Chi-Chi-Chi Chia Brownies

Delicious Chia Brownie

Chia seeds are popular today and being showcased as a superfood. It comes from a plant called Salvia hispanica and is found in southern Mexico. I first really was intrigued about it when I read Born to Run, which is about a tribe of Mexicans called the Tarahumara who run for hundreds of miles without rest or injury. It also started the craze for those silly looking five finger shoe (some people swear by them, but they do look silly). In it, one of the reasons the Tarahumara are so atheltetic is because of the iskiate they drink.

The Aztecs were said to use iskiate like drinks to sooth sore joints and stimulate saliva flow. They believed a small amount of chia seed could sustain you for 24 hours. It does fill you up, because as it gets wet it turns from something the size and consistency of course ground pepper to the something the size and consistency of bubble tea bobas. They form their gel in your stomach, which helps keep you full.

They are also nutrient packed. These seeds have more omega-3 than flax, and they have antioxidants to boot.They provide fiber, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, niacin and more. They are 23% protein by weight. They also don't go rancid like flax and don't need to be ground to be absorbed.

I made myself some iskiate after I read the book. You just put about 1 tablespoon of chia seeds (they are the exact same things you probably slathered on a chia pet at some point in time) and flavor it (the Tarahumara use lime or lemon) and let it set for about five minutes, at least. It turns into a gooey gelatinous substance. Like thick water. I used a fruit punch mix to flavor mine.

This is my tropical punch iskiate.

I have a problem with textures. I didn't like iskiate at all. I grabbed my bottle and went for a run...and ended up gagging on the stuff. Yuck. I did find some uses for chia seeds that I didn't totally hate. I made my favorite overnight oat recipe. Oats are supposed to be a bit thick, right? I added a tablespoon of chia and let it set overnight. Those were gooey in a wonderful way. I made my favorite chocolate pudding recipe and added some chia seeds. That was also gooey in a wonderful way.

Chia pudding: better eat it before it sprouts (or not, chia sprouts are good too).

You an also grind them or add them whole to salads, in cereals and even add them to baked goods. I find in baked goods, they give an extra nutty crunch, so if your baked good would taste good with a nutty flavor, add a little chia and see what happens.

I added 1/2 cup to my favorite brownie recipe and it was delicious.

Chia Brownies (From Alton Brown's brownie recipe)

• 1/2 cup chia seeds
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup of sugar (make this lighter with 1 tablespoon of sugar and 3 bananas...it works)
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 8 ounces of melted butter
• 1 and 1/4 cups of cocoa
• 1/2 cup of flour
• 2 tablespoons of vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Butter and flour your brownie pan.
3. In a mixer, beat the eggs until fluffy and light yellow. And the sugar (bananas too). Add remaining ingredients and mix.
4. Pour batter into pan. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until edges are brown.

Nutrition Facts

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Amount Per Serving (makes 16)

Calories: 195
Total fat: 6.75 g
Protein: 3.6 g
Total carbohydrate: 39 g

• Dietary Fiber: 8.4 g
• Sugar: 30.9 g

With banana instead of sugar, it's 172 calories, 6.75 grms of fat, 31.2 grams of carbohydrate, 8.85 fiber, 21 grams sugar and 3.75 grams of protein.

Eat Like the Animals: Pachyderm Potatoes

Before I start the recipe for this post, I am going to put my two cents in about the influx of sweet potato fries to every fast food restaurant and burger joint in town. Personally, I think sweet potato fries are more tasty than regular potato fries. Regular fries don't have a lot of flavor to me. They basically taste like grease. That doesn't mean the sweet potato fry is healthier.

Many call the sweet potato a super vegetable. It is a little "healthier" than a white potato, but not much. A 100-gram baked portion of white potato has 92 calories, 21 grams of carb, 2.3 grams of fiber, 2.3 grams of protein and 17% of the RDA of vitamin C. A 100-gram baked sweet potato has 90 calories (not much less), 21 grams of carbs (the same), 3 grams of fiber (not really much more), 2 grams of protein (about the same) and 35% of the RDA of vitamin C and 380% of vitamin A. The vitamins are why it's called a super food. However, if we look at the overall makeup of both of these potatoes, both should have the same effect on our waistlines. Both actually like they could make a healthy addition to a diet, right?

Then you fry them. I think baked and boiled any potatoes are great. However, that is not what is being advertised as healthy. I call these attempts by fast food companies health-washing their products. "OMG, they have sweet potato fries. I heard on Dr. Oz that sweet potatoes were good for me, so I can eat these with my burger and be healthy." I was at a gourmet burger place the other day and I heard a woman at the next table say, "I really like regular fries better, but I want to go with the healthy choice, so I'll have the sweet potato fries."

Here's a comparison of two different Burger King small fry products that have the same serving size. Sweet potato fries: calories: 290, fat: 16 g, sodium: 530 mg, carbs: 36 g, fiber: 3 g, protein: 2 g. Regular fries: calories: 349, fat: 15 g, sodium: 480 g, carbs: 49 g, fiber: 4 g, protein: 4 g. I bolded the greater value. Looking at this, I would be hard-pressed to say which one is the healthier choice. Neither is healthy. If you're craving fries, you might as well go for real fries.

Anyway, enough with the rant. Here is my healthy kids recipe.

 Pacyderm Potatoes

(serves 4)

Elephants are the heaviest land mammal and have to eat a lot to stay healthy.  They are herbivores and spend up to 16 hours a day eating plants.  An adult elephant eats 300–600 lbs. of food a day.  That’s more than a person weighs!

Elephants at the zoo get all kinds of fun treats from watermelons (which they squish with their feet and then eat), to apples and sweet potatoes.  A lot of our animals, from primates to parrots, like sweet potatoes.  Some of the parrots like them cooked, but most of the animals eat them raw!

• Olive Oil, for tossing
•  4 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4-wide inch strips
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon paprika

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Line a sheet tray with parchment paper or spray with non-stick spray.
3. In a large bowl toss sweet potatoes with just enough oil to coat. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika.
4. Spread sweet potatoes in single layer on prepared baking sheet, being sure not to overcrowd.
5. Bake until sweet potatoes are tender and golden brown, turning occasionally, about 20 minutes.
6. You can also try parsnip fries or carrot fries.  Some people prefer the taste of sweet potatoes, but if you don’t, try baking “real” potatoes this way too for a healthy “real” French fry.

For Grown-ups: In 2011, the average American ate 29 lbs. of French fries. Over 70% of these fries were from fast food restaurants.  Potatoes, by themselves, aren’t bad.  Sweet potatoes are a little more nutritious, but not much.   Sweet potatoes are not significantly lower in calories or higher in fiber.  The main reason French fries are bad for you is that they are deep fried.  Deep fried sweet potatoes are just as bad, and oven-baked regular potatoes are just as healthy.   Note that most processed potato products (like frozen French fries) have already been fried before you buy them.  It’s best to slice up your own!

Nutrition Facts

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Amount Per Serving (makes 4)

Calories: 134
Total fat: 9.1 g
Protein: 1.2 g
Total carbohydrate: 12.4 g

• Dietary Fiber: 2.0 g
• Sugar: 5.1 g

Eat Like the Animals: Maned Wolf Munchies

This is another in my zoo animal series.  It's a project I did this summer that centers around teaching kids what the animals eat and encouraging healthy eating habits.  

This treat is designed for a canid.  The maned wolf is the largest canid of South America, resembling a large fox with reddish fur.   I was really surprised when one of the maned wolf keepers told me they love peanut butter. I guess it makes sense.  My greyhound loves peanut butter, and she descended from wolves (also, she loved this peanut butter covered popcorn). Kids also love peanut butter.  Adding chocolate makes it even better!

There was one little complication when I added this treat to class for kids to sample.  We all know that peanut allergies are being reported more every day and some kids are violently allergic to peanuts.  I was very careful when I made this to use new utensils and pans to make some plain popcorn for the kids with allergies.  However, I didn't think about having to segregate the peanut allergy kids away from the kids enjoying the peanut butter snack.  One father said if his son even touched peanut butter, he would react and left me with an epi pen.  I know how to use an epi pen (and so did the kid), but gees.  That's a lot of scary for a summer treat.

For the second class, even though the kids enjoyed this treat a lot, I just made regular popcorn. 

Maned Wolf Munchies

(serves 8)

The maned wolf is the largest canid in South America.  They don’t look like a normal wolf.  They look like a fox on stilts!  They like to eat all kinds of things in the wild from rabbits, birds and fish to sugarcane and fruit. 

The wolves in the zoo eat a variety of foods, but they really like peanut butter. They would love this yummy snack (without the chocolate chips). 

•  8 cups popped lightly salted popcorn
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• Melted chocolate chips (optional)

1.  Place popcorn in a large bowl. 
2.  Heat honey and peanut butter until smooth and a little runny.  Add vanilla.
3. Pour the peanut butter mixture over the popcorn and stir to coat.
4. Spread out on to a cookie sheet to cool.  Drizzle the chocolate over the top.
5. Snacks don’t have to be sweet.  If you want a savory treat, try tossing popcorn with paprika, onion powder, garlic powder and salt or curry powder and turmeric.   You can even use ranch dressing mix or taco seasoning.  For a sweet alternative, try dusting with al istle cinnamon sugar or just tossing with some vanilla.  You can even add nuts or dried fruit to your popcorn to spice it up.

Honey may be natural, but it’s still a sugar.  Use it only for a special treat!   Popcorn is loaded with healthy fiber and air popped popcorn is a great snack.  One cup of popcorn without any butter, oil or toppings is only 30 calories.  Most movie theater popcorn is popped in oil.  A small, unbuttered popcorn at the movies typically has more than 650 calories.  A large has a whopping 1,200, which is more than half the food you need for an entire day.  Microwave popcorn often has added salt, oils and butter.

Nutrition Facts

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Amount Per Serving (makes 8)

Calories: 158
Total fat: 8.5 g
Protein: 5.1 g
Total carbohydrate: 18.1 g

• Dietary Fiber: 2.2 g
• Sugar: 8.7 g

Removing the honey makes it only 125 calories and 9 grams of carbs.  The stuff is more sticky and popcorn ball like with the honey, but taste great with less or with just peanut butter.