Kind Cereal - Dark Chocolate Almond cereal - Mar. 26, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Kind LLC

Dark Chocolate Almond (cereal)

Good +

Weight: 1.94 oz. (55 g.) / 15 oz. (425 g.) in total box

Calories: 240 calories in 1 serving (2/3 cup)

Cost: $6.98 (estimate) for 1 box

Purchased from: Walmart, Mountain View, CA 

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and NOPQ Theme Week, where we're featuring chocolate items that have flavor inclusions and origins with letters that start with N, O, P and/or Q. Today's cereal with chocolate also contained oats and quinoa.

Today's Dark Chocolate Almond cereal was from Kind LLC (New York City, NY).

This primarily flake-based cereal contained a blend of almonds, cocoa, oats, sorghum, quinoa and amaranth. The golden brown flakes appeared to have a very light cocoa powder coating, giving it a slightly richer color, that was accented with tiny, darker chocolate squares. 

The cereal flakes had a hearty texture and crunch, a slightly nutty cereal flavor, and were not too thick or thin. And the dark, semi-sweet chocolate pieces offered additional bursts of sweet, rich dark chocolate flavor.

The almonds, quinoa and oats contained a fair amount of protein. This gluten-free cereal contained 6 grams of protein in each 2/3 cup serving. 

Ingredients: "Almonds, oats, sorghum, brown rice, semi-sweet chocolate (sugar, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla extract), cane sugar, red rice, canola oil, quinoa, amaranth, cocoa powder, Natural Flavor, sea salt, Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols for freshness)."

Allergen information: "Contains Almonds and soy. May contain tree nuts and sesame seeds."

Freed Foods - NurturMe Organic Ancient Grain Cookies - Cocoa - Mar. 21, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Made for Freed Foods

NurturMe - Organic Ancient Grain Cookies - Cocoa

Good

Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 5 oz. (1?? g.) in total box

Calories: 130 calories in 1 serving (7 small cookies)

Cost: $ missing information

Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Starches Theme Week.

Today's NurturMe Organic Ancient Grain Cookies - Cocoa - were manufactured for Freed Foods (Austin, TX), and were made from a flour blend of millet, sorghum and quinoa—considered "ancient grains" here (as well as potato and tapioca starch).

Quinoa is a plant from the Andes with starchy seeds that looks like a grain. Technically it's a pseudo-cereal, that has become popular in the U.S. in recent decades. Today's small cocoa-flavored cookies were crunchy, and not too sweet (thank you).

Quinoa can add a satisfying crunchy texture to baked goods, especially cookies. The cocoa gave these cookies a rich flavor. These were a bit on the dry side, but it was nothing a glass of water, milk, coffee, or companion beverage of your choice wouldn't be able to address.

Did I mention these cookies included probiotics? The probiotic(s) listed: GanedenBC30(R) (Organic Inulin, Bacillus coagulans GBI-30 6086). Sounds technical. We weren't sure what this beneficial bacteria is used for in terms of digestive or overall health. But, it didn't seem to affect the taste of these small cookies.

Theo Chocolate - Coconut Turmeric Chocolate Clusters - July 14, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Theo Chocolate
Coconut Turmeric Chocolate Clusters
Good +
Weight: 2.8 oz. (80 g.) in total package
Calories: 460 calories in 10 pieces (1 package)
Cost: $6.00 (estimate) for 1 package
Purchased from: REI, Mountain View, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Spices Theme Week.

Today's crunchy Coconut Turmeric Chocolate Clusters were from Theo Chocolate (Seattle, WA).

The package of haystack-shaped Coconut Turmeric pieces were part of a "snacking cluster" line of relatively new offerings from the company* advertising the benefits of cocoa flavonals.**

The crispy crunchy texture (similar to crisped rice, but with more heft) was provided by sorghum flakes and crisped quinoa, and provided a nice contrast with the chocolate.

These "snack smarter" pieces were, refreshingly, not too sweet but long on well-balanced flavor. While a bit pricey, they'd make a great snack for a hike, bike, ride or lunch.

While this Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, Kosher Dairy and Soy Free snack was not marked gluten-free, the ingredients list did not include any wheat-containing ingredients. (Manufactured on shared equipment with products containing soy, milk, eggs, wheat, peanuts, and other tree nuts.)

*Other Theo Chocolate snacking cluster flavors include Salted Almond and Lemon Hemp.
** Flavanols are phytonutrients found in cocoa beans and other plants. Each 5-piece serving (1/2 package) of this product "provides 50 mg of (cocoa) flavanols." 
***Turmeric has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties. And one of the benefits of dark chocolate containing flavanols may be to support healthy blood flow and circulation.