Strawberry Chia Seed Jam

I have been occupying a seat on the chia seed bandwagon for the past four or so months. I put them in my Greek yogurt (on that wagon, too), oatmeal, smoothies and more. Thanks to Ryan's and Carson's hard work strawberry picking (and by that I mean hard working eating as many as they could which motivated Lauren and I to outpace their chomping with our picking), I was able to make one of my favorite chia seed recipes: strawberry chia seed jam. Since there is no pectin in the recipe, the chia seeds serve as the thickener. This jam is guilt-free and not too sweet for this pregnant mama who prefers savory food. Aaaaaand, take this declaration with a grain of sugar since there isn't any used in the recipe ... I think this jam tastes like a strawberry fruit roll-up. Both Chris and Annie deny that it tastes like a fruit roll-up, but hey, maybe this is a side effect of pregnancy: the superpower of being to think refined-sugarless jam is equivalent to a trade-able lunchbox resident. I'm not complaining.

Sidenote - Blogger and my computer need to get with the healthy living times of today because they keep telling me that chia is spelled wrong. Possible signal of a fad? 

Strawberry Chia Seed Jam
adapted from Easy Strawberry Jam via Hellobee and Strawberry Chia Seed Jam via Mountain Mama Cooks. 

2 cups fresh strawberries 
1 tablespoon honey or another sweetener 
1 tablespoon chia seeds 
the zest of medium lemon 
Yield: about 1 cup

1. Cook two cups of fresh strawberries over medium heat until the berries start to soften. Smash the berries to release the juices.
2. Add the tablespoon of honey (or another sweetener such as agave or maple syrup, but I prefer honey) and stir.
3. Cook until the strawberry liquid reduces by about a third.
4. Pour the cooked strawberries into a blender or food processor. Add the lemon zest and chia seeds.
5. Blend or process to desired consistency. Remember that the chia seeds will thicken the jam over time. Place in the refrigerator to cool and thicken.
 6. Enjoy! I love eating mine plain, mixed in Greek yogurt or on top of some leftover shortcake.

Strawberry Eating

Chris' response to this picture text was that it was the least cute photo of Ryan ever ... but I don't know the rogue eyebrow + smile with extra cheese gets me

I would title this post Strawberry Picking, but let's be honest, more strawberries were eaten than were picked. Last Wednesday, my sweet friend, Lauren, invited Ryan and to head up to Michigan to a U-pick farm. Umm, yes! Her little boy, Carson is only three months older than Ryan, and I would say that he is one of Ryan's best friends. My litmus test for that is if Ryan can say someone's name, and he has Carson's name down pat. 

I'm very thankful that I have friends like Lauren who are not only amazingly fun to hang out with, but are go-getters and look up where strawberry farms are because we are four and a half hours away from my dad's little strawberry patch, and the country girl in me just feels sad when I know Ryan can't just go out, pluck a berry and pop it in his mouth.

The strawberries were sparse since it was the end of the season, but we (Lauren and I) managed to pick about six pounds each. I don't know about Lauren's household, but all of mine were gone by 10pm that night. Oops. 

A white shirt was a brilliant idea.

The scene 93% of the time. The rest was 5% playing with the sprinkler and 2% picking. 

Strawberry success!