Well, there is nothing quite like Chia seed posing as cockroach poo to get your day off to a worrying start. I am familiar with all things roach after an epic battle a few years ago. It began when I was making school lunches one morning. Bleary-eyed (and pregnant might I add) a roach fell off the ceiling and slipped down my pajama top. I think my heart actually stopped. In the days that followed I learnt everything I needed to learn which included understanding the warning signs. And so it was that when I saw little black dots trailing along the edges of the cupboards, I feared the worst. Discovering it was a leaking bag of Chia seed made my week.For a nutritionist, I was a slow convert to Chia. The health benefits are well documented — it’s rich in fibre, omega 3 and antioxidants for a start. It’s also filling so it helps to keep hunger pangs at bay. It’s used by barefoot runners to fuel hours and hours of activity. But it’s also disappointing when you open the bag to discover teeny tiny bits of black gravel. I was used to putting nuts and seeds on my cereal, but this? In the end, after ignoring the whole Chia phenomenon for a while, I was eventually won over. What did it? A bag of Holy Crap.If you haven’t discovered it yet, Holy Crap is a chia based “cereal” that also includes buckwheat hearts, dried cranberries, and cinnamon. It was first sold at a small farmers market with a less attention seeking title. Being packed with fibre, loyal followers began commenting on its bathroom related benefits. Someone suggested they rebrand it to reflect that and wham! One trip into the Dragon’s Den of sales later, the product went global.I buy Holy Crap for two very simple reasons. It makes me laugh every single time I open the cupboard. It’s also a great way to get Chia into your diet. I confess I don’t use it as a regular cereal, as I am not sure it’s very appetising just swimming around in a sad puddle of milk (the serving size is very small.) I do add it to other cereals though, and to plain yoghurt too. It’s a great way to boost the protein/fibre of your breakfast, which delivers a more sustained energy release. That means you’re less likely to fall for the fast-releasing junk based snacks midmorning.I also had big success this week with this Holy Crap breakfast cookie. With two different drop-offs and an earlier school time for my big girl, I am always looking for good breakfast on the go options. These cookies hit the spot completely. One of these, a piece of fruit, a water bottle and away you go. Chloe has had them in her lunch box too — although she knows them simply as Chia cookies.As we are generally wheat and dairy free in our house, I made these with a blend of almond and brown rice flour. I am pretty sure the flour base would be flexible so go ahead and experiment with whole-wheat or others if you like. For the oil, I used a Spectrum canola and coconut oil blend from Supermart which has a very light flavour. Spectrum canola is altogether different from other types of mainstream canola. It’s not genetically engineered for a start. However you could use straight coconut oil if you have reservations! Finally, for those with a sweet tooth, use the amount of sucanet (crystalized cane juice) listed here, but try and wean yourself down to half a cup.These cookies are fairly cake-like and are absolutely delicious from the fridge as they are nicely chewy. I tried making them more crispy on the outside but that meant raising the sucanet and oil content another step. Let’s keep them as healthy as we can. Whether you make them as suggested or play around with the recipe, let me know how you get on!Holy Crap breakfast cookies (makes 14, serving size is 1)Ingredients:½ cup Spectrum canola/coconut oil blend or just coconut oil (Supermart)2 eggs1 tsp vanilla extract¾ cup Sucanet (Supermart, Lindos, Miles)2 cups almond flour1 cup brown rice flour1 tsp cinnamon½ tsp baking soda5 tbsps Holy Crap cereal (Miles)1 cup Eden Organic dried Montmorency tart cherries (Supermart) or raisinsMethod:1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet.2. Whisk together the first three ingredients (wet) in a small bowl.3. Stir together the rest of the ingredients (dry) in a large bowl. Blend well.4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir. When you can’t stir any longer, roll your sleeves up and kneed the ingredients together into a moist dough.5. Roll the mixture into large balls (the mix should make about 14) and flatten in your palm. Place on the cookie sheet with at least an inch between cookies.6. Bake in the oven for 12-14 minutes, until lightly golden.7. Cool and store in the fridge.The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns BA Hons, Dip ION is the Managing Director of Natural Ltd and a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist trained by the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in the UK. Please note that she is not a Registered Dietitian. For details, please go to www.natural.bm or call 236-7511. Join Catherine on Facebook: www.facebook.com/nutrifitandnaturalnutritionbermuda