kind fruit and nut delight

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

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

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.