Review - Freeyumm Apple Oat Bar

Brand:  Freeyumm

Flavor:  Honey Apple Oat Bar

Where to get it: here @ Amazon.com

                It’s a good thing this bar was snack-size, because it was gone before I even realized I was chewing. It’s like a cross between a cereal bar (think Nutrigrain with the apple goo in the middle) and a chewy granola bar…and it’s about 100x better than either of those. Oat-y, apple-y, cinnamon-y, and really just all together a great little snack. The ingredients aren’t scary, either – all normal, easily-recognizable-as-food ingredients. They’re also pretty much allergen-free, so they’re safe for all the kiddos at school…if you can bear to part with them.        

Tastes like:   Apples n’ oats!

Taste rating:  10/10

Qualities:   Non-GMO, Gluten free, vegetarian, all -natural

What’s in it:

Review - Toosum Bar

Brand:  Toosum

Flavor:  Yogurt & Blueberries

Where to get it: here @ Toosum.com

                 You’re made in Seattle! You’re only 100 calories per bar! Please come here and let me love you! Awwww man, I don’t love you. Sad face. The bar does have a great blueberry presence, but that’s about the only thing worth mentioning. The texture is dry and sawdust-y, and the blueberry flavor isn’t enough to overpower the rest of the flavors in this bar. This bar is definitely not what you’re expecting from a “fruit and yogurt” bar.

               

Tastes like: 

Taste rating:  3/10

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

What’s in it:

Review - Paleo Life Bar

Brand:  Paleo Life

Flavor:  Primal Cocoa-Nut

Where to get it: here @ PaleoLifeFoods.com

                 I really hate giving absolute zero reviews, and I seldom do it. I feel like even if I really don’t like the taste of something, the nutrition will save it enough for me to give it a two- or three-rating. This bar is a whopping 340 calories and has 24g of carbohydrates. (It does have 11g of fiber though, which is impressive). It also tastes absolutely horrific. I spat my bite into the garbage. I could not physically force myself to keep chewing it. I totally love coconut, and this bar has a strong coconut smell, so I was pretty disappointed when it tasted so, so bad. I know this bar is probably somebody’s baby, and I’m sorry for that, but man, this was one of the worst yet.

               

Tastes like:  Something that you don’t want in your mouth

Taste rating:  0/10

Qualities:  All-natural, Gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan

What’s in it:

Review - Bites of Bliss Bar

Brand:  Bites of Bliss

Flavor:  Pineapple Coconut Superfood Bar

Where to get it: here @ MyBitesofBliss.com

                                I love pineapple, coconut, and dates – basically everything that this bar is made of. Unfortunately, I didn’t love this bar. I’m trying to figure out exactly how that makes any sense at all. I wonder if it’s the kind of dates that they used? The bar had a very robust flavor, almost like rum. I couldn’t taste the pineapple at all. The coconut does make a nice presence in the form of actual shreds throughout the bar, but provides just an undertone of flavor. I’d skip this one, unless you’re a dark liquor fan.

                 

               

Tastes like:  …rum raisins?

Taste rating:  3/10

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

What’s in it:

Review - Raw Fusion Almond Berry Bar

Brand:  SAN Nutrition

Flavor:  Raw Fusion Almond Berry Bar

Where to get it: here @ Sann.net

                 Let’s start with the positives on this bar, shall we? It’s vegan (yay bunnies!), the ingredient list is full of good things (broccoli, spinach, almonds), and it has 15g of plant-based protein per bar. As far as taste goes, I found it a little iffy to begin with, and the more I chewed, the worse it got.  The strongest flavors are berry and sesame (there are sesame seeds in it), and they are marginal at best, but I just couldn’t get past the texture.

               

Tastes like:  Putty

Taste rating:  3/10

Qualities:  Vegetarian, Vegan, Made in the USA, all natural

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 - Attune Foods Probiotic Chocolate Bar

Brand:  Attune Foods

Flavor:  Probiotic Chocolate Bar

Where to get it: here @ VitaCost.com

                 I haven’t done a lot of research about probiotics and the like, but from my uneducated standpoint, chocolate with them has to be more nutritionally useful than chocolate without them, right? That’s what I’m going with anyway. Only problem is…this isn’t very good chocolate. Do the probiotics affect the taste? I have no idea. If you’re a die-hard probiotics person (is that a thing?), then I am sure this bar is more convenient, and more enjoyable, than trying to eat six cups of yogurt in a day. If you’re looking for some good chocolate that you haven’t tried before, this probably isn’t it.

               

Tastes like:  Not great chocolate

Taste rating:  5/10

Qualities:  Kosher, gluten free, vegetarian

What’s in it:

Review - Zing Bar

Brand:  Zing Bar

Flavor:  Almond Blueberry

Where to get it: here @ ZingBars.com

                 A bar is a bar is a bar…how to choose? If this Zing bar is available in your pile of choices, I highly recommend that you give it a go. This bar has real blueberry taste, like when you mix fresh blueberries into pancake batter. The almonds mellow out the grains and create a really great mix in this bar. It’s also uncrushable, so it’s great on the go to throw in a purse or backpack – especially if you’re like me, and bars roll around in your purse for a couple weeks before you remember that they’re there, usually smashed into oblivion.

               

Tastes like:  Real blueberries and grains

Taste rating:  7/10

Qualities: Kosher, gluten-free, vegetarian

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 - To You Bar

Brand:  To You

Flavor:  Apricot Coconut

Where to get it: here @ ToYouSnacks.com

                This bar looks SUPER appetizing. If you like apricots, I think you would probably find the flavor right in line with the appearance. Unfortunately, I hate apricots, so I tried to eat this with a reasonably open mind. The texture is soft but not gooey, the coconut is major player, and the ingredients aren’t all Scary Larry. Good, simple, tasty bar. Now, if I can just find one with cherries in it…

                 

               

Tastes like:  Slightly astringent coconut

Taste rating:  6/10

Qualities:  All natural, Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten free

What’s in it:

Review - Bumble Bar

Brand:  Bumble Bar

Flavor:  Amazing Almond

Where to get it: here @ BumbleBar.com

                 I looooooooooooooooove me some sesame seeds. If I make any kind of stir-fry-type food at home, it’s usually hard to actually identify what it’s comprised of due to the thick layer of sesame seeds that I shake on top of it. That being said, this bar seems to be 99% sesame seeds, and man, I hated it. It’s vaguely sweet, but even the tiniest bite is just impossible in my mouth…giant wads of sesame seeds everywhere, between every tooth, unswallowable. There are almonds in this bar? I literally could not tell there was anything in this bar except sesame seeds and sweetener. 210 calories of sesame seeds. Dang. This saddens me since these bars are made locally in my state, and every bar benefits construction of schools in Ethiopia. You mission is on point, Bumble Bar, but I just can’t eat you.

               

Tastes like:  Burnt sesame seeds & honey

Taste rating:  1/10

Qualities:  Organic, vegetarian, vegan, Kosher

What’s in it:

Review - WB Kitchen Bar

Brand:  WB Kitchen

Flavor:  Peanut Ginger Spice

Where to get it: here @ WBKitchen.com

                Ginger is such an underestimated powerhouse. It’s got to be cooked, and then it’s got to be used so, so, so sparingly, or it hits you like a truck. Not a beer truck, either, but like, a truck full of gravel and bark chips. You just can’t recover from that sort of thing. WB kitchen does a really good job of respecting the awesome hurricane of power that ginger can bring to a treat. You can definitely taste that it’s there, but the peanut-flavor is strong enough to make a good show at the cage fight. It’s still a little bit strong for my liking, but to anyone who really loves ginger as a spice, this bar is definitely for you.

                 

               

Tastes like:  Sweet peanuttyness, then HELLO, GINGERTOWN

Taste rating:  7/10

Qualities:  Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten free

What’s in it:

Review - 18 Rabbits Jr. Granola Bars

Brand:  18 Rabbits Jr.

Flavor:  Various

Where to get it: here @ 18rabbits.com

                 The wrapper says (in part) “Perfect for lunch boxes and purses”. Can I just take a second to let everyone know how much I appreciate this? Kids need healthy snacks, it’s true…but so do adults! And do you know WHY this little bar is perfect for purses? Aside from its portable size, which nearly all bars have, it’s basically uncrushable. It’s not very fun to be on-the-go, starving, and realize that your package of peanut butter crackers has become obliterated into literal dust at the bottom of your purse.

                Despite being totally sturdy, they have the consistency of a chew granola bar. The fruit flavors are fairly muted, which is fine with me, because we’re all here for the oatmeal cookie-type experience anyway, stop lying to yourself. They also donate at least 1 out of every 100 bars made, and at 130 calories, this is a snacker’s snack.

               

Tastes like:  Super yummy granola bars

Taste rating:  8/10

Qualities:  Non-GMO, Organic, Kosher, vegetarian,

What’s in it: (Chocolate Banana Flavor)

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 - 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:

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: