Archives: January 2010

Now, I’m more of a granola bar kinda girl over protein and “energy” bars , because usually they are filled with too much protein (at least in my opinion for what I’m looking for in a bar), too much saturated fat, and too much sugar. However, PowerBar has a line of products that fit everyone’s needs. They have ones for pre workout, recovery/post workout, ones with lower sugar, etc, and all of them have all natural ingredients.

 I decided to try the Performance Energy Line with a coupon I was provided with by the company for a free bar- According to the website, here’s some info about this bar (Chocolate Peanut Butter flavor) …

  • Provides more energy to muscles with C2MAX
  • Contains 200mg sodium, a key electrolyte
  • The original energy bar
  • Low in fat, with 8–9g of protein per bar
  • No preservatives or artificial flavors”
  • These bars come in several flavors, and you know me, I chose the Chocolate Peanut Butter. Because, reallly, when has the combination ever failed?

    So, moving on to the bar. It’s 2.29 ounces, so about average, I’d say the size of a  Nutri-grain bar, but a little longer. It isn’t your typical bar, however. The texture and appearance is chewy and easy to pull apart. It was pretty dense, and had “crispy” rice pieces in it. It was definietely sweet. The chocolate flavor overpowers the peanut butter flavor, and it takes on an almost coffee-ish taste. But, I liked it! It was tasty and I  actually enjoyed it. I DID need a glass of water to drink though while eating. The sodium was a tad high (200 mg) and the combination of chocolate and peanut butter just begged my mouth for some aqua.

    Overall, I enjoyed this and will probably buy it again. I give it 4 stars, because it did as it promised. It provided me with a ton of energy- I actually got one of the best workouts despite the fact it was 630 in the morning!   The only thing I didn’t like was that it lacked fiber, so it isn’t a good “meal replacement” bar. But, that’s not really what it’s intended for and I think if they increased the fiber too much, it would be harder to digest. I also wish there was a bit more peanut butter flavor in it-but still yummy :)

    1 bar is 240 calories, 3.5 grams of fat ( 1 saturated), 44 caarbohydrates (26 sugars), 1 gram of fiber, and 9 grams of protein. You also get 25% calcium needs!

    C2 MAX CARBOHYDRATE BLEND (ORGANIC EVAPORATED CANE JUICE SYRUP, MALTODEXTRIN, FRUCTOSE, DEXTROSE), OAT BRAN, SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, RICE CRISPS (MILLED RICE, RICE BRAN, ROSEMARY EXTRACT), BROWN RICE FLOUR, PEANUT FLOUR, NATURAL FLAVOR, NONFAT MILK, AND 2% OR LESS OF: PEANUT BUTTER, CHOCOLATE, ALKALIZED COCOA, CANOLA OIL, VEGETABLE GLYCERIN, SALT, ALMOND BUTTER, MINERALS: CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, POTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, FERROUS FUMARATE (IRON), VITAMINS: ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C), VITAMIN B6 HYDROCHLORIDE, RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), THIAMINE MONONITRATE (VITAMIN B1).

    Building off of the previous post of Suzanne’s Ricemellow Creme, I thought I would do a review on another new favorite spread of mine, Whole Earth’s Tap’n Apple apple butter spread. It has fierce competition with Suzanne’s and Vermont Village Cannery’s apple butter spread when lunch time rolls around and I have one slice of bread smothered in peanut butter and the other…*naked!*

    So, this particular Apple Butter spread is literally smooshed apples in a jar. There is no sugar added, no preservatives, no artificial colors, dyes or flavors, and is naturally fat, cholesterol and sodium free. The company Whole Earth (manufactured by PANOS brands) “began as a little company with big ideas about offering more natural, healthier foods. Since 1967, Whole Earth has lived this passion-delivering the most delicious all  natural tastes!” :D

    Now, let us begin. When you think “apple” the color that comes to mind is…green. BUT. The color of this apple butter is more like this, BROWN. To tell you the truth, I’m  not sure why. Apples have skins of red, green and yellow, and flesh of white, but this apple butter is brown. They do add apple cider, so perhaps that has something to do with the coloring.

    Anywho- upon opening the jar, it smells like sweetened applesauce and has a creamy, soft texture. The apple butter tastes like a sweetened applesauce as well (but alas! no added sugar!), but is much thicker and not “grainy” as applesauce can sometimes be. It also has a hint of cinnamon flavoring in the background. To bring that flavor out, I added a heaping tablespoon to the whole jar and just a wee bit of nutmeg, and mixed it throughly. After doing so- the flavor was incredible! Cinnamon-y, apple-y, butter-y! ;)
    5 stars for sure !

    I like this stuff best, obviously, spread generously on peanut butter sandwiches. But, it was also really good…
    1. spread on waffles,
    2.mixed in with plain yogurt,
    and [don't say ew- it's AMAZING!]
    3. A sandwich, with 1 slice of bread spread with 1 The Laughing Cow Wedge Cheese in Garlic & Herb flavor, and one slice of bread spread with the Apple Butter. Such a good combo. Tastes sort of like “cream cheese & jelly”. Delish!!

    How do you like to eat Apple Butter? Is there a brand YOU like?
    Let me know, bloggies!

    1 Tablespoon is 20 calories, 0 grams of fat, 5 carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, and 0 grams of protein.

    The ingredient list is also music to my ears…short, sweet & simple.
    Apples, Apple Cider.

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