Strawberry-Chia Jam

I try to eat both seasonally and locally
as much as possible, and early summer means strawberry season! I love all
berries; however, strawberries hold a special place in my heart. As a young
child, my grandmother would take my cousin, my sister, and I strawberry-
picking, and afterwards, we would
make jam together. We eat food for
reasons other than hunger and the
nutrition it provides our bodies; we often
eat foods because of the memories they hold—and for me, strawberries hold a special one!

I have recently discovered chia-seed
jam; it takes 5 minutes to make and
it’s superhealthy (full of fibre and antioxidants, and low in added sugar).

It’s the perfect summer treat for the entire family! If you have some strawberries to use up, give this recipe a try.

Ingredients

• 3 cups strawberries
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. water
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1–2 tbsp. honey or maple syrup
• 3 tbsp. chia seeds

Directions

• In a pot over medium heat, begin to heat the berries (1 minute, stirring).
  Add in lemon juice, vanilla, honey, and water.
• Continue to cook until strawberries soften and start to form a gel-like substance
  (3–5 minutes).
• Remove from heat, and add chia seeds.

Enjoy over Greek yogurt, frozen yogurt, on a slice of bread, or with oatmeal.

Cheers to creating memories around food!

 Angela Wallace

 A registered dietician with the College of Dietitians
 of Ontario, personal trainer and family food expert
 who specializes in women and child nutrition and
 fitness, she loves helping families get healthy
 together.  

 www.eatrightfeelright.ca