Did you know you can make homemade jam with chia seeds?! Did you also know it’s one of the easiest things you can make? I’ve made pudding out of chia seeds, I regularly put them in smoothies. But jam? The thought had never crossed my mind. But then I was trolling around Pinterest and saw that someone had posted something along those lines and I decided I simply had to try to create it. It’s this funny game I like to play with myself – I look at food photos I like – but I don’t allow myself to click on the recipe, lest I get influenced. Then I try them out and see how I did… this time? Nailed it!

There are sometimes when I like to eat like a child. Frozen pizzas (Amy’s margarita with Daiya) and even PB & J. But I honestly can’t remember the last time I had PB&J before I made this jam. I never have jam – or jelly for that matter – in the house. I can’t remember the last time I bought some. I don’t like all the sugar and even the low sugar options creep me out because there’s some sort of weird fake sugar going on. Plus, I generally try to only keep things around that are healthy. If it’s not in the cupboard/fridge I won’t eat it.

But lately, and maybe it’s the winter weather, I want comfort food. And I’ve gone all-out kid food. That’s when I came across the idea for making my own jam. What could be better than PB & J? PB & J with homemade jam. Delicious, not too sweet, just super duper flavorful jam.

I had some blueberries rolling around the fridge and freezer and I was sick of putting them in smoothies. So they seemed to be the best option for jam making. I think you could use either all frozen, all fresh, or any combination of the two I think. I wanted to make sure I was using enough blueberries so I used a whole bunch. I started with what I had on the fresh side, and then added frozen.

The best way to reduce fruit down is to toss it in a pot and bring it to a boil, then turn it down and let it simmer. If you want, you could run the berries through a food processor first, but I like my jams to have a bit of texture, so I just used a spatula and a potato masher to break up the berries while they were simmering and I think that worked just fine. I added a tiny amount of agave syrup just so they would be slightly sweet, and then when they were turning to a thin goo, I added chia seeds.

Have you discovered chia seeds yet? If not, you should. They’re super versatile, and they’re packed full of fiber and omega-3s. If you’re not a meat eater, it’s a great way to get those extra heart-healthy fatty acids. (Or so I’ve read. I’m no doctor). You can buy a whole big bag of them and they last forever. I’m always amazed at what you can make them into and the jam was no exception. After the fruit was boiled down a bit, I added just enough chia to make it thick, but not too thick. Chia seeds expand as they take on liquids.

It made the perfect amount for a small mason jar – which just so happened to be the best way to store the jam. Placed in the fridge, and you can have it for at least a week. On toast, with peanut butter, or if you’re as big a fan as I am – a single spoonful for a quick after-dinner sweet fix. The chia seeds give the jam a bit of a seed feel, so if you don’t like that (think raspberry jam consistency) you could also blend the jam to make it a bit more jelly-like.

I might say this about all my recipes, but this is one of my favorites. And I’ll be making it again and again. I can’t wait to try it with other fruits. It’s so simple and easy I may never buy another jam again.