Review - Betty Lou's Just Great Stuff Bars

Brand:  Betty Lou’s  

Flavor:  Just Great Stuff Superberry Acai Bar

Where to get it:  here @ BettyLousInc.com

                I’m already a huge fan of the Betty Lou’s family of products, and these bars are but a small exception…I can’t stand acai, so they never really had a change. That aside, if you like acai, these are just another great vegan staple from Betty Lou’s. They’re soft and chewy like a fruit bar, but they have more substance to them, similar to a Nakd or Lara Bar. Lots of good fruit and nuts ground up in these as well, so no funky weird ingredients. If you’re following a straightforward approach to your food, this is a great choice for a midday snack.

               

Tastes like:  Acai & protein powder

Taste rating:  6/10

Qualities:  Vegetarian, vegan, Gluten free, Made in the USA, USDA Organic

What’s in it:

Review - Organic Living Superfoods Salt & Vinegar Almonds

Brand:  Organic Living Superfoods

Flavor:  Salt & Vinegar Almonds

Where to get it: here @ OrganicLivingSuperfoods.com

                I love salt, I love vinegar - I don’t really love potato chips. They always kind of make me feel like…blerg. With these raw sprouted almonds from Organic Living Superfoods, salt & vinegar have FOREVER found a new home for me. These nuts are absolutely, amazingly, totally, and completely delicious. I literally cannot overstate this. Usually when I get random packs of slivered almonds to review, I taste one or two…and then promptly dump them on a salad. NOT THIS TIME. Please do not put these on a salad. Please enjoy them just as they are. Do not let the subtle but perfect flavor get doused in a heavy vinaigrette. They are 100% perfect, right out of the bag.

Also to note, their website has SO MANY COOL THINGS. Go there.

               

Tastes like:   The best thing salt & vinegar has ever been on

Taste rating:  10/10

Qualities:   Raw, vegetarian, vegan, USDA organic, gluten free

What’s in it:

Review - Nutiva O'Coconut

Brand:  Nutiva

Flavor:  O’Coconut Classic

Where to get it: here @ Nutiva.com

                O’Coconut, O’Coconut, I wish you were more than twoooooooo biiiiiiiites. Have you guys tried some of those raw macaroons that are on the market now? The ones that are really super delicious? These little treats make those delicious macaroons seem just average. They are softer, chewier, and every bit as coconutty. If they come in a bigger bag, I don’t think I want to know about it. If they come in more flavors, I don’t think I want to know about that either. Although I bet they’d be good covered in chocolate, or peanut butter…or raspberry jam….Phew. Thanks, Nutiva, these are great little treats, I tell you what.

               

Tastes like:  The guts from an Almond Joy  

Taste rating:  10/10

Qualities:  Non-GMO, USDA Organic, vegetarian, vegan

What’s in it:

Review - Bare Deelights BOA Bar

Brand:  Bare Deelights

Flavor:  Chocolate BOA Bar

Where to get it: here @ TheBOABar.com

                 I think this bar had a more distinct “banana bread” flavor than many other products that I’ve tried that claimed to be “banana bread” flavor. The bananas and oats are a really nice complement to each other there, and this bar doesn’t add a bunch of unnecessary junk to complicate the matter. No pumpkin seeds, no flax (barf), and no weird soy crisp chunks. THANK GOODNESS. I think I would have liked this bar a little better without the chocolate, just because I’m not a chocolate person, but it wasn’t an overpowering presence. That’s not a knock against the bar in any manner, that’s just me. The nutrition is just right for a good little snack, too – 160 calories, 8g fat, 7g protein, and only 4g sugars.

               

Tastes like:  Oaty banana

Taste rating:  7/10

Qualities:  Non-GMO, vegetarian, vegan, Kosher, Gluten free, Made in the USA, USDA Organic

What’s in it:

Review - Simple Squares

Brand:  Simple Squares

Flavor:  Various

Where to get it:  here @ SimpleSquares.com

                The texture of these is just absolutely perfect. It’s like, the moistest (sorry), chewiest granola bar that you’ve ever had – but there’s no granola in it. These bars are nuts and coconut, with some sweetener and seasoning, and that’s it. No grains. No soy crispies. I’m not sure how many tries it took them to get the consistency this perfect with such limited ingredients, but I bet it was quite a few. I’m not a big chocolate fan, but I will say that the amount of chips in the Cho-Coco flavor was the absolute perfect amount; it really set the coconut flavor off without being too sweet. Due to these bars being almost all nuts, the fat content makes up the majority of the ingredient panel, which is just fine with me. If you’re a coconut-lover, you need to get you some Simple Squares!

Tastes like:  Lightly sweetened coconut granola bars

Taste rating:  7/10

Qualities:  Gluten free, USDA organic, vegetarian, Kosher, Raw

What’s in it: (Cho-Coco Flavor)

Review - Nud Fud Spirulina Banana Chips

Brand:  Nud Fud

Flavor:  Spirulina Banana Crisps

Where to get it: here @ NudFud.com

                I had literally no expectations when I tried these. I didn’t know what they would look like, taste like, or smell like. My mind was completely open. I don’t really want to say that they weren’t good, but I guess I have to say that I personally didn’t like them. I LOVE bananas, but I find myself hardly liking anything banana that isn’t a raw banana in some format. They just start to taste so fake once they are cooked or dehydrated; I can’t handle it. These little weirdo crackers also have quite a lot of fat and carbs in them for the little enjoyment that they bring, so I definitely would say they aren’t for me.

               

Tastes like:  Fake banana (even though it’s not)

Taste rating:  4/10

Qualities:  Vegetarian, vegan, all natural, gluten free, USDA organic

What’s in it:

Review - Hemp Pro Protein Powder

Brand:  Manitoba Harvest

Flavor:  Hemp Pro Chocolate Protein Powder

Where to get it: here @ VitaCost.com

                I mixed this powder with unsweetened vanilla almond milk and blended it up with a few ice cubes. It has 7g of sugar in it, so I didn’t add any Splenda…big mistake. This mix is really, really bitter. It probably needs a banana or some berries, as well as some of your favorite no- or low-calorie sweetener, just to make it palatable. These guys could just save the money they are spending on the organic coconut sugar, because it’s not making this protein power even a little bit sweet.

               

Tastes like:  Bitter sadness

Taste rating:  1/10

Qualities:   Vegetarian, vegan, organic

What’s in it: