Raw Fruit & Chia Jam: My Grown-up PB&J

 

Every school day from 1st grade through graduation, I ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch, and I couldn’t get enough. I would spread on copious amounts of Peter Pan creamy peanut butter with just a little grape jelly, which was smashed between two slices of Iron Kids bread.  As a child, I quickly learned that if the peanut butter did not go on both sides of the bread, the grape jelly would seep through and make the bread gross and soggy (I was a smart kid).

 

I could still probably eat a PB&J every day, but gone are the days of the sugar and hydrogenated oil-filled peanut butter and the gelatinous ‘where’s the fruit’ jelly. And as much as I loved Iron Kids as a child, I said no to white bread years ago. Thankfully, there are lots of great all-natural peanut butter brands out there that contain only peanuts and salt. You can even buy whole grain bread without added sugar; I am a huge fan of Ezekial sprouted whole wheat bread–especially toasted.

 

Now the only thing missing to my perfect, nutritious PB&J sandwich is some healthy jelly. I solved that problem with this raw fruit and chia jam. The great thing about this recipe is you can use whatever fresh fruit you’d like, and the chia seeds will thicken it up to a spreadable consistency.  You don’t even need a stove top. I do love classic grape jam on my sandwich, but I of course didn’t stop there; I had to make some strawberry and blueberry too. Trust me, all forms are equally delicious. Don’t limit this jam to only sandwiches either; it tastes great in oatmeal, or mixed with plain Greek yogurt for a naturally sweet, high protein snack!

 

 

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{Raw Fruit & Chia Jam}

An easy, heat-free method of making all natural jam. The jam is thickened with chia seeds, which add a little protein, healthy fat, and extra fiber.

 

Great minds think alike: Same idea done first by: EatGood4Life

 

Servings: 6

 

Ingredients

1 cup tightly packed fruit

(you’ll want to roughly chop large fruit like strawberries)

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 tbsp honey or maple syrup

 

If you make grape jam, use 2 tbsp chia seeds per 1 cup of fruit due to the high water content of the fruit. 

 

Directions

1. In a food processor or blender, blend fruit until no chunks are visible.

3. Mix in chia seeds; let chia absorb liquid for 4 hours in the refrigerator. The chia seeds get even softer after being in the refrigerator all night.

 

The jam will stay fresh for about a week, but I doubt it will last that long!

 

Nutrition info per serving (based on grape with 2 tbsp chia):  50 cal, 1.5 g fat (0 g sat fat), 1 g pro, 9 g carb, 2 g fiber

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What was your favorite partner to peanut butter growing up?