Tags: bar

25 Jun 2012, Comments (2)

Zone Perfect Perfectly Simple Cranberry Almond Bar

Author: Healthnuttxo

Another new flavor for me to try from Zone Perfect on their Perfectly Simple line. This time, Cranberry Almond, which I also received in the mail to try for free.

I looked at the stats before indulging in the snack. 170 calories, 10 grams of protein, 4 grams of fat, 19 grams os sugar ( a little high for me), gluten free, and made with 10 ingredients (bonus points here! Less ingredients something is made with in my book, the better!)

I opened up the bar and saw a light brown colored bar, with visible chunks of nuts and pieces. I took a bite, and was pleasantly surprised. It had a cranberry-pomegranate flavor, and also had apple flavored undertones. It was sweet without being overly sweet, but more of a fruit-kind-of-sweet.. It had that tang that cranberries and pomegranates have, but wasn’t so tangy that it was intolerable. The almonds added a tiny bit of a crunch, which was nice, and provided a mild flavor.

What I noticed about this bar, similar to the last Coconut flavored bar I tried, was it’s “piecy” consistency. The last bar I tried was Toasted Coconut, so I chalked up the “piecy-ness” to the flakes of coconut. However, as I chewed this bar, I noticed it was kind of piecy in consistency as well. After looking at the dry ingredients, I assume it’s from the sweetened cranberries and pieces of each individual ingredient.

Overall, a good bar! I liked the flavor, although it was a tad on the tangy side, and the bar was dense and had a nice chew to it. Not my favorite, but I would eat it again if the opportunity arose or if I saw it in the stores. 3 stars


18 Jun 2012, Comments (3)

Zone Perfect Perfectly Simple Toasted Coconut Bar

Author: Healthnuttxo

Something new to try! I got a free box in the mail from Zone Perfect that had three new bars of theirs from the “Perfectly Simple” line. Inside was a Toasted Coconut flavor, Peanut Crunch and Cranberry Almond. All of the bars are gluten free, have some protein in them, and have minimal ingredients.

I decided to try the Toasted Coconut bar first. I opened the bar and it didn’t look as I expected. It was a rather dull color, with bits of what looked like nuts or coconut shreds and a rather dense bar. I broke off a piece, and realized it was a little dense.

After taking a bite, I actually enjoyed it. A good amount of sweetness, it has a yummy coconut flavor balanced with some almond flavor as well. What I didn’t really like was the consistency. Although I appreciate that there’s actual coconut in this bar, it had that flaky/shredded coconut consistency when you bit into the bar. With every bite I felt shreds of coconut between my teeth. Some people like that, I happen to not, but that’s just me.

However, the flavor made up for it. Loved the flavor, and the chewiness that the bar had to provide. I also like that it only has 8 ingredients, is gluten free, and has 10 grams of protein per bar. The bar’s first ingredient is also a form of sugar, which I didn’t like. It is also a tad high in calories, this one is 200, and while I feel I can get many other bars with way more protein, I enjoyed this bar minus the consistency.

Overall, 3.5  stars.

14 Jan 2012, Comments (2)

Kashi Banana Chocolate Chip Soft n’ Chewy Bar

Author: Healthnuttxo

YES! I love new products. And I opened my mailbox the other day to  find this, I was really excited to try it. Banana is one of my favorite flavored things (REAL banana, not fake yucky banana), and combined with chocolate and natural ingredients Kashi uses? Count me in 🙂

Here’s the “box” it came in with a few facts.

Pretty cool huh? Half a serving of fruits and veggies in each bar!

I decided to eat this one this morning before my workout with a scoop of peanut butter (obviously ; )  ). Here’s what it looked like.

It was about the size of a Nutri-Grain bar, and a bit thicker width-wise. Oats sprinkled on the top, more for the eye in my opinion, as they looked nice but didn’t really add much flavor.

The bar was super soft, like a piece of homemade banana bread. Every now and then I got something crispy/crunchy like a piece of crisp rice, but I’m not entirely sure what it was. It wasn’t really that sweet, and had a mild banana flavor. I could certainly detect that it was banana, but it wasn’t screaming it or wasn’t super sweet like a standard piece of banana bread usually is.

As for the “chocolate chip” aspect of the bar. Uh…… what chocolate chips?? There were about 3 chocolate chips in the entire bar which was really a let down. They didn’t provide much flavor, but was a teeny bit of a surprise every now and then, but really, I only counted 3.

The bar was sort of lackluster though. I was 3/4 of the way done and I grew really bored of the bar and wished it was over. Not to say it was bad, but it wasn’t really amazing or all that great either. It was average, and I wish it was a bit sweeter.

Overall, 2.5 stars. I like the veggie/fruit serving aspect, and I also like the fiber and that it’s relatively low in calories (140 calories). It did provide me with stable energy during my workout which also was a plus. However, I don’t know if I would buy it in the future. And now I really just want to eat a slice of banana bread.

25 Feb 2011, Comments (2)

Quaker Life Banana Walnut Bread Bar

Author: Healthnuttxo

One of my all time favorite things is banana bread- I love the sweet banana flavor, the softness of the bread, and the way it feels so dessertlike.

So, what about that same thing transformed into a bar? Quaker makes a Life Banana Walnut Bread Bar, that has pretty good ingredients, and according to the package, “5 grams of fiber, 6 grams of protein” and “20% of 5 B Vitamins”. Sounds pretty yummy to me!

I saw on the front of the bar’s package to “try HEATING, then EATING”, and took the advice. I opened up the package, and was greeted with a rather strong and sweet banana aroma.  Then, into the microwave this bar went for about 10 seconds.

The result was a soft and chewy bar, that wasn’t super dense. On top remained  a good amount of crunchy and flavorful pieces of walnuts.The banana flavor was delicious- not a fake banana flavor, but sweet like freeze dried bananas (which makes sense, since there is “freeze dried bananas” listed on the ingredients). This bar was actually very sweet, but very good, and did actually remind me of like a store-bought banana muffin, or a sweet version of homemade banana bread.

Overall, I’m a fan. Of course I’m a fan! It’s sweet, great banana flavor, has fiber, protein, and the first ingredient is “whole grain rolled oats”. I’m also impressed that there’s not a ton of sugar or fat in the bar, with 10 grams sugar and 4 grams of fat per bar. 4 stars

1 bar is 150 calories, 4 grams of fat, 26 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, 10 grams of sugar and 5 grams of protein.

What’s your favorite flavor of muffin to eat or get out? I think we know my favorite muffin at the deli wold be banana ; )

17 Sep 2010, Comments (1)

Organic Food Bar Blueberry Muffin Crunch Bar

Author: Healthnuttxo

Well, there’s something I don’t hear every day. A Blueberry Muffin flavored bar! And an organic one, at that!

Organic Food Bar sent me some bars to try, including the Blueberry Muffin Crunch Bar.

So, I may have gotten a little, “blueberry muffin crunch bar happy” before I took a picture, because I opened the package and took a bite before taking the actual picture. Whoops! Well anyway, here’s a pic of what I got.

Now, onto the bar! It was a dense and chewy bar, that at first wasn’t that fruity tasting, but as I kept chewing, the sweet fruit flavors emerged. I can certainly taste blueberry, which I liked, which was mildly sweet and quite good. There was a bit of an aftertaste that I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was- it almost reminded me of a combination of a fig and flaxseed taste. I didn’t really like that part, but it wasn’t bad overall. I did like the little crunchy pieces that gave it some texture.

Overall, this gets 3 stars. I can’t say it really reminded me of a blueberry muffin. When I think of muffins, I think sweet, airy, fluffy and buttery. This was more like a blueberry fruit bar with crunchy pieces of nuts and such. I do like that it was organic, had 6 grams of fiber per serving, and was vegan as well!

What’s your favorite muffin flavor? If you’d like to answer, please leave a comment below 🙂 !
I’m a fan of banana muffins, and double chocolate chip muffins. Yum!

1 bar is 180 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 32 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams of fiber, 14 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

21 May 2010, Comments (1)

Pop Culture Probiotics 90 Calorie Yogurt, Fruit & Nut Bar

Author: Healthnuttxo

Who here eats yogurt for the beneficial probiotics it provides and the taste they love? 🙂 (meeeee!!!!!)

Who here eats yogurt for just the beneficial probiotics it provides?

Well, for those of you who aren’t too fond of yogurt, here is a product you may want to try. PopCulture Probiotics makes delicious and healthy products that contain the same good-for-you bacteria that’s in yogurt. According to the website, “We chose a particular strain of probiotic for this product because of its unique ability to survive and reach the digestive system alive where it can provide you with the most health benefits. Pop Culture products are opening up new possibilities for consumers who want non-refrigerated probiotic-enhanced food products that can help regulate the digestive system. Our foods are a great way for consumers to get their daily dose of BC30 Probiotic, in a convenient, great tasting on-the-go food.”- Cool! 🙂

The company sent me some bars to try, like the 90 calorie yogurt fruit & nut bar. It has cranberries, flaxseed and almonds, and according to the wrapper, delivers TEN times the amount of live culture as yogurt. Wow! That’s a lot of bacteria! The bar is also all natural and enhanced with vitamins & minerals.

The bar itself is kinda tiny, a snack bar if you will, about the size of a computer mouse, but not as wide. There’s a sweet yogurty/icing coating on the bottom, that tastes like vanilla. There is also TONS of flaxseeds-these little brown guys are all over the bar! It has a sweet, berry taste to it, with a slight hazelnut/almond flavor as well.

Overall, a cute and efficient snack! I give it 4 stars– I would have liked if it was a little bigger, but then again, it’s only 90 calories. You could totally have 2 and be satisfied- that would be 8 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber (and a TON of probiotics) if you ate two! I also like how it provides calcium and other vitamins/minerals, as well as those lovely bacteria that will help digestion! What I didn’t like was that there was refined sugar in the bar. I also didn’t really care for all the flaxseeds, but that’s  just personal preference. They also make oatmeal with probiotics- I’d like to try that!! 🙂

1 bar is 90 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, 15 carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 7 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.

Rolled Oats, Brown Rice Syrup, Soy Crisps (soy protein isolate, tapioca starch, rice flour, malt, salt), Crisp Rice (brown rice kernels, salt, barley malt extract), Yogurt Coating (sugar, palm kern oil, nonfat fry milk powder, yogurt powder [cultured whey & nonfat milk]), Hazelnuts, Cranberries, Almonds, Agave Syrup, Tapioca Syrup, Flax, Vegetable Glycerin, Acacia Gum, Gum Arabic, Soy Lecithin (an emulsifier), GanedenBC (Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086).

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