Protein Chia Breakfast Pudding (aka Gloop)
PLUS the perfect order at Bar Cecil
When Katie and I first started dating, we were doing a lot (a LOT) of schlepping our stuff back and forth to each other’s apartments. We wanted to spend as many leisurely mornings together as our schedules would allow. Those mornings generally consisted of coffee in bed, walking the dog to get a local pastry, and making more coffee upon arrival back home—all before 8:30am. It was heaven! And I’ve never eaten so many pastries in my life.
At some point I realized the ‘happy relationship weight gain’ is a very real phenomenon, and we’d need to cut down on the daily pastry intake. But I wanted our mornings to still feel special and luxurious. I created my original version of a chia seed pudding (lovingly referred to by Katie as ‘Gloop’) as a solution to this problem. Since then, I’ve continued to refine my recipe—both pumping up the protein (25 grams if you include a dollop of peanut butter) and simplifying the prep. I shared the latest recipe as our contribution to a friends-and-family cookbook for our dear friends Cath & Annie for their wedding in Palm Springs. For those of you looking for a protein-packed but luxurious breakfast solution, here it is for you, too.
Protein Chia Breakfast Pudding
Ingredients:
2 bottles of Chocolate Fairlife Protein Shakes (can substitute with 3 cups of any milk or milk alternative)
12 tablespoons chia seeds
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Pinch of salt
Nut Butter
Toasted shredded coconut (optional)
Hemp seeds (optional)
Granola (optional)
Directions:
Combine protein shake, chia seeds, Greek yogurt, maple syrup, and pinch of salt in a bowl and whisk until well combined and no lumps appear.
Place in fridge for at least 4 hours, whisking occasionally to get rid of any lumps.
Use a 1/3 cup measuring cup to evenly distribute mixture among 6 containers. (We sometimes double the milk and chia seeds, which results in more like 8 portions.) Top with a dollop of nut butter and shredded coconut. Store in the fridge for up to a week. FYI, this has about 10-15 grams of fiber in it, too!
Serve with hemp seeds and granola.
BONUS: ‘Katie’s Famous Granola’
To me, to my parents, to my whole family, it’s ‘Katie’s Famous Granola.’ But her recipe actually comes from her good friend and former colleague Rachel Sanders, who wrote the recipe for Buzzfeed. It’s very good and very easy!
Speaking of Palm Springs… we finally perfected our Bar Cecil order.
You must have heard of Bar Cecil: the Michelin recognized Palm Springs gem. I first went with my mom in 2022. She doesn’t really drink, but after a sip of my Negroni she declared, “Well that’s not bad, is it??” It’s since become a staple for Katie and I any time we’re in or near Palm Springs, so we’ve had some time to trial and error our order. Our eyes are ALWAYS bigger than our stomachs, and it’s really hard not to get everything on the menu. Everything is great, but there are some standouts. Here’s what you absolutely have to get if you’re lucky enough to snag a reservation:
The rolls. Holy. Shit. The rolls.
They come with sage date butter that I’ve tried to recreate (unsuccessfully). They’re salty and crisp on the outside. Perfect pillows on the inside.
The mussels.
Drowning in a creamy curry broth, you’re going to want to order extra bread to mop it all up. The mussels themselves are succulent. Never chewy.
+ a veggie.
The green beans are particularly good.
Split the burger.
If you’re with a meat-eater. It’s very good and comes in a very cute box! If you’re with a vegetarian, and trying to be budget-conscious… you could probably skip an entree and still be thrilled.
Dessert.
An ice cream sundae so beautiful you think it can’t possibly taste as good as it looks. Then it does.
A note: it’s nearly impossible to get a reservation at Bar Cecil. They’re released 14 days in advance, at midnight, and disappear in minutes. (Katie was up at 2:00 am to try for ours, and they were already gone!) But if you show up as a party of two at 4:00 pm, and wait for an hour on their lovely covered patio, you’ll likely get a walk-in spot at the bar when they open at 5:00. And we love to sit at the bar.
Happy eating!
xx,
Mary
Your posts are always a delight!