NEW! Barebells Protein Bars: Cookies & Cream, Caramel & Cashew and Coconut-Choco (CNSport)

Chances are that if you're into fitness and regularly use Instagram you'll have seen plenty of posts following BodyPower of the hottest new protein bars on the scene. Just about everyone is talking about Barebells, the Swedish company who graciously came into our lives less than a week ago. Barebells sell a range of protein products including puddings, crisps, desserts and even a hazelnut cream -but it's the bars that has got everyone talking. They're available in three flavours: cookies & cream, caramel & cashew and coconut-choco, and I was lucky enough to be given some samples to review, thanks Barebells. 

Barebells say that they believe in "eating happy and living healthy". Their bars are less than 200 calories and each contain 20g of protein whilst being low in sugar (1.7g or less).

I know you probably don't want to hear about the packaging, but I love it. It's clean, simple, feminine and screams of luxury. They say not to judge a book by its cover, but lets hope you can in this case. 

Coconut-Choco
I'm not a huge bounty fan, and so I opted for this flavour first -thinking I'd get it out of the way more than anything. 

It's certainly pretty once unwrapped too, and sliced easily -a good sign that it wasn't likely to cause jaw-ache. 

The bar was delicious! The inner nougat was a similar consistency to a mars bar with an authentic coconut flavour. I was pleased to see the real coconut flakes (6%) that graced the outside of the bar too. As for the chocolate, it's not about to replace the real deal due to the lack of cocoa solids, but it's as good -if not better- than the coating of a Carb Killa. The bar also microwaved well, check out the video below including a cameo from Anthony the ant who decided to pay a visit from his home in the flowers. 

Macros per 55g bar: 199Kcal P:20/C:15/F:7.7

9/10

Caramel Cashew

Another stunning looking bar. This time the innards actually looked very Mars-bar-esque with the nougat and caramel layers. If you've ever had a Mars protein bar you'll know that they're chewier than their non-protein counterparts. The Barebells however was wonderfully soft, and was far superior to the Mars protein bars in terms of both taste and texture. 

The nougat had a lovely chocolatey flavour to it (much like the now discontinued Mars Xtra Choc actually), whilst the cashews on the outside were crisp and added a natural crunch. The ingredients list mentions white chocolate, but to be honest I'm not sure where that came in -I couldn't see or taste it. This bar was also delicious warmed up, but it doesn't serve to improve it as the bar is so good at ambient temperature anyway. 

Macros per 55g bar: 199Kcal P:20/C:14/F:8.3

8/10

Cookies & Cream

I thought I'd saved the best flavour until last, but I wasn't sure if Barebells could top their other two bars. Cookies & Cream is a popular choice amongst manufacturers in this crowded market, so I was eager to find out how Barebells would rank amongst the protein bar giants such as Quest and Grenade.

Sweet bejeezus. It was a corker. The inner was milky sweet and every bit as soft as the other too bars. If I was to be pernickety I'd say that the cookie pieces in the centre were too small to be noteworthy. The best part however was the coating, which was covered in super crispy cocoa soy crunches and ended up tasting like coco pops. So imagine if you will: a soft, low-sugar protein bar with the texture of a Mars bar, but coated in chocolate covered Coco Pops. Need I say more? 

10/10

If you want to try these fantastic new bars then please do give Conor a call at CNSport, he's selling boxes of 12 for £21.99 but as a favour is offering an extra 10% off for you guys -simply quote AMY10 when you ring: 07967949984. I think that makes them the cheapest place to get them in the U.K right now!

Thank you to Barebells for the samples! 

Rhythm 108 Choco-Walnut Brownie Dessert Bar (Amazon)

It's Monday, time for another Rhythym 108 review, and this week it's the turn of the delicious sounding Choco-Walnut brownie. If you're a regular reader of my blog, you'll know by now that Rhythm 108 make healthy & organic, dessert-style energy bars that are gluten free, and high in calcium and fibre.

Their Choco-Walnut brownies are made from all natural whole foods (dates, cashews, walnuts, milk, amaranth, cacao paste and apple cider vinegar) which meant I was a bit dubious as to how tasty it would be. As with the apple pie, lemon cake, and coconut macaroon bars, I gave it a quick blast in the microwave, and this time I served it with cherry yogurt.

The brownie had a robust, almost raw cocoa flavour with fruity undertones. The experience was something that I thought I'd find overwhelming (particularly seeing as I'm more of a milk chocolate kind of girl), but I truly enjoyed the sharpness of the flavours. I took delight in the squidgyness of the bar, combined with the satisfying crunch that came from the nuts. It felt almost unbelievable to imagine that the brownie wasn't full of fat or sugar -the taste was so convincingly naughty.

I really loved this Choco-Walnut dessert bar from Rhythm108, although I can't help but think that I would have enjoyed it more with a (very) large scoop of ice-cream -it's all about the balance after all!

Once again, I'd like to say a huge thank you to Rhythm 108 for sending me their range to sample.

If you like the sound of the brilliant good-for-you dessert bars, then please pay a visit to the website and/or online shop.

9/10

Nakd Caffé Mocha

As you might have gathered if you've read my previous posts, I've recently fallen in love with cold press snack bars, such as Nakd, Trek, and the cheap (but very tasty) Tesco Banana Bliss. I'm starting to get alarmingly excited by trying flavours I've not seen before; so when I popped into an odd little independent Health Food shop and spotted the Nakd Caffé Mocha, I ignored the fact it was more than double the price that they're currently on offer in ASDA for, and snapped it up.

The Caffé Mocha bar is just as saintly as the other Nakd Bars, consisting purely of Dates, Cashews, Raisins, Cocoa and natural flavourings. It also contains one of your five a day, and is suitable for anyone who's Vegan, Coeliac, or Lactose intolerant.

As you can see, the cashews are clearly visible once the bar is broken. I've learnt from experience that Nakd bars are lovely warmed in the microwave for twenty seconds, giving them a comforting gooey-ness. I did nibble the end before heating, and it was tasty cold (but better warm). Both the coffee and the chocolate flavours were well represented within the bar, although its far less sweet than many of the other bars within the range.

I enjoyed the bar, but it comes way down my list of favourite cold-press snacks (perhaps an indication of why it's a less widely available flavour). I missed the usual Nakd sweetness, so I'd choose the Rhubarb & Custard over the Caffé Mocha Nakd bar every time.

6/10

Cocoa Chaos Trek Bar

Today's review is not about a new product, however they're new to me and so I'm hazarding a guess that I'm not the only soul to have not tried these before. It's only recently that I've discovered cold press fruit & nut bars such as the Nakd Christmas Pud and Tesco's cheaper Banana Bliss bars. Trek is owned by Natural Balance Foods who also own Nakd so I had high hopes for this chocolate brownie inspired protein bar. 

Opening the pack, I discovered the bar was segmented into three. It didn't look very filling, but it did look very dry and I kind of wish I'd reached for the biscuits instead. Biting into it however, I was met with a lovely, deep dark chocolatey flavour. Each segment was more than a mouthful, and the chocolate seemed to intensify with each bite. Texturally it was slightly on the dry side, but considering it's lack of butter that's understandable. 

Each bar is pretty virtuous- they contain no added sugar, syrup, gluten,wheat or dairy. If that wasn't enough, they also contain 10g of protein, 1 of your five a day and are vegan friendly. I won't be replacing all of my chocolate bars with these bars, but if you're after a healthy alternative I suggest giving the Trek Cocoa Chaos bars a go!

8/10

Annabelle's Rocky Road S'mores (American Chocolate Bar)

The Black Friday box of goodies that I ordered from American Soda contained a couple more chocolate bars that I've wanted to try for a while. One of which was the Rocky Road S'mores which One Treat reviewed a couple of months ago on behalf of Taffy Mail. She spoke highly of it, and I felt the food envy kick in so I decided to order one for myself. However, given how disgusted I was with the first chocolate I tried from my order (the Sky bar) I wasn't looking forward to it as much as I was when it arrived.  

The Rocky Road S'mores bar is a big gnarly ol' hunk of snack. If you haven't heard of them before (as I hadn't before reading OneTreat's review) they are 'Handmade fluffy marshmallow with a real graham cracker coated with milk chocolate and sprinkled with roasted cashew nuts.'

Unwrapping it, I noted that the chocolate was much darker than UK milk chocolate such as dairy milk. Fortunately however, I couldn't detect the horrid cheap chocolate smell that I experienced with the Sky Bar. 

Biting into it, I welcomed the soft, billowy marshmallow that melted away so pleasingly. It was far better than the marshmallows I'm used to (flumps) and although very sweet, didn't become sickly. Crunch came from the graham cracker on top- which was delicious-  but there just wasn't enough of it; I felt it could have really done with being both on top of and beaneath the mallow. The chocolate coating was studded with cashews (also just on top) which didn't add much in the way of flavour, but certainly offered an additional texture, reminding me of the coating of a 'Feast' ice cream. The chocolate was much better than expected, and although it's not as good quality as British chocolate, certainly outshines most of the US chocolates I've tried. 

I enjoyed this bar, and I'd buy it again! 

8/10

NEW Tesco Banana Bliss Bars

As I mentioned when I reviewed the Nakd Christmas Pud bars last month, I'm having a bit of a passionate affair with their range. I've since tried the Cocoa & Strawberry Crunch bars, which are so tasty! The only problem is... I'm a bit skint. So love them as I do, I have to limit the amount of bars I buy. 

Tesco may have solved my problem however, because they've released two new cold pressed fruit bars: Banana Bliss and Berry Blast. Priced at £1.19 for four bars they undercut Nakd's approximate 75p a bar RRP by about two thirds! Similar to Nakd's Crunch range they are also high in protein and are wheat & dairy free 

Cold pressed fruit and nut bar with dates, soy protein crispies, raisins, cashew nuts and banana.

As I'm sure you'll agree though, price isn't everything, and if they taste pants then what's the point? Nakd's banana bar is my favourite of their Crunch range, so I decided to try Tesco's version. 

The bars are a similar colour, but Tesco's is more rectangular in shape. Consistency wise, I found Tesco's to be slightly more crunchy (you can see the soy crispies in the photo below) which I preferred.The flavour was indistinguishly different to Nak'd's bars, with a strong and natural banana taste. 

Nak'd I love you, but Tesco- you've got me hook, line and sinker. If you're a regular consumer of Nak'ds range I urge you to give these supermarket brand version a go! 

8/10

Apple & Cinnamon Bounce Energy Ball

Another Boots meal deal equals another opportunity to try a snack I wouldn't ordinarily buy. The little Bounce Energy Balls caught my eye a few weeks back, and although I was a bit unsure as to what to make of of them,  I finally bit the bullet and got round to picking up an Apple and Cinnamon one this week.

They are only little and easily fit in the palm of my hand. However the packaging professes plenty of health benefits, including that they are high in Antioxidant Vitamin E, which contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress -whatever that means. They are a "chewy mix of cashews, Whey Protein and Seeds", and are gluten free, high in protein and contain no artificial preservatives. 

The ball, once unwrapped, looked like a rather alien-esque brown blob, and was embellished with chopped cashews. The flavour was better than expected with a strong sweet cinnamon flavour, well balanced by the apple. It was really dense which made it satisfying to nibble, although given the size of it, it didn't take long to eat.

I enjoyed the Bounce Ball, but as I'm not an athlete I wouldn't spend the RRP of £1.99 to buy one.

6/10

Nakd Christmas Pud Bar

Today's review is of another festive product first released last year that I didn't get round to trying. I didn't think it would be my cup of tea, and I feared the horrible brown rice syrup that seems to be present in a lot of healthier snack bars. The only reason I even contemplated buying them was due to Erin's blog post about the Christmas Pud bars (we seem to have similar tastes and she thinks that they are pretty damn tasty).

I tried a few different outlets but had no luck, so I ended up buying a couple of different bars instead. First I tried the Banana Crunch Bar... then the Banana Bread bar... and I really enjoyed them both! So, long story short, in the space of a week I've fallen slightly in love with the Nakd bar range. Yesterday I received a Twitter tip off that Sainsbury's might be a good bet, which was a good hint because I finally tracked them down, hurrah.

The bars are 35g each and are attractively packaged in a festive green wrapper, complete with Christmas hat. I love Nakd's attention to detail- especially the tiny little 'Hi Mum!' hidden under the seal. The Christmas Pud bars' only ingredients are dates, cashews, raisins and natural flavouring "smooshed together," which means they are Gluten, Wheat & Dairy Free, count towards one of your five a day, and are totally Vegan friendly.

Unwrapping the bar, I was greeted by a strong festive aroma. It was well spiced, and the tones of cinnamon and nutmeg were particularly pungent. Texture-wise the bar was dense and chewy, which meant that it's quite satisfying to eat for such a small snack. Admittedly I'm not a huge fan of Christmas Pudding because it's so heavy and cloying -particularly after a main meal-  but this little bar has all of the flavour without any of the stodge.

Well played Nakd!

8/10