Elemental Superfood, Inc. - Mulberry Cacao + Spirulina - June 2, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Elemental Superfood, Inc.

Mulberry Cacao + Spirulina (bar)

Good +

Weight: 1.8 oz. (51 g.) in total bar

Calories: 200 calories in 1 bar

Cost: $3.29 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Fruit Theme Week, featuring a variety of chocolate and fruit blends.

Today's Organic Mulberry Cacao + Spirulina bar was from Elemental Superfood, Inc. (Torrance, CA).

Aroma notes for this bar included: soft, botanical sweetness, subtle fruit (red berry + light fig) and floral (honey), and faint seed, nut and cacao notes.

This very textural bar was multi-seeded, nutty, cacao nib-by and buckwheat bit-ted, woven together with softer bits of dried berry fruit; and, surprisingly it had a relatively light (but substantial), integrated chew.

The taste was a tapestry of plant-based ingredients--diverse roughly-ground, largely intact textures that harmonized. The minimally processed ingredients had more layered flavors than a more processed, highly compressed bar would have. 

Happily, this filling, gluten-free bar also wasn't too sweet (thank you!). The bar contained a judicious amount of "organic, raw honey and no refined sugar."

Ingredients: Organic buckwheat, organic almonds, organic raw honey, organic flaxseeds, organic coconut, organic cacao nibs, organic sunflower seeds, organic pumpkin seeds, organic Brazil nuts, organic mulberries, organic sesame seeds, organic cacao butter, organic spirulina, organic vanilla bean, organic vanilla extract, pink Himalayan salt. 

Allergen-related information: "Contains tree nuts."

Living Intentions - Cacao Crunch, Banana Hemp cereals - May 1, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Living Intentions

• 1/4 cup Cacao Crunch Activated Superfood Cereal - Good + 
• 1/4 cup Banana Hemp Activated Superfood Cereal - Good + - Good ++

Weight: 1/2 cup (45 g.) for two cereals / 9 oz. (255 g.) total for each package
Calories: 184.5 calories in 1/2 cup serving (mix of 2 cereals)
Cost: $5.69 each x 2 (for 2 different packages of cereal)
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, Berkeley, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Banana Theme Week.

I occasionally mix cereals together to create new flavor combinations. Happily, Living Intentions (Point Richmond, CA) offered both a Cacao and a Banana cereal as part of their Activated Superfood* line, that I thought might be suitable for mixing.

Today I tried both the Cacao Crunch Activated Superfood Cereal and the Banana Hemp Superfood Cereal from Living Intentions.

Both were organic, probiotic, buckwheat-based and gluten-free cereal alternatives with several inclusions. The list of added herbs (+ cacao) and/or greens making these cereals "super" was so impressive I thought I might explode from healthiness...or transform into a super hero. I wasn't sure which.

Fortunately, I had nothing to fear. Each of these flavors was very lightly sweetened (not overly sweet—thank you!) and had a pleasant taste and texture. These had just the right amount of crunch (not too firm, not too crumbly) and were enjoyable plain, or with milk of choice.

The Cacao Crunch was cocoa colored and had a mild cacao almost malty flavor and a satisfying crunch. The Banana Hemp had a light beige-green tinge, contained naturally sweet raisins (sultanas) and had a very subtle banana flavor. And the two blended very nicely together in one bowl.

*Superfoods are generally edible items that contain beneficial nutritional properties, such as high levels of anti-oxidants and/or vitamins/minerals. "Activated" was defined by the company as food that is at "its highest nutritional potential." For example, a combination or organic, sprouted ingredients and added "CFUs (colony forming units) of friendly probiotic cultures (that support friendly bacteria and yeasts)"..."to support immune health and start your day off right."

The Cacao Crunch cereal contained maca root, astragulus, reishi and live probiotics. The Banana Hemp cereal contained spirulina, chlorella, dandelion and live probiotics.

ChocolateBet: April 30, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

ShaSha Co.
Cocoa and Vanilla Buckwheat Snack
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42 g.) / 6 oz. (170 g.) total package/bag
Calories: 170 calories in 1.5 oz. serving
Cost: $4.99 total package/bag
Purchased from: Gluten Free Grocery, San Francisco, CA


This cocoa and vanilla flavored, probiotic and prebiotic, raw snack with buckwheat groats, almonds, sunflower seeds and dried fruits, was also gluten free.

The cocoa (organic cocoa powder) flavor in this mix from ShaSha Co. (Toronto, Canada) was subtle. These bite-sized pieces offered just the right blend of crunchy and chewy, and were surprisingly satisfying.

ChocolateBet: October 9, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

1/2 bar
Lydia's Organics
Cacao Crunch Bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.5 oz. (43 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 80 calories
Cost: $2.59 total bar
Purchased from: Whole Foods, in Los Altos, CA

Chocolate can be mixed successfully with almost every food and drink category, including fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Today was the first day (Day #1) of Chocolate and Sesame Theme Week.

Today's raw, gluten-free, organic and vegan Cacao Crunch Bar from Lydia's Organics (Fairfax, CA), was a healthy, satisfying bar made from sprouted buckwheat, sprouted sunflower, sesame seeds, sprouted quinoa, agave nectar, cinnamon and Himalayan sea salt. Good for a light snack on the go.

ChocolateBet: April 11, 2010

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

1.) Kaia Foods
2 servings
Buckwheat Granola - Cocoa Bliss
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 4 oz. (114 g.)/ 12 oz. (340 g.) total package
Calories: 440 calories in 2 servings (1 cup)
Cost: $5.99 for total package
Purchased from: Whole Foods, in Los Altos, CA

I'm in Las Vegas this week; chocolate temptations are everywhere. However, I brought this healthy-looking buckwheat item with me from home. I liked that this gluten-free, raw granola was not too sweet. This cereal was also nutritionally dense, which is to say, there were quite a few calories in a 1 cup serving -- 440 calories to be precise, not counting the nonfat milk I poured all over it. (I went downstairs and bought milk from Starbucks for the granola; that was fairly easy. Finding a spoon to eat this in my hotel room was more challenging.)

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Rice/Grains Theme Week. Because, however, some may not consider buckwheat to be a true grain (or type of rice), I decided to sacrifice and eat one more chocolate today. My second chocolate: a few bites of a fairly new Ghirardelli milk chocolate bar (below) with crisped rice. It's odd that I bought this bar in Las Vegas, since Ghirardelli is based in the San Francisco Bay Area -- where I live. But, such is the wide geographic reach of chocolate.

2.) Ghirardelli Chocolate
Luxe Milk - Crisp - 1/4 bar
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.)/ 2.81 oz. (80 g.) total bar
Calories: 100 calories for 1/4 bar (2 squares)
Cost: $3.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Essentials (shop) in Harrah's Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, NV

ChocolateBet: February 29, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

2 pieces
MarieBelle (New York)
1 Buckwheat and 1 Caipirinha
Very Good - Buckwheat: what taste like little pieces of buckwheat kernels help give it some nice texture and flavor; nice combination.
Very Good + - Yum - Caipirinha - taste like a very nice light citrus drink you might enjoy at a tropical vacation spot.
Wt. ~ .8 oz.?
Calories: 145?
Cost: $0 (gift)
Purchased from: Red Envelope/MarieBelle (New York)

Very nice 25-piece assortment box/gift - shared with folks at work. (Thank you Susan!) Nice artwork on each piece and accompanying sheet that described what flavor each chocolate was.