TeeChia: Organic Sustained Energy Cereal #Review in Blueberry Date and Cranberry Apple

TeeChia is a company that takes making a healthy and super nutritious cereal to another level. You have a powerhouse of super seeds like:

• Chia
• Quinoa
• Flax
• Ramon
• Amaranth
• and Pumpkin

I was able to test out both flavors and see for myself how they are.  So far I like that the product uses Organic ingredients and is Non-GMO verified.  Sweetened with only fruit and is rich in fiber.

Blueberry Date– Gluten-Free and just one packet provides you with 28 grams of Whole Grains, 6 grams of Fiber and 6 grams of Protein. You get a healthy dose of 1200 mg of Omega-3 fats and the cereal contains zero grams of refined sugar. The Blueberry Date also has currants and real dried blueberries, in addition to apple juice. The base of the cereal is rolled oats, dates and rice flour. The directions suggest to simply add water and you can also punch up the protein by adding milk or yogurt after. I went with a simple Lemon flavored Australian yogurt that complimented the Blueberry flavor perfectly. The reason I mention the yogurt being Australian, is that it’s a thicker base and I found the cereal even though I followed the directions and added the hot water first, it remained in a gritty/sandy state. I let everything soak up but it did not seem to want to play well so I resorted to a 20 second zap in the microwave and that helped it blend or at least hydrate to the point I felt this is as mixed as it’s going to get. Tasting it alone was a bit on the flavorless side and I felt the yogurt helped add flavor and reduce what I felt was not a pleasant texture. This is not an oatmeal, as the directions say you can use cold water if you do not feel like eating it warm/hot. My yogurt saved it and I appreciate the healthy aspect and the nutritional value TeeChia products provide. I remained unsure on wanting to have more and knowing this is not a product I can enjoy as-is, due to the odd texture and consistency it delivered.

Cranberry Apple– Pretty much the same nutritional facts and contents but this cereal has 7 grams of Protein, versus the 6. Smelled better than the Blueberry variety and you pick-up the Cranberry scent immediately, even though this bag looked different (the base) from the Blueberry Date variety. This one had less fruit but looked more powder like. I decided due to the great Cranberry aroma, I would just eat this one with milk and heated up the milk. I added it to the cereal and again the apple squares did not re-hydrate correctly and this cereal was just sandy and goopy. Still smelled great but when I took the first bite, it was so bitter and you had what can be described as to what you find at the bottom of a cracker bag….dusty and powdery with a taste that was so off. I just could not continue. This cereal did not taste like it smelled! I most times make the best of a situation and especially when it comes to eating healthy. I can get past textures but not when the texture plus the flavor was just so….well, bad unfortunately. I wasted milk in my eyes and I even contemplated adding more cranberries because you can see from the picture that there was just not a lot of dried fruit. I then realized there was no saving this bowl and just discarded it because why add more when in the end the bitter and off taste can’t be fixed.

I wanted to really like TeeChia cereals and mostly by what they contain. I have eaten these seeds and actually add them too many of my meals from salads to yogurts. I don’t know why TeeChia’s same mix of seeds tasted so different from mine. I thought maybe the milling process caused some quick oxidation to occur but there was definitely something off in the Cranberry variety. The cereals need some reworking because if you go by the contents, they are really great. You have the texture issue and the bitterness that is just not a way you want to routinely start your morning with. Eating well can taste so good but this just did not do the trick for me.  I also noticed that both cereals do not re-hydrate or look like the product’s picture on the packaging.  I am hoping I got a bad batch because I really wanted to like this super cereal 😦 and mostly because I love their Teeccino line so much.

If you would like to try TeeChia’s Sustained Cereals, please visit them at:

• On-line– http://www.teechia.com/
• Facebook– https://www.facebook.com/teechiacereal
• Twitter– https://twitter.com/Teeccino

 

I received the above product free of charge from TeeChia.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

 

 

 

 

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Swaggable: Hail Merry Sunflower Seeds

Another great company that I was introduced to by Swaggable. Hail Merry is a company, which focuses on Superfoods and the Raw food “lifestyle”. I am very much into Superfoods and I do dab here in there when it comes to consuming foods in their raw state, to maximize nutrition and absorption/digestion. I love that a company like Hail Merry carries a simple promise close to their heart and what defines their objective of why they exist and create. Anyone can produce anything but do they do it well and safely is the difference. Like not every calorie is created equally, not every sunflower seed is the same. Their promise is to help people achieve higher health, as stated on their webpage.

I received the Salt n’ Pepper Sunflower seeds and love that they come ready to eat. I know many of us usually eat them shelled, but this just delivers a salty mess in your mouth and then that shell you need to dispose of. The seeds gets all the flavor, which is light in salt but you get a nice amount of heat and flavor from the crushed black peppercorns. I also like that what you see is what you get. The product is raw, vegan, gluten-free with zero refined sugars. Gets better. Raw oils and rich in Omegas, plus living enzymes. The packet contains one ounce, which is only 150 calories. It take a lot of sunflower seeds to create an ounce and because of the lack of shell…..it’s all pure seeds! I love the ingredient list and it’s simplicity. You have organic sprouted sunflower seeds. Celtic sea salt, cracked black pepper………and that is all! A very pure product indeed.

But everything good does not always taste good……right?

I love roasted nuts and seeds but have read how the nutrition value is altered through the roasting process. The oils “cook” and you have oxidation and what was really healthy turns to be not so beneficial in the end. I want to maximize what I get out of foods and make it count. For a product that is not roasted, Hail Merry found a way to still make it enjoyable. I like adding pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds to salads so the savory seasoning goes perfect with my array of lettuces. The change in texture is enjoyable and because the seed is not roasted, it tends to be softer but still delivered a nice clean flavor. The seeds are not mealy or dry like other seeds I have tasted in the past. I think this clean flavor is also augmented by the soaking process the seeds are given in order to activate the living enzymes, which are known to aid with digestion. The dehydration comes next and as stated on the package, this is done slowly so this why I think the seed is not dry like others. No one likes jerky texture when it comes to seeds! The handling of the seed from cultivation, packaging to until it reaches your palm is thought through and through. I encourage you to visit their site because they go beyond just seeds and nuts. Hail Merry has an array of products from macaroons, miracle tarts, and Grawnolas…..yeah, you got to read about their granola and that was not a misspell :).

I respect a company that respects their clients and I hope to be able to share in the future more of their products with you!

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/hailmerry?fref=ts
On-line: http://www.hailmerry.com/snacks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/search?q=hailmerryllc

I received the above products free of charge from Swaggable. I am not obligated in providing a positive/favorable review, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with a product, which may differ from yours.