Chia seeds. This ain't your mother's Chia Pet.

Thanks for the links!! Having fun with my chia seeds, but my husband thinks i'm nuts. Glad i have you all. ;)

Found a cool video on youtube on how these seeds are harvested: http://www.youtube.com/user/deborahsmall1#p/a/u/0/_L4wJ1vadUg

With any small (or tiny) seed, that protective coat keeps the insides fresh, but it also has to be broken open to get to the "supernutrition" it hides. I grind them before using so that they don't go sliding right through me.
When my (grown) kids were young, I made a kind of cinnamon roll that they loved: roll out a loaf's worth of bread dough, spread with peanut butter, sprinkle ground chia seeds, sunflower seeds, raisins and cinnamon. Roll, cut, and set in a cake pan to be baked.

WinnieAb has a recipe for Chia Pudding on her blog -- kind of fitting, given this week's them! I haven't tried it yet, but you might give it a go:
http://www.healthygreenkitchen.com/chia-pudding-with-pecans-raisins-and-candied-ginger.html

Make sprouts! The first link is to the chia sprout page, and the second is just in case you don't check out their home page and scroll down to the recipe for sprout hummus.

http://sproutpeople.org/seeds/chia.html
http://sproutpeople.org/

I love sending links like this--it's kind of like going on a field trip, isn't it?

Thanks, guys, for the great info!

I've been playing with these in gluten-free baking lately. You can soak them in water and they make a sort of jelly that can be used to replace xanthan or guar gum. Also, they're awesome in granola. My next project is making them into a cracker. I also want to try sprinkling them on top of muffins, like poppy seeds.

My mother is using it for fiber, the way you would use Metacucil. Dr Weill has an interesting article on them, and he says "And it has another advantage over flax: chia is so rich in antioxidants that the seeds don't deteriorate and can be stored for long periods without becoming rancid."
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA365093/Chia-for-Health.html

I toss them on any warm cereal I can or a little goes a long way in a smoothie. I say that because they turn a bit gelatinous when they are added to liquids. I might also toss them in an oatmeal based pancake batter or sprinkle them on yogurt! Endless possibilities. Because they are a fat, you might want to watch the shelf life, keep in an airtight container. I keep mine in the fridge for that reason. Hope this helps!