NEW! The Foodie Market Hike Bars (ALDI)

A few weeks ago I got the chance to pop into ALDI with my other half, but only because he was on the search for new tools that were part of their weekly 'special buys'. God only knows why he needs more tools when he's got a garage full of the things, but then I guess I can never explain why I need new pyjamas or socks either -I just do, ok? 

Anyway, we were queuing up at the till (yes I know, where else would we queue?) when I spotted these new Hike bars. Their brightly coloured packaging informed me that they're gluten free, low in fat, high in fibre and protein packed. At 59p per bar I decided to try both the berry and banana flavours. 


Berry Hike

" Fruit bar made with gluten free oats and dried raspberry pieces."

Admittedly the Hike wasn't much of a looker, but then these kind of healthy bars never are. It immediately made me think of Natural Balance Foods' Nakd and Trek Bars, as well as Tesco's (very good) knock-off Banana Bliss bars. Although firm to the touch, the bar was malleable, which I saw as a very good sign. 

Taste wise the bar tasted primarily of dates, with very little of the berry flavour to back it up. This is unsurprising given that dates make up 23% of the Hike, compared to a pretty pathetic 1.5% of dried raspberry pieces. The sweetness was also apparent -not an issue for my sugar addicted tastebuds I'm afraid- but it might be worth considering that the 55g bar contains 16.5g of (naturally occcuring) sugars if you're trying to be healthy but cut down on your intake.  It was pleasant, and a good handbag staple, but nothing to shout about. 

Macros per bar: 168Kcal P: 10.5/C: 24.8/F:0.7

6/10

Banana Hike

" Fruit bar made with gluten free oats and dried banana pieces." 

Ok, so if you've ready any or many of my reviews before, you'll be already aware -and probably bored- of my infatuation with all things banana. With this in mind, you'd be right in guessing that it was the banana Hike that really took my fancy out of the two.

Again, the bar was rather the ugly duckling, but I could immediately smell an authentic ripe banana scent as soon as the wrapper was off (the berry version had no noticeable aroma). This Hike was soft enough to bend too.

What a totally different experience! This bar was well flavoured, with a lovely cinnamon spice that complemented the banana wonderfully. Banana is so often badly thought out in snacks, often it tastes overwhelmingly artificial (jaffa cakes) whilst other times it's just not strong enough (M&S and Hotel Chocolat can you hear me?). Fortunately ALDI have got the flavours in this Hike bar bang on the mark, resulting in a bar that makes me imagine what a freshly baked banana flavoured oat and raisin cookie would taste like. Again, it's high in sugars too -although slightly less than the berry flavour at 16g per 55g bar. I really enjoyed the banana Hike and will make sure I pick more up next time I'm being taken (read dragged) on a tool hunt. Just for info, I think it's even better than Nakds, Treks, and Tesco's version and warming it up serves to enhance the flavours. 

Macros: 169Kcal P:11/C: 24.8/F:0.8

8/10

Quest Oatmeal Chocolate Chip (Protein Pick & Mix)

Quest: one of the most famous and popular protein bar manufacturers. I first discovered Quest long before I returned to fitness, through my usual forum of food discovery -instagram. I remember being baffled by the amount of users (mainly young women) who ate Quests in place of chocolate bars instead of the sports supplement which I assumed they were. These women praised Quest for their deliciousness, which confused me at the time because I wasn't working out either, and therefore couldn't understand the need for additional protein in the diet. Anyway, fast forward a year and one of my favourite methods to wind down after a stressful day is to hit the weight section at the gym. As such, protein bars and supplements have been added to my diet to protect my muscles and fuel their growth. I've now tried many protein bars (although its seemingly an infinite market) and one of my favourites brands is Quest. Why? They're high in fibre and protein, whilst being low in sugar. The range also contains a huge number of flavours, many of which are famous for their "chunk porn" (large lumps of chocolate flavoured chunks/biscuit etc). Quest's biggest downside is their price however, and at between £2-£3 per bar they've become more of a treat than a diet staple.

If you're involved in fitness (or perhaps eat Quest in place of chocolate) then you're probably aware of the two new flavours which were released in the USA a couple of months back, and are now gradually making their way to British shores. I haven't been able to get hold of the Blueberry Muffin flavour yet, but yesterday my local sports nutrition shop received a delivery of Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Quests, and I stumped up the money to try one. They're also available to order from Protein Pick & Mix here.

"Decadent chocolate chunks, chewy bits of oatmeal, and 20g of protein transform the oatmeal cookies of your cheat day fantasies into an every-day protein-packed reality!"

I was pleased to see plenty of 'chocolate' chunks dotted throughout the bar. I've learned from experience that Quests are pretty grim cold, and are much improved by a quick blast in the microwave -or 10 minutes in a warm oven. I did sample a bit off the end at ambient temperature, and was instantly taken back by the strong cinnamon flavour. It was a pleasant surprise given my love of the spice, but I imagine it would be a shock if you're not a cinnamon lover. 

The warmed Quest was as yummy as most of the others in their range. The cinnamon and chocolate both came through in equal measures, although the Stevia did render the flavour rather sweet. My biggest gripe was the lack of oats, which was particularly noticeable to me given how regularly I munch on Reflex's R-Bar Flapjacks. Come on Quest, if you're going to call it 'oatmeal' then please deliver!  For those interested in the chunks, they weren't evenly distributed, but there was an ample enough supply of them, which had melted nicely thanks to my trusty microwave.

The new Oatmeal Chocolate Chip is a lovely new addition to the range -even if it should be called cinnamon choc chip instead. It's not my favourite Quest though; White Chocolate & Raspberry and Cookies and Creme still reign supreme in my book! 

7/10

NEW! BPI Best Protein Bars (Cardiff Sports Nutrition)

A few Fridays ago I visited my sister in the Welsh Capital, and was fortunate enough to have the afternoon off. I used the opportunity to head down early so that I could make the pilgrimage to the famous wall of peanut butter -AKA Cardiff Sports Nutrition. As you all know by now, peanut butter pretty much pumps through my veins -I've had it every single day in 2016, and that's absolutely true- so CSN is my idea of absolute heaven, I've never seen so much PB in one place. The last time I visited I was on a mission to buy a jar of PB Crave Coco Bananas, and wasn't working out, so forewent the massive array of sports supplements. This time, I had a good look at what was on offer, and was lucky enough to receive some samples of a new range of bar that CSN has recently started stocking: BPI's 'Best Protein Bars'.

With so many protein bars, flapjacks and shakes on the market, how do BPI compare? They say... 

"Tired of eating protein bars that taste like cardboard? Those days are a thing of the past! BPI Sports’ BEST PROTEIN BAR™ is not only packed with nutrition, but it tastes amazing! With four delicious flavors to choose from, like Cookies and Cream, S'mores, or Cinnamon Crunch, you're sure to find your new favorite protein bar, for the best snacking experience, anytime, anywhere!"

I had been given two sample size bars: one cookies and cream and the other S'mores. I've tried both of the same flavours in the Quest range so I was keen so see how they compared. The guys promised me that they tasted good -and also agreed that the B-Up bars are vile.

Looks wise, they looked very similar to Quest, and nutritionally they're close too with 20g of protein per full size bar, whilst being low carb and gluten free. 

Cookies & Cream
This flavour was good, and even better once warmed in the microwave. In fact it was darn similar to Quest's bar, and contained lots of chunks too (after all, we all want a bit of chunkporn!)
8/10

S'mores
Wow, now this was a bar that was very different to Quest. There was a strong scent of cinnamon, which also came through in the taste too. There was harder, biscuity like chunks dotted about which gave it a lovely textural edge. If you're a fan of the Combat Crunch Cinnamon flavour, I definitely suggest that you give this bar a whirl. One of the best protein bars I've had. 
9/10

If you want to try some of your own, please head over to CSN's website where they'll even give you free shopping on orders over £19.99. Thanks to Matt & Marc at CSN for the samples! 

Protein bars to avoid: B'Jammin PB&J (CSN) and PhD Protein Flapjack+ Peanut Butter (Lidl)

I've posted up a few reviews recently of high-protein products recently, such as: the wondrous peanut butter Lenny & Larry's complete cookie, the pretty average for goodness shakes chocolate milkshake, and the god damn awful protein active peanut chia blast bar, but I thought I'd write a few words about a couple of bars that I was less than impressed with. 

B'Jammin PB&J

I bought this at the same time as the Lenny's cookie, lured in by the thought of a healthy snack containing one of my favourite concoctions: peanut butter and jam. 

"B-Jammin’ goes where no bar has gone before. Each bar delivers advanced nutrition that includes high quality protein, real mouth-watering fruit carbs, and fiber that just simply tastes better. With 12-15 grams of net carbs, 12 grams of protein, 11-13 grams of fibre, you’ll be blown away by the taste and flavors in each bar."

The trouble began as soon as I unwrapped the bar. It's similarity to the Pedigree 'Jumbones' I feed my dog was astonishing. Looking completely like something chemically engineered, I can't say I was excited by it's appearance, but I persevered in the hope that it tasted better than it looked.

It didn't. It tasted as utterly false as it appeared, with a mind-bogglingly plasticine-like texture. The flavour was awful, I can't even begin to describe how artificial it tasted. I only endured one bite before it ended up in the bin. I can't believe I wasted £2.50 on this disgusting bar. 

0/10

PhD Protein Flapjack+ Peanut Butter

Unlike the B'Jammin bar, I didn't buy this protein flapjack from a dedicated sports shop, instead it jumped out at me in Lidl (of all places!). As you may have read, I've fallen back in love with flapjacks of late, but I've never come across a peanut butter one before. Suffice to say it wasn't this bar's nutritional benefits that led to me buying it, just the idea of a nutty, comforting flapjack.

"PhD Protein Flapjack+ is an ideal snack for any athlete looking to increase muscle mass and help replenish the body with quality, healthy calories after a hard bout of intense exercise or throughout the day to support an athletic lifestyle. Providing 19 grams of protein and featuring the versatile benefits of premium quality whey protein and milk protein isolate."

Again, alarm bells started to ring as soon as the wrapper was off. Where were the layers upon layers of oats? It looked all wrong. There were a few visible oats, but mostly it was an alienesque brown mass of questionable substance. 

I bit into it, and immediately realised that it would suffer the same fate as the B'Jammin bar. All I could taste was the milk protein isolate, with no hint of peanut butter. Its chewiness was the only link to a flapjack, but it was intolerable, and I only managed two mouthfuls.

0/10

Summary

These were a bad couple of bars, and I'd be tempted to never buy any more (save for the occasional Lenny's cookie purchase) but I've been told that Quest bars are out of this world! Are there any bars that you would recommend? Am I the only one who can't stand the taste of the B'Jammin bar & the protein+ flapjack or have you had a similar experience? Please leave me a comment, I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences!

NEW! Banana Brunch Olly Bars (Online)

I recently discovered Olly Bars, a London based producer of handmade, healthy snack bars intended to keep you fuller for longer. Olly started the business with the aim of creating the 'best tasting energy bars' packed with plenty of healthy fruit and nuts. First the 'All Day Breakfast Bar' was created, and now building on its success, the company are releasing their brand new Banana Brunch Bar this week -yes, you heard it here first! 

Olly Bars sent me some samples to review, so I thought I'd give you the low-down on both bars.

All Day Breakfast
Is your breakfast gluten and dairy free? Is it high in fibre, fruit and nuts? Is it high in protein, additive-free and suitable for vegans?

If any of your responses were no, but you'd like to tick all those boxes then the 'All Day Breakfast Bar' might be your answer -but only if it tastes good! The bars are also good sources of protein, each containing 9g.

The Olly bar is sizeable, about the same width and length as a Nak'd bar, but probably 2 1/2 times the height. It's goodness was proudly on display in its naked glory, baring all of the various fruits and nuts meshed together and topped with pretty pink raspberry flecks.

Each All Day Breakfast bar is made simply from:
Oats, raisins, dates, peanuts, apricots, apple, chia seeds, cocoa butter, pumpkin seeds, almonds, Brazil nuts, freeze dried raspberry and sesame seeds.

The bar had a chewy consistency, and I loved the fact that every bite was different. None of the nuts had been chopped to the point where they were barely recognisable, meaning that with some-mouthfuls there were satisfying Brazil nuts, whilst others offered hunks of date. The seeds gave the bar a lovely earthy crunch. It took a surprising amount of time to eat -more so thank my standard bowl of cereal- which meant that my brain had received the 'I've eaten' messages by the time I had finished and my body was satisfied by my breakfast.

I was hoping that the all-day breakfast would keep me full until lunchtime, but unfortunately by 11am I was hungry again. I do have a very healthy appetite though, so not much would stop me reaching my elevenses!

7/10

Banana Brunch

The Banana Brunch bar is in line with Olly's ethos, so ticks all of the same healthy boxes as the All Day Breakfast Bar, but it doesn't look quite as pretty!

This bar consists of: banana chunks, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, dates, fruit extract, sour cherries, chia seeds, flax seeds, gluten free oats and cocoa butter.

The Banana Brunch is the same size as the All Day Breakfast bar, and it's equally as chewy. There's a considerable difference in flavours between the two bars though -thanks to the large banana chunks and sour cherries- which resulted in a good balance of sweet and tart. I missed the added crunch from the Brazil nuts and peanuts, but I preferred the taste of the Banana Brunch.

8/10

All in all, these are an excellent source of breakfast energy, particularly if you're gluten sensitive and/or vegan.

Olly bars are available to buy online from Olly's shop: http://ollybars.com/shop/ 

Thanks Olly for the samples!

Rhythym 108 Lemon Cake Dessert Bar (Amazon)

Today marks the second instalment in Rhythm 108 Dessert Bar reviews. As I mentioned last year when reviewing Portlebay's popcorn, I tend to eat my foods in the order of least to most favourite, so I was really looking forward to trying this bar (last week the Apple Pie bar scored a whopping 9/10). 

;-

Lemon Drizzle cake has to be up there with the best of British cakes -a true classic that balances sweet and tartness to perfection. So fond are we of the afternoon treat that it has held the  position of highest rated recipe on BBC Good Food's website for as long as I can remember. The best part of a good lemon drizzle cake for is the delightful crunch of it's sugary topping, and so I wondered how it would translate into a healthy bar (that contains no added sugar). 

As with the Apple Pie version, this bar is rich in calcium, high in fibre & protein, and is suitable for coeliacs thanks to its absence of gluten. I heated it up in the microwave for twenty seconds which helped the bar to release its citussy scent. The texture was perfectly moist, with a good crunch coming from the chunky cashews and almonds. Unfortunately however, the taste was all wrong. Instead of achieving the sweet/tart balance that the drizzle cake is renowned for, all I could taste was the sour pith of the lemon which rendered it rather unpleasant. Now, I know I've got a sweet tooth so perhaps this is one for those who like super sour sweets, but it really wasn't for me. Sorry Rhythm 108!

2/10

Rhythm 108 Apple Pie Dessert Bar (Amazon)

Have you heard of Rhythm 108? If you haven't, then not to worry, neither had I until December. I was reading a magazine article comparing various energy bars, which lauded the benefits of Rhythm 108, a company who produce delicious sounding, good-for-you dessert style bars. All of their products are made entirely of high quality natural ingredients, contain no added sugars or syrups, are naturally gluten free and count as one of your five a day. I've since been in contact with the company who kindly offered to send me a sample of their entire range to review, and so each week I'll be reviewing one of their five flavours. First up is Apple Pie...

The Apple Pie bar consists of: two dates, four almonds, a whole apple, 1/2 glass of milk, 1/2 teaspoon amaranth, pinch of cinnamon and three drops of apple cider vinegar. It is designed to be heated up, and so once unwrapped, I popped it in the microwave for 30 seconds. It was firm to the touch, but it wasn't dry, and had a far moister texture than any other health bar I've ever tried. It also had a good crunch coming from the chunky nuts dotted throughout, which provided a lovely contrast against the otherwise smooth bar. 

The taste was convincingly similar to the centre of a home-made apple pie, the apple and cinnamon worked in perfect harmony, with a natural flavour that I simply wouldn't expect from a healthy, long-life energy product. I enjoyed mine with greek yogurt, resulting in a delicious dessert treat that tasted much naughtier than it was.

If you like the sound of this bar and would like to try it for yourself, you can buy them from 'The Natural Kitchen' or Heartcore Fitness in London, otherwise they are available for order from the Rhythm 108 Amazon Shop. I certainly can't wait to dig in to their other flavours! Thanks Rhythm 108!

9/10

Protein Active Peanut Chia Blast Bar (Home Bargains)

I can't think of a more unusual shop than Home Bargains. It's the only place where you might find Emma Bridgewater wellies for less than a tenner, LED Gnomes, Matrix Hair Oils, and Heinz Worcester Sauce (which for info tastes like chinese!). On a recent store exploration, I spotted this Peanut Chia Blast bar. In the same way that Magpies are attracted to all things shiny, I'm drawn to anything with peanut in...

'Healthy Protein Snack made with Carob, Roasted Peanuts & Chia Seeds'.

The bar came in slab form, covered in what looked like chocolate, but was in fact Carob. Biting into the bar, the texture reminded me of a powdery Nougat. The sweetness greeted me with my first mouthful, and although it tasted unlike anything I'd had before, I thought I'd hit the flavour jackpot. I couldn't really detect the peanuts, which was disappointing, but I was enjoying it so I didn't really mind. By the time I'd made my way half way through, the bar became cloying, and I felt queasy. Not wanting to quit, I carried on -ignoring the alarm bells ringing in my head- but it was a mistake: a BIG mistake. The bar had turned my stomach to the point of no return... 

I'm not sure if it was due to the high levels of Whey protein in the bar, but my body couldn't handle it. It was the worst thing I've eaten in a long time (it was even worse than the Beetroot yoghurts). I've tried looking on their website for this product, but I couldn't find it; so I don't know if other people have felt the same and its since been discontinued. All I know is, I won't be buying this, or any of Protein Actives's other products ever again. 

0/10

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

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

Meridian Peanut & Banana Bar

Ive had a love affair with Meridian's almond butter for a few years now, but I didn't realise until recently (when I started following them on Twitter) that they've extended their range to include energy bars. I've been keeping an eager eye out, hoping to spot them, when I had a mini-brainwave and thought to try Holland & Barrett. I finally found all of their new bars: Peanut, Almond, Peanut & Berry and the one I really wanted to try- peanut & banana. Peanut Butter and Banana Toasties are one of my favourite lunchtime concoctions, and so I had high hopes for this bar.

The packaging proudly boasts that it contains 48% nuts and 7g of protein. They're also dairy, gluten and soy free as well as being suitable for Vegans. When I unwrapped the bar I had an instant flashback to the Peanut Butter Clif Bar and my hopes sunk. It was more regularly shaped than the Clif bar, but it was a similarly dense, sticky brown mass. 

I hoped that it would taste better than it looked, and when I took my first mouthful I was greeted with a lovely natural banana flavour followed by the same odd Clif aftertaste. It must be the rice syrup because it also ranked highly in the ingredients list of this Meridian bar. Either way, it's a flavour I'm really not keen on. I wished they would use honey instead, but I guess that would prevent it from being Vegan friendly. The other thing I noticed with the bar was that I could barely taste the peanuts, despite it claiming to be almost half nuts in consistency! 

As you can gather, I wasn't fussed on these bars. They're probably a really good Vegan choice but in future when I'm after a banana flavoured energy boost I'll be opting for the Banana Brunch bars instead.

5/10