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 - Exo Cricket Flour Protein Bars

Brand:  Exo

Flavor:  Apple Cinnamon Protein Bar

Where to get it: here @ ExoProtein.com

                Let's talk about bugs ba-by, let's talk about you and me-e, let's talk about all the good things and the bad thing that we eeeeeeeeeeaaaat...

Have you heard of these Exo protein bars? If not, the thing that makes them noteworthy (and somewhat newsworthy), is that the protein source is crickets. *Gasp* BUGS?!?!? Amigawd, how like, totally disgusting, right?? Well...perhaps a little perspective will help with this one:

I'm guessing that a lot of the treats you eat semi-regularly, or have at least tried a time or two without repulsion of any sort, contain bugs. Not bugs like accidental bugs-fell-into-the-vat-at-the-warehouse bugs, but bugs, as an ingredient, on purpose. Don't believe me? Junior Mints, Birthday Cake Oreos, Jelly Belly Jelly Beans, Mike & Ike's, Hot Tamales and many other products contain Confectioner's Glaze. Confectioner's Glaze is almost always made from beetles. (There is a plant-based alternative, but it's much more expensive, and is rarely used in the US.) These little ground up (female) Lac Beetles are what make those movie-time treats shiny.

So, now that we've hopefully established a path of logic that won't make you disregard a sustainable protein bar because it's made out of bugs, and you don't eat bugs (except when you do), let's talk about the actual product at hand, sans the bug issue.

Crickets have kind of a nutty flavor, so it's smart that the first ingredient in this bar is almonds, which helps to harmonize any weird trigger your brain might start to attach to being "bug-flavored". The bar itself tasted kind of like a nut bread...maybe if you made banana nut bread and left out the bananas. It's soft and has a good texture, but is high in fat 14g (almonds, flax, coconut), and you can actually see it leave your fingers shiny. There are also 26g carbs - 16 of which are sugar (honey and fruits). At 290 calories, 16g sugar & 14g fat...that's a lot of macro-fudging for just 10g protein.

Don't get me wrong, I love this idea. There's no nasty, chalky protein cloud swirling around ruining your mouth for 10 minutes after you've finished the bar. Sustainable cricket flour is a great idea, and this bar is full of all natural ingredients. I can live with the fat, because it adds up in a hurry when you're dealing with nuts, but I feel like there is something that could be done about the sugar content here. Swap the honey for some Stevia? Ditch the plum paste for applesauce (the apple flavor wasn't very strong)? I don't know what works and what doesn't, but there's gotta be a way here without affecting the taste too much.

At any rate, I think this is a great idea, and I hope Exo keeps growing and expanding. You're eating bugs anyway, at least Exo has the balls to tell you about it up front.

               

Tastes like:  Nutty bread

Taste rating:  7/10

Qualities:  Gluten free, Made in the USA

What's in it:

Review - Good Kid Bar

Brand:  Good Kid Bar

Flavor:  Apple Cinnamon

Where to get it: here @ goodkidfoods.com

                 I’ve tried a few nut-free bars now that are created specifically for kids with nut allergies, and also for school-safeness, I assume, and none of them are very good. I’m not really getting the correlation of how nuts have to be present in a granola or snack bar to make it taste good, but apparently that is the case. This is another example of a very meh nut-free bar. Texture…just sort of “there”. Taste…alright, but has a weird aftertaste that I have no idea how to place. There are just too many other bars to choose from to choose this one, sadly.

               

Tastes like: 

Taste rating:  5/10

Qualities:  Gluten free, Non-GMO, vegetarian

What’s in it:

Review - Gopal's Rawma Bar

Brand:  Gopal’s

Flavor:  Apple Delicious Rawma Bar

Where to get it: here @ GopalsHealthFoods.com

                I really did like the texture of this bar quite a bit. Just a little crumbly, but still (sorry) moist (sorry). Walnuts aren’t my favorite, so if you love walnuts (like my person), you will really enjoy this bar, I suspect. The apple definitely takes a backseat to the walnut flavor, so don’t you go thinking that this is a fruit bar. As best as I can describe it, this is a nut bar with the texture of a fruit bar, and that’s a pretty cool thing. The ingredients are also a “pretty cool thing,” look at all the natural goodness. No junk in this trunk. (I am so, so sorry.)

                 

               

Tastes like:  Sweet walnuts

Taste rating:  5/10

Qualities:  Organic, Gluten free, vegan, vegetarian

What’s in it:

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:

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:

Review - Susie's Smart Breakfast Cookie

Brand:  Susie’s Smart Breakfast Cookie

Flavor:  Gingered Apple

Where to get it: here @ SusiesSmarCookie.com

                These are called “breakfast” cookies for a reason – they have enough carbs, fat and calories in them to truly be your entire breakfast...and maybe then some. I’m not really a person who can just eat a compact little cookie and be good to go until lunchtime, but if you ARE one of those people, these are quite tasty. I didn’t taste a ton of apple, but I also didn’t taste a ton of ginger, which is really good. Ginger is a force to be reckoned with, and if it’s overdone, it ruins whatever you put it in. The oat is strong in this one, which is GREAT, but it doesn’t just taste like an oatmeal cookie. Texture-wise it wasn’t dry at all, and the ingredients aren’t scary at all. Worth a try.

                 

               

Tastes like:  Complicated oatmeal

Taste rating:  7/10

Qualities:  Kosher, Vegetarian

What’s in it:

Review - Trader Joe's Apple Bars

Brand:  Trader Joe’s

Flavor:  Apple + assorted

Where to get it: In all Trader's Joe's stores

                When I first opened one of these bars I thought there were oats in it - it was so crumbly. It’s all fruit though, which is a little strange on the mouth-feels. If you like dehydrated apples, you will love these bars. The flavor is true to the fruits listed on the front, it’s just texturally a little weird and dry. I popped the second one that I tried in the fridge and it was a bit better cold.

               

Tastes like:  Dried apples & crumbly bits

Taste rating:  6/10

Qualities:  Vegan, Vegetarian

What’s in it: Apple and (Banana, or Mango, or Strawberry, or Coconut).