Thursday, December 31, 2015

Review - Supreme Protein Bar



Brand:  Supreme Protein
Flavor:  Apple Cinnamon Morning Protein Bar
Where to get it: here @ BodyBuilding.com

                Well hello, adorable little oats stapled all over the top of this bar! I like you. You make me feel like I’m eating a bar where some of the ingredients might actually exist outside of a lab. This is a great little bar, especially if you eat it for breakfast, as the package recommends. 180 calories is very reasonable, and the apple cinnamon taste is pretty good. Additionally, you get 15g of protein. If you’re a person who eats Nutrigrain bars or any kind of granola bars with your breakfast, you should definitely try this and get a little extra protein for your buck.
                 
               

Tastes like:  Just shy of natural apple cinnamon (I’ll take it though)
Taste rating:  6.5/10
Qualities:  Gluten-free, Made in the USA


What’s in it:


Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Review - Pure Organics Ancient Grains Bar



Brand:  Pure Organic Ancient Grains
Flavor:  Peanut Butter Chocolate
Where to get it: here @ Shop.ThePureBar.com

                The first ingredient in this bar is peanuts, but when you unwrap it, it kind of looks like pasted-together birdseed. Don’t dismay! The smell is wonderful, like a fresh jar of peanut butter. The taste is also pretty great, very peanutty, subtly chocolatey, and all the crispy grains give this bar a firm but not hard texture. It’s low in sugar (8g), and at 160 calories, it just about as perfect as a snack bar can get when you need something between meals, or even before bedtime. Anything to keep me  away from the Reese’s at midnight…
                 
               

Tastes like:  Lightly chocolate-d peanuts
Taste rating:  7/10
Qualities:  All natural, Gluten free, Vegetarian, Vegan, Non-GMO, Kosher, Organic


What’s in it:


Thursday, December 24, 2015

Review - Metragenix White Crispy Crunch Protein Bar


Brand:  Metragenix
Flavor:  White Crispy Crunch
Where to get it: here @ 2to1proteinbars,com

                The little white “crunch balls” on the outside of this bar don’t only make it interesting, they are also completely delicious. I have no idea what they’re made out of…I wonder if they have any nutritional value at all. Say…could I get a snack bag of just the crunchy balls? And if I did…would it just be full of empty calories? I could die wondering, because I feel like that’s not a real thing that’s about to come into my life. The interior of the bar is really just another so-so tasting protein bar, but the composition does make it interesting. If you’re looking for something a little different and you’re a fan of protein bars, this one is worth trying.               
                 
               

Tastes like:  Vanilla cereal, then bland protein powder
Taste rating:  6/10
Qualities:  Made in the USA


What’s in it:

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Review - Skout Apple Cinnamon Trail Bar


Brand:  Skout Bar
Flavor:  Apple Cinnamon
Where to get it: here @ SkoutOrganic.com

                I’ve tried Skout products before, and I’m always impressed with how simple, easy, and good-tasting they are. This bar was absolutely no exception - it’s one of the best fruit bars that I’ve tried. The texture is thick and chewy, and the apple flavor shines through in a very genuine way. I think it’s safe to say that any Skout snack is a great choice if you want something simple, good for you, and true to flavor.

Tastes like:  Sweet apple happiness
Taste rating:  10/10
Qualities:  Gluten free, Non-GMO, vegetarian, vegan, Certified organic

What’s in it:



Thursday, December 17, 2015

Review - B'Bites Peanut Butter Crisp



Brand:  B’ Bites
Flavor:  Peanut Butter Crisp
Where to get it: here @ bbitesnacks.com

                These little blocks are full of admirable ingredients, low calories, and low fat. They just taste so similar to so many other products on the market that I wouldn’t seek them out. The peanut butter flavor is not central to these like the title implies, the brown rice syrup flavor is the front runner here. The texture is good - they aren’t dry or sawdust-y at all. I hate that I don’t have more to say about them, I think if I hadn’t already tried so many other products, I might have a fresher outlook on these. If you don’t know what my “tastes like” on these mean, I think you should try them to form your own opinion. So snacky, so jaded. ‘Tis the life I have chosen to lead.
                 
               

Tastes like:  Everything else in the Brown Rice Syrup Brigade
Taste rating:  5/10
Qualities:  All natural, Gluten free, Vegetarian, Vegan


What’s in it:

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Review - Don't Go Nuts Bar



Brand:  Don’t Go Nuts
Flavor:  Blueberry Blast Bar
Where to get it: here @ Amazon.com

                Something bad happened to this bar. I’m convinced. Bad batch? Bad life choices? Bad hair day? It has to be something. These can’t ALL taste like this. Unfortunately, I had but one bar to try. The initial taste was really good – soft, nice white chocolate flavor…I even made a little “ooooh” noise. Several seconds later, I was ditching the rest of the bar in the garbage can. The blueberry presence has such a weird aftertaste, I really feel like something might have been wrong. There was just this overwhelming blueberry taste, but also like it was chemical- or perfume-related. If I see these bars again, or am sent some, I will certainly get you guys an update.
                 
               

Tastes like:  Like a tasty blueberry cake…that’s been doused in grandma’s perfume
Taste rating:  2/10
Qualities:  Non-GMO, Kosher, Certified Organic


What’s in it:


Thursday, December 10, 2015

Review - One Bar



Brand:  One Bar
Flavor:  Cherry
Where to get it: here @ theonebar.com

                You really can’t argue with this bar. It’s little, it’s simple. It’s good for you. Pick a fruit that you like, and you’ll enjoy this bar as a quick snacky. It’s more than a fruit leather, it’s thicker and takes more time to chew. I also really like the simplicity of the packaging to go along with the simplicity of the product. Thanks for not putting dancing cherries or apples on rollercoasters on the front of your wonderful little product, One Bar.
                 
               

Tastes like:  Meaty fruit
Taste rating:  8/10
Qualities:  Gluten free, Vegetarian, Vegan


What’s in it:

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Review - Bakery On Main Granola


Brand:  Bakery on Main
Flavor:  Apple Raisin Walnut Gluten-Free Granola
Where to get it: here @ BakeryOnMain.com

                A long time ago, I went on one of those popular prepackaged food diets (one of the most popular ones here in the US). I didn’t work, but they had a cereal packet that I was OBSESSED with. It had little balls of whatsit (as does this granola) and things that looked like Cheerios. It was ridiculously expensive, and of course even more so if you tried to order it outside of one of their weekly meal plans. I said goodbye to that cereal, and have yet to find anything like it…until now.
                This is marketed as granola, but it’s not really like any other granola that I’ve had. I typically like to mix my granolas into a yogurt, which I would not recommend with this, as there are no oats to get deliciously al dente, and the circles (that you can see in the picture) are corn-based. I dumped this stuff into a mug with some unsweetened vanilla almond milk, and BAM! I was right back in fancy cereal town! Sweet, cinnamon-y, apple-y deliciousness. As a granola, I say nay. As a cereal, I say yay!
                 
               

Tastes like:  Apple-y cereal
Taste rating:  8/10
Qualities:  Non-GMO, Kosher, vegetarian, Gluten-free, vegan

What’s in it:



Thursday, December 3, 2015

Review - Jimmy Bar!


Brand:  Jimmy Bar!
Flavor:  No Bluffin’ Banana Muffin
Where to get it: here @ Jimmybars.com

                I love bananas. I love muffins. Sadly, this bar fell short of being close to either of these things. It’s not a crispy bar, but the texture is pretty hard – clearly not muffin-esque. The banana flavor is very subtle, which makes everything difficult, because there are no other flavors in this bar. If this was a banana/blueberry or banana/chocolate situation, then I would be okay with the slight banana taste. When you make banana the star of the show, don’t let it go on stage wearing sweatpants. Dress that banana up in a LBD and some fake eyelashes. (I really like Jimmy Bar’s packaging, though.)
                 
               

Tastes like:  Blandly banana
Taste rating:  5/10
Qualities:  Gluten free, Vegetarian, Vegan, all natural

What’s in it:





Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Review - GFB Oatmeal Raisin


Brand:  The Gluten Free Bar
Flavor:  Oatmeal Raisin
Where to get it: here @ theglutenfreebar.com

                I was expecting this to taste like an oatmeal cookie (wishful thinking, I know), but I would say it tasted like the “essence” of an oatmeal cookie. Let me explain. It lacked the “oaty-ness” of an oatmeal cookie, but all of the other components were there. It was sweet, like molasses and brown sugar, and had a lot of good cinnamon and nutmeg taste. Lots of carbs (29g), but also a good amount of protein (12g) considering that this is a vegan snack. Yay for the creatures! At 190 calories, this seems like the perfect between-lunch-and-dinner buddy to have in your bag. Full disclosure:  I am really thinking about how good this bar would taste if I used it instead of a spoon with a bowl of vanilla ice cream.
                 
               

Tastes like:  A nice cinnamon cookie bar
Taste rating:  8/10
Qualities:  Gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, Non-GMO, Kosher

What’s in it: