Today is Day 23 of Whole30. I feel both like a victim and a survivor. I’m not shaking from sugar withdrawal, my energy levels are high, and my cousin’s wife told me this weekend that I’m “glowing.” I told her it was from all the bacon grease (kidding, sort of). I also survived the long Memorial Day weekend, which has been in years past my primary excuse to kick off spending lots of time outdoors sipping wine and eating gigantic juicy burgers perched on yeasty rolls.
Instead, this Memorial Day, the hubby and I sat soberly (literally) on the sidelines eating burgers wrapped in romaine lettuce. Our kids, meanwhile, smothered their faces in chocolate-y smores at night and ran around in the backyard with flashlights. Oh, what I would’ve given to be them.
Besides the obvious yearning for off-limits foods, there are still day-to-day logistics that make Whole30 challenging. First and foremost is breakfast on the weekdays. When we first started this adventure, I was cooking around the clock — breakfast, lunch and dinner. Since we’re not subjecting our kids to this insanity, I’d also make separate lunches and prep side dishes for the kids for dinner (usually rice or pasta) to supplement the carb-free dinner we were eating.
I also photograph nearly everything we eat that is a success in case I want to blog about it later. It was a dizzying, intense process, one that reduced me to hand-flapping anxiety. The hubby wisely told me to take a step back and let him shoulder some of the burden, and since then he’s handled getting breakfast ready and packing his own lunch. I’m also prepping chia seeds in coconut milk on Sunday or Monday nights so that we can have this Whole30 banana almond chia pudding (or some variation of it) for a quick on-the-go breakfast. Everyone is breathing easier now.
This banana almond chia pudding is so easy to make — just stir 1/4 cup of chia seeds into two cans of coconut milk. I usually do this in an airtight plastic container that’s deep enough to hold the coconut milk so that I don’t have to dirty another mixing bowl. After the seeds are evenly mixed into the coconut milk, I pop a lid on the container and store it in the refrigerator overnight.
In the morning, I add a little extra coconut milk to thin out the chia pudding if it’s too thick for our tastes, then slice fresh bananas and top with fresh almonds. The sweetness of the bananas, combined with the rich custard that forms from the chia seeds, which expand in the coconut milk, makes this breakfast feel like a dessert.
I eat my Whole30 banana almond chia pudding slowly, with my eyes half-closed, dreaming that I am eating a warm banana pudding draped over Nilla wafers on the back porch. It’s not the same, but Whole30 requires a vivid imagination to help you get through the rough spots. I also like this chia pudding because it breaks up the inevitable monotony of having breakfast scrambles every morning, as delicious as they are.
At this point, there’s no turning back on Whole30. We’re too close to the finish line to quit now. Plus, I just feel so good, which is kind of disappointing. I really loved my previous life philosophy of “I eat what I want, when I want because it just feels so right.”I know I’m not going back to that lifestyle because it was really affecting my day-to-day health.
The hubby and I have gone through an amazing change, and we’re realizing that we thought we had a fairly healthy diet before Whole30, all things considering, but in fact we were far from it. We’re already discussing which areas of our food-focused lives that we can pare down on when our 30 days are over. Being the planner I am, this means charts, notes and reading every recipe differently. I plan recipes for this blog weeks in advance, so I find that I’m already asking myself whether that sauce really needs the sugar, or if it might be just as tasty without it. The same goes with flour-based carbs– I’m trying to find substitutions that are filling and satisfying without all that gluten.
Am I never going to post a decadent dessert or cheesy appetizer again? Of course not. But it’s a brave new world, folks.
- 2 14-ounce cans of coconut milk (Whole Foods brand or Thai Kitchen; do not use Goya)
- ¼ cup chia seeds
- more coconut milk (optional), for thinning
- 2 ripe bananas, sliced
- ½ cup sliced toasted almonds
- The night before you plan on eating the chia pudding, open both cans of coconut milk and pour into a medium bowl. Stir thoroughly to incorporate the cream with the liquid that may have separated in the can. Add chia seeds and mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- In the morning, spoon chia pudding into small bowls. Add a little coconut milk (around 1 tablespoon) to thin out the chia pudding if necessary and top with sliced bananas and toasted almonds. Serve immediately.
- Other great fruits to try are cherries, mangoes, blueberries or strawberries.
- Note: we've used Goya brand coconut milk a few times and the consistency of their milk does not work well to help the chia seeds expand. Try either Thai Kitchen or Whole Foods brand instead.

Kathleen says
Wondering how long it will last in the refrigerator? Is it still good a day after the first breakfast?
Thank you!
gritsandchopsticks says
Yes, should be good for a couple of days. I’ve eaten mine around 2 days after mixing the initial batch and it’s been fine, but I wouldn’t go longer than that.
Suzanne says
This looks so good! What a great dessert meal prep for the week!
gritsandchopsticks says
Thank you Suzanne! Hope you try it!
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
gritsandchopsticks says
Hi Vanessa! It will keep for a few days, but I’ve noticed that it starts separating after 2-3 days in the fridge.
Michele says
Wholw30-ers beware – This is not Whole30 complaint or approved. Read the book.
gritsandchopsticks says
I think the Whole30 requirements evolve and change, and at the time I published this recipe, the banana almond chia pudding was Whole30 compliant. I haven’t done a Whole30 in years, so please do let me know if the requirements have changed! 🙂
Lizzie says
While whole 30 compliant, chia puddings are not in the spirit of whole 30. It all or nothing baby! They even tell you on the website to put away your chia puddings for 30 days!
Louise says
Why shouldn’t you use Goya coconut milk? It’s my favorite coconut milk.
gritsandchopsticks says
In my experience Goya isn’t as creamy as the other brands I recommend and made a more watery chia pudding. But this was several years ago, so you might try it and see if it works?