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 - Corazonas Heartbar

Brand:  Corazonas

Flavor:  Heartbar Oatmeal Square (Banana Walnut)

Where to get it: here @ HeartBrandFoods.com

                 Banananananana nanananna nanananna BANANA! Whoa there, pony. So much forceful banana is happening with this. I’m not sure if it’s a combination of the banana and the date syrup, or if the whey protein isolate is playing a part in this, but this bar tasted like a banana drenched in sweetener to me. I really did like the texture – it’s quite oat-y feeling, but I just couldn’t get through it with the taste. If the opportunity presented itself, I would definitely give another flavor a try, but this Banana Walnut madness is definitely not for me.

               

Tastes like:  Turbo sweet banana torpedos

Taste rating:  4/10

Qualities:  Non GMO, Kosher, Gluten-free, vegetarian

What’s in it:

Review - Quest Banana Nut Muffin Bar

Brand:  Quest Nutrition

Flavor:  Banana Nut Muffin

Where to get it:  here @ QuestNutrition.com

                I KNEW if I stuck with these Quest bars that I’d eventually find one that I could fall in love with! This is the one.  If you don’t like bananas, stop reading now. This is obviously not for you. I LOVE bananas, and banana-flavored things. This bar brings a strong banana flavor, but none of that nasty “artificial banana” flavoring. The carbs are great if you’re a diabetic looking for something sweet-tasting to trick your brain.

               

Tastes like:   Nutty banana taffy

Taste rating:  7/10

Qualities:   Gluten free

What’s in it:

Review - Urban Remedy Banana Brittle

Brand:  Urban Remedy

Flavor:  Banana Brittle

Where to get it: here @ Urban Remedy

                I am a bread monster. All kinds, all times of the day, as much as I can get. Well, not anymore, because it turns out that bread isn’t that great for you, especially if you’re a diabetic. Well shit. No more of my mom’s banana bread with an inch of butter slathered on top of it for me! But wait…what’s this? Banana…brittle? Ohhhh, I’m sure it’s just another raw chunk of dates and almonds. So then I took a bite, and I am pretty sure that glitter shot right out of my eye sockets. This tastes JUST like banana bread. JUST. LIKE. IT. The texture is different, sure…but the taste is indistinguishable to me. It’s not hard like peanut brittle, it’s more of a delicate, chewy situation.

                I love this product SO MUCH. I would like to write another entire paragraph just slobbering on and on about how much I love it, and how crazy it is to me that the flavor is just so perfect. But I suppose writing that declaration is almost as good, so I’ll spare everyone. If you like banana bread – YOU NEED THIS IN YOUR LIFE.

                 

               

Tastes like:  Banana bread!!

Taste rating:  10/10

Qualities:  Raw, Gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, Certified Organic

What’s in it:

Christmas Eve Review: Bananinha

Brand:  Nutryvitta

Flavor:  Bananinha

Where to get it: here @ Amazon.com

                I’ve had a lot of snacks that have, in some way, involved dried, pureed, or dehydrated bananas. I really like bananas, but I haven’t found a lot of snacks that incorporate it in a palatable manner. Until now! These little bars come from Brazil, where this is (apparently?) a pretty common snack. The bar I tried was the cinnamon & sugar version (you can get them without), and I really feel like the cinnamon is what set this bar off. It almost tastes like chewy gingerbread, and it actually doesn’t taste as strongly of banana. This is a very unique snack and I really enjoyed it. I know I’m not doing a very good job of explaining why this is good. Just eat one and forgive me for failing you.

                 

               

Tastes like:  Chewy banana chai tea (in a good way)

Taste rating:  10/10

Qualities:  All-natural, Gluten-free

I am also assuming this is vegetarian and vegan, although the label doesn't say so.

What’s in it: I could only find it in Portuguese (Calories, Fat, Carbohydrates, Protein)

Review: Health Warrior Chia Bars

Brand:  Health Warrior

Flavor:  Chia bar (variety)

Where to get it: here @ Health Warrior

                Hello, you perfectly-sized tiny little powerhouse of a snack! 100 calories per bar? Yes, please! I love, love, love the texture of these Health Warrior Chia bars. If you’re the kind of weirdo that gets excited when a glob of chia seeds get stuck together in your smoothie and then you get to chew them (why is that so fun to me?), then you will love these as much as I do. They come in all kinds of flavors, I devoured the apple cinnamon one before I remembered that I needed to take a picture. These are a definite winner in the “so many bars, help!” snack race.

               

Tastes like:  Fig Newton-granola bar-fruit casserole

Taste rating:  9/10

Qualities:  Gluten-free, Kosher, Vegetarian, Vegan

What’s in it: (Mango flavor bar)

Review: Ratio Peanut Butter Banana Protein Bars

Brand:  Ratio

Flavor:  3:1 Peanut Butter Banana

Where to get it: here @ Bodybuilding.com

                Ratio has so many flavors that appeal to me…I’m going to keep trying them. I WILL FIND ONE THAT I LIKE. I vow it. But this second try is not the one. When I first bit into it I was pretty excited about the banana-ness of it all, but as I continued to chew, it just kind of devolved into that sugar alcohol flavor that I tasted when I tried their oatmeal flavor. Peanut butter is usually an easy flavor to convey without refined sugar ingredients, but it just doesn’t make a great showing in these bars, sadly.

               

Tastes like:  Muted banana and sugar alcohols

Taste rating:  4/10

Qualities:  Non-GMO, Gluten-free, No artificial ingredients

What’s in it:

Review: Mudd + Wyeth Yaff Bar

Brand:  Yaff Bar

Flavor:  Banana Peanut Butter

Where to get it:  here @ Mudd + Wyeth (or here for single bars)

                My first thought about this bar was kind of an odd one:  “This is a bar you could eat and not pay any attention to it at all.” It’s just…mellow. Safe. It won’t let you down. You won’t devour it without chewing, and you won’t rush to the store to buy it by the case, but it’s solid. It’ll make you happy without giving you any extra adrenal action. Great texture for breaking off little pieces if you do indeed want to share it with your dog, as the label suggests. I adore that notion, by the way. If you’re just snacking and not hiking or doing something where you’re trying to get some extra carbs for energy, there are over 200 calories in the bar, so sharing with your dog might not be a bad idea. Or just bag up half for later. I realize this has been a totally weird review, but I mean everything I have said in the most positive of ways. I’m glad Yaff is around.

               

Tastes like:  When a breeze that’s just the perfect, soothing temperature tousles your hair.

Taste rating:  7/10

Qualities:  No artificial ingredients, Made in the USA

What’s in it:

Review: Cocomama Quinoa Cereal

Brand:  Cocomama Quinoa Cereal

Flavor:  Banana Cinnamon

Where to get it: here @ Abe's Market

                First of all let me just say that I really like the packaging on these single-serving quinoa cereals. According to the package, you can eat them at room temperature or heat them up. They’re wet-ish in the package, and you don’t need to add anything to them, MRE-style. Maybe I was too excited, but wow, I did not like these. The honey almond was better than the banana cinnamon (and I love banana), but no. Just no. Saddest, little broken-hearted breakfast baby of all time, right here. Quinoa is basically a blank slate, so I don’t know WHAT made these so awful. I love the idea, so now I’m basically on a quest to find single-serving packets of steel-cut oats like this.

               

Tastes like:  Dirt

Taste rating:  2/10

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

What’s in it:

Review: Yum A Roos Caribbean Crop

Brand:  Yum-A-Roos

Flavor:  Carribean Crop

Where to get it: here @ Abe's Market

                Have you ever gone to a baby shower and played that game where you taste the different baby foods and then try to guess what flavor they are? If you have, then you know how horrible most baby food is. While these snacks aren’t for actual babies (because they have no teeth, I presume), I think they are intended for toddlers who are past the choking-risk age. Don’t quote me on this stuff, since I don’t know anything about children. I am making these assumptions because these little snacks are very healthy, but they taste so bad. The peas are the worst part (and you thought it would be the banana, didn’t you?) and I was looking all over for something to eat just to get the taste out of my mouth after one mouthful of these guys. Simple, organic ingredients…get them for your kids if they will eat them, but skip them for yourself.

               

Tastes like:  How do I get this out of my mouth?

Taste rating:  1/10

Qualities:  Organic, Made in the USA, Vegan, Gluten-free, Non GMO

What’s in it:

Review: Barnana Banana Snacks

Brand:  Barnana

Flavor:  Peanut Butter Banana

Where to get it: here @ Barnana

What a very interesting little snack! The pieces were a lot bigger than I was anticipating, about the size of a fresh medjool date. The composition is simple, dried (to about raisin-wetness) bananas wrapped in a shiny peanut butter coating. I couldn’t taste a lot of the banana flavor in these sadly, and I would probably not purchase them again, but I did find them utterly fascinating. I think they’d make a great snack pre-workout, or for kids before/after sporting events.

               

               

Tastes like:  Peanut butter, but a little different

Taste rating:  6/10

Qualities:  Gluten free, Non-GMO, Kosher, No artificial ingredients, Organic

What’s in it:

Review: Skinny Girl Banana Oatmeal Dark Chocolate Bars

Brand:  Skinny Girl

Flavor:  Banana Oatmeal Dark Chocolate

Where to get it: here @ Drugstore.com

                I LOVE all things banana. Unfortunately, it’s one of the WORST artificial flavors ever invented. When banana-flavored things are bad, they are OMG-GET-THIS-AWAY-FROM-MY-FACE-DO-YOU-HAVE –ANY-DIRT-I-CAN-CLEANSE-MY-PALATE-WITH bad. In this particular product, they do it the right way. I didn’t have high expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised. The chocolate isn’t too bitter or overpowering, the banana flavor comes through, but not in a slap-your-mama kind of way, and the bars are really soft and oat-y. A bit high on the calorie side (180) for me to pound these as snacks on a daily basis, but if you’re under your calorie threshold, or just worked out super hard, this is a great treat.

Tastes like:  The perfect balance I’m always trying to find between chocolate and banana

Taste rating:  8/10

What’s in it: