Trader Joe’s Mango Blueberry Chia Bowl
Ultra-processed foods are increasingly being tied to negative health outlooks. These foods, like pizza, fast food, soda, cookies, and many cereals and breads, are linked to a laundry list of concerns such as obesity, anxiety, depression, metabolic syndrome, heart disease, and even some types of cancer. If you want to limit or avoid ultra-processed foods, the key is to look at ingredients lists and stick with foods that contain ingredients you would find in a home kitchen.
With that said, I found a promising option at Trader Joe’s, which is a distant cousin to Aldi. TJ’s sells a chia bowl that contains fruit, 100% juice, and coconut cream. It has no added sugar and is a good source of dietary fiber.
Trader Joe’s Mango Blueberry Chia Bowl with Coconut Cream & Passion Fruit Juice cost $3.49 for a 7-ounce container at the time of publication. That’s about 50 cents per ounce.
Ingredients are mango puree, water, mango, coconut cream (coconut, water), black chia seeds, blueberries, and passion fruit juice. If you’re looking out for allergens, this contains coconut. This is kosher certified.
One bowl has 220 calories, 13 grams of total fat (17% DV), 6 grams of saturated fat (30% DV), 5 mg of sodium (0% DV), 25 grams of total carbohydrates (9% DV), 9 grams of dietary fiber (32% DV), 14 grams of total sugars, no added sugars, and 5 grams of protein.
The box has directions for preparing this bowl. It’s frozen and needs to be thawed before serving. You can thaw it on the countertop for a set amount of time, in the microwave, or in the refrigerator.
To thaw on the countertop, leave at room temperature for 75 minutes. Stir, break up chunks, and let sit for another 15-30 minutes. Stir and serve.
To thaw in the microwave, microwave for 45 seconds. Stir and microwave in additional 10-second increments to reach desired consistency.
To thaw in the refrigerator, place the frozen bowl in the refrigerator to thaw overnight. Stir and serve.
I thawed this on the counter, and it took all of the time in the directions to get it to a soft, spoonable consistency. You’ll want to serve this thawed without any ice chunks remaining or it just doesn’t taste as good or have the right texture. In the future, I will probably thaw this overnight in the refrigerator.
Once this is properly thawed, it’s quite good. The chia seeds, mango puree, and coconut cream create a nice pudding-like base, while the blueberries and diced mango add some texture and additional flavor. I could probably make something similar by purchasing coconut cream, chia seeds, and fruit from the grocery store, but I wouldn’t be opposed to buying this ready-made chia bowl again.
The Verdict:
Trader Joe’s Mango Blueberry Chia Bowl is made with whole, simple ingredients: mango puree, water, mango, coconut cream (coconut, water), black chia seeds, blueberries, and passion fruit juice. It has no added sugar and has 9 grams of dietary fiber, making it a healthy snack or breakfast option. It tastes good, too.
