Time for tea: ChocolaTree Cafe Instant Raw Porridge



image borrowed from http://www.vivapure.co.uk/

 Rating: 9/10, available in 184g packs from Vivapure for £5.50 (+ p&p) for our UK and EU readers and ChocolaTree Cafe for $5.65 (+ p&p) for our US readers.
(N.B. Right now, I can't find the listing for the instant porridge we had on vivapure or chocolatetree cafe, instead they offer a chai version and one with lemon peel).

ChocolaTree Cafe are a U.S. based raw organic food company that, luckily for those of us in the UK, are sold by Vivapure! We've been tempted by their nori nachos and maca*roons, so this porridge caused quite a stir in our house.

After a bit of researching, this is what wiki has verified about 4 of the ingredients in this raw porridge:

• Chia seeds are rich in omega 3 fatty acids, phosphorous, manganese and dietary fibre. They can help to control blood sugar levels and ease digestion.
• Cacao contains very high levels of antioxidant flavonoids, magnesium, calcium, zinc, iron, copper, sulfur and potassium
• mesquite contains high levels of protein, calcium, potassium, iron, zinc and the amino acid lysine. Mesquite's high protein and dietary fibre levels means that it can help to stabilize blood sugar levels.
• Maca is reportedly beneficial for energy levels and libido, but no large scale trials have shown this.

Review

I'll be honest, we weren't blown away by the taste to begin with, but we didn't add a sweetener which is recommended in the instructions. When we added a dash of cinnamon, the flavour of this porridge came alive. One small serving managed to keep us all full for 6 hours and it was great for stabilising Em's blood sugar.

 Also, if you're not familiar with chia seeds they are similar to flax seeds in the way they become gelatinous when put in liquid. Chia seeds take less time to do this than flaxseeds do, which means they're a useful snack. But, the texture is something some people might need to get used to.

We were pretty pleased with this porridge once we'd learned to add cinnamon, we had it with warm water, warm and cold milk, hempseed milk and nut milk and each time it was quite delicious!

 If you've ever tried any of chocolatree cafe products or experimented with chia seeds let us know in the comments!

Ingredients: Organic Chia Seeds, Organic Goji Berries, Organic Cacao Nibs, Organic Cacao Powder, Organic Coconut Flakes, Organic Coconut Flour, Organic Mesquite, Organic Peruvian Maca Premium,  Sea Salt.