Luna Protein Bars

Before I went gluten free Luna Bars were a staple in my life. Recently they introduced a new gluten free line of bars: Luna Protein. They come in five flavors and over the past month I've tried them all. They retail for about $1.50 a bar, but can be found for on sale from time to time for $0.99 cents. Also select Target stores sell select flavors in a 5 count box for a really good price. At 12 grams of protein in 200 calories, they bars are one of my new favorites. Check out what Mike thought on this episode of GFree TV.

NRG Bars

I'm all for trying a new energy bar, and for GFreeTV we've been sent quite a few lately.  Pure NRG bars are gluten free, dairy free, soy free, and are vegan.  Well, sure they'll loaded with the natural goodness of nuts and agave  but are they weren't great, they weren't good, and they were barely meh.

Yogi Raw Fruit & Nut Bars

Between my podcast and my job I am supplied with a lot of gluten free food samples, and most recently I was handed a sample from Wai Lana, a company that is all about yoga and health. They sell yoga mats, yoga dvd's, and in the food department, yogi chips and yogi bars. My co-worker tried the yogi-chips and said they were quite tasty, and I tried out the Tropical Macadamia Yogi bar. I am so happy to see more and more gluten free snack bars on the market, and this one has characteristics of several, but not a copy cat of any single one. All the flavors have a base of dates that the flavor profile is built in.

Additionally each 2 OZ package contains 2, 1 oz bars. That I really liked because I could easily eat 1 now and 1 later, each about 100 calories, versus saying you're only going to eat half a bar now and half later, but you know you always end up eating more than half, if not the whole bar. The texture of the bar is nice and soft; softer than a larabar, (I use that as a comparison because most have tried one), and mostly smooth except for bits of nuts. They cost around $3, which is a little high for me, however it did hold me over for slightly longer than other options, which is a really good thing. With only natural occurring sugars, this bar satisfied both my sweet and my sustainable requirements.

Power Cookies from Baked Goodness

While at a local craft fair this winter, browsing for ideas and gifts, I stumbled upon a gluten free foods vendor, Baked Goodness Power Cookies. The company is located right here in Sacramento so I thought it was odd that I had heard of them before, but in any case, I managed to ask a few questions in the midst of the busy craft fair environment.

Some new companies aren't exactly aware of how important it is as to who they are sourcing their ingredients, so when I saw gluten-free oats listed on the package I inquired into their sourcing, and they do indeed use safe oats. Then I saw an ingredient that made my eyebrow raise EnergySmart: "natural grain dextrins." Now since this is a special blend from another company, they won't tell you what specifically is in it, but they will tell you what is not in it. So with that said this ingredient is safe, but for those who are ultra sensitive, I would say eat this product at your own risk.

With all that discovered, I bought a pack. Two of these cookies have 5 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber, and 10% of your daily intake of calcium and iron. Mainly made from flax seed meal and brown rice flour, these are some hearty, healthy cookies. The texture of the cookies reminds me of Enjoy Life's snickerdoodle cookies, soft and chewy, and not too grainy. For me they did have a minor banana taste on the back end, but overall enjoyable. In addition to being gluten free, these and the 2 other kinds the company makes (which are not gluten free as of yet) are all 100% vegan.

Nu Go = No Go

So all of my regular readers probably know by now I'm always on the hunt for a new snack bar, and most of what I've tried has at least been worth another try, but today I met a bar I would never buy again- the NuGo Free, carrot cake flavor. Sure it's got 9 grams of protein..great, but that's pretty much where the good comments end. It smells sort of like cinnamon, but tasted like stall rice krispy treats, with a very odd, icky after taste. And this bar is firm, very firm. It pretty much gave my jaw a workout chewing the few bites I had before I threw it in the garbage. Verdict= Don't waste your money.

Organic Food Bar offers Kid's Line

I'm a woman on the go, and thus I always have some sort of snack bar in my purse. Most recently I picked up the Oohmega! Cherry Pie Organic Food Bar for Kid's, named after the fact that it contains 1,000 milligrams of Omega 3. Similar to Jungle Grub, this bar was designed to meet the SB12 food compliant program, so my question is while it is marketed to kids, does it satisfy the taste-buds of an adult?

Most raw bars that I have previously eaten are very thick (about a inch, Larabar for example). This bar, which is also raw, is much thinner (about a quarter of an inch), more compressed, and I like that a lot. This bar has a lot of great things going for it, in fact per the package it is "100 % ceriftied organic, has no refined sugar, nothing artifical, healthy fats, dairy free, no rice syrup, no high fructose corn syrup, peanut free, gluten free, gmo's free, and vegan." Now, as for flavor, it had a nice, sweet fruity taste, with whole organic cherries, but I really didn't get a bunch of cherry every bite. So while the flavor was pleasing, it didn't really scream cherry pie as much as I wanted it to. The same goes for the apple pie. Would a kid think differently? Maybe, but for me the flavor needs to be bummed up a notch. Overall, I still like them, but I'm not in love with them. I'd give them a solid 3 on a scale of 1-5.

Kind Snack Bars

For a long time I would pick up an apricot macadamia nut Kind Bar when I wanted to switch things up from my normal snack bars, which are usually the Glutino Wildberry Bars, and Boomi Bars. However recently I have been trying out several different flavors of Kind Bars. Currently the Cranberry Almond and Strawberry Crisp are my favorite. They typically retail for around $1.79 a bar, or you can buy them online.

I've been buying Boomi Bars in bulk for years because you get a better deal, but with Kind Bars, the bulk buy is massive, you have to buy a box of 48 bars for $86. That's sure is a lot of cash upfront, which still comes to $1.79 a bar, plus shipping, so why buy in bulk if you're not getting a bulk discount? With Boomi Bar I can buy a bar for around $2 each, but if I buy a box of 24 I can get it for around $35, with shipping, which is $1.45 a bar, and thus a deal. So... I ask why buy in bulk from Kind if you're not getting a bulk deal? Their bars are great, but their pricing needs some work.

Gluten Free Cafe now makes Snack Bars

I first discovered Gluten Free Cafe in the freezer section at Whole Foods. I was excited about seeing a new product, but truthfully I'd much rather take the time to make myself a meal than eat something premade, and high in sodium. I'm not saying their meals are bad, but just not for me. Now on a different note, I discovered the company has started to make sesame snack bars. Oddly enough the product is not listed on their website yet, but they are listed for sale on several online sites. They come in three flavors: cinnamon, lemon, and chocolate. I bought the cinnamon sesame bar at Gluten Free Specialty, and really loved it. It's sweet, but for me, the perfect level of sweet. You could eat it for breakfast if you like sweet things, or as an afternoon pick me up, or even as a dessert. It's that good. I can't wait to try the other flavors.

Be Kind

So Starbucks has discontinued the gluten free cake, and will now be carrying Kind Snack Bars instead. And then last night I saw some in line at Fry's Electronics, and Gluten Free Specialty just recently started carrying them, so I figured it was a sign I better try one. So far none of the gluten free snack bars has swayed my number one love of the oh-so-fabulous Boomi Bar. The Kind Bar is very similar to Boomi Bars, as they are mainly nuts and yet still have a very nice, chewy consistency. I have had the opportunity to have two varieties of Kind Snack Bars: Almond and apricot and fruit and nut delight. Both Kind and Boomi offer a decent amount of protein and are not too high in sugar, yet for some reason the Boomi Bar tends to hold me over longer. In any case, I wouldn't mind having a Kind Bar in my purse for a emergency gluten-free snack fix.

Oskri Bars

I have a few select gluten free snack bars I always like to have on hand: Boomi Bars or Glutino wildberry snack bars. However I also like to expand my grab-and-go items. This time around I bought an Oskri bar: sesame bar with date syrup. This snack bar only has three ingredients: date syrup, rice syrup, and sesame seeds. It has a nice crunch to it but soften quickly and unlike some snack bars that have 250 calories, this bar held me over for a fairly long time. In a way it tastes like macadamia nuts, but more so it tasted like toffee brittle to me. They offer a variety of flavors and are only $1 or $2 a piece. I think I'll definetly add a few of these into the mix.

Kid-Friendly Snack Bar

I recently had the opportunity to try out a new snack bar called Jungle Grub. These small (about 1 oz) snack bars are obviously targeted towards the youngsters but adults can enjoy them too! They come in 3 flavors: peanut butter groove, berry bamboozle & chocolate chip cookie dough, and I have tried 2 flavors.

This product is gluten free, but does contain soy and milk so be careful if your child has multiple allergies. In addition, they are made in a facility that uses wheat and some of us out there are not comfortable buying products made in a shared facility; I myself find it depends on the product. With only 100 calories this snack bar was designed to meet school dietary guidelines, and is quite tasty. It has a very soft and chewy texture, like a softened caramel, yet it doesn't stick to the roof of your mouth, or your teeth for that matter. I recommend giving them a try.

Gluten Free Snacking Made Delicious

These are not a new snack for me, but I just absolutely love these snack bars from Glutino. They come in 3 flavors: chocolate and peanuts, chocolate and banana, and wildberry. The wildberry are my favorite. Each bar is roughly only 100 calories, and is the perfect quick pick-me-upper. You can get 5 bars for roughly $5.00

A new discovery at Whole Foods, these chips are super thin and crunchy. They're full of flavor without being overpowering, and have a lower calorie count than most similar chips on the market. Also, I didn't find them to be greasy like Kettle chips can become. They weren't super pricey at $2 a bag, and they also come in BBQ flavor.

Ahh the animal cracker. I used to love eating those cute little animal shaped cookies, and now I've found a safe and tasty gluten free alternative. Similar in taste to a vanilla wafer these cookies are square with an animal imprint. Quite yummy, and did I luck out or what at $1.79 box!And when you're done snacking and need a refreshing dessert, you've got to try some Bubbies: mochi ice cream from Hawaii. Also purchased at Whole Foods; they carried 3 flavor options, and decided on the Mango. Absolutely delicious. I'd take 1 or 2 Mochi balls over some Ben and Jerry's any day.

Gluten Free Snack Options

There is a huge selection of granola-like snack bars for those without allergies; so many that they line one side of an entire aisle in a grocery store. Those on the gluten free diet deserve to have a selection of convenient granola-like snack bars too! One of my favorite brands is Boomi Bars by Divine Foods. The came in eleven different delicious flavors, including Pistachio Pineapple and Healthy Hazel. They're not just a bunch of filler so you feel satisfied after eating one, and they are just the right consistency of chewy and crunchy. Perfect snack for a hike!

I branched out this last month and tried Mrs. Mays Natural Trio Bars, which is always a risk because you never know if the product is going to be good or not. While it was nice to have a change in the pantry I found these bars to fall apart easily as well as being too crunchy; so hard that I felt like I was going to damage a tooth if I continued to bit into it. I had passed one along to my friend, before I knew they were so difficult to eat, and she said it wasn't too bad since she had left it in the car to absorb the sunlight all day. After hearing that I popped my next one into the microwave for thirty seconds and that made it much more enjoyable.

What's your favorite gluten free snack?