Trix Cereal Bar (American Soda)

I ordered this cereal bar back in November from American Soda, but its been hanging about in the kitchen until now. Our snack cupboard is better stocked than ASDA, and so it was just the case that I kept forgetting it was there! This morning I was feeling rubbish thanks to a chest infection, so decided that I needed a bit of extra colour in my life, and finally reached for the neglected Trix bar.

Trix is an American cereal that has been around since the 1950's and was subject to a major overhaul at the end of 2015. General Mills decided it was high time to remove all the artificial flavours and colours from its products -a huge change for Trix and its characteristically vivid colours.


(Photo courtesy of General Mills)

I can't argue with the nutritional benefits of removing artificial crap from our food, but it does mean that the cereal now closely resembles the poop of its Rabbit mascot (sorry General Mills).

Fortunately, the healthy eating brigade haven't got round to meddling with the Trix cereal bar yet, and so I was greeted with quite possibly the most vivid technicolour food I have ever seen -so bright that I could've done with some sunglasses!

The cereal bar was a sticky combination of Trix cereal and oats, held together with corn syrup, sugar, fructose and oil. The sweetness was evident before I'd even taken a bite thanks to the sugary fruity scent and glossy sheen that covered the bar. 

Texturally it offered more in the way of crunch than chew thanks to the puffed corn cereal pieces. There was a fruity flavour, but it was far from natural, and quite clearly the result of substantial chemical engineering. It certainly would take a more discerning palate than mine to distinguish the raspberry, lemon, orange, wildberry*, grape and watermelon flavours that makes up Trix cereal!

I was left with an odd, almost metallic after-taste when finished, but admittedly the bright colours had suitably cheered me up (although I can't be sure that wasn't just the e-numbers) and so I can't help but wonder where the joy comes from with the 'new & improved' Trix cereal!

6/10

*I've no idea what wildberry is, please feel free to leave me a comment and fill me in if you've got a clue...

NEW! Kellogg's 5 Grain Muesli Bars: Red Apple, Peanut & Pumpkin Seed (Morrisons)

Having enjoyed the new Kellogg's Chocolate & Nuts Muesli Bars, I returned to Morrisons in order to stock up whilst they are half price. I reached the cereal bar section, and pondered over whether to try their 'healthier' cousin -the apple, peanut & pumpkin muesli bars. I do like all of the components, they just hadn't caught my eye due to their lack of cocoa content. At £1.24 for the pack of four, I gave them the benefit of the doubt.

'Oats, wheat, barley, rye and triticale bar with dried apple, peanuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds'

Now I have to admit, that without the chocolate chips, these bars looked far less enticing. The most dominent scent came from the peanuts, although they weren't particularly obvious to the naked eye.

 Texturally, these muesli bars were tough, gritty and slightly sticky. All of the flavours were very mild, and I found the bars utterly bland. It wasn't until I was half way through that it dawned on me just how close it would be to eating rabbit food. The smell of the pumpkin seeds had brought memories of feeding my pet as a child, and it was a realisation I couldn't shake.

I'm afraid that due the lack of chocolate (or any other flavours for that matter) the new Kellogg's Apple & Pumpkin Seeds Muesli Bars won't be a repeat purchase. 

2/10

NEW! Kellogg's 5 Grain Muesli Bars: Chocolate & Nuts (Morrisons)

Kellogg's must be on somewhat of a 2016 health kick. First off, we saw the release of the 'Ancient Legends' range of breakfast cereals, granolas and mueslis, and now they've launched a range of similarly themed grain-focused cereal bars. 

There's two threads in this new range; with two flavours of the 'nutty chewy' bars and two of the muesli variety. I opted for the most chocolatey of all the new products, of course: the 'Chocolate and a Blend of Nuts' Muesli Bars. The pack of four was £1.24 at half price from Morrisons. 

'Oats, wheat, barley, rye and triticale bar with peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds and chocolate chunks'.

I was astonished by the lovely cocoa and nut scents that hit me the second I unwrapped the bar. The chocolate chips seemed to mostly be dotted on top, but the peanuts were studded throughout. The texture was gritty and chewy, which made it feel more of a substantial snack. Taste-wise, there were no complaints from me, the combination of dark chocolate and nuts were in perfect harmony, and I felt I could've quite happily polished off the whole five pack in a single sitting. 

These muesli bars each contain 3.9g of protein, and just 0.8g of saturated fat-making them a perfect go-to mid morning snack for the like-minded chocolate cravers out there. I'll definitely buy more of these, especially whilst they're on offer! 

9/10

NEW! Perk!er Goji & Cranberry Quinoa Bar (ASDA)

Whilst perusing Nakd Bars (currently on offer) in ASDA's gluten free section, I spotted a couple of new -unusual sounding- bars from Perk!er. Now, whilst I find the use of an exclamation mark as part of their name quite irritating, I was intrigued by their use of a grain I've not much experience of -Quinoa. Quinoa seems to be experiencing something of a craze recently amongst the clean eating brigade, and in similar vein to Chia/Flax seeds I've given it a bit of a wide berth. 

BBC good food however, informs me that it has been a staple food for the Incas and their descendants for thousands of years, and that its now being seen as a great wheat free alternative to starchy grains. Apparently it contains "twice the protein content of rice or barley, and is also a very good source of calcium, magnesium and manganese. Quinoa also possesses good levels of several B vitamins, vitamin E and dietary fibre." So there you have it!

Perk!er have created three different quinoa bars (Cashew, Chia & Pumpkin Seed, 
Goji & Cranberry, and Cacao & Cashew) but our ASDA only had the Goji variety in stock. For those who are interested, they are: gluten, wheat and dairy free, low GI, high protein and vegan friendly!

The bar was quite sticky, and I was pleased to see lots of glossy red cranberries and seeds dotted throughout. The quinoa was crunchier than expected, resulting in a satisfyingly munchy texture. The bar was also much sweeter than expected, which was a pleasant surprise for my tastebuds*. I really enjoyed the combination of flavours and textures, and I'll buy both this one and try the Cacao one in future. 

8/10

*I later read that the bars contain 15.3g of sugar, which (more than) explains the sweetness! 

Cinnamon Toast Crunch XXL Treat Bar (American Soda)

Today's post is concerning another purchase from American Soda -the Cinnamon Toast Crunch XXL treat bar. I fell in love with the General Mills Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal when visiting America three years ago, and I still miss it now. Somehow the British (Nestle) Version 'Curiously Cinnamon' just doesn't cut the mustard, and my longing for the state-side version led to this purchase.

Stupidly, I wasn't quite expecting the XXL to be the absolute whopper it truly was. It was quite some feat to get my chops around the bar, but once I did, it was true to its name and had a satisfying crunch. Given that there was no best-before date on the packet, and the amount of miles it had travelled to reach me, I was unsure as to how fresh it would be - but it didn't taste remotely stale. 

The cinnamon was strong and sweet, but the confectionery coating adorning the bar toppled it into the realm of being overwhelmingly saccharine. By the end, I'm sure my jaw ached from the sheer amount of sugar and chewing it had to contend with.

The Cinnamon Toast Crunch XXL bar was true-to form -but probably best saved for those in need of a sugar rush with an excessively sweet tooth. 

6/10

Honey Monster Puffs Banana Cereal Bars

I can't say that I'm a regular consumer of Sugar Puffs... or rather Honey Monster Puffs as they're now known. I do buy them occasionally, and I quite liked the banana variety when it first came out, but then I got bored and haven't bought them since. I spotted this pack of 5 banana cereal bars at the 99p store and couldn't resist the sweet little minion faces (yes I'm that much of a sucker). 
  

Each bar is individually wrapped with a little minion on! 

Texturally, its rather like Rice Krispie Squares: it holds its shape but crumbles away once nibbled, revealing it in all its sticky glory. The banana flavouring is very strong, in a foam-sweet artificial kind of way- there's no pretending it's a healthy treat that's for sure! I'm a big fan of foam shrimps & bananas, and they're a regular in our sweetie jar, so I guiltily enjoyed the sickly sugar rush. 

I appreciate that these are aimed at children, but I really enjoyed them! Taste-wise they certainly beat Alpen Light's Banoffee bars*, and if you're somebody whose interested in calories they're pretty much identical. 

7/10

* The Alpen Light Jaffa Cake bars outshine the Honey Puff banana bars though! 

Peanut Butter Granola Bars: ASDA's best kept secret.

Now these are definitely not new. However, following plentiful conversations with fellow Bloggers about the joys of peanut butter, I've come to the conclusion that these Granola bars are a relatively well kept secret. They are sold in a box containing 6 packs which are priced at £1.85* and you can find them hiding amongst the branded products in the cereal bar aisle in ASDA- if you're lucky! 

They are an own brand product but are very similar to the Nature Valley Oat Granola Bars, and just like their branded cousin each individual pack contains two biscuits. They look very similar to Nature Valley's products- however I'm admittedly (and embarrassingly) so obsessed with PB that I emailed them a while back to suggest they produce a peanut buttery oat bar and they responded by saying that they would "let me know if they do" -which they haven't- so I'm still at odds as to who manufactures these bars for ASDA.

They're just as crumbly as the Nature Valley bars, and the peanut butter element comes from the spread across the top. The ratio is spot on, and the nuttiness comes through comfortingly once nibbled. They're actually the only British** peanut butter product I've tried to date that actually tastes of the real deal. They incorporate a good level of saltiness which compliments the sweet oat and honey combination beneath.They dunk really well too and hold together slightly better than a Hobnob... But don't quote me on that- there's nothing worse than losing a biscuit in your cuppa after all! 

If you're interested, they are also healthier than Hobnobs, as each pack contains 192 calories and only 1g saturated fat. The bars are also gluten and dairy free.

If you either haven't seen these bars, or haven't tried them for fear that they might not be as good as the branded alternative (and you're a peanut butter fan) I implore you to give these wondrous snacks a go.

9.5/10 

-The American Nutter Butter Bites still holds the No1 peanut buttery spot In my heart.-

*Price correct at the time of publishing.

** After I wrote this review, my interest was piqued which led me to check the packet- they're actually made in Canada.

Alpen Light Jaffa Cake Bars

Happy Friday all! I'm back again with another chocolate related post. This time it's a review of the Alpen Light Jaffa Cake Bars.

Alpen released these bars earlier this year together with the Banoffee variety. I bought the Banoffee bars at the beginning of the summer but I have to admit that I wasn't keen. As I've previously mentioned, I am normally a fan of anything banana- both artificial and real- but I found the bars to be really artificial. It didn't taste pleasantly of  'foam bananas' or banana milkshake but just chemically, and I haven't bought any more since. I did read Nibbles & Scribbles review of both new flavours last month, and she encouraged me to give this Jaffa Cake flavour bar a go.

I have to admit, I've been waiting for them to come on offer because I'm loathe to spend £1.99 on a box of 6 when I can pick up the original flavours in Poundland. My luck must have been in yesterday though, because I spotted the Jaffa Cake light bars in the pound shop- I do love a bargain!

When I opened my bar, the chocolate on top had the dreaded white speckled signs of spoilage, but I didn't let that put me off.  I bit into it hesitantly, and was pleasantly surprised! I have to agree with Nibs- it actually does taste of Jaffa Cake. I'm not sure how the clever guys at Weetabix have done it, but they've got the balance of chocolate, cereal bar and orange spot on. I always forget how much I enjoy chocolate orange until the Terry's comes out at Christmas, and this was a perfect reminder of how lovely it can be.

My normal go-to Alpen bars are the Cherry Bakewell and Chocolate Fudge, but I definitely prefer this new flavour... so much so that I'd be tempted to fork out the extra 99p for them (or atleast stock up from the poundland whilst stocks last!)

If you're after a healthy, low calorie snack i'd definitely suggest giving these a go!

9/10

Nature Valley Cranberry & Yogurt Popcorn Bar

This morning I tried one of the new Nature Valley Popcorn bars, which I bought from Morrisons for £1.50 for a box of 5. There are two flavours: 'Cranberry & Yogurt' or 'Peanut & Sunflower Seeds' but my local Morrisons only had the Cranberry Variety. 

The box describes them as 'Chewy popcorn bar with cranberry pieces and sunflower seeds dipped in a smooth yogurt flavour coating.'

 I expected them to taste like a hybrid between the yogurt Alpen bars and popcorn.. Both of which I really enjoy.

To be fair, they were exactly that! The taste of cranberries and yogurt came through strongly, combined with the familiar chewiness of popcorn. As a hybrid, however, I'm not sure I enjoyed it. I wolfed it down in only a couple of bites but was left pretty empty after. It was almost Like I'd been offered a mouthful of someone else's popcorn and now wanted my own bag. They felt more of an appetiser than a snack, and for that reason I'd stick to either a cereal bar or popcorn but not a combination of the two

Sorry Nature Valley, I think your Oat bars are fab.. But these are nowhere near as good! 

4/10