By Alisa Fleming, Go Dairy Free ~  Large chunks of spiced dried apples and a wonderful sweet aroma greeted my senses as I scooped two tablespoons full of Chia Goodness into my breakfast bowl ...

Created as a unique new breakfast cereal, Chia Goodness is a raw blend of chia seeds, hemp seeds, nuts, and dried fruit. It comes in three flavors, Original, Cranberry Ginger (can we say, yum!), and the flavor in my possession, Apple Almond Cinnamon.

Though you can prepare it with cold water, I opted for some leftover hot water from the tea I had made.  This official serving size made a scant amount, but it was surprisingly filling.  In the future, I would enjoy 2 servings for breakfast (which would still just scratch the surface on this good-sized package), and would probably feel quite satisfied with that low 260 calories.  Of course, “raw” food is never for the fat-phobic, as nuts and seeds (of which this cereal has aplenty) are higher in fat … “good” fat mind you.

Once “cooked” (which literally took 3 minutes!) Chia Goodness isn’t really a looker.  It moves in a gelatin-like fashion, and lets face it, those little black chia seeds are not particularly attractive.  But as you know, looks can be deceiving. I loved the very light sweetness from the abundance of raisins, dried apples, and I believe just a hint or organic cane sugar.  Though you can still see the little seeds once prepared, they develop a very smooth outer coating, like a gel.  In terms of overall texture, the closest thing that I can liken Chia Goodness to is oatmeal, though really it is quite different. 

This cereal was the perfect flavor mix for my early taste buds and really, I quite enjoyed it.  The only things that I found a bit odd were the almonds.  I do enjoy almonds, but they lacked crunch in this cereal, having a rather dull bite without much flavor.  If not for the nutritional merit, I felt that this cereal could have easily done without the nutty addition.

On another note, I have trialed chia seeds in some prior baking ventures.  They make a wonderfully nutritious egg replacer if you can believe it!  However, I was concerned about Ruth’s stance on raw foods.  Would she be offended if I actually used her new “hot” cereal as an ingredient in baking?  It was then that I noticed a comment on the package, “See our website for Chia Goodness muffin and pancake recipes.”  Fantastic!  Ruth is obviously open-minded to those of us who love raw food but are quite frankly, addicted to baking.   

The recipes on the Ruth’s Hemp Foods website seemed to be in the beginning phases, as only a pancake recipe was posted for the Chia Goodness.  It looked good, but I may have to venture some Apple Cinnamon Chia Goodness muffin recipes on my own in the near future …

Note: The instructions say to add 4 tablespoons (1/3 cup) of hot or cold water or your choice of milk.  This doesn’t quite compute.  I used 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) with good results.

Ingredients: Chia, buckwheat, hulled hemp seeds, dehydrated apples, almonds, raisins, org. cane sugar, cinnamon, Celtic Sea Salt.

Chia Seeds?: If you aren't familiar with Chia beyond the notorious Chia Pet, then you must read this post I put up called Ch-ch-ch-chia muffins.  These tiny seeds are surprisingly nutritious and multi-purpose!

Where to Purchase: Ruth’s Hemp Foods are shipped throughout the United States and Canada; see their store locator to find some chia or hemp near you.  Several products from Ruth’s line are available on Amazon; the Chia Goodness could be joining them soon.  Of course, you can also purchase any of Ruth’s Hemp Foods (including the new Chia Goodness) direct from their Hemporium.

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