granola bars for breakfast

Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Nut Cashew

2011-10-12T11:46:00.001-04:00

Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Nut Cashew
1.2 oz / 35g (6 for $3.00, Walmart)

Ingredients: cashews roasted in safflower oil, high maltose corn syrup, whole grain oats, sugar, rice flour, high fructose corn syrup, palm kernel oil, whole grain wheat, fructose, cashew butter, canola oil, nonfat milk, maltodextrin, salt, whey, reduced minerals whey, soy lecithin, malt extract, color, natural flavor, baking soda, malt, mixed tocopherols.

Calories: 160
Cals from fat: 60
Total Fat: 7g (10%)
Sat Fat: 2.5g (13%)
Sodium: 135mg (6%)
Total Carb: 23g (8%)
Fiber: 1g (4%)
Sugar: 12g
Protein: 2g

Another basic granola bar with icing on the bottom. Not quite as exciting as the peanut / chocolate variety. Why is it that cashews are so exciting in the mixed nuts can but not that exciting in a granola bar? In this case it might be because they were hard to notice over the sweet icing. If you take the joy out of eating cashews for me, you have failed. I hate to harsh on this bar as it is a good bar overall, but maybe it should be called "cashew butter" or something that doesn't belie its true flavor.

Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Nut Dark Chocolate, Peanut & Almond

2011-10-11T11:53:00.001-04:00

Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Nut Dark Chocolate, Peanut & Almond
1.24 oz / 35g (6 for $3.00, Walmart)

Ingredients: roasted peanuts, high maltose corn syrup, sugar, dark chocolate chunks, whole grain oats, high fructose corn syrup, rice flour, palm kernel oil, almonds, whole grain wheat, fructose, canola oil, nonfat milk, salt, maltodextrin, peanut butter, whey, reduced minerals whey, soy lecithin, malt extract, color, natural flavor, baking soda, malt, mixed tocopherols.

Calories: 170
Cals from fat: 70
Total Fat: 8g (13%)
Sat Fat: 3.5g (17%)
Sodium: 120mg (5%)
Total Carb: 21g (7%)
Fiber: 2g (8%)
Sugar: 12g
Protein: 3g

The most striking thing about the ingredients list for this bar is how much worse they are for you than the crunchy kind. The ingredients list is twice as long and full of sugar and chemicals, they are higher in fat and lower in fiber, etc. Still in the grand scheme of things I think this bar is still mostly ok. It has a peanut butter icing on the bottom, and is otherwise a pretty standard chewy granola bar. It tastes really good; the chocolate chunks and the peanut butter icing really make this pretty sweet, like a candy bar. I would rather eat this than a lot of candy bars out there, as a matter of fact. Perhaps that is its calling; for breakfast it is a bit sweet.

Nature Valley Crunchy Oats 'n Dark Chocolate

2011-10-10T11:24:00.000-04:00

Nature Valley Crunchy Oats 'n Dark Chocolate
1.49 oz / 42g (6 for $3.00, Publix)

Ingredients: whole grain oats, sugar, canola oil, dark chocolate pieces, honey, yellow corn flour, soy flour, brown sugar syrup, cocoa, salt, natural flavor, soy lecithin, baking soda

Calories: 190
Cals from fat: 70
Total Fat: 8g (12%)
Sat Fat: 1.5g (7%)
Sodium: 140mg (6%)
Total Carb: 28g (9%)
Fiber: 3g (11%)
Sugar: 12g
Protein: 4g

Ah, it always warms my heart to find a new variety of the tried and true Nature Valley Crunchy bar, the brickle we were all raised on and what started all this granola bar foolishness in the first place. It is a little strange that they say this has dark chocolate pieces - it is actually as if the entire bar has had some cocoa stirred in; I didn't really notice any chocolate pieces. The addition of the cocoa is good but can be a tad overwhelming; if you thought the old bars were dry this bar might be classified as actually removing moisture from your mouth as you eat it. Pairs well with a cup of coffee, and really does deserve to stand alongside the classics of my youth, if perhaps on the second stair.

Kellogg's Fiber Plus Antioxidants Chocolatey Peanut Butter

2011-10-03T10:51:00.000-04:00

Kellogg's Fiber Plus Antioxidants Chocolatey Peanut Butter
1.2 oz / 36g (5 for $3.79, Publix)

Ingredients: chicory root extract, rolled oats, crisp rice, sugar, peanuts with TBHQ, inulin from chicory root, hydrogenated and/or partially hydrogenated palm kernel, palm, and/or coconut oils, fructose, peanut butter, canola oil, cocoa, glycerin, partially defatted peanut flour, honey, whey, tricalcium phosphate, salt, nonfat dry milk, soy lecithin, baking soda, BHT, dextrose, polysorbate 60, sorbitan monostearate, vitamin e acetate, zinc oxide, artificial flavor, soy protein isolate, almond flour, wheat starch.

Calories: 130
Cals from fat: 45
Total Fat: 5g (8%)
Sat Fat: 2.5g (13%)
Sodium: 95mg (4%)
Total Carb: 24g (8%)
Fiber: 9g (35%)
Sugar: 7g
Protein: 3g (6%)

Man, leave it to Kellogg's to have the expertise to handle sunscreen as a food ingredient. Zinc Oxide! Wow! Despite chocolate not being an ingredient (ok, they have cocoa) they've managed to make a granola bar that looks like sort of like a rice krispie treat with peanut butter chips sitting in a thin bed of chocolate. Despite how scary the ingredient list is, this really does taste pretty great. Sort of a caramel / peanut butter / chocolate mix, like a candy bar but lighter. So the advertising on the box indeed rings true: "tastes better than fiber one!" I cannot deny it.

Eat Think Smile Rich Cocoa

2011-09-21T15:44:00.001-04:00

Eat Think Smile Rich Cocoa
1.4 oz / 39g

Ingredients: whole grain rolled oats, brown rice syrup, crisp rice, cocoa, soy nuts, almonds, sugar, evaporated cane juice, sunflower oil, invert sugar, glycerin, natural flavor, salt, soy lecithin

Calories: 160
Cals from fat: 40
Total Fat: 4.5g (7%)
Sat Fat: 0.5g (3%)
Sodium: 60mg (3%)
Total Carb: 26g (9%)
Fiber: 3g (12%)
Sugar: 7g
Protein: 4g (8%)

I don't have a price on this because I swiped it from my mom's cupboard while visiting last weekend. This sort of looks like a thin crisp rice treat but made with the chocolate cereal instead of the regular. it has what look like peanuts on top, but note in the ingredients no peanuts. i've never seen soy nuts before but they look like peanuts. It is disconcerting; are they just raw soybeans or are they engineered somehow? The bar is quite dry, with an almost tangy cocoa flavor. Crumbly, as bars go and the nuts are more a distraction than they are helpful. Still, not bad overall. The ingredient list is pretty healthy looking (though i don't know how you invert sugar). If I had to rate this I'd probably give it a 7 of 10 or so; it is the same size but lighter than a clif bar, the cocoa is slightly overwhelming but not bad, and the texture is dry but ok with a beverage. Good, but not great.

Nature Valley Chewy Trail Mix Cranberry & Pomegranate

2011-07-12T11:02:00.002-04:00

Nature Valley Chewy Trail Mix Cranberry & Pomegranate (6 for $2.99, Publix)
1.1 oz / 32g

Ingredients: whole grain oats, high maltose corn syrup, rice flour, sugar, malt extract, salt, calcium carbonate, almonds, honey, dried cranberries, fructose, canola oil, maltodextrin, dried pomegranate arils, soy lecithin, salt, baking soda, natural flavor.

Calories: 130
Cals from fat: 25
Total Fat: 3g (4%)
Sat Fat: 0g (0%)
Sodium: 70mg (3%)
Total Carb: 24g (8%)
Fiber: 1g (4%)
Sugar: 13g
Protein: 2g (4%)

Pomegranate! Cranberry! These are all the rage these days, overlooked fruits that have special health benefits, cleansing powers, whatevs. That said, variety is the spice of life so I decided to give this bar a try. It has that classic nature valley granola but the fruit tastes sort of fake or perhaps it is the "chewy" binder that gives off a slight artificial taste. Either way it tastes more processed than its relatively short ingredient list might suggest. It is certainly a passable bar but you can do better.

Kashi Dark Chocolate Coconut Fruit & Grain Bars

2011-07-01T10:25:00.002-04:00

Kashi Dark Chocolate Coconut Fruit & Grain Bars (6 for $2.99, Publix)
1.1 oz / 32g

Ingredients: hard red wheat, oats, rye, triticale, barley, dates, dark chocolate, chicory root fiber, brown rice syrup, vegetable glycerin, soy protein isolate, coconut, soy grits, expeller pressed canola oil, walnuts, unmodified cornstarch, evaporated cane juice crystals, corn flour, evaporated cane juice syrup, rice starch, honey, natural flavors, soy lecithin, oat fiber, brown rice, buckwheat, sesame seeds, evaporated salt, peanut flour, whey protein isolate, almond flour.

Calories: 120
Cals from fat: 30
Total Fat: 3.5g (5%)
Sat Fat: 1.5g (8%)
Sodium: 50mg (2%)
Total Carb: 21g (7%)
Fiber: 4g (17%)
Sugar: 7g
Protein: 4g (8%)

As an American, I feel I've done my duty by moving from small granola bars to the much larger, more patriotic clif bars. Nothing says "U.S.A.!" like a little overeating. But, as with all things, variety is the spice of life so I have what looks like a TINY little granola bar this morning, the Kashi. Seriously, this thing is small even by Nature Valley standards. It looks like your standard chewy granola bar but with some chocolate icing and coconut garnish. The bar is unremarkable and the icing is a little fake, it is a little too thick to be normal icing but too soft to be a chocolate coating. Sort of like a chocolate jam resting on top of the bar. Still, all in all this is a nice bar - very unoffensive; goes fine with a cup of coffee. No chemical taste to speak of, really though I only had about 4 bites to gauge this because it is a really small bar.

Clif Bar White Chocolate Macadamia Nut

2011-06-13T11:14:00.002-04:00

Clif Bar White Chocolate Macadamia Nut ($0.99, Publix)
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, cocoa butter, soy flour, soy lecithin, organic toasted oats, organic oat fiber, inulin, organic milled flaxseed, organic oat bran, psyllium, macadamia nuts, organic soy butter, organic macadamia nuts, organic date paste, natural flavors, sea salt.

Calories: 250
Cals from fat: 60
Total Fat: 7g (11%)
Sat Fat: 2g (10%)
Sodium: 240mg (10%)
Potassium: 170mg (5%)
Total Carb: 42g (14%)
Fiber: 4g (16%)
Sugar: 21g
Protein: 9g (18%)

This bar is so crazy, it has macadamia nuts AND organic macadamia nuts. I don't want to tell these folks how to run things, but that seems like a logistical hassle - what if your organic nuts get all mixed in with your inorganic nuts? Then you have a problem on your hands, right? Then again, that's all the more reason to just list both, then you can buy your nuts from whomever is available without having to change your packaging. Maybe it is shrewdness. Perhaps genius. Anyway, what we have here is your standard Clif bar but with a little drizzle of icing on top (what the what?) and a rather pleasant, mildly sweet taste. It has the standard Clif texture, which is sort of a dense chewy thing you would imagine reading sci-fi as a kid. No chemical taste, which by itself makes the Clif bar far and away the best "nutritious" bar on the market and running neck and neck with the classic nature valley bar for best in show.

Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Nut, Roasted Mixed Nut

2009-10-14T11:08:00.001-04:00

Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Nut, Roasted Mixed Nut ($3.19 for 6, Publix)
1.2 oz / 35g

Ingredients: roasted peanuts, high maltose corn syrup, rolled oats, high fructose corn syrup, crisp rice, palm kernel oil, cashews roasted in safflower oil and/or canola oil, almonds, wheat flakes, fructose, canola oil, yogurt powder, cashew butter, water, maltodextrin, salt, nonfat milk, soy lecithin, honey roasted almond butter, color, natural flavor, peanut butter, baking soda, macadamia nut flour, pecan flour, sunflower meal, sesame seed, mixed tocopherols.

Calories: 160
Cals from fat: 70
Total Fat: 8g (12%)
Sat Fat: 2.5g (13%)
Sodium: 150mg (6%)
Total Carb: 21g (7%)
Fiber: 1g (6%)
Sugar: 12g
Protein: 3g

This is similar to yesterday's bar but sadly it is not quite as good. It is pretty good, and is the same basic formula (granola sits on yogurt icing) but this one has slightly more icing which I actually don't like as well. In this case, the store brand from yesterday beats out the name brand.

Publix Sweet & Salty Almond

2009-10-14T11:07:00.002-04:00

Publix Sweet & Salty Almond ($2.69 for 6, Publix)
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, non-fat 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: 21g (7%)
Fiber: 1g (4%)
Sugar: 10g
Protein: 4g

Man, I'm already sorry I'm reviewing this bar. It is delicious, but now that I've had to write down what is in it I'm feeling a little bad about it. It's all sugar and glycerin and gelatin and hydrogenated craziness. Maybe that's why it tastes so damn good! This is a rather nutty granola bar that has rather fortuitously sat down on a bench or something that was covered in a yogurt/icing paint. So now the bottom of the bar is all icing. Not too much, either, and it is darned tasty. The nutty granola part is good too - nice nutty crunchiness with a sort of chewy granola. This is a great bar, I just wish it wasn't all scary ingredients - I didn't even write down the parenthetical ingredients for crisp rice and toasted oats, both of which have some additional sugar and such as you are probably already aware. I just can't believe this thing doesn't taste like a bunch of chemicals, but it really doesn't. It's great.

Planters Big Nut Bar Triple Nut

2009-08-19T10:44:00.002-04:00

Planters Big Nut Bar Triple Nut ($2.50 for 5, Kroger)
1.62 oz / 46g

Ingredients: peanuts, corn syrup, crisped rice, peanut butter, sugar, evaporated cane juice invert syrup, whole grain rolled oats, almonds, cashews, whey, soy lecithin, salt, honey, vegetable oil, resistant corn dextrin, brown sugar, whole grain rolled wheat, coconut, canola oil, wheat bran, xanthan gum, mixed tocopherols.

Calories: 220
Cals from fat: 100
Total Fat: 12g (18%)
Sat Fat: 1.5g (8%)
Sodium: 230mg (10%)
Total Carb: 23g (8%)
Fiber: 3g (12%)
Sugar: 13g
Protein: 7g

This is a nut bar sitting on a little bed of peanut butter. The mixed nuts are an improvement over the all-peanut version I had the other day, though isn't it suspicious that we pay more for mixed nuts than peanuts, but they are the same price here? Something doesn't add up. This really is a good, nutty bar, though. Really delicious. Nice texture. I think I might actually prefer this one to a payday bar all things being equal.

Fiber One Oats & Strawberries with Almonds

2009-08-18T09:59:00.002-04:00

Fiber One Oats & Strawberries with Almonds ($3.59 for 5, Kroger)
1.4 oz / 40g

Ingredients: chicory root extract, rolled oats, sugar, cranberries, citric acid, natural flavor, elderberry juice concentrate, sunflower oil, crisp rice, high maltose corn syrup, barley flakes, almond pieces, honey, vegetable oil, sugar, maltodextrin, high fructose corn syrup, glycerin, tricalcium phosphate, soy lecithin, salt, nonfat milk, cocoa processed with alkali, baking soda, caramel color, sunflower meal, wheat flour, mixed tocopherols.

Calories: 140
Cals from fat: 30
Total Fat: 3g (5%)
Sat Fat: 0.5g (4%)
Sodium: 90mg (4%)
Total Carb: 29g (10%)
Fiber: 9g (35%)
Sugar: 9g
Protein: 2g

Two things I notice right away: there is more chicory in this bar than anything else, and no actual strawberries. Still, the old "fiber one" magic is present; this bar tastes great and has a nice granola bar texture, and a whole lotta fiber. The bar is extremely chewy, and I get all the flavors: a little fruit, a little almond, a little chocolate from the drizzle on top. I honestly don't know how they do that. Also note that this bar, despite having some scary ingredients, is a lot better for me than yesterday's peanut bar; fewer calories, less fat, and with lots of fiber which satisfies hunger. I call it win-win, though I still have a couple of boxes of those peanut bars. Oh well.

Planters Big Nut Bar Double Peanut

2009-08-17T12:26:00.003-04:00

Planters Big Nut Bar Double Peanut ($2.50 for 5, Kroger)
1.62 oz / 46g

Ingredients: peanuts, corn syrup, sugar, peanut butter, crisped rice, evaporated cane juice invert syrup, whole grain rolled oats, fractionated palm kernel oil, brown sugar, whole grain rolled wheat, coconut, canola oil, wheat bran, partially defatted peanut flour, salt, fructose, sodium caseinate, soy lecithin, resistant corn dextrin, natural flavor, mixed tocopherols.

Calories: 220
Cals from fat: 110
Total Fat: 13g (20%)
Sat Fat: 3g (15%)
Sodium: 160mg (7%)
Total Carb: 22g (7%)
Fiber: 3g (12%)
Sugar: 12g
Protein: 7g (7%)

Well, it seems I'll eat anything. That ingredient list is pretty scary, no? I'm just glad the corn dextrin was the resistant kind, because that non-resistant stuff is just not good enough!

This is sort of a peanut bar sitting on a little bed of peanut butter. It is nice and chewy unlike peanut bars of old, the peanut butter gives it some body and the overall effect is very granola-bar like despite the fact that this is really about 80% peanuts. I am a peanut fan, so I admit I like this bar. Its not really far off from a payday bar, and has about the same nutritional value. Sadly, the ingredients list (note: I got this from the internet, not the package so it may not be totally accurate) on the payday bar is shorter:

Peanuts, Sugar, Corn Syrup, Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Nonfat Milk, Salt, Mono- and Diglycerides, Egg Whites, TBHQ, Soy Protein, Citric Acid

So there ya go. You can have your old-fashioned partially hydrogenated vegetable oil or your newfangled fractionated palm kernel oil, but it all basically turns out the same.

Clif Bar Peanut Toffee Buzz

2009-07-09T10:18:00.002-04:00

Clif Bar Peanut Toffee Buzz ($0.99, Publix)
2.4 oz / 68g

Ingredients: organic brown rice syrup, soy rice crisps, organic roasted soybeans, organic soy flour, organic rolled oats, dry roasted peanuts, apple fiber, organic oat fiber, organic milled flaxseed, inulin, psyllium, organic evaporated cane juice, peanut toffee, organic peanut butter, cocoa butter, soy flour, soy lecithin, peanut flour, natural flavors, sea salt, green tea extract.

Calories: 250
Cals from fat: 50
Total Fat: 6g (9%)
Sat Fat: 2g (10%)
Sodium: 200mg (8%)
Potassium: 250mg (7%)
Total Carb: 42g (14%)
Fiber: 5g (20%)
Sugar: 20g
Protein: 11g (22%)

When I drink green tea I get a little loopy. I don't know if I steep it too long or what; my purveyor of fine teas says I drink them too fast and my blood pressure drops, which is an interesting theory. Anyway, it makes the idea of this bar feel a little bit dangerous; contains green tea extract! And he's drinking coffee! Go ahead and dial the 9 and the 1!

This bar is remarkably bland. There's a little icing stripe which adds some sweetness but I'm honestly left with almost zero aftertaste. Sort of a dry finish, too. The texture is just 'clif bar' to me at this point, but the taste of this bar is markedly different and sort of strange; I don't really get the toffee taste. Its slightly sweet and peanutty with this crazy drop off dry mouth finish. I probably won't buy this one again, but it is an interesting experience. I guess we'll see how hyped up on caffeine I am after this and a cup o' joe. I feel like I might bounce around like daffy duck or something wooHOOwooHOOwooHOO!

clif kid organic z bar chocolate brownie

2009-06-30T17:05:00.002-04:00

clif kid organic z bar chocolate brownie ($0.75, publix)
1.27 oz / 36g

Ingredients: organic rolled oats, organic chocolate chips, organic evaporated cane juice syrup, organic brown rice syrup, organic tapioca syrup, organic fig paste, organic oat flour, organic cocoa powder, organic soy butter, natural flavors, organic oat fiber, organic milled flaxseed, organic chocolate, salt, baking soda.

Calories: 120
Cals from fat: 25
Total Fat: 3g (5%)
Sat Fat: 1g (5%)
Sodium: 125mg (4%)
Potassium: 110mg (3%)
Total Carb: 22g (7%)
Fiber: 3g (12%)
Sugar: 12g
Protein: 3g

cocoa. man, cocoa. dude, this is almost too much cocoa. almost chalky. whoa. more cocoa than chocolate happening here. another ineffectual chocolate drizzle. its very brownie like, but its almost too much.

clif kid organic z bar peanut butter

2009-06-30T16:46:00.003-04:00

clif kid organic z bar peanut butter ($0.75, publix)
1.27 oz / 36g

Ingredients: organic peanut butter, organic evaporated cane juice syrup, organic rolled oats, organic brown rice syrup, organic tapioca syrup, organic fig paste, organic peanuts, organic oat flour, organic milled flaxseed, organic oat fiber, natural flavors, organic chocolate, salt, baking soda.

Calories: 140
Cals from fat: 45
Total Fat: 5g (8%)
Sat Fat: 1g (5%)
Sodium: 170mg (7%)
Potassium: 160mg (5%)
Total Carb: 20g (7%)
Fiber: 3g (12%)
Sugar: 11g
Protein: 3g

This is a sort of cross between a cereal bar and a granola bar; softer than granola, crunchier than a cereal bar. It's quite agreeable, as if they were making granola bars for the elderly, or children. I could just pleasantly gum my way though this thing, nom nom nom. It's peanutty with a completely ineffectual chocolate drizzle, nom nom nom. Seems very familiar somehow, hmmm.

Oh, dang, it's really almost identical to a store-bought peanut butter cookie. The soft kind with peanuts in it you might have had at a church function or at school or something. Presumably its better for you than that, so score!

Clif Bar Blueberry Crisp

2009-05-15T11:25:00.003-04:00

Clif Bar Blueberry Crisp ($0.99, Publix)
2.4 oz / 68g

Ingredients: organic brown rice syrup, soy rice crisps, organic roasted soybeans, organic soy flour, organic rolled oats, blueberry fruit pieces, rganic toasted oats, organic dry roasted almonds, organic oat fiber, inulin, organic milled flaxseed, 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 (9%)
Potassium: 250mg (7%)
Total Carb: 43g (14%)
Fiber: 5g (20%)
Sugar: 21g
Protein: 9g (18%)

I wonder if there's something difficult about using dried fruit? I like clif bars, but something about this one tastes a little phony. The fruit in this bar gives it a different kind of sweetness than some of the other clif bars, which is really nice - its a little less 'cliffy' than some of the other ones even though the texture is identical. On the other hand, there's a slightly 'preserved' taste to the fruit which doesn't totally appeal to me. It's not quite so strong as to be a 'chemical' taste, and is largely dispelled with a cup of coffee. This deserves to be in the rotation, but I think I'd tire of having them very regularly.

Clif Bar Maple Nut

2009-05-11T10:10:00.004-04:00

Clif Bar Maple Nut ($0.99, Publix)
2.4 oz / 68g

Ingredients: organic brown rice syrup, soy rice crisps, organic roasted soybeans, organic soy flour, organic rolled oats, organic toasted oats, pecan pralines, organic maple syrup, inulin, organic oat fiber, organic milled flaxseed, organic oat bran, psyllium, organic date paste, safflower oil roasted pecans, natural flavors, almond butter, organic sunflower oil, sea salt.

Calories: 250
Cals from fat: 50
Total Fat: 5g (8%)
Sat Fat: 1g (4%)
Sodium: 220mg (9%)
Potassium: 250mg (7%)
Total Carb: 42g (14%)
Fiber: 5g (20%)
Sugar: 20g
Protein: 10g (20%)

This feels like a really standard granola bar. I think the clif bars have become sort of old hat now, clearly taking a place along side the crunchy nature valley bar as a staple, begging the question of whether continuing reviewing them is really necessary. "But variety is the spice of life!" you say, and I cannot disagree. So, dear reader I will continue to sing the praises and damn the foibles of the clif bar along side all the others. I think the maple nut bar might be the logical conclusion of the clif family; the one by which all others must be judged. Originally the chocolate chip bar held that title, but the maple nut is slightly more subtle and far more "outdoorsy" in style, which I think elevates it beyond basecamp and puts it clearly on the road to the summit. The only flaw I can find with this bar is its aftertaste, which isn't artificial in nature but is a bit less than endearing. This is a minor quibble, as any sort of beverage will dispel the unpleasant effect.

UPDATE: I already reviewed this bar! Clearly I'm over the look of the clif bars now.

Cascadian Farm fiber right dark chocolate almond

2009-05-07T10:22:00.003-04:00

Cascadian Farm fiber right dark chocolate almond ($4 for 6, Publix)
1.2 oz / 35g

Ingredients: tapioca syrup, rolled oats, inulin, crisp rice, semisweet chocolate chunks, sugar, almonds, sunflower oil, glycerin, brown rice syrup, rice maltodextrin, soy lecithin, palm kernel oil, cocoa powder, sea salt, natural flavor, baking soda, nonfat milk.

Calories: 130
Cals from fat: 35
Total Fat: 3.5 (5%)
Sat Fat: 1g (6%)
Sodium: 100mg (4%)
Total Carb: 25g (8%)
Fiber: 5g (20%)
Sugar: 8g
Protein: 2g

This bar is quite good, though the wrapper is sticky and therefore makes a bit of a mess. The bar has a nice chewy texture and a taste very similar to a blondie brownie, which I don't have to tell you, faithful reader, was a 70's sensation the likes of which we've never seen again.

Nature Valley Pecan Crunch

2009-04-21T11:19:00.002-04:00

Nature Valley Pecan Crunch ($0.75, office snack area)
1.5 oz / 42g

Ingredients: whole grain rolled oats, sugar, canola oil, crisp rice with soy protein, brown sugar syrup, pecan pieces, salt, soy lecithin, baking soda, natural flavor, almond flour, peanut flour.

Calories: 190
Cals from fat: 60
Total Fat: 7g (11%)
Sat Fat: 1g (4%)
Sodium: 170mg (7%)
Total Carb: 29g (10%)
Fiber: 2g (8%)
Sugar: 12g
Protein: 4g

It's almost unfair to include the nature valley crunchy bars on this site, as I've eaten them for so many years they basically define what I'm looking for in a bar (other than of course our old friend 'variety'). I've not had this pecan version before so I thought I'd try my best to compare it to the other bars you've been patient enough to sit through waiting for the king to arrive.

Oh, goodness. This is good even by nature valley standards. Lots of people find the nature valley bars to be slightly too dense and crunchy, but this particular variety seems lighter than the old "oats and honey" - i have to admit this has a better overall texture than almost any bar previously encountered. The lighter texture among other things means that it doesn't crumble all over the place when you eat it, which admittedly is about the only shortcoming I can find in the original bar. I'm tempted to call it a fluke; I'm so used to the nature valley crunchy texture that I'm frightened to even imagine they've been able to improve on it. Say it isn't so! Sweet agony!

I know what you're thinking. You're all "how can he like this thing so much?" Well, I'm here to tell you, this is a different animal entirely from the stale, 3 year old bar you found in some hunger-induced panic in the bottom of that backpack you'd been carrying around all year and barely decided would be better than gnawing on your own foot. This is toasted, nutty, crunchy, granola perfection, my dear friends, and you owe it to yourself to experience it.

gnu foods flavor and fiber chocolate brownie bar

2009-04-14T09:51:00.002-04:00

gnu foods flavor and fiber chocolate brownie bar ($1.69, trader joe's)
1.6 oz / 45g

Ingredients: whole rolled oats, organic whole wheat flour, wheat bran, organic kamut, psyllium, flax, millet, chicory root inulin, fruit juices, rice dextrins, dark chocolate chips, cocoa powder, canola oil, plums, rice, wheat protein isolate, natural flavors, baking powder

Calories: 140
Cals from fat: 35
Total Fat: 4g (6%)
Sat Fat: 1g (4%)
Sodium: 30mg (1%)
Total Carb: 30g (10%)
Fiber: 12g (48%)
Sugar: 9g
Protein: 4g

Yet another super fiber bar. This one is pretty good - nice granola-y texture (a bit more firm than the last bar) and a nice cocoa flavor. I'm not sure its healthy to eat so much fiber all at once but hey, that's between me and my lower GI. Knowing is half the battle!

kind plus antioxidants cranberry & almond

2009-04-13T11:36:00.003-04:00

kind plus antioxidants cranberry & almond ($1.69, trader joe's)
1.4 oz / 40g

Ingredients: almonds, macadamias, dried cranberries, honey, glucose, puffed rice, soluble dietary fiber (maize)

Calories: 190
Cals from fat: 110
Total Fat: 12g (18%)
Sat Fat: 1.5g (8%)
Sodium: 10mg (1%)
Potassium: 120mg (3%)
Total Carb: 19g (6%)
Fiber: 2.5g (10%)
Sugar: 13g
Protein: 4g

Ah, finally the last of the kind bars. Will this one be a Dr. Jekyll or a Mr. Hyde?

This is another "peanut bar" type, though there's so much "glue" that there's a small layer of it on the bottom. Luckily, this is the soft glue, so the overall bar is more chewy than crunchy. This puts it firmly in "Jekyll" territory. The taste of the bar is overwhelmed by the cranberries - the puffed rice seemed like a good idea but it's not really helping the case at all. Pretty much all I taste is cranberries and honey. This isn't bad; and I must stress there's no chemical taste to speak of, but again I'm not sure why having these in a bar is so much better than just having a handful of dried fruits and nuts lying around. I note these are made in Australia, perhaps they don't have dried fruits and nuts in bulk over there.

In any event the existing rules stand: kind bars with fruit are ok, kind bars without fruit are not ok. Recess!

kind nut delight

2009-04-10T11:45:00.004-04:00

kind nut delight ($1.69, trader joe's)
1.4 oz / 40g

Ingredients: peanuts, almonds, brazil nuts, walnuts, honey, glucose, puffed rice, linseed, chicory fiber, soy lecithin

Calories: 200
Cals from fat: 140
Total Fat: 15g (24%)
Sat Fat: 2g (10%)
Sodium: 15mg (1%)
Total Carb: 12g (4%)
Fiber: 3g (12%)
Sugar: 8g
Protein: 7g

Oh, man. It's peanut bar time again. I was afraid of this. After making such progress with these bars we're right back to the hard, crumbly, annoying nut bar i panned before. I actually had to shove this one to the back of my mouth to bite off pieces. Let's just put this one behind us, shall we? Its such a shame because the one with the fruit was so much better. I just noticed that this is my 50th (!) granola bar review, I only wish we could have celebrated with a really good one instead of this messy, tired thing.

clif kid organic Z bar chocolate chip

2009-04-09T11:38:00.002-04:00

clif kid organic Z bar chocolate chip ($0.69, trader joe's)
1.27 oz / 36g

Ingredients: organic chocolate chips, organic rolled oats, organic oat flour, organic fig paste, organic tapioca syrup, organic evaporated cane juice syrup, organic maple syrup, organic soy butter, organic chocolate, natural flavors, organic milled flaxseed, organic oat fiber, baking soda, salt.

Calories: 130
Cals from fat: 35
Total Fat: 4g (6%)
Sat Fat: 1.5g (8%)
Sodium: 100mg (4%)
Potassium: 140mg (4%)
Total Carb: 24g (9%)
Fiber: 3g (12%)
Sugar: 11g
Protein: 3g

I expected to like this since I like the regular clif chocolate chip bars and I must admit I wasn't disappointed. The texture of this is unique; its like an especially-dense cereal bar. I normally don't really go in for cereal bars but this one is heavier than most and has a little more "granola" than a regular cereal bar which I think makes it better. No chemical taste, though the aftertaste is a little overly sweet - consume with a beverage. Overall this bar is really good; enough so to buy a box of 12 which is about as high as praise gets from this website.

kind fruit and nut delight

2009-04-08T10:18:00.004-04:00

kind fruit and nut delight ($1.69, trader joe's)
1.4 oz / 40g

Ingredients: peanuts, almonds, brazil nuts, walnuts, raisins, apricots, apricot paste, glycerol, pectin, apple fiber, citric acid, dates, honey, glucose, puffed rice, linseed, chicory fiber, soy lecithin

Calories: 170
Cals from fat: 100
Total Fat: 11g (17%)
Sat Fat: 1.5g (8%)
Sodium: 25mg (1%)
Total Carb: 16g (5%)
Fiber: 3g (12%)
Sugar: 12g
Protein: 5g

I'm feeling more patient today with the peanut bar. That's what this is, categorically, and in my last review I was a bit short with it. It is an overpriced handful of fruits and nuts, but this one with the fruit seems to have a softer overall texture; like they had to change the "glue" because of the fruit or something. As a result it is less crumbly than the previous bar, which is a welcome improvement. This one actually makes me think "granola bar" more than "peanut bar" which is enough to sell it. Another upside to the sparse ingredient list is that there is no chemical taste to speak of. So in that respect it is a success. Still may not beat homemade trail mix for being so similar, but this bar is a lot better than the last one.

gnu foods flavor and fiber peanut butter bar

2009-04-07T10:47:00.002-04:00

gnu foods flavor and fiber peanut butter bar ($1.69, trader joe's)
1.4 oz / 40g

Ingredients: organic whole wheat flour, oats, wheat bran, psyllium, flax, millet, soy flour, chicory root fiber, fruit juices, rice dextrins, peanuts, canola oil, plums, rice, apples, natural flavors, aluminum-free baking powder.

Calories: 150
Cals from fat: 30
Total Fat: 3g (5%)
Sat Fat: 1g (4%)
Sodium: 64mg (3%)
Total Carb: 32g (11%)
Fiber: 12g (48%)
Sugar: 9g
Protein: 5g

I'm sort of afraid to eat this. I've never seen a bar with so many high-fiber ingredients before. Its almost like someone said "ok, lets just take this fiber thing to its logical conclusion." Hold on a sec, I'm going to go drink a glass of water before I get started here.

This bar looks remarkably normal, but the smell is a strange, slightly unfamiliar sweet smell that might have originated in a health food store. I could feel my lower GI tightening up in expectation as I ate this bar. The texture is surprisingly loose, oh I mean light - I expected it to be more dense. Sadly the weird smell carried over to the taste - I think it might be one of the less common granola bar ingredients like the flax or plums coming through? Not a bad bar overall, though the flavor isn't really my favorite. Its not peanut butter at all; in fact, did you see that among the ingredient list? Yeah, me neither. You know, it sort of tastes fruity overall, which is strange.

I don't know if I'd buy this one again - its not bad and feels pretty healthy but I did sort of expect it to taste more like peanut butter and less like a fruit bar.

Pure Chocolate Brownie

2009-03-31T13:32:00.004-04:00

Pure Chocolate Brownie($1.49, trader joe's)
1.7 oz / 48g

Ingredients: organic dates, organic walnuts, organic agave nectar, organic almonds, organic cashews, organic brown rice protein, organic cocoa.

Calories: 200
Cals from fat: 80
Total Fat: 9g (13%)
Sat Fat: 1g (6%)
Sodium: 10mg (0%)
Potassium: 250mg (7%)
Total Carb: 25g (8%)
Fiber: 5g (18%)
Sugar: 18g
Protein: 6g

Yet another compressed date bar. This one is quite good; no chemical taste or overwhelming aftertaste; really this tastes more like actual dates and nuts than most of the other bars. This might be good or bad depending on your point of view, but I'll admit I'm sort of fond of it - many of the other bars feel heavy-handed by comparison. The texture is good as well; I'm a much bigger fan of the compressed date bars with a good amount of nuts or granola mixed in. Good bar.

Kind Plus Protein Almond, Walnut and Macadamia

2009-03-30T15:05:00.002-04:00

Kind Plus Protein Almond, Walnut and Macadamia ($1.69, Trader Joe's)
1.4 oz / 40g

Ingredients: peanuts, almonds, walnuts, macadamias, cashews, brazil nuts, honey, soy crisps, glucose, soluble dietary fiber (maize), natural flavor.

Calories: 210
Cals from fat: 130
Total Fat: 15g (23%)
Sat Fat: 2g (10%)
Sodium: 65mg (3%)
Potassium: 180mg (5%)
Total Carb: 11g (4%)
Fiber: 2.5g (10%)
Sugar: 7g
Protein: 10g

Remember the peanut bar? This is the same thing, only it has mixed nuts and costs 4 times as much. I try not to look at prices when buying bars, but I have to admit I'm taken aback that this is basically an ounce of mixed nuts and some corn syrup for over a buck and a half. Its not quite as sweet as a peanut bar, which is a plus but leaves you with the feeling that if you just had a can of mixed nuts on your desk you could eat a handful of them and be just as satisfied. Perhaps moreso; the bar is a bit crumbly and therefore might be a bit messier than a handful of nuts.

Trader Joe's Chocolate Chip Fruit and Nut bar

2009-03-30T10:13:00.002-04:00

Trader Joe's Chocolate Chip Fruit and Nut bar ($0.49, Trader Joe's)
1.6 oz / 45g

Ingredients: dates, semi-sweet chocolate chips, almonds, pineapple juice syrup, cocoa powder, rolled oats, rolled barley, rolled wheat, apple juice concentrate, sunflower oil, wheat bran, natural flavors, tocopherols, chocolate liquor.

Calories: 170
Cals from fat: 40
Total Fat: 4.5g (7%)
Sat Fat: 1g (5%)
Sodium: 0mg (0%)
Total Carb: 31g (10%)
Fiber: 5g (20%)
Sugar: 21g
Protein: 3g

I have to admit I'm a bit distressed that this bar has "March 12 09" stamped on the front; I hate it when the fancy grocery stores sell me out of date stuff (I of course being incapable of checking the date myself). So I'm not sure this will be a fair review, nor am I entirely sure it won't be my last, but know fair reader I do it all for you; I risk everything for you. How is it that granola bars have expiration dates anyway? That seems counter to the very mission of the granola bar.

Anyway, let's get on to more practical matters, double-oh seven. This is another compressed date "brownie" bar, which surprised me. It is quite rich and has some nuts and stuff that lend it a pretty good texture overall - not too heavy. The aftertaste is definitely the chocolate liquor which isn't bad but does taste a little artificial. It reminds me of some of those fancy candies your grandparents might have really cherished but really just didn't taste that good. Overall I think this is a really good bar for the price, though I do think one might tire of the heavy aftertaste.

clif kid organic Z bar honey graham

2009-03-29T10:32:00.003-04:00

clif kid organic Z bar honey graham ($0.69, trader joe's)
1.27 oz / 36g

Ingredients: organic rolled oats, organic oat flour, organic fig paste, organic brown rice syrup, organic tapioca syrup, organic honey, organic evaporated cane juice syrup, organic soy butter, organic oat fiber, organic rice extract, organic vanilla extract, natural flavors, organic milled flaxseed, baking soda, salt.

Calories: 130
Cals from fat: 25
Total Fat: 2g (3%)
Sat Fat: 0.5g (3%)
Sodium: 95mg (4%)
Total Carb: 26g (9%)
Fiber: 3g (12%)
Sugar: 10g
Protein: 3g

The only way this could possibly be for kids is if you have kids that don't read ingredients. Organic tapioca! Soy butter! No kid would knowingly go in for that. This looks like more of a cereal bar than a granola bar. It smells really sweet when you open the package. It tastes good; though our old friend "chemical taste" can't resist peeking through the aftertaste a little. Texture is a bit softer than a granola bar - really its just a cereal bar. Its a good cereal bar - I like the taste ok, but I really prefer the texture of granola bars to this sort of thing.

Fiber One Chewy Oats & Chocolate

2008-12-16T10:38:00.003-05:00

Fiber One Chewy Oats & Chocolate ($2.99 for 5, harris teeter)
1.4 oz / 40g

Ingredients: chicory root extract, semi-sweet chocolate chips, rolled oats, crisp rice, high maltose corn syrup, barley flakes, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, vegetable oil, maltodextrin, honey, glycerin, tricalcium phosphate, soy lecithin, salt, nonfat milk, cocoa processed with alkali, natural flavor, baking soda, color added, almond flour, peanut flour, sunflower meal, wheat flour, mixed tocopherols.

Calories: 140
Cals from fat: 35
Total Fat: 4g (6%)
Sat Fat: 1.5g (9%)
Sodium: 90mg (4%)
Total Carb: 29g (10%)
Fiber: 9g (35%)
Sugar: 10g
Protein: 2g

This is a pretty standard bar but with a slightly softer texture than expected, which might make you question the expiration date. it has a drizzle of chocolate icing on top and chocolate chips inside, neither of which has much chemical taste, which is remarkable. overall a decent bar, but the caramel one is probably better. I must admit the fiber one bars are developing a better reputation overall than a lot of the other boxed bars, and because they are high in fiber they'll typically be more filling than other bars as well. win-win.

Nutri-Grain fruit and nut bars cranberry, raisin & peanut

2008-12-03T10:19:00.003-05:00

Nutri-Grain fruit and nut bars cranberry, raisin & peanut ($3.49 for 6, harris teeter)
1.12 oz / 32g

Ingredients: roasted peanuts, raisins, whole grain rolled oats, dried sweetened cranberries, corn syrup, oat fiber crisps, fructose, bran cereal, corn syrup solids, toasted coconut, glycerin, sugar, toasted defatted milled soy, natural peanut butter, corn flour, canola oil, soy protein isolate, sorbitol, salt, oat fiber, evaporated cane juice, molasses, soy lecithin, natural mixed tocopherols, almond flour, nonfat dry milk, natural vanilla flavor, annatto extract.

Calories: 120
Cals from fat: 30
Total Fat: 3.5g (5%)
Sat Fat: 1g (5%)
Sodium: 115mg (5%)
Total Carb: 22g (7%)
Fiber: 3g (12%)
Sugar: 11g
Protein: 3g

These are expensive too, for boxed bars. $3.49 and only 1.12 oz. each. After yesterday's heavier, high-fiber bar i wouldn't expect these to be very filling, though the ingredients list looks fairly good - peanuts and fruit are right there at the top. This is a good bar, too - no real chemical taste, standard granola texture (not really at all dense, so less substantial than yesterday's bar), and chock full of nuts and berries - like eating trail mix pressed together into a bar. really quite good.

Fiber One Chewy Oats & Caramel

2008-12-02T09:55:00.002-05:00

Fiber One Chewy Oats & Caramel ($2.99 for 5, harris teeter)
1.4 oz / 40g

Ingredients: chicory root extract, rolled oats, caramel flavored drops, crisp rice, barley flakes, high maltose corn syrup, honey, sugar, vegetable oil, maltodextrin, high fructose corn syrup, glycerin, tricalcium phosphate, soy lecithin, salt, natural and artificial flavor, color, reduced minerals whey, baking soda, nonfat milk, sunflower meal, wheat flour, almond flour, mixed tocopherols, BHA.

Calories: 140
Cals from fat: 30
Total Fat: 3.5g (5%)
Sat Fat: 1.5g (8%)
Sodium: 105mg (4%)
Total Carb: 30g (10%)
Fiber: 9g (35%)
Sugar: 9g
Protein: 2g

Slightly more expensive than other boxed bars as they only come 5 to a box for the same price. The ingredients and nutrition lists reflect that they have slightly better ingredients than a lot of boxed bars. This bar is a pretty standard granola mix but its really dense and chewy, a bit tough to get through but substantial. The taste is caramel-y, and really since most of the caramels I eat are store-bought (and therefore have a slightly artificial taste) the caramel distracts me from any chemical taste the bar may have. Clever. Its a good bar, especially if you like the taste of caramel.

Clif Bar Chocolate Almond Fudge

2008-09-26T10:09:00.001-04:00

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

Ingredients: organic brown rice syrup, soy rice crisps, organic roasted soybeans, organic soy flour, organic evaporated cane juice, dry roasted almonds, chocolate chips, organic fig paste, cocoa, apple fiber, organic oat fiber, organic milled flaxseed, inulin, psyllium, sea salt, natural flavors.

Calories: 250
Cals from fat: 45
Total Fat: 5g (8%)
Sat Fat: 1.5g (8%)
Sodium: 140mg (6%)
Potassium: 300mg (9%)
Total Carb: 44g (15%)
Fiber: 5g (20%)
Sugar: 20g
Protein: 10g (20%)

Same basic clif bar texture, but a slightly darker bar than most. slight chemical taste. not really as good or as chocolatey as the chocolate chip (still the king of clif if you ask me). a bit dry. this actually sort of recalls some of those compressed date bars - must be the cocoa or something. overall its not a bad bar, but i'd rather eat a chocolate chip clif than this one.

hershey's sweet & salty granola bar with pretzels

2008-09-23T16:13:00.000-04:00

hershey's sweet & salty granola bar with pretzels ($2.99 for 6, harris teeter)
1.2 oz / 34 g

Ingredients: hagh maltose corn syrup, enriched wheat flour, peanuts, sugar, whole grain rolled oats, vegetable oil, crisp rice, high fructose corn syrup, glycerin, sunflower oil, honey, salt, nonfat milk, whey, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, corn syrup, milk fat, soy lecithin, yeast, sodium bicarbonate, ammonium bicarbonate, vanillin, artificial flavor.

Calories: 140
Cals from Fat: 45
Total Fat: 5g (8%)
Sat. Fat: 1.5g (8%)
Sodium: 240mg (10%)
Total Carb: 22g (7%)
Fiber: 1g (4%)
Sugar: 8g
Protein: 3g

This is another granola bar surfing in chocolate. this seems like a pretty standard "processed foods" ingredients list, and my hope is that the hershey magic makes this taste candybar-ish. And actually, this is quite a good bar - the texture is really nice, chewy granola in a slightly thinner bar than many, making it chewy but not dense. there's some chewy stuff in the granola that gives it a candy bar feel. the pretzels and peanuts are nice and salty, and the chocolate coating doesn't have the usual chemical taste - it doesn't taste completely natural, but its not overwhelming. not bad at all.

kelloggs crunchy nut sweet & salty chocolatey almond

2008-09-23T13:18:00.002-04:00

kelloggs crunchy nut sweet & salty chocolatey almond ($2.99 for 6, harris teeter)
1.12 oz / 32g

Ingredients: dry roasted almonds, sugar, whole grain rolled oats, rice, vegetable oil, peanuts, fructose, corn syrup solids, toasted coconut, dextrose, cocoa, salt, nonfat miulk, whey, calcium carbonate, glycerin, malt flavoring, soy lecithin, sorbitan monostearate, polysorbate 60, natural and artificial flavor, high fructose corn syrup, disodium phosphate, acetylated monoglycerides, carrageenan, whole wheat flour, niacinamide, vitamin a palmitate, xanthan gum, bht, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, thiamin hydrochloride, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, folic acid.

Calories: 150
Cals from Fat: 70
Total Fat: 8g (12%)
Sat. Fat: 3g (15%)
Sodium: 160mg (7%)
Total Carb: 18g (6%)
Fiber: 2g (7%)
Sugar: 10g
Protein: 3g

I have to admit, the ingredients list on this bar scares me. Still, I have 6 of them to get through and if the nutrition facts are any indication this thing will taste like a candy bar. Its a traditional granola bar that's been surfing in chocolate - just the bottom half is coated. It smells just like a candy bar, but sadly as I bite into it I taste that old familiar chemical/vitamin taste. Nice granola texture, slightly soft and chewy without feeling stale, but the aftertaste is pure vitamins, like I licked a big B tablet from GNC.

clif nectar lemon, vanilla & cashew

2008-07-18T10:44:00.003-04:00

clif nectar lemon, vanilla & cashew ($1.79, harris teeter)
1.6 oz / 45 g

Calories: 160
Cals from fat: 50
Total Fat: 6g (9%)
Sat Fat: 1g (6%)
Sodium: 5mg (0%)
Potassium: 310mg (9%)
Total Carb: 27g (9%)
Fiber: 6g (24%)
Sugar: 17g
Protein: 4g

Ingredients: organic dates, organic goji berries, organic lemon juice concentrate, organic vanilla.

This is a compressed date bar, but without the dark cocoa color it really looks sort of strange. This had a really tangy, almost overpowering zing when I bit into it. I'm not sure the lemon helps the case here; the plain date and cashew bar was really similar but didn't have the lemon taste getting in the way. I had sort of high hopes for this bar, and it seems quite nutritious and light, but there's just too much lemon flavor, I'd say. I wish the milder vanilla flavor came through a bit more. The lemon leaves a bit of an aftertaste which isn't really that tantalizing.

soyjoy apple

2008-07-17T10:09:00.004-04:00

soyjoy apple ($0.80, target)
1.06 oz / 30 g

Calories: 140
Cals from Fat: 60
Total Fat: 6g (10%)
Sat. Fat: 2.5g (11%)
Cholesterol: 20mg (6%)
Sodium: 50mg (2%)
Potassium: 230mg (7%)
Total Carb: 16g (5%)
Fiber: 3g (12%)
Sugar: 10g
Protein: 4g (9%)

Ingredients: whole soybean powder, raisin, butter, sugar, walnut, frozen egg, dried apple, maltodextrin, dried pineapple, salt, parmesian cheese, natural flavors.

Hard to believe my breakfast bar has parmesian cheese in it, but hey, its 2008 and I'm not as young as I used to be so you kids just shine on and do whatever crazy stuff you want to do. This bar smells like a sour apple jolly rancher; i was immediately transported to my days as a curious youth, riding my bike all over a rural indiana town, coming home with jolly ranchers from who knows where? I really don't ever remember buying that stuff but I obviously had enough of it. kids today don't get that kind of freedom, what with the crazies everywhere. The taste of this bar is sort of cookie-ish. This bar is not quite so dry and tough as yesterday's, and really isn't bad. It still seems like something you'd get on a european airline flight but you'd probably be happier with it today. no noticable parmesian cheese flavor, just a reasonably good mix of mild fruit and some walnuts. I have to admit when I saw this bar at the store I didn't think I'd like it as much as the berry, but its really a lot better. which is funny, because that sour apple jolly rancher was probably my least favorite flavor. red, baby. everyone loves 'red' flavor, right?

soyjoy berry

2008-07-16T10:14:00.001-04:00

soyjoy berry ($0.80, target)
1.06 oz / 30 g

Calories: 130
Cals from Fat: 40
Total Fat: 4.5g (7%)
Sat. Fat: 2g (10%)
Cholesterol: 15mg (4%)
Sodium: 50mg (2%)
Potassium: 240mg (7%)
Total Carb: 17g (6%)
Fiber: 3g (12%)
Sugar: 12g
Protein: 4g (8%)

Ingredients: whole soybean powder, raisin [sic], sugar, butter, dried hawthorn berry, dried wolfberry, brown sugar, maltodextrin, frozen egg, red bean paste, salt, natural flavors.

The ingredients make this sound sort of like a cookie, made perhaps by people who don't speak english. Its in a heavy foil wrapper so it might be slightly more perishable than a normal granola bar. It smells pretty good when you open the wrapper, like dessert rather than like a nutrition bar. It looks sort of like a bar cookie. Its extremely dry, but not bad tasting - for some reason I thought of something I might be served on a foreign airline flight. Something never sold in the US and that the allure of is slightly lost in translation to the american palate. Somewhere, someone in the world probably loves this thing. Me, I think its just sort of 'meh.' Its not really offensive; the flavor is slightly tangy and not unpleasant, but the texture is a bit dry and tough and it really seems like a fringe item of some kind.

Kashi Crunchy Honey Toasted 7 Grain

2008-07-15T10:01:00.003-04:00

Kashi Crunchy Honey Toasted 7 Grain ($2.94 for 6, target)
1.4 oz / 40g

Calories: 180
Cals from Fat: 50
Total Fat: 6g (9%)
Sat. Fat: 0.5g (3%)
Sodium: 160mg (7%)
Total Carb: 25g (9%)
Fiber: 4g (18%)
Sugar: 8g
Protein: 6g

Ingredients: oats, hard red winter wheat, rye, barley, triticale, long grain brown rice, buckwheat, sesame seeds, evaporated cane juice crystals, expeller pressed canola oil, soy protein isolate, chicory root fiber, honey, rice starch, wheat germ, gum arabic, evaporated salt, soy lecithin, natural flavor, sodium bicarbonate, mixed tocopherols, natural roasted almond butter.

This is almost identical to a nature valley granola bar - rock hard, two to a pack, granola bricks. Not quite as sweet, but really so close that it would be difficult to tell the difference in a blind test, I'd think. It seems like these might have more protein and fiber, looking over the nutrition info, but I couldn't be sure. Other than that I see no real reason to buy one or the other, if you like/dislike them.

Clif Mojo Mountain Mix

2008-07-14T14:38:00.002-04:00

Clif Mojo Mountain Mix ($0.99, Target)
1.59 oz / 45 g

Calories: 180
Cals from Fat: 70
Total Fat: 8g (12%)
Sat. Fat: 1.5g (8%)
Sodium: 220mg (9%)
Potassium: 240mg (7%)
Total Carb: 21g (7%)
Fiber: 2g (8%)
Sugar: 12g
Protein: 9g

Ingredients: organic brown rice syrup, organic dry roasted peanuts, organic raisins, dry roasted almonds, soy rice crisps, organic chocolate chips, organic pretzels, organic peanut butter, organic dry roasted soybeans, dry roasted pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, organic oat syrup, vegetable glycerin, organic sunflower oil, sea salt, organic gum arabic, natural vitamin e.

This is pretty good - a bit dry. It is basically a peanut-bar style thing, though not quite as tooth-wrenching as the classic peanut bar. Its basically trail mix (peanuts, pretzels and chocolate chips are the dominant flavors) stuck together with some sugar and gelatin (though there must be more to it than that given the ingredients list). Sort of salty, sort of sweet, sort of sticky. I'm not sure it has much going for it over some regular non-stuck-together trail mix but its tasty and has a good texture, and makes a nice snack.

balance bar yogurt honey peanut

2008-07-09T10:16:00.004-04:00

balance bar yogurt honey peanut ($1.39, harris teeter)
1.76 oz / 50 g

Calories: 200
Cals from Fat: 60
Total Fat: 6g (9%)
Sat. Fat: 3g (15%)
Cholesterol: <5mg (1%)
Sodium: 160mg (7%)
Potassium: 150mg (4%)
Total Carb: 21g (7%)
Fiber <1g (2%)
Sugar: 17g
Protein: 15g (29%)

Ingredients: soy protein isolate, calcium caseinate, whey protein concentrate, high fructose corn syrup, high maltose corn syrup, roasted soybeans, sugar, roasted ground peanuts, fractionated palm kernel oil, nonfat milk, honey, natural flavor, nonfat yogurt powder, soy lecithin, dextrose, maltodextrin, salt, caramel color, canola oil, sunflower oil, fish gelatin, oligofructose.

Why do I keep eating these bars with the scary ingredients? I do it all for you, internet, I do it all for you. Anyway, this is presumably the same bar as this one but with a yogurt coating instead of chocolate. I think that will be an improvement. I actually once mailed about a dozen of these to a friend living in Italy because it was her favorite and was totally unavailable there. I'm thinking they might be onto something. I think I'd prefer an espresso and biscotti too, but here I am with this and office coffee, so lets make the most of it, shall we? Its basically nougat covered in yogurt. It has a chemical taste like most other balance bars, but the yogurt is a lot better than the chocolate coating - it tastes less fake. I'm not a huge fan of the nougat texture, but that's probably a personal preference rather than an objective flaw. There are some nuts in the bar here and there, which again doesn't really do it for me with the soft nougat. Still, if I was hungry and alone in a foreign country and this arrived in the mail I'd probably go for it, if I was out of biscotti.

balance bare sweet & salty yogurt nut

2008-07-08T09:56:00.002-04:00

balance bare sweet & salty yogurt nut ($1.39, harris teeter)
1.76 oz / 50 g

Calories: 210
Cals from Fat: 80
Total Fat: 9g (14%)
Sat Fat: 3.5g (18%)
Cholesterol: <5mg (1%)
Sodium: 290mg (12%)
Potassium: 135mg (4%)
Total Carb: 23g (8%)
Fiber: 3g (12%)
Sugar: 11g
Protein: 13g (23%)

Ingredients: soy protein isolate, tapioca starch, salt, whey protein isolate, high maltose corn syrup, whole grain rolled oats, roasted almonds, roasted peanuts, evaporated cane juice invert syrup, sugar, fractionated palm kernel oil, nonfat milk, corn syrup, malitol syrup, natural flavor, nonfat yogurt powder, oligofructose and inulin, milk protein isolate, whey, protein concentrate, soy lecithin, cream, high oleic sunflower oil, maltodextrin, glycerin, salt, butter, dextrose, palm oil, fructose, caramel color, heavy cream, carrageenan, sodium phosphate, erythritol, fish gelatin, mixed tocopherols.

How can it be cheaper to mix up that chemistry set than to just press together some dates and cashews? I don't get it. This is a really traditional looking bar, grainy on top with a white icing (yogurt, presumably) on the bottom. It has a satisfying if dry granola texture, and a surprisingly small amount of chemical taste given its ingredient list. The yogurt coating on the bottom is not bad - it helps with the overall dryness of the bar. Overall a decent breakfast, though I'm scared of the ingredients.

clif nectar cacao

2008-07-07T13:08:00.002-04:00

clif nectar cacao ($1.79, harris teeter)
1.6 oz / 45 g

Calories: 160
Cals from Fat: 50
Total Fat: 6g (9%)
Sat Fat: 1.5g (8%)
Potassium: 370mg (11%)
Total Carb: 27g (9%)
Fiber: 6g (24%)
Sugar: 18g
Protein: 3g

Ingredients: organic dates, organic walnuts, organic unsweetened chocolate, organic cocoa, organic vanilla.

Yet another compressed date bar. This one looks and smells really brownie-like when you open the package. Its a bit drier and stiffer than some of the others. The taste is an extremely rich chocolate flavor. Really a nice flavor for a bar like this - the richness sort of distracts you from the fact that its a fruit bar. No chemical / nutrition bar taste at all. By far the nicest of this sort of bar I've had yet.

Larabar Cashew Cookie

2008-07-03T13:49:00.003-04:00

Larabar Cashew Cookie ($1.79, harris teeter)
1.7 oz / 48 g

Calories: 210
Cals from Fat: 110
Total Fat: 12g (19%)
Sat. Fat: 2g (11%)
Potassium: 320mg (9%)
Total Carb: 23g (8%)
Fiber: 3g (10%)
Sugar: 14g
Protein: 6g

Ingredients: cashews, dates

Wait, what? Cashews and dates? That's it? Whoa. Compared to those balance bars these are positively primitive. So of course the $64,000 question: how do they taste? Well, lets start with how they look. They look like a bar of homemade soap. I'm not kidding. The dates and cashews have been ground up and pressed into a semi-translucent bar that really looks like some fancy soap you might buy at whole foods. I'd be proud to display this in my bathroom. The taste is, well, cashews and dates. It almost begs the question of why I'm not eating a handful of cashews mixed with dates, which would surely be less than $1 per ounce. That said, its a pretty good ratio of dates to cashews, and the whole "bar" concept is pretty cool - they managed to press it without making it too dense or rubbery. I'd sort of expected some of the dryness of the other pressed date bars, but this is a step above most of them. As you might expect, there is no "nutrition bar" taste whatsoever, delicious. A good bar.

As a fun bit of research, I found that chopped dates happen to fall around $0.30 an oz, and cashew pieces about $0.50 an oz, so you could approximate the experience of this bar for about $1.36 plus a bit of squeezing. I guess the squeezing is worth $0.43.

balance bar honey peanut

2008-06-26T10:07:00.003-04:00

balance bar honey peanut ($1.39, harris teeter)
1.76 oz / 50 g

Calories: 200
Cals From Fat: 60
Fat: 6g (9%)
Sat. Fat: 3g (15%)
Cholesterol: <5mg (1%)
Sodium: 160mg (7%)
Potassium: 160mg (5%)
Total Carb: 22g (7%)
Fiber: <1g (3%)
Sugar: 17g
Protein: 15g (28%)

Ingredients: soy protein isolate, calcium caseinate, whey protein concentrate, high fructose corn syrup, high maltose corn syrup, roasted soybeans, sugar, roasted ground peanuts, fractionated palm kernel oil, honey, cocoa processed with alkali, natural flavor, lactose, soy lecithin, dextrose, salt, canola oil, sunflower oil, fish gelatin, oligofructose.

Yet another scary ingredient list. This is a chocolate covered bar with nougat inside. Well, given the ingredient list and the taste, its actually a bar of stuff covered in a brown shell. It basically tastes like that, too. In contrast to the last balance bar this one seems to taste better if you take smaller bites. The other muppet must have taste-tested this one. The taste is actually not all bad - the initial chemical taste has largely evaporated as I slowly make my way through the bar. The texture is basically ok - soft but with some random peanuts here and there. This thing is striving to be a candy bar, and given the nutrition facts and ingredients list I'm not sure how this is that much better than a snickers, once its all said and done.

Balance almond brownie

2008-06-23T14:30:00.004-04:00

Balance almond brownie ($1.39, harris teeter)
1.76 oz / 50 g

Calories: 200
Cals From Fat: 50
Fat: 6g (9%)
Sat. Fat: 1.5g (8%)
Cholesterol: <5mg (1%)
Sodium: 75mg (3%)
Potassium: 220mg (6%)
Total Carb: 22g (7%)
Fiber: 2g (8%)
Sugar: 17g
Protein: 14g (25%)

Ingredients: soy protein isolate, calcium caseinate, whey protein concentrate, high fructose corn syrup, high maltose corn syrup, cocoa processed with alkali, almonds, fructose, ground almonds, roasted soybeans, honey, natural flavor, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, dextrose, fractionated palm kernel oil, oligofructose, fish gelatin, beta carotene, annatto.

Wow, those are some crazy ingredients, and look: most of them are sugar of one kind or another. Weird. This has the look and feel of a brownie, but has a strong, scary nutrition bar taste. It really tastes completely unnatural. If you take larger bites more of the chocolate taste comes through so my only guess is they have some enormously wide-mawwed taste tester working at balance. Maybe one of the muppets. By halfway through the bar (large bites) I sort of acclimated to the taste and it got down to being a bit more brownie-like. The texture of this bar is good - slightly dry and nutty like any pre-packaged brownie. You might be able to fool someone into thinking this was a little debbie if you could get past that initial chemical taste. I went and got some coffee thinking that would help but the chemical taste was just as strong after letting the bar sit for a couple of minutes, even after a slug of coffee.

odwalla chewy nut bar sweet and salty almond

2008-05-12T11:24:00.004-04:00

odwalla chewy nut bar sweet and salty almond ($1.39, whole foods)
1.6oz / 45g

Ingredients: dry roasted almonds, brown rice syrup, organic oats, rice flour, organic evaporated cane juice, organic dried oat syrup, organic soy nuts, vegetable glycerin, calcium carbonate, sunflower oil, salt, soy lecithin, ascorbic acid, natural flavor, vitamin e, rosemary extract, beta carotene, folic acid.

Calories: 220
Cals from fat: 100
Total Fat: 11g (17%)
Sat Fat: 1g (5%)
Sodium: 65mg (3%)
Potassium: 210mg (6%)
Total Carb: 22g (7%)
Fiber: 6g (22%)
Sugar: 8g
Protein: 7g (13%)

Noticed from the nutrition facts that this is a much fattier bar than the previous odwalla bars - probably because of all the nuts. You don't really notice all the nuts because there are some large pieces and some tiny pieces, which is a nice touch really because you get the nutty taste all the time. This is a really nice traditional granola bar. It looks like a granola bar, tastes like a granola bar, feels like a granola bar, etc. Given that its about twice the size as those kashi bars that come 6 in a box for $4 its really almost an exact equivalent. Its certainly my favorite of the odwalla bars so far, but I can't find a lot about it that differentiates it from the kashi bars of yore. Still, I can't find a lot of fault in this bar - its quite good and solidly satisfying. Pretty amazing for a monday.

odwalla bar trail mix

2008-05-08T10:34:00.002-04:00

odwalla bar trail mix ($1.39, whole foods)
1.6oz / 45g

Ingredients: dry roasted peanuts, raisins, dried sliced unsweetened cherries, dry roasted cashews, natural sunflower seed kernels, dry roasted pumpkin seed kernels, coconut chips, brown rice syrup, organic oats, rice flour, organic evaporated cane juice, organic dried oat syrup, vegetable glycerin, calcium carbonate, sunflower oil, salt, soy lecithin, ascorbic acid, rosemary extract, vitamin e, beta carotene, folic acid.

Calories: 190
Cals from Fat: 60
Total Fat: 7g (11%)
Sat Fat: 1.5g (7%)
Sodium: 65mg (3%)
Potassium: 200mg (6%)
Total Carb: 27g (9%)
Fiber: 3g (11%)
Sugars: 11g
Protein: 5g (10%)

This bar has a weird, unnatural yellowish color like its been dusted with curry. It doesn't taste like curry so I was unnerved at the yellowish tint the whole time I ate the bar. It was a tasty bar, though somewhat dry. Really was sort of like a thin rice krispie treat with fruit and nuts mixed in. Had more flavor than a rice krispie treat, but the texture was really similar. Still, it was alright. Sort of a smorgasbord of fruits and nuts, a cashew here, a cherry there, etc. Less homogenous than a Clif bar which is a nice change up.

odwalla bar peanut crunch

2008-05-06T15:59:00.004-04:00

odwalla bar peanut crunch ($1.39, whole foods)
2.2oz / 62g

Ingredients: organic rolled oats, brown rice syrup, grape juice concentrate, peanut butter, dry roasted peanuts, date puree, peanut flour, plum puree, vegetable glycerin, crisp rice, organic oat flour, organic soy nuts, natural flavors, calcium carbonate, ascorbic acid, salt, baking soda, soy lecithin, vitamin e, folic acid.

Calories: 240
Cals from Fat: 60
Total Fat: 7g (10%)
Sat Fat: 1.5g (6%)
Sodium: 210mg (9%)
Total Carb: 37g (12%)
Fiber: 3g (14%)
Sugars: 14g
Protein: 8g (16%)

Anytime I read "vegetable glycerin" now I get suspicious for some reason. This had the "nutrition bar" smell immediately when opening the wrapper which also caused some doubts. Overall though, it wasn't bad. The texture was a bit odd - I think I'd have liked it better if it were shaped more like a candy bar; as it was it seemed like a thin clif bar which wasn't the most flattering comparison. The taste did not really scream "nutrition bar" at me, at least after the first bite. Good mix of salty and sweet, overall.

Clif Bar Blueberry Crisp

2008-04-21T09:52:00.003-04:00

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.

Clif Bar Cranberry Apple Cherry

2008-04-18T10:06:00.003-04:00

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.

Clif Bar Chocolate Brownie

2008-04-17T10:19:00.004-04:00

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).

Kashi GoLean Crunchy Chocolate Pretzel

2008-04-16T17:03:00.002-04:00

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

2008-04-16T10:15:00.003-04:00

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!

Clif Bar Crunchy Peanut Butter

2008-04-09T16:58:00.003-04:00

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.

Clif Bar Black Cherry Almond

2008-03-27T10:34:00.002-04:00

Clif Bar Black Cherry Almond ($0.99, whole foods)
2.4 oz / 68g

Ingredients: organic brown rice syrup, soy rice crisps, organic roasted soybeans, organic soy flour, organic rolled oats, apple fiber, organic oat fiber, organic milled flaxseed, inulin, psyllium, dry roasted almonds, dried cherries, organic evaporated cane juice, soy white chocolate, organic fig paste, almond butter, natural flavors, sea salt, citric acid.

Calories: 250
Cals from fat: 45
Total Fat: 5g (8%)
Sat Fat: 1.5g (8%)
Sodium: 110mg (4%)
Potassium: 220mg (6%)
Total Carb: 44g (15%)
Fiber: 5g (20%)
Sugar: 20g
Protein: 10g (20%)

I sort of expected to like this bar, since I like almonds and cherries (smoked almonds and dried cherries make a great hiking snack). Also, I'm totally down with the clif bar being superior in texture and overall flavor to the other bars. This bar is no exception; the cherry flavor isn't overpowering, the almonds are whole, crunchy, and delicious, and the overall texture of the bar is, well, that good moist clif texture. I still think these are the ugliest things I've ever seen though, even moreso when there are little swirls of soy white chocolate involved. Wow. Now I think you should always dance with the date that brung you, but this bar is clearly working that 'inner beauty' for all its worth.

Clif Bar Maple Nut

2008-03-24T11:15:00.002-04:00

Clif Bar Maple Nut ($0.99, whole foods)
2.4 oz / 68g

Ingredients: organic brown rice syrup, soy rice crisps, organic roasted soybeans, organic soy flour, organic rolled oats, organic toasted oats, pecan pralines, organic maple syrup, organic oat fiber, inulin, organic milled flaxseed, organic oat bran, psyllium, organic date paste, safflower oil roasted pecans, natural flavors, almond butter, organic sunflower oil, sea salt.

Calories: 240
Cals from fat: 50
Total Fat: 5g (8%)
Sat. Fat: 1g (4%)
Sodium: 220mg (9%)
Potassium: 250mg (7%)
Total Carb: 42g (14%)
Fiber: 5g (20%)
Sugar: 20g
Protein: 10g (20%)

ooh, even worse looking than the previous ones, due to its darker color. if it didn't taste so good i'd worry I was being punk'd. this is a nice, slightly different flavor from previous bars. i think this is the first bar with pecans so far. still, i think the nuttier flavors tend to enhance the 'soy flavor' somehow, so this isn't devoid of a little artificial taste. The maple and pecan flavors are strong enough that I've actually had to slow down a little while eating. A tad overwhelming.

Clif Bar chocolate chip peanut crunch

2008-03-20T10:39:00.003-04:00

Clif Bar chocolate chip peanut crunch ($1.50, harris teeter)
2.4 oz / 68g

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

Calories: 260
Cals from Fat: 60
Total Fat: 6g (10%)
Sat. Fat: 1.5g (7%)
Sodium: 200mg (8%)
Potassium: 260mg (7%)
Total Carb: 42g (15%)
Fiber: 5g (20%)
Sugar: 21g
Protein: 11g (22%)

A little too nutty or perhaps too soy-ish. Still miles ahead of the other bars. Now that I've been eating these for a couple of weeks I'm starting to identify a "nutrition bar" taste which I am assuming must be the taste of soy, since that's a key ingredient of most of the granola-type bars but is not something I normally eat. My working theory today is that the peanuts compliment and intensify the soy flavor, which I don't want. I've voted the Clif bars "most likely to succeed" but I think I may try to shy away from the peanut varieties as I didn't like this one as much as the previous two.

Balance Bare trail mix fruit and nut

2008-03-19T17:16:00.003-04:00

Balance Bare trail mix fruit and nut ($1.39, harris teeter)
1.76 oz / 50g

Ingredients: soy nuggets, soy protein isolate, calcium caseinate, casein, whey, evaporated cane juice invert syrup, sugar, brown rice syrup, almonds, fractionated palm kernel oil, dried cranberries, roasted soy nuts, nonfat milk, rolled oats, inulin, natural flavor, blueberry puree concentrate, high oleic sunflower oil, rice syrup, glycerin, salt, pectin, sunflower oil, fish gelatin, soy lecithin.

Calories: 210
Cals from Fat: 60
Total Fat: 7g (11%)
Sat Fat: 2.5g (13%)
Sodium: 240mg (10%)
Potassium: 120mg (3%)
Total Carb: 23g (8%)
Fiber: 2g (8%)
Sugar: 16g
Protein: 15g (27%)

Ooh, this bar has something other than chocolate on the bottom. I'm supposing its yogurt or maybe just icing of some kind. It tastes better than most of the chocolate coatings, so that's a noticable improvement. You can smell the berry smell when you open the wrapper, which isn't bad but makes me think 'pop tart' just a little. Its a solid granola taste, with a berry zing! at the finish. Just a little tart moment on the back end, which I know will appeal to some of you. This is a nice bar, much better than the last one, and I attribute the improvement to the coating. Its pretty sweet for a granola bar, maybe too sweet for breakfast (I'm having it as an afternoon snack, which is nice). Overall, a solid choice but the berry taste is so noticable and unique that I bet I'd get tired of it after eating a few of these.

Kashi GoLean crunchy chocolate peanut

2008-03-19T10:39:00.003-04:00

Kashi GoLean crunchy chocolate peanut ($1.89, harris teeter)
1.76 oz / 50g

Ingredients: brown rice syrup, soy protein isolate, evaporated cane juice crystals, crystalline fructose, oat fiber, hard red winter wheat, oats, rye, barley, triticale, long grain brown rice, buckwheat, sesame seeds, peanuts, rice flour, natural peanut butter, mechanically fractionated palm kernel oil, corn grits, rice starch, brown rice flour, wheat bran, chicory root fiber, vegetable glycerin, cocoa, nonfat milk, corn bran, salt, chocolate liquor, calcium carbonate, natural flavors, magnesium oxide, soy lecithin, ascorbic acid, alpha tocopherol acetate, zinc oxide, ferrous fumarate, annatto, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, vitamin b12.

Calories: 180
Cals from Fat: 45
Total Fat: 5g (8%)
Sat. Fat: 2g (10%)
Sodium: 150mg (10%)
Total Carb: 30g (10%)
Fiber: 6g (24%)
Sugar: 13g
Protein: 9g (13%)

This isn't exactly crunchy. Its not devoid of crunch, but the overall texture is chewy. This is another granola bar with a chocolate bottom, but with a much more appealing bottom than the ones from before - almost no chemical taste. Overall the bar still exokes "nutrition bar" but much less so than the previous ones I've complained about. The texture is good, as I said not really crunchy but crispy enough to satisfy. This is a nice bar, overall. If I could find them at a competitve price to the clif bars, I'd happily add them to the rotation.

Clif Bar Oatmeal Raisin Walnut

2008-03-18T11:02:00.002-04:00

Clif Bar Oatmeal Raisin Walnut ($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, raisins, organic evaporated cane juice, walnuts, organic oat fiber, inulin, organic milled flaxseed, organic oat bran, psyllium, organic soy butter, molasses powder, natural flavors, ground cinnamon, sea salt.

Calories: 240
Cals from fat: 45
Total Fat: 5g (8%)
Sat. Fat: 1g (4%)
Sodium: 130mg (5%)
Potassium: 310mg (9%)
Total Carb: 43g (14%)
Fiber: 5g (20%)
Sugars: 20g
Protein: 10g (20%)

Another hideous but tasty bar. Really much more moist than the other bars, how do they do it? I really can't shake the sci-fi feeling I get from eating Clif bars, but they really do mark a step forward in nutrition bars - there's no vitamin or chemical taste at all. Why can't the other bars take a page out of this kids' book?

Kashi GoLean Chewy Peanut Butter & Chocolate

2008-03-17T17:02:00.001-04:00

Kashi GoLean Chewy Peanut Butter & Chocolate ($1.89, harris teeter)
2.75 oz / 78g

Ingredients: peanut flour, evaporated cane juice syrup, brown rice syrup, corn, wheat bran, corn bran, oat fiber, oats, long grain brown rice, rye, hard red winter wheat, triticale, buckwheat, barley, sesame seeds, soy protein concentrate, salt, annatto, evaporated cane juice, soy protein isolate, nonfat dry milk, honey, barley malt syrup, whey protein isolate, fractionated palm kernel oil, chicory root fiber, oat fiber, rolled oats, cocoa, soy lecithin, salt, natural flavors

Calories: 290
Cals from fat: 60
Total Fat: 6g (10%)
Sat Fat: 4.5g (20%)
Sodium: 280mg (12%)
Potassium: 150mg (7%)
Total Carb: 48g (16%)
Fiber: 6g (24%)
Sugars: 31g
Protein: 13g (20%)

Tastes sort of like vitamins. Soft texture - like a really dense peanut butter nougat dipped in chocolate. This is a huge, heavy, dense bar, which is sort of good because it cost a lot. A bit dry, a bit fake tasting. I have to admit, most of these 'nutrition bars' haven't come very far. They still taste a lot like vitamins, which is just what you don't want them to taste like. Sure I can understand that adding things like peanut butter can help with the taste, but really only so much - the chemicals will still shine through. I'm starting to see the draw of the organic ones, which have to derive vitamin content differently. I have to admit, I didn't like all of those but for the most part they didn't taste manufactured. On the other hand, these look like real bars. Can you guys and Clif get married? I want the clif bars to keep tasting great but be less ugly; likewise I want you to keep looking great but be tastier. Get going on that, ok?

Balance Bare Trail Mix Chocolate Chip

2008-03-17T10:08:00.002-04:00

Balance Bare Trail Mix Chocolate Chip ($1.39, harris teeter)
1.76 oz / 50g

Ingredients: soy nuggets, casein, soy protein isolate, whey protein isolate, evaporated cane juice invert syrup, almonds, roasted soy nuts, brown rice syrup, chocolate flavored chips, sugar, rolled oats, fractionated palm kernel oil, inulin, natural flavor, chocolate, high oleic sunflower oil, cocoa, nonfat milk, glycerin, sunflower oil, salt, fish gelatin, soy lecithin.

Calories: 210
Cals from Fat: 60
Total Fat: 7g (11%)
Sat. Fat: 3g (15%)
Sodium: 310mg (13%)
Potassium: 180mg (5%)
Total Carb: 22g (7%)
Fiber: 3g (12%)
Sugars: 14g
Protein: 14g (26%)

This had a super chemical flavor on the front end that was gone fairly quickly but was unmistakable. Its a granola bar that has the bottom covered in something that looks like chocolate but tastes like chemicals. The granola bar part is quite good but that "chocolate" substance on the bottom is pretty suspicious. I turned the bar upside down to see if I could get away from it, but it actually got worse. Whatever that stuff is, its not chocolate, but it is acrid and even a bit metallic in its taste. Extremely unnatural. As I eat more of it I really wish more and more that the coating wasn't there, as the granola part seems pretty good. Sadly, the coating just ruins it.

odwalla choco-walla

2008-03-13T10:37:00.002-04:00

odwalla choco-walla ($1.19, whole foods)
2.2 oz / 62g

Ingredients: brown rice syrup, semi-sweet chocolate chips, organic rolled oats, oat bran, organic oat flour, organic evaporated cane juice syrup, date puree, raisin puree, plum puree, vegetable glycerin, oat fiber, dry roasted almonds, dutch cocoa, organic soy nuts, organic sunflower oil, natural flavor, chocolate liquor, calcium carbonate, soy lecithin, baking soda, vitamin c, vitamin e, folic acid.

Calories: 240
Cals from Fat: 60
Total Fat: 6g (10%)
Sat. Fat: 2g (11%)
Sodium: 80mg (3%)
Potassium: 220mg (6%)
Total Carb: 42g (14%)
Fiber: 5g (20%)
Sugars: 20g
Protein: 5g

Oh, whoa, that's just not natural. Yet another compressed-date type thing, but larger than the others and for some reason has a much more chemical/artificial taste. The taste sort of reminds me of the chocolate pop tarts of my youth. A bit dry, like most of the other compressed date bars, but the chocolate chips help quite a bit and make it taste more like a chocolate cookie. This is definitely dessert material, not breakfast material. I feel a little guilty eating it all. I will say that this would probably be something nice to share with someone on a hike, but in the office its just a bit too much.

Clif Bar Chocolate Chip

2008-03-12T11:41:00.002-04:00

Clif Bar Chocolate Chip ($0.99, whole foods)
2.4 oz / 68g

Ingredients: organic brown rice syrup, soy rice crisps, organic roasted soybeans, organic soy flour, organic rolled oats, chocolate chips, organic evaporated cane juice, apple fiber, organic oat fiber, organic milled flaxseed, chicory extract, psyllium, organic date paste, organic soy butter, organic sunflower oil, molasses powder, sea salt, natural flavors, cinnamon

Calories: 240
Cals from fat: 45
Total Fat: 5g (8%)
Sat. Fat: 1.5g (8%)
Sodium: 140mg (6%)
Potassium: 250mg (15%)
Total Carb: 44g (15%)
Fiber: 5g (20%)
Sugars: 22g
Protein: 10g (20%)

This bar looks ridiculously unpalatable, but it tastes remarkably good. Its a strong disconnect; the bar itself could pass as some jokey fake vomit without a lot of modification, but the taste is basically like a candy bar. I admit I'd almost rather have this than a candy bar, actually. The texture is nice, very much like a chewy granola bar or a dense candy bar. Still, the appearance evokes memories of campy sci-fi: "this gruel doesn't taste like much but its got all your essential nutrients!" Oh yeah, they also pulled that in The Matrix. Clif should have totally gotten some product placement in there. It would have played well. I'm going to eat it with my eyes closed. So far, this is the bar that would most easily replace my old standby granola bars, but maybe I should unwrap one with a hangover a time or two to make sure I don't have any adverse effects.

Luna Toasted Nuts and Cranberry

2008-03-11T10:26:00.003-04:00

Luna Toasted Nuts and Cranberry ($0.99, whole foods)
1.69 oz / 48g

Ingredients: soy rice crisp, soy protein isolate, organic rice flour, organic toasted oats, organic roasted soybeans, organic soy flour, organic flaxmeal, organic brown rice syrup, organic cranberries, organic roasted cashews, organic roasted almonds, vegetable glycerin, chicory extract, organic soy butter, pumpkin seeds, natural flavor, organic sunflower oil, sea salt

Calories: 180
Calories from fat: 35

Total Fat: 4g (6%)
Sat. Fat: 0.5g (3%)
Sodium: 160mg (7%)
Potassium: 200mg (6%)
Total Carb: 26g (9%)
Fiber: 3g (12%)
Sugar: 12g
Protein: 10g

Hm, "The Whole Nutrition Bar for Women (TM)" Aww, man, this is a bar for girls! How'd I wander off with this? So far, it has a nutty "hippie" texture, and a reasonably bland taste. It definitely conjures "health food store" in its flavor and texture. Still, there's something to be said for "neutral" which this certainly is. The bar has lots of crispy things in it, and none of the flavors are overpowering. There are very few cranberries, but they are a nice compliment to the extremely neutral flavor. I'm not sure I ever realized that women would be into something so bland, maybe that's where I've gone wrong all these years. I just have too much flavor! Girl you know its true.

Larabar Jocalat

2008-03-10T14:15:00.003-04:00

Larabar Jocalat ($1.29, whole foods)
1.7 oz / 48g

Ingredients: organic dates, organic almonds, organic walnuts, organic cocoa powder, organic cocoa mass, organic cashews

Calories: 190
Calories from fat: 90
Fat: 10g (15%)
Sat. Fat: 2g (10%)
Potassium: 270mg (8%)
Total Carb: 24g (8%)
Fiber: 5g (21%)
Sugars: 18g
Protein: 5g (9%)

Yet another compressed date brownie bar. It was another salad day at the office so I had this for dessert. Its a nice dessert. This one definitely has the datey undertones, but I liked all the nuts. This one also has a lot of fiber, which is probably good in theory. It seems sweeter than the ones I had last week, which isn't bad. Also, it is less dry, which is noteworthy. This is the first time I've knowingly had "cocoa mass" and maybe that's the secret to making the bar sweet and moist, seeing as how last week's bars didn't have it. I'd say overall this is probably the best of the compressed-date bars yet, though I'm still slightly suspicious of the entire category, truth be told.

thinkOrganic chocolate coconut

2008-03-07T12:59:00.003-05:00

thinkOrganic chocolate coconut ($1.25, whole foods)
1.4 oz / 40g

Ingredients: organic dates, organic cashews, organic unsweetened coconut, organic cocoa, organic unsweetened chocolate, pectin, organic almonds.

calories: 160
calories from fat: 80
fat: 9g (14%)
sat. fat: 2.5g (13%)
potassium: 330mg (9%)
total carb: 21g (7%)
fiber: 3g (12%)
sugar: 13g
protein: 4g

I had a salad at the office for lunch today, so I thought I'd eat this for dessert. Looking at the ingredients list, I thought this would be another 'compressed-date brownie' and lo-and-behold I was right. This one was pretty much equivalent to the last one: a bit on the dry side, nutty, evokes the memory of the little debbie brownie but with the righteous self-satisfaction of being organic and made of dates (2 servings of fruit, but tastes like a brownie! being healthy never had it so good!!!1!). I liked the addition of coconut - this might contribute to the fact that I didn't really notice any date taste - I actually sort of like dates but if you're going to pretend to be a brownie you'd better do a good job of it, you know?

Clif Mojo Peanut Butter Pretzel

2008-03-07T10:12:00.002-05:00

Clif Mojo Peanut Butter Pretzel ($1.19, whole foods)
1.59 oz / 45g

Ingredients: organic brown rice syrup, organic dry roasted peanuts, soy rice crisps, peanut butter filled pretzels, peanut butter chips, organic pretzels, organic peanut butter, organic dry roasted soybeans, organic oat syrup, vegetable glycerin, peanut flour, organic sunflower oil, roasted peanut extract, sea salt, organic gum arabic, natural vitamin E.

calories: 200
calories from fat: 80
total fat: 9g (14%)
sat. fat: 2g (10%)
sodium: 230mg (9%)
potassium: 200g (6%)
total carb: 21g (7%)
fiber: 2g (8%)
sugar: 9g
protein: 10g

looks sort of like one of those old peanut bars made of peanuts and corn syrup but of course has a bunch of other stuff in it like miniature peanut butter chips, pretzel pieces, etc. i should mention its chewy overall, unlike those peanut bars. tastes similar to but better than a payday bar. very shiny, maybe from the glycerin? I'm still not sure that I should be eating glycerin, even if its vegetarian. goes well with a tall drink of water (which I am). The only problem with it is its sort of falling apart, and there are crumbs everywhere. i like the texture except for all the crumbs. one of the reasons I eat granola bars at work is because they involve minimal clean-up. This one fails that test, but it is really tasty and filling. I had a vision of eating this while hiking and having a crowd of little animals following me, feasting on crumbs. It does have a nice peanut-y taste. Certainly the best bar this week.

Weil Chocolate Walnut

2008-03-06T10:36:00.002-05:00

Weil Chocolate Walnut ($1.25, whole foods)
1.6 oz, 45 g
Ingredients: organic dates, organic almonds, organic dried unsweetened coconut, organic walnuts, organic natural cocoa, organic vanilla extract.

calories: 190
calories from fat: 90
fat: 10g (15%)
sat. fat: 4g (20%)
no trans fats, cholesterol or sodium
total carb: 24g (8%)
fiber: 5g (20%)
sugars: 17g
protein: 3g

so i'm reading the nutrition facts thinking "basically this is a candy bar, not a granola bar." actually, its a brownie. looks like a brownie, feels like a slightly dry brownie, tastes like a brownie. Its a bit inappropriate for breakfast, but not at all offensive and would probably be refreshing on a camping trip. needs a beverage, as it is a bit dry. pretty good with coffee. by about half-way through I'm convinced its just squashed dates, and it starts tasting a bit datey. very nutty, which gives it a nice texture and saves you from freaking out completely about the compressed date idea. its vegan! Its also a bit pricey and doesn't seem all that good for me compared to even a plain granola bar. its got to be better for me than something full of corn syrup and glycerin (!), but overall its a better snack than breakfast bar.

Quaker Chewy Dark Chocolate Cherry

2008-03-05T13:32:00.001-05:00

Quaker Chewy Dark Chocolate Cherry (about $3 for 10, or $0.30 each).
0.84 oz, 24 g

Ingredients: granola, corn syrup, crisp rice, semisweet chocolate chunks, sugar, corn syrup solids, glycerin, high fructose corn syrup, dried cherries, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, sorbitol, calcium carbonate, salt, natural and artificial flavors, molasses, soy lecithin, malic acid, BHT.

calories: 90
calories from fat: 20
fat: 2g (3%)
sat. fat: 0.5g (3%)
sodium: 75mg (3%)
total carb: 19g (6%)
fiber: 1g (3%)
sugar: 7g
protein 1g

All those chemicals (glycerin, really? isn't that in soap?) make this a really cheap and health-questionable granola bar, but this variety is pretty tasty. This is a new variety designed to compete with the Kashi bar, I think. I really like the Kashi version so I thought I'd try this out. There is, unsurprisingly, fewer cherries than in the Kashi version, but its still a really nice basic granola bar. Its light, and has really an almost perfect chewy granola texture, but it is a bit on the thin side and thus you're left with a slightly unsatisfied feeling. I could really eat two of these as a single serving, but I'm always left with the impression that if the bar was just a bit larger it could be so much more. I know what to expect when I get a Quaker bar after all these years, but for some reason that sort of dinky impression has really stuck and no matter how good the granola is I'll always be left with the idea that these are either designed for children or they're maximizing the unit cost or something. Given that they're so cheap I still come back to them from time to time, but only when I'm tired of the Kashi and Nature Valley bars. I wish they made a 2 oz. bar, 6 in a box for $4 like the big boys. Still, if you're buying Quaker bars, this is the variety to buy for the moment - the cherries are not overpowering and the chocolate balances them well.