia seeds
180ml almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp maple syrup

Raspberry Chia Layer
40g chia seeds
125ml almond milk
65g fresh or frozen raspberries*
1 tbsp maple syrup

*if using frozen berries make sure they’re completely thawed

RECIPE

1. For the chocolate layer, add all ingredients (minus chia seeds) into a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the chia seeds.
2. For the vanilla layer, add all ingredients to a bowl and mix together.
3. For the raspberry layer, blend the berries, milk and maple syrup until you have a smooth liquid. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the chia seeds.
4. Give each bowl a good stir to make sure the chia seeds aren’t forming clumps. Cover each bowl and leave in the fridge overnight.
5. In the morning layer your three flavours in a small glass/mason jar.
6. Top with coconut flakes, cacao nibs and dried raspberries. Serve immediately.

Sophie x