Our eldest son recently spent a weekend glued to the book “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall in which the author explores the world’s greatest distance runners and their secrets to success.
There is a passage in Born to Run dedicated to the wonderful power of iskiate – otherwise known as Chia. The author speaks at great length about the nutritional value of chia and its long history as a revered, sacred food in Mexico.
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There is a drink described in the book that the runners use – chia fresca – that is made by dissolving chia seeds in water (it creates a viscous jelly) and adding a touch of sugar and lime.
After reading this passage, my son promptly grilled me about chia seeds and then politely requested (or something like that) that we procure some on the double.
Chia fresca is different from anything I’ve tasted before. It has a very distinctive texture that may not appeal to everyone at first blush. It’s slippy and gummy a bit like rubber jelly – but tasty too. I enjoyed it and my son loved it.
For the purposes of this post, I thought I would do something a little more dressed up. This is a wonderful pre or post work-out bar although, if you ask my son, you definitely want to have it before a run to improve your performance (wink). Judging from his results, who am I to argue!
Chia Running Bars
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2 + 1/2 cups 7 grain flour (you can experiment with different flours or combinations of flour as desired)
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1/3 cup demerara sugar
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2 tsp baking powder
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1 tsp baking soda
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1 tsp cinnamon
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1 cup walnuts, pecans or almonds, chopped
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1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped
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1 tsp pure vanilla extract
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1/2 cup butter, melted
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1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp chia seeds* for topping
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1/2 cup ricotta cheese
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1/2 cup whole milk
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2 Tbsp honey
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*Chia seeds can be found at most health food stores. They are quite expensive (at least in this part of the world). Flaxseed has a very similar nutritional profile and is much more reasonably priced.
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Heat oven to 325 F.
In a small bowl, combine 1/4 chia seeds with 1/2 cup of water and allow seeds to soak up moisture to create a paste.
Meanwhile, in a larger bowl, stir together flour, demerara sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, 1/2 cup of the nuts, and cherries.
In a separate bowl, stir together: vanilla, melted butter, chia paste (should be approximately 1/2 cup), ricotta cheese and milk. Add butter mixture to flour mixture and stir gently to combine. If the mixture is overly wet and sticky, add a little bit more flour until desired consistency is achieved.
Place dough onto a floured surface and shape into a long rectangle with your hands – about 4″ x 14″ similar to a biscotti log. Transfer log to a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet.
Brush surface of log with honey and then add the remaining 1/2 cup of nuts to the top of the log, sprinkling them over the surface and pressing down gently into the dough with your fingers. Sprinkle remaining Tbsp of chia seeds over top before sliding log into oven.
Bake the log until it is golden brown, about 45-50 minutes (if the surface of the log is becoming overly brown, gently tent the log with foil). Turn oven off and allow log to sit for another 10 minutes in oven. Remove log from oven and allow it to cool further on a rack.
Once cooled, cut the log into bars, with a serrated knife. These will be softer, chewier bars than thrice baked biscotti.
Makes 12-14 bars.
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Some photos from the Fall Colours Marathon that our sons participated in over the Thanksgiving weekend.
Our 13-year-old ran in his second 10K event of the year and our 11-year-old tried his hand (feet) in his first ever 5K. They both did a fabulous job! – it was a beautiful day in a gorgeous country setting:
- Congratulations Boys!!
Thanks girlfriend. It was a fun weekend – weather included!!
Thanks Linda – fall certainly has its splendor but also it’s fair share of rain and darkness…. can’t have it all!
Thanks France – I’ve just got to read the book now! :)
Great photos Kelly! Congrats to the boys for participating and having great finishes. Amazing to me that both are interested in long distance running at their ages. Good on them! Again great photos and as far as the bar, I am sure this helped with their energy & endurance! They look yummy too!
Lynn
I experiemented a bit with chia seeds and now with this recipe, I definitely have to make these bars! These photos are wonderful, I love that log cabin! Fall is definitely my favorite time of the year. Congrats to your boys!!
will answer you by email – not to crowd your comments, ok?
I love that book. I read it twice. Every time I need to get stoked about running again I read it. I think the drink is quite tasty actually but I think I’d enjoy the seeds more in a bar. We’ll have to give this a try. You know my husband and I are always looking for fun protein bar recipes. In fact I’m posting a protein cookie recipe in the morning.
Thank you Caroline!
Thanks Kiran – Costco has it all, doesn’t it? :)
hee-hee… what, you mean slimy things don’t make you want to dive *right* in there? I’m nothing if not honest Charles :0
Thanks Kay – you can add them to smoothies, yogurt, cereal (oatmeal) and… bars! :=)
Have I reminded you lately how much I love you Kim?!! hee-hee… they’re not *that* old – 13 and 11.
xo
That’s so cool that your family is all over chia – including in the raw! Thanks for sharing Lisa.
Thanks so much Kristy. I find the quality of the pictures depend a lot on the availability of natural light… it has been raining non-stop the last few days with more and more in the forecast (sigh). We got a wind storm last night – but not as big as what you’ve been experiencing…
The little cottage is adorable, isn’t it? Yes, chia on its own might be an aquired taste altho I have to say, with the lime and a splash of honey, not bad at all… love it in cereal and yogurt too.
Excellent! Let me know how it goes over if you try it Chris.
Thank you lovey.
So funny you should say that Sally, that was the other take-away from the book – suddenly, my son was *very* interested in my Nike frees (although a far cry from bare) – and was inquiring about the five finger shoes… how do you like them?
By explosive do you mean mostly a sprint on the 5K? My 10K son says 5K is too short… he loves the feeling of passing people at the 7K mark (the little sneak!!) :0
Thanks for dropping by Alyssa.
Thank you Emily – it was a glorious day and now, only rain… sniff.
Thanks Yummy.
They already are – wink. Thanks Dzoli!!
thanks Junia – he’s always been a bit ahead of his time :0
Wow, that is a good price. Funny, I’m always a bit sceptical about how long nuts/seeds have been sitting around in bulk form. When I buy almonds in bulk they are never as fresh as the smaller, sealed containers.
Thanks so much Amalia – we’re very happy for them that they enjoy it and get a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment from it.
ha-ha, I think that’s exactly right! Chia pets never really caught on in this part of the world but I do believe that they sprouted chia seeds (though not, apparently, approved by the FDA for consumption) :) who knew!
Thanks Jill but why your last?
Ah, yes, the gels. After about 1 hour of high intensity exercise, water alone is not enough… you need some readily available energy (aka: sugar) and possibly electrolyte replenishment.
thanks!
Thanks for dropping by Sandra – I hope you & your sons enjoy it if you have a chance to try it.
your next shopping marathon? — HI.LA.RI.OUS. — You’re awesome Sissi. Very interesting about flax seed in boiling water….there is some controversy about heating flax given its volatile oils…(then again, we also roast salmon at 400 F in the oven with the same volatility of fat – this continues to be an area of intrigue/research for me). The neat thing about chia is that you don’t have to boil it (or grind it) for it to release its benefits in the body – it absorbs room/core temperature water natively.
There are many variations and methods available on-line but you could start by adding 2 tsp of chia seeds to 8 oz water with some lime and agave (or honey) to see how you like it and make adjustments from there.
I’ve actually never heard of/used chia seeds before, but those bars sound great. Congrats to the guys…that really is awesome!!
Congrats guys! You are awesome :)
These bars looks so delicious! I love chia seeds in everything! On top of my morning oats, in smoothies etc. You can get them bulk in Costco etc for much cheaper :)
Congratulations guys! You’re braver than me. The idea of running fills me with horror and conjures up too many memories of enforced running at school! :D
On to the chia seeds – nice, thanks for introducing them to me, even if you did a really good job selling them (rubber jelly? Mmmmm, yummeh!) – Sounds like something which would be fun to try!
Awww congrats to your boys! It’s always great when kids do amazing things. As for the bars, I’ve never done anything with chia seeds before. So this is new to me. Thanks for the lesson.. I love learning about new things
Kelly,
Congrats to you for being an awesome example to your boys….
you look too young to have older boys. How old are they?
The photos are lovely…& even the running bars look GOOD :)) Kim http://
Congrats to both of your boys! So exciting to see yound kids into health and fitness. We love chia seeds at my house. I add it to smoothies all the time. I was surprised to see them at Costco over the summer. My kids and hubby love to drink the gummy jelly drink, they actually like to eat it like pudding. I should post the recipe.
I love fall mornings with fun events and the sun shining down. Even better to have a nutritious snack to go along with it too!
Congrats to your boys! I used to love distance running – especially in the fall. I love that your one son was so inspired by his book that he “politely requested” you get some of these seeds. LOL. ;) Your photos are gorgeous Kelly – it looks like such a beautiful place to run and spend a morning. I also like the top picture a lot. The little berries just pop so nicely.
Wow, the fall foliage and countryside you took pictures of is sooo beautiful! I love the little cottage. That’s awesome that your boys are already into running! I wish I had enjoyed doing it when I was young…because maybe I’d enjoy it more now, hehe.
I don’t know if I could stomach a drink made purely from chia. I do, however, add the seeds to my oatmeal and it adds a great texture. These bars sound great!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! My children will love these as they too are avid runners! Love your pics too!
Great Post! I love the pictures of the run and the Chia Bars look like they are packed loaded with energy and nutrition.
Loved that book! Both me and my husband started to run barefoot after reading it. I had to stop because I was afraid of cutting my feet on some stuff on the streets, so I got one of those five finger shoes. My husband ran barefoot for a full year, he loves it
Congrats to both boys! 5k is a pretty tough distance because it’s soooo “explosive” (cannot think of any other term ;-)
I’ve never heard of these seeds, but they seem great!
what a great way to use chia. i admit that i haven’t been too creative with using the seeds in recipes yet, but they do pack a pretty amazing punch, nutrition wise.
and how great that your sons are involved in running; looks like it was a perfect day for a race.
Great healthy bars!
Never tried chia..not even sure we can get it here.But will ask.Fantastic pics.And is your son goona be a runner?:))
first of all, i LOVE chia. they rock in overnight oats. :) and your son is so cute. can’t believe he is reading such inspiring literature and asking u about chia! love the chia running bars! they sound soooo healthy and yummy~ :D
Congrats to both boys! I’m so impressed at your son reading up on the health benefits of chia.
Chia can be very pricy, but if you are able to find it in bulk it’s cheap. I get mine in Atlanta the the Dekalb Farmers Market – a huge container for $3!
Wow, congratulations to your two boys! That’s a huge accomplishment! Only 13 and 11 years old, that’s amazing! And these bars sound amazing too! I love healthy, nutty things, haha :) They look great and fabulous pre-workout snack!
Looks like an interesting ingredient to try! They look like what I used to plant my chia pet when I was a kid, though.
beautiful pictures & congratulations to your boys. I wish I had this recipe when I did my first (and likely last!) 1/2 marathon. Thanks for sharing
Aww congrats to your boys! That’s so awesome! they’ll be marathoners before you know it :P
When I run long distances I usually use these things called gu gels for instant nutrition…I imagine the chia gels are something like that (except healthier)! I’d love one of these cookies on a long run. Yum!
What a cool recipe.
Very interesting recipe, I’ve had flaxseed before but not chia. I’d like to try these and I think my bodybuilder sons would like them also.
Kelly, these bars look gorgeous. Chia seeds remind me of basil seeds sold in Thai shops! I once bought them and only while I paid I asked what it was and what to do with them. The man told me they served to make a gluey, slightly gelatinous drink, just like chia seeds (they are even slightly similar, but darker I think). I admit the drink was weird… I even tried to make them grow into basil plants, but haven’t succeeded. Maybe I should use them the way you did with chia! I will make the bars for me next shopping marathon ;-) (This is how sport-loving I am!).
Did you know flax seeds give exactly the same results when boiled with water? I knew a woman who was advised by her doctor to drink it every morning (she had ulcers in the stomach).
I’ve been hearing more and more about the health benefits of chia seeds and I’ve been wanting to give them a shot. How do you make the drink? Is it like 2 Tbsp chia to 8 oz water and then sugar and lime to taste?
I could definitely see how bars would go over well with people unsure of the drink plus its perfect for make ahead snacks