I’ve been meaning to make chia jam since…..two years ago when I first heard about it. I figured it would be a laborious task, but when I typed “simple chia jam” into Google I got quite the plethora of options! The one I chose was perfect. I tried it once with strawberries and then actually tried a blueberry jam too. Both were delicious. Ask Paige….
Paige loved the jam. But I would advise against strawberries for most little ones. Read below.
So, yeah, be sure that your child is old enough to take on the “Acidity” of strawberries before offering this to him/her. I think Paige, at 8 months at the time, wasn’t ready for strawberries. The blueberries seemed to work better for her because they are a bit less acidic. Regardless, you can try either option.
Simple Berry Chia Jam
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh strawberries or blueberries
- 1 Tbsp. chia seeds
- 1 T water
- 1 tsp. maple syrup (or Stevia to taste)**
Instructions
- In a smaller bowl mash the berries with a fork or blend with a blender, leaving some nice chunks. Add the water, chia seeds and maple syrup (or Stevia if using). Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, at least, and then enjoy on toast or waffles or however you’d like!
Notes
** For a baby led weaning snack, omit the sugar and/or Stevia all together. Get those babies used to fresh natural sweetness!
Nutrition Information
Serving size: ~2 Tbsp. (1/8th of recipe) Calories: 30 Fat: 1g Carbohydrates: 3g Sugar: 1.5g Fiber: 2g Protein: 1g
I toasted some really good whole grain bread with oats, and added a light layer of cream cheese and then a thick layer of jam on top. I actually made the first batch of jam without using any sweetener at all, and it was perfectly fine for my taste buds. This snack hit the spot.
Enjoy! See you next week with a recipe for Chicken Salad with Butternut Squash and Grapes.
