Monday, April 21, 2008

Clif Bar Blueberry Crisp

Clif Bar Blueberry Crisp ($1.50, harris teeter)
2.4 oz / 68g

Ingredients: organic brown rice syrup, soy rice crisps, organic roasted soybeans, organic rolled oats, organic soy flour, organic rolled oats, blueberry fruit pieces, organic toasted oats, organic dry roasted almonds, organic oat fiber, organic milled flaxseed, inulin, organic oat bran, psyllium, organic evaporated cane juice, blueberries, organic date paste, almond butter, organic sunflower oil, natural flavors, sea salt, citric acid.

Calories: 240
Cals from fat: 50
Total Fat: 5g (8%)
Sat Fat: 0.5g (4%)
Sodium: 150mg (6%)
Potassium: 250mg (7%)
Total Carb: 43g (14%)
Fiber: 5g (20%)
Sugar: 21g
Protein: 9g (18%)

Very standard clif bar taste and texture. Definitely has a little bit of "nutrition bar" taste. Sort of evokes "granola bar" a bit more than some of the other bars. Not bad, but not terribly exciting. You know, I always feel like I want to eat blueberries because they are so healthy, but I really only truly enjoy them in muffins and pancakes, both of which probably negate whatever health benefits I'm going for with the blueberries. Oh well.

Friday, April 18, 2008

Clif Bar Cranberry Apple Cherry

Clif Bar Cranberry Apple Cherry ($1.50, harris teeter)
2.4 oz / 68g

Ingredients: organic brown rice syrup, soy rice crisps, organic roasted soybeans, organic rolled oats, organic soy flour, organic evaporated cane juice, organic dried apples, dried cranberries, apple fiber, organic oat fiber, organic milled flaxseed, inulin, psyllium, organic fig paste, dried cherries, natural flavors, sea salt.

Calories: 230
Cals from fat: 20
Total Fat: 2.5g (4%)
Sat Fat: 0.5g (3%)
Sodium: 100mg (4%)
Potassium: 240mg (7%)
Total Carb: 45g (15%)
Fiber: 5g (20%)
Sugar: 21g
Protein: 10g (20%)

Wow, quite good. No nutrition bar taste, at least not at first. Fruity, as you might imagine. It does have a hint of that processed "dried fruit" taste that comes from the fruit being in a container for a long time. Tangy. By the end I was a little overwhelmed from the 'tangy fruit' taste (and the related aftertaste) but it felt really healthy to be eating it and overall I'd say it was a good breakfast bar. I've started buying boxes of 24 clif bars here and there as they are as cheap or cheaper than $1 per bar and I think this flavor will make the cut next time I order some.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Clif Bar Chocolate Brownie

Clif Bar Chocolate Brownie ($1.50, harris teeter)
2.4 oz / 68g

Ingredients: organic brown rice syrup, organic rolled oats, soy rice crisps, organic roasted soybeans, organic soy flour, organic evaporated cane juice, chocolate chips, organic date paste, cocoa, organic sunflower oil, apple fiber, organic oat fiber, organic milled flaxseed, inulin, psyllium, natural flavors, sea salt.

Calories: 240
Cals from fat: 40
Total Fat: 5g (9%)
Sat Fat: 1.5g (8%)
Sodium: 150mg (6%)
Potassium: 340mg (11%)
Total Carb: 44g (15%)
Fiber: 5g (20%)
Sugar: 22g
Protein: 10g (20%)

A bit drier than the other bars, which isn't necessarily bad. Quite tasty - very chocolatey. Almost no nutrition bar aftertaste. Reminds me a little of the compressed date bars, but has a lot more going on in terms of texture - its like the offspring of a compressed date bar and a normal clif bar. Quite good overall if a bit too sweet for breakfast. By the time I'd eaten the whole thing I'd decided it was just a bit too much, even with a cup of coffee to back it up (this bar is delicious with a cup of coffee).

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Kashi GoLean Crunchy Chocolate Pretzel

Kashi GoLean Crunchy Chocolate Pretzel ($1.89, harris teeter)
1.59 oz / 45g

Ingredients: brown rice syrup, soy protein isolate, crystalline fructose, evaporated cane juice crystals, hard red winter wheat, oats, rye, barley, triticale, long grain brown rice, buckwheat, sesame seeds, oat fiber, pretzels, mechanically fractured palm kernel oil, rice starch, honey, cocoa, milled corn, chicory root fiber, vegetable glycerin, wheat bran, natural flavors, corn bran, salt, calcium carbonate, soy lecithin, magnesium oxide, chocolate liquor, vanilla extract, vitamin e, ascorbic acid, mixed tocopherols for freshness, zinc oxide, ferrus fumarate, nonfat dry milk, annatto color, vitamin b6, folic acid, vitamin b12.

Calories: 160
Cals from fat: 30
Total Fat: 3g (5%)
Sat. Fat: 2.5g (13%)
Sodium: 250mg (10%)
Total Carb: 28g (9%)
Fiber: 5g (20%)
Sugar: 13g
Protein: 8g (11%)

Slightly fake chocolate coating on the bottom. Not quite as salty as I'd expect from a pretzel-based bar, but every bit as dry I suppose. Still, not a bad bar overall - sort of a 3 or 3.5 out of 5, which is good enough in a pinch. I needed an afternoon snack. What I really haven't been able to figure out is why Clif doesn't have better competition. I trust that Kashi is using reasonably good ingredients overall, or at least moreso than a lot of brands. Yet the ingredients list here seems a lot more complicated than the Clif list to me, and the bar isn't as good. What gives?

Clif Bar Banana But Bread

Clif Bar Banana But Bread ($1.50, harris teeter)
2.4 oz / 68g

Ingredients: organic brown rice syrup, soy rice crisps, organic roasted soybeans, organic soy flour, organic rolled oats, walnuts, organic toasted oats, organic diced bananas, organic maple syrup, chocolate chips, organic oat fiber, organic milled flaxseed, inulin, organic oat bran, psyllium, organic soy butter, organic date paste, organic banana powder, natural flavors, sea salt, cinnamon.

Calories: 250
Cals from fat: 50
Total Fat: 6g (9%)
Sat Fat: 1g (6%)
Sodium: 130mg (5%)
Potassium: 310mg (9%)
Total Carb: 43g (14%)
Fiber: 5g (20%)
Sugar: 21g
Protein: 10g

Dang! This is pretty good. You get the banana bread flavor immediately. There's a tiny bit of the 'nutrition bar' aftertaste but it is extremely mild. You know, there's some crazy magic going on here - this is not the same texture as banana bread at all, but it really has me fooled. This is a surprisingly great bar!

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Clif Bar Crunchy Peanut Butter

Clif Bar Crunchy Peanut Butter($0.99, target)
2.4 oz / 68g

Ingredients: organic brown rice syrup, soy rice crisps, organic roasted soybeans, organic soy flour, organic rolled oats, organic evaporated cane juice, organic peanut butter, peanut flour, peanuts, apple fiber, organic oat fiber, organic milled flaxseed, inulin, psyllium, organic date paste, natural flavors, sea salt.

Calories: 250
Cals from fat: 60
Total Fat: 6g (9%)
Sat Fat: 1g (5%)
Sodium: 230mg (10%)
Potassium: 270mg (8%)
Total Carb: 42g (14%)
Fiber: 5g (20%)
Sugar: 20g
Protein: 11g (22%)


Yeah, I know. I said I'd stay away from the nutty clif bars but I picked up a big handful of bars at Target and just grabbed one of these because it was new to me and I wanted to review it for you; I do it all for you. This tasted almost exactly like I should have expected it to with the exception of a less noticeable 'nutrition bar' flavor than I would have guessed. Still, all the nuttiness makes it really feel like you're eating health food. I have to admit this bar had a slightly heavier, drier and firmer texture than the other clif bars. It wasn't a bad texture, just slightly different - amazingly it seemed even more substantial than other bars, which is a feat. I'd buy this again - better for an afternoon snack than I imagine it would be for breakfast but its good; better than I would have expected and quite satisfying.