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Going Review and Giveaway: Navitas Naturals Super Food Power Snacks and Chia Seeds

Hey guys! Happy Friday!

Even as a stay-at-home parent I still look forward to Friday since that means I get at least 2 full days with my wife/partner in crime/Going Mom, Kelley!  The rest of the work week can be difficult when it’s just Avery and me hanging around. If you don’t know yet, babies are demanding!

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When the kind Mic from Navitas Naturals agreed to send me a bag of their chia seeds and a bag of their Cacao Goji Super Food Power Snacks, I was happy I’d have a quick, healthy snack for those stressful parts of the day. Avery isn’t a demon child or anything, far from, but as a baby, she has her moments……

Who you calling demon?!
Who you calling demon?!

Of course, I guess we all have our moments, huh?

Anyway, since the time I opened the package, I have been enjoying both products every day. The chia seeds are perfect in oatmeal, even overnight oats, to make the perfect, gooey deliciousness I crave. Add peanut butter and a banana and I’m set!

Speaking of bananas, I recently posted a recipe for Banana Chia Pudding using Navitas Naturals’ Chia Seeds. Have you tried this yet? If not, you’re missing out!

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Here’s what Navitas Naturals lists about their chia seeds’ nutrition:

“Navitas Naturals Chia Seeds are an excellent source of healthy essential fatty acids – containing eight times more omega-3 fatty acids than salmon! Chia seeds are also one of the most digestible plant proteins, an excellent source of dietary fiber, and a powerhouse of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and free-radical fighting antioxidants.”

Another way to harvest the power of the chia is to make a quick chia jam with your favorite fruit. All you do is add chia seeds to your favorite pureed fruit, a little sweetener of choice and give it at least an hour to set. Voila! You have a thick, omega-3 rich jam that’s delicious on anything! Here’s a quick recipe:

Ingredients

•1 cup strawberries

•1 Tablespoon Navitas Naturals chia seeds

•1 Tablespoon water

•stevia, to taste (use honey or maple syrup if desired)

Instructions

1. Mash strawberries with a fork or blend them. I use my Vitamix to blend, but both methods work great. The blended version will be more like jelly and less like jam.

2. Mix in chia seeds, water and stevia. I usually use 2-3 drops of liquid stevia, but I don’t think the powder would be bad either. Be careful when adding, stevia can be very overpowering!

 3. Cover the mixture and place in the fridge to thicken. 30-60 minutes should be all you need.

 

I added some blueberries in this batch.
I added some blueberries in this batch.

 

And for the Organic Raw Cacao Goji Super Food Power Snacks? YUM!  These are loaded with wholesome ingredients and no refined sugars or artificial anything which is exactly what I look for! Apparently, so does Avery.

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These were great to have before and after a run with Avery and while having coffee as I watched her sleep on the monitor.  I still have these at work and use them for my emergency hunger attacks if my lunch was not enough.  Try them, you won’t be sorry.

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Navitas Naturals explains their nutrition best…

“Cacao is one of nature’s most complex superfoods. There are thousands of phytochemicals stored inside each little bean. A rich source of magnesium, cacao is also loaded with antioxidants and theobromine. Goji berries contain some rare compounds like germanium – an important mineral. The red chewy berry also provides protein, fiber, antioxidants and lots of beta carotene.”

So, does all of this sound good to you? Well, how about winning your own 8oz bag of these little power gems? Navitas Naturals has agreed to give away one bag to a lucky reader of Going Dad!

Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter and good luck! A winner will be chosen at the end of the day next Friday, March 21st, and announced soon after.

I could be yours!
I could be yours!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Going Healthy: Navitas Naturals Easy Banana Chia Pudding

Self control and dessert are typically words you don’t see used together. Unless, “no” is in front of self control, then maybe. I am able to resist the tastiest looking treats since I know most of them are loaded with sugar, fat, and most likely numerous chemicals to get the best “taste.” Simply put, I like knowing exactly what’s in my food and do best when I make it myself.

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Navitas Naturals kindly agreed to send me their Chia Seeds and Cacao Goji Superfood Power Snacks to review, and I’m enjoying them both! I’ll be posting a review along with a giveaway the nice people at Navitas Naturals agreed to, so please be on the lookout for my review!

As a new dad and stay-at-home parent, I don’t always have time to cook something when Avery is demanding my attention. I’m not one to settle for convenience food, so most of the time, I resort to the microwave to steam veggies and cook egg whites. Add some cayenne, black pepper, and mustard, and this is my meal most days. Luckily, I tend to enjoy all vegetables in their plain state, but it would be nice to have something packed with flavor too.

Thankfully, I was able to come up with a quick and healthy chia treat that’s perfectly fine to have “no” self control!

All you need to make this easy dessert that could double as a healthy, energy-packed breakfast is a ripe banana, milk of choice, Navitas Naturals Chia Seeds, vanilla protein powder, and vanilla extract.

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We want peanut butter!

Protein Banana Chia Pudding

Ingredients:

  • 2 ripe bananas (I like them very spotty!)
  • ½ cup milk of choice (I used unsweetened almond milk)
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I use a stevia sweetened whey protein)
  • 2 tablespoons Navitas Naturals Chia Seeds
  • Splash of pure vanilla extract (You can use vanilla vodka if you don’t have extract….or just like alcohol)
  • Optional: preferred sweetener like honey or agave to taste

Directions:

  1. Using a food processor or blender (I used my Vitamix), add all ingredients except the chia seeds and blend until smooth. Add your optional sweetener too if desired.
  2. Toss in the chia seeds and pulse just enough to thoroughly mix them in.
  3. Pour into an airtight container and let chill in the fridge for at least an hour.

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If you must, go ahead a take an early sample, I did, and it was great. Just know that the chia seeds need time to gel, so they will still be crunchy. This is a fun recipe to make with kids to amaze them at how the tiny chia seeds make liquid turn into gel.

When it’s warmer, make a quick, refreshing drink by adding a spoonful of chia to water with a splash of apple or orange juice and wait 5 to 10 minutes to have a fun, gooey drink! Hey, and it’s packed with omega-3’s, fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals, and so much more!

I told Avery about all of the benefits and she even wanted to try some for herself.

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Sadly, I had to tell her she must wait a little longer. Poor baby.

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Have you ever used chia seeds?

If so, what’s your favorite way to use them?