Thursday, December 27, 2012

Belvita golden oat


Belvita golden oat ($2.99 for 5, Target) 
1.76 oz / 50g  

Ingredients: rolled oats, rye flakes, enriched flour, high oleic canola oil, sugar, evaporated cane sugar, whole grain wheat flour, malt syrup, invert sugar, baking soda, salt, soy lecithin, disodium pyrophosphate, datem, ferric orthophosphate, niacinamide, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, thiamin mononitrate. 

Calories: 230
Cals from fat: 80
Total Fat: 8g (12%) 
Sat Fat: 0.5g (3%) 
Sodium: 220mg (9%) 
Total Carb: 35g (12%) 
Fiber: 3g (12%) 
Sugar: 11g 
Protein: 4g

The spell checker lit up like a christmas tree as I typed that ingredient list but I think most of it is vitamins. In many ways we are either lucky that it doesn't taste like chemicals or unlucky that we've evolved to not be able to taste it when people spray a bunch of chemicals on our food. This isn't a granola bar but rather a packet of breakfast cookies (similar in size and price to a granola bar). They are cookies, man; for breakfast! I mean, what kind of world are we living in that we get to have cookies for breakfast! These golden oat cookies taste a lot like a butter cookie or maybe the girl scout shortbread, save for being thin and a little crunchier. They are a fine addition to the breakfast rotation but I suppose wouldn't hold up as well as a standard granola bar under duress (such as if you pack breakfast in a loaded backpack). The funny thing is I could have sworn I tasted a little lemon in these but there's nothing in the ingredient list - not even "natural or artificial flavors" that would suggest any hint of lemon. Maybe chemicals taste like lemons. 

Monday, November 5, 2012

Clif Crunch White Chocolate Macadamia Nut


Clif Crunch White Chocolate Macadamia Nut ($2.50 for 5 on sale, Publix) 
1.5 oz / 42g  

Ingredients: organic rolled oats, organic dried cane syrup, organic sunflower oil, soy white chocolate, roasted macadamia nuts, rice crisp, organic cane syrup, organic barley flakes, organic rye flakes, oat bran, oat fiber, sea salt, natural flavors, inulin. 

Calories: 190
Cals from fat: 80
Total Fat: 9g (14%) 
Sat Fat: 1.5g (8%) 
Sodium: 105mg (4%) 
Total Carb: 27g (9%) 
Fiber: 3g (12%) 
Sugar: 12g 
Protein: 3g

Clif has experienced a lot of success over the years, so much so that they helped spawn this blog as I went on a quest to supplant my daily Nature Valley bar with a wider variety of breakfast snack. Well, ladies and gentlemen this appears to have gone straight to their head as they have now released a granola bar that is essentially the organic substitute for the inimitable Nature Valley bar - crunchy bars two to a pack, ready for a showdown. Well, it is a proud effort on the part of Clif but I'm afraid it may be time for them to get their comeuppance. The ingredient list is certainly fancier - organic and with a wider variety of grains. The health facts are really about even, depending on the specific variety. So we're down to texture and taste. The Clif bar is tasty - sweet (maybe a little too sweet) and nutty, totally acceptable. The texture is where you will be forced to pick a side - the Clif texture is too light and crumbly and even feels/tastes a little oily - like it was baked with a fat that made it a little too crunchy. Some people may take to this, but I prefer the old-school Nature Valley bars. Sorry, Clif. 

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Kroger Sweet & Salty Almond


Kroger Sweet & Salty Almond ($2.19 for 6, Kroger) 
1.23 oz / 35g  

Ingredients: almonds, toasted oats, sugar, high maltose corn syrup, crisp rice, wheat flakes, fractionated palm kernel oil, high fructose corn syrup, nonfat dry milk, canola oil, glycerin, corn syrup solids, salt, water, soy lecithin, nonfat yogurt powder, honey, natural flavors, gelatin, vanilla extract, caramel color, hydrogenated cottonseed oil, mixed tocopherols, peanut flour. 

Calories: 170 
Cals from fat: 70
Total Fat: 8g (12%) 
Sat Fat: 2.5g (13%) 
Sodium: 140mg (6%) 
Total Carb: 20g (7%) 
Fiber: 1g (4%) 
Sugar: 10g 
Protein: 3g

This is a nice granola bar sitting in a bed of yogurt icing. The almonds are good, the icing surprisingly decent. The wrapper looks really familiar to me. I think Kroger is actually selling the same bars as the publix bars just in a different box. Seriously. For 50 cents less! Kroger FTW!

Kroger Sweet & Salty Peanut Chocolate Chunk


Kroger Sweet & Salty Peanut Chocolate Chunk ($2.19 for 6, Kroger) 
1.23 oz / 35g  

Ingredients: peanuts, sugar, palm kernel oil, fully hydrogenated palm oil, skim milk, cocoa, whole milk, sorbitan tristearate, soy lecithin, salt, vanilla, natural and artificial flavors, corn syrup, pretzel pieces, rice and wheat flakes, whole grain rolled oats, semisweet chocolate chunks, crisp rice, invert sugar, barley flakes, canola oil, glycerin, fructose, corn syrup solids, salt, peanut oil, honey, nonfat dry milk, gelatin, sodium bicarbonate, mixed tocopherols, almond flour. 

Calories: 170 
Cals from fat: 60
Total Fat: 7g (11%) 
Sat Fat: 3g (15%) 
Sodium: 135mg (6%) 
Total Carb: 22g (7%) 
Fiber: 2g (8%) 
Sugar: 9g 
Protein: 4g 


This is a standard granola bar sitting in a bed of chocolate icing. It is a surprisingly unoffensive bar - the chemicals don't shine through the way you'd expect. I wish the pretzel pieces were a little bigger, they get a bit lost among the granola. Not the best bar out there, but unbeatable for the price at about 37 cents each.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Clif Mojo Dipped Chocolate Peanut


Clif Mojo Dipped Chocolate Peanut ($0.99, Kroger) 
1.59 oz / 45g  

Ingredients: organic peanuts, organic brown rice syrup, organic dried cane syrup, organic cocoa, palm kernel oil, organic soy lecithin, organic vanilla, soy rice crisps, honey roasted peanuts, organic pretzels, organic roasted soybeans, organic peanut butter, organic oat syrup solids, vegetable glycerin, peanut flour, organic sunflower oil, natural flavor, sea salt, organic gum arabic, natural vitamin e.  

Calories: 200 
Cals from fat: 100
Total Fat: 11g (17%) 
Sat Fat: 3.5g (18%) 
Sodium: 170mg (7%) 
Total Carb: 20g (7%) 
Fiber: 2g (8%) 
Sugar: 11g 
Protein: 8g 

Totally solid peanutty granola sitting in a bed of chocolate which kept it from being as dry as some of the others. Well done.

Clif Mojo Honey Roasted Peanut


Clif Mojo Honey Roasted Peanut ($0.99, Kroger) 
1.59 oz / 45g  

Ingredients: organic peanuts, organic brown rice syrup, honey roasted peanuts, soy rice crisps, organic rice flour, organic pretzels, organic roasted soybeans, organic peanut butter, organic oat syrup solids, organic honey, vegetable glycerin, sea salt, organic gum arabic, organic sunflower oil, natural vitamin e.  

Calories: 200 
Cals from fat: 100
Total Fat: 11g (17%) 
Sat Fat: 1.5g (8%) 
Sodium: 190mg (8%) 
Total Carb: 18g (6%) 
Fiber: 2g (8%) 
Sugar: 9g 
Protein: 9g 

I knew I'd like this, but I found it a bit dry. I really prefer the clif mojo bars that have some fruit or chocolate in them as they are a bit sweeter and don't leave my mouth stranded in the desert. 


Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Clif Mojo Mixed Nuts

Clif Mojo Mixed Nuts ($0.99, Kroger)
1.59 oz / 45g 

Ingredients: organic brown rice syrup, soy rice crisps, almonds, organic cashews, organic pecans, organic pretzels, organic macadamia nut butter, organic oat syrup solids, hazelnuts, vegetable glycerin, sea salt, organic gum arabic, organic sunflower oil, natural vitamin e. 

Calories: 200
Cals from fat: 110
Total Fat: 12g (18%)
Sat Fat: 1.5g (8%)
Sodium: 190mg (8%)
Total Carb: 18g (6%)
Fiber: 2g (8%)
Sugar: 8g
Protein: 8g

I expected to like this bar, and I did. It isn't as sweet as the other varieties of clif mojo but the texture is the same, a sort of flimsy chewy bar that can be a bit of a mess but is satisfying to eat. No raisins, peanut butter or chocolate chips to sweeten this one up, it is nutty as can be. I prefer the fruity ones but this is a nice break.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Annie's Organic Berry Berry


Annie's Organic Berry Berry
0.98 oz / 28g 

Ingredients: organic toasted whole oats, organic brown rice syrup, organic rice crisp, organic palm oil, organic dried berries, organic tapioca starch, natural flavor. 

Calories: 120
Cals from fat: 30
Total Fat: 3g (5%)
Sat Fat: 1g (5%)
Sodium: 0mg (0%)
Total Carb: 20g (7%)
Fiber: 1g (4%)
Sugar: 6g
Protein: 2g

Pretty standard chewy granola bar, but tough as nails. I again wondered if I'd missed the expiration date, and again was disappointed to learn it is a ways off.  The bar tastes great, but the texture is just lousy. 


Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Annie's Organic Peanutty


Annie's Organic Peanutty
0.98 oz / 28g 

Ingredients: organic toasted whole oats, organic brown rice syrup, organic peanut butter, organic rice crisp, organic honey, organic palm oil, organic peanuts, natural vanilla and peanut flavor, organic tapioca starch, sea salt. 

Calories: 120
Cals from fat: 45
Total Fat: 5g (8%)
Sat Fat: 1g (5%)
Sodium: 50mg (2%)
Total Carb: 17g (6%)
Fiber: 1g (4%)
Sugar: 5g
Protein: 3g 

I really wanted to like this bar, and the taste is ok but it has the stalest texture - sort of half crunchy / half chewy. I immediately went looking for the date, which is still 6 months off and therefore this must be relatively fresh, or so they'd like me to think. Eating the bar belies it. It is a relatively innocuous tasting, small bar that is reminiscent of lots of standard chewy granola bars, but I'm wondering if maybe the oats weren't toasted properly or something else went horribly wrong to give it this stale character. Not an offensive bar, and a laudable ingredients list, but certainly not great. 

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Planters NUT-rition Cranberry Almond Peanut


Planters NUT-rition Cranberry Almond Peanut
1.23 oz / 35g (5 for $3.29, Harris Teeter)

Ingredients: peanuts, whole grain rolled oats, almonds, corn syrup, crisped rice, evaporated cane juice invert syrup, peanut butter, dried cranberries, sugar, brown sugar, soy lecithin, oligofructose, salt, vegetable oil, malic acid, TBHQ.

Calories: 160
Cals from fat: 70
Total Fat: 8g (12%)
Sat Fat: 1g (5%)
Sodium: 130mg (5%)
Total Carb: 19g (6%)
Fiber: 3g (12%)
Sugar: 9g
Protein: 5g 
This is a really standard, generic chewy granola bar. Fruits, nuts, granola all stuck together and lopped into rectangles. If you dig cranberries you'll dig this bar. Very little chemical taste, but something about the cranberries sort of reminded me of it. Not terribly exciting, but you can taste everything which is good and it has a totally "standard" chewy/slightly dry texture that is totally uncontroversial. Totally decent. 

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Nature Valley Protein Peanut, Almond & Dark Chocolate


Nature Valley Protein Peanut, Almond & Dark Chocolate

1.42 oz / 40g (5 for $3.49, Harris Teeter)

Ingredients: roasted peanuts, almonds, soy protein isolate, chicory root extract, sugar, vegetable oils, roasted sunflower seeds, toasted coconut, whey protein concentrate, tapioca syrup, high maltose corn syrup, fructose, cocoa, vegetable glycerin, rice starch, rice maltodextrin, salt, soy lecithin, dextrose, baking soda, natural flavor. 

Calories: 190
Cals from fat: 110
Total Fat: 12g (19%)
Sat Fat: 3.5g (18%)
Sodium: 180mg (7%)
Total Carb: 14g (5%)
Fiber: 5g (20%)
Sugar: 6g
Protein: 10g 
You ever feel like we might have reached a deconstructionist ideal with these ingredient lists? Everything has been reduced to a single facet: not rice, just rice starch; not soy, soy protein isolate, and so on. Disheartening to say the least. More disheartening news to follow too as this bar, despite being a pretty standard looking bar with chocolate icing on the bottom is really fairly bland. There is a faint nutty taste but the bar overall is neither sweet nor salty, which makes you wonder what that "chocolate" icing really is. It was so disconcerting I actually turned the bar icing side up to eat it which actually improved the experience a bit. In some ways this is actually good; at least it doesn't taste like a batch of chemicals. The space-age has arrived, ladies and gentlemen; our food is made of food broken down into its basest elements and is nutritious but has little taste. The future! Here today!