As warmer weather starts to roll in, I'm always looking for meals and snacks that are easy, healthy, and also not requiring any source of heat. Chia pudding is and has been one of my favorite quick breakfast and snack options. Toss it together the night before and bam, the next day you have an easy breakfast or a beautiful treat.

Chia pudding is generally gluten-free so there's that as an added bonus, but I wanted to do something a little different today. I also wanted to make it dairy-free as well. I try to do what I can to provide recipes for all special dietary needs, and I often times feel like I lack a little when it comes to lactose/dairy-free.

This perfectly de{light}ful pudding is great for either a breakfast, snack, or even a dessert option. It's sweet enough for dessert and yet healthy enough for breakfast!

My little brother recently made a lifestyle change and decided to become a vegetarian. So, of course the other day I was asking him all about his journey and if he felt any different or if he was getting enough protein. Yeah, the typical concerned older sister was coming out of me. But, he's young still and didn't have much food knowledge as far as I knew! While my brother isn't so much of a vegetarian that he won't eat dairy, it's still very important that he get his fill of plant based protein. He's a growing boy after all!

This pudding is packed with plant based protein, which along with the amazingness of chia seeds will help keep you feeling fuller for longer. What can I say? I'm crazy about chia seeds! I try to find any excuse I can to use them, not that you need an excuse to begin with.

Plus, this is a nice clean recipe and is so easy to make that even my little brother could do it. Hint, hint, Erik!

For this chia pudding, I decided to go with Silk® Dairy-Free Yogurt Alternative, which tastes amazing! The texture and flavor are both remarkably similar to any traditional yogurt. Silk Dairy-Free is not a yogurt though, it's a yogurt alternative! It’s made from cultured soy, not dairy.

Amazingly, there are 6 grams of plant-powered protein per serving and just as many creamy flavors. The fruit flavors even have juicy bits of real fruit! It’s made with real fruit too, without any artificial flavors or colors. One of my favorite parts since I'm not a fan of the artificial stuff!

Silk® Dairy-Free Yogurt Alternative is an excellent source of calcium and vitamin D, and there's no cholesterol, dairy, lactose, gluten, carrageenan or casein.

The vanilla flavor is outstanding. It's smooth, creamy, thick and rich. Plus, you can see the little pieces of vanilla bean in there. Yum!

Be sure to follow Silk on Instagram for more ways to make dairy-free delicious!

Vanilla Chia Pudding & Strawberry Puree
TheSkinnyFork.com

The Skinny:
Servings: 2 • Size: 1 Cup • Calories: 127.1 • Fat: 4.2 g • Carb: 21.9 g • Fiber: 5.4 g • Protein: 5.2 g • Sugar: 13.4 g • Sodium: 39.6 mg

Ingredients:
Pudding:
1/2 C. Light Plain Soy Milk
5.3 Oz. Silk® Vanilla Dairy-Free Yogurt Alternative
2 Tbsp. Chia Seeds

Strawberry Puree:
1 C. Fresh Strawberries, Halved or Quartered

Directions:

Place the milk, yogurt and chia seeds into a medium size re-sealable bowl and blend together until well combined.

Cover and place in the fridge overnight to set.

When ready, put the strawberries into a blender or food processor and blend until pureed to your liking.

Divide the pudding into two dishes and top with the strawberry puree.

Serve right away and enjoy!