Make Your Own Bars

Make your own bars with ingredients found at your local grocery store. Read more

Clif Bar: Blueberry Crisp

Made with organic oats and soybeans, Clif’s Blueberry Crisp bar has a pleasant tasting base that’s very chewy with a slightly crispy finish. There’s a fair amount of flavor to this bar, with the oats and blueberries providing the majority of the flavor, while an earthy note added flax seed and oat bran. It’s a relatively sweet bar, but not too sweet to the point where you can’t consume it during physical activity. Functionally, this bar definitely has some sustenance to it, with 240 calories, 5g of fiber, 9g of protein, and loads of vitamins and minerals. It’s just the right portion for a quick pick me up – or even to replace a light meal. Packaging has a “crunchy” vibe to it, complete with brown toned colors and an image of a mountain climber. It’s appealing and credible, especially given the equity that exists in the Clif Bar brand name. Overall, a very enjoyable product.

Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Gnu Foods: Orange Cranberry Bar

This product has a very pleasant orange and cranberry flavor, with a soft and chewy base of baked flour, oats, and bran.  It’s a nice balance of grain flavors and fruit, and we certainly appreciate the product’s massive dose of fiber (12g).  That’s especially impressive for a bar that has only 130 calories and 3 grams of fat.  The only downside to this bar is the use of orange flavoring, which undermines the bar’s wholesome feeling and leaves a lingering taste behind.  Otherwise, the bar has added apples, plums, rice, fruit juice (for sweetener), chicory root fiber, and, of course, Gnu Foods’ proprietary “Gnu High Fiber Blend.”  Packaging is attractive and wholesome, although not having a view into the bar certainly makes this a bit of a gamble.  Overall, it’s a good bar, but definitely not our favorite of the brand.

Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars