Review - Bounce Natural Energy Ball

Brand:  Bounce  

Flavor:  Coconut & Macadamia

Where to get it: here @ Rei.com

                These smell absolutely divine right out of the package. The light tan color, covered in coconut, is also really appealing. They have a really strong protein powder taste though, and it cuts through the coconut flavor pretty quickly once you start chewing. I didn’t taste the cranberry at all, which is just fine since I don’t particularly like them, but that protein powder taste was just too strong for me to get this whole thing down. Unfortunately, they also have more grams of sugar (9) than protein (8), which is a letdown to me anytime a product specifically advertises itself as a protein product. On the plus side, that sugar does come from agave and fruit, not refined sugar.

                 

               

Tastes like:  Protein powder covered in coconut

Taste rating:  5/10

Qualities:  All natural, Gluten free, Non-GMO

What’s in it:

Review - Think Thin White Chocolate

Brand:  Think Thin

Flavor:  White Chocolate High Protein Bar

Where to get it:  here @ ThinkProducts.com

                0 g of sugar? Yay! 240 calories? Less yay. Tastes nothing like white chocolate? Booooooo. And when I say nothing like white chocolate, I mean that this bar tastes about as much like white chocolate as green beans do. I am not exaggerating. So there’s that disappointment, but what DOES it taste like? I actually sampled this with 3 of my co-workers, and the most complementary thing that was said was, “it tastes like a boring candy bar.” I’m not really on board with the candy bar comment, because that makes it sound like it tastes really good, and…it doesn’t.

                 

Tastes like:  The makers have never tasted white chocolate

Taste rating:  2/10

Qualities:  Gluten free, Kosher, Made in the USA

What’s in it

Review - Wai Lana Fruit & Nut Bar

Brand:  Wai Lana

Flavor:  Fruit & Nut Bar

Where to get it: here @ WaiLana.com

                Wai Lana, why do I love you so? I KNOW WHY. Because you make delicious, quality products, that’s why. These fruit and nut bars are no exception. They taste like the flavors that they advertise, and the texture is wonderfully moist and chewy. I love the packaging – all the flowers and fruits…beautiful. The serving size on these bars is HALF a bar, so don’t go crazy when you see 120 calories. That’s for half the bar. They are well-worth the 240 calorie hit though if you’re looking for some natural energy or a natural sweet snack (no added sugars!). I’m just a huge fan of this brand.               

                 

               

Tastes like:  Fruits, nuts, and dates

Taste rating:  9/10

Qualities:  Gluten-free, Non-GMO, Vegetarian, Vegan, Made in the USA, No artificial ingredients

What’s in it:

Review - Promax Lemon Bar

Brand:  Promax

Flavor:  Lemon Bar

Where to get it:  here @ ProMaxNutrition.com

                                Mmmmm lemon. Give it to me! First bite, lemon! Chew chew chew, hmmmm, I’m no longer certain I want to eat another bite. It wasn’t the worst bar that I’ve tried, for sure. There was something about it though. That first taste is so good then it morphs into something else that really isn’t identifiable as a familiar flavor. That concerns me a little bit. Maybe it’s just the protein isolate blend that Pro Max is using. I’m sure it’s nothing nefarious, but I wouldn’t choose this bar a second time.

Tastes like:   Lemon at first, then…chemicals?

Taste rating:  5/10

Qualities:   Gluten-free, vegetarian, Kosher

What’s in it:

Review - Purely Elizabeth Granola

Brand:  Purely Elizabeth

Flavor:  Original Ancient Grains Granola

Where to get it: here @ PurelyElizabeth.com

                This is my new favorite thing - unique, tasty, really just flat-out spectacular granola. It tastes great right out of the bag, but I especially like to dump it into my yogurt. It has enough grains that it will sog up a bit if you let it sit in there long enough, which I love to do. It also has enough “other things” that it doesn’t completely sog up into a worthless carb-bomb. The ingredients are also not your “every day” panel of oats and sugar, you’ve gotta love being able to work millet and amaranth into your diet. I can confidently say that if I never ate another type of granola, I’d be satisfied with this one for the rest of my days.

                 

               

Tastes like:  The best granola in all the land

Taste rating:  10/10

Qualities:  Gluten free, Vegetarian, Vegan, Non-GMO, Certified organic

What’s in it:

Review - Bricks Turkey Bar

Brand:  Bricks

Flavor:  Turkey Sweet Potato Cranberry & Pumpkin Seed Bar

Where to get it: here @ BricksBars.com

                 Well, at least I will never accuse Bricks of false advertising. Just about everything they put into this bar makes it onto the front wrapper in the form of the name. The pumpkin seeds are more for texture, I am assuming. I think the name, being filled with all these nice holiday ingredients, can lead you to think there might be a pumpkin taste to this bar, and there isn’t.  It’s very true to turkey flavor though, and the black pepper is a force, but not an altogether unpleasant one. It’s a funky bar, and also safe to share with your pooch, which is pretty cool.

                 

Tastes like:  TV dinner turkey with pepper gravy

Taste rating:  5/10

Qualities:  Gluten-free

What’s in it:

Review - Somersault Snack Co. Santa Fe Salsa Somersaults

Brand:  Somersault Snack Co.

Flavor:  Santa Fe Salsa Somersaults

Where to get it: here @ SomersaultLifeCompany.com

                                I’m usually on the fence when it comes to these new jumbles-of-seeds-as-snacks thingamajigs, but these are 100% delicious. Just enough seeds to be seedy, just enough seasoning to not be ONLY seedy, the ingredients are a perfect balance of savory and seed-er-y. The “Santa Fe Salsa” isn’t super spicy either, so you can actually taste the ingredients, unlike other snacks that are clearly trying to cover up what they’re made of. I would definitely nom these again, and I will for sure be seeking out some of Somersault’s other flavors.

                 

               

Tastes like:  Some oats and seeds went on a vision quest

Taste rating:  9/10

Qualities:  All-natural, Non-GMO

What’s in it:

Review - Hail Merry Macaroons

Brand:  Hail Merry

Flavor:  Choco Macaroons

Where to get it: here @ HailMerry.com

                Tiny little sweet balls of coconut sweetness, you’re just SO GOOD! Looking for a treat? Like coconut? Grab some of these Hail Merry Choco Macaroons. I’m not even a big fan of chocolate and I absolutely LOVED these. The bag I had contained 3 little macaroons – the perfect amount for when you really need to feel like you’ve had dessert. Even better, you can enjoy one here, one there, one later – just to squelch that nagging voice in your head that tries to send you to the office vending machine around 3 pm. They pack a great flavor and sweetness punch, so I’m really not being unrealistic when I say you CAN just eat one and feel pretty good about it, and that’s almost no calories at all. Plus…coconut is healthy, right? These are basically vegetables.

               

Tastes like:  Chocolate coconut YUM

Taste rating:  9/10

Qualities:  Vegetarian, Vegan, Non-GMO, Kosher, Gluten-free

What’s in it: