Luna Bars: Chocolate Dipped Coconut & Caramel Nut Brownie

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Team 101

We’ve talked about Clif Bars in the past, and Luna bars fall somewhere in that same category, not only because they’re made by the same company, but because they share a few key ingredients. Luna says, “Created by and for women, LUNA bars were the first bars just for us, with the vitamins and minerals our bodies need to stay healthy. Wholesome nourishment and delicious indulgence, they are 70% organic and just plain yummy”. We have a few men on our panel of judges, and they weren’t too frightened by the fact that they’re made specifically for women, all they really care about is whether or not the bars taste good. Luna, much like Clif, have a plethora of flavors and different products to choose from; however, this review will focus on their Chocolate Dipped Coconut and Caramel Nut Brownie bar. To learn more about Luna bars, be sure and head to their web-site for more information on their line of products. Also, be sure and check out Food Review 101 on Facebook!

The first bar we tried out was their Chocolate Dipped Coconut bar, and as you can see from the picture below, this bar looks fairly decadent when compared to other nutrition bars. The coconut aspect of this bar is fairly strong, with most of the coconut flavor coming from the flakes that Luna sprinkled on-top of this bar. They don’t skimp on the chocolate either, with a massive amount of chocolate being on the bottom and top of this bar. Texturally, the bar is fairly light with a bit of crunch and bite coming from the soy rice crisps and oats. A few of our testers didn’t care too much for this bar for the simple fact that it was made with coconut; however, you’re not going to buy this bar if you don’t enjoy the taste of coconut. After that, we tried out their Caramel Nut Brownie bar, which is a somewhat simple combination of caramel, walnuts and chocolate. The caramel flavor is what stands out in this bar, with the chocolate being a close second. A few testers didn’t enjoy this bar as much as they hoped they would’ve, but it’s still a pretty tasty nutrition bar. The only thing we wished this bar had more of was chocolate, other than that though it’s a pretty good tasting bar. Overall (3.5 out of 5).

The pros are that they taste pretty good, the texture is good, and they’re made with healthful ingredients.

The cons are that they were just OK, and nothing really made us say “wow”.

Nutritional Information For 1 Luna Caramel Nut Brownie Bar:

Calories 180
Fat 6g
Sodium 160mg
Carbs 26g
Fiber 3g
Sugar 13g
Protein 8g

Clif Bar Seasonal Flavors Are Here!

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Team 101

As we reported in a previous review of Clif Bars, they’ve been around for quite a while now, and they specialize in various nutritious products that all have to do with nutrition bars: Luna, Clif, Clif Kidz, Kit’s Organic, Mojo, Clif Builder’s, Clif Shot, and Clif Crunch bars. You can find Clif products at your local grocery store, major chain stores, and online, as well as larger warehouse stores like CostCo or Sams Club. For this review, we’ll be talking about three of the tastiest sounding seasonal flavors anyone could possibly think of: Peppermint Stick, Spiced Pumpkin Pie, and Iced Gingerbread. By the time everything is said and done, we will have taken a picture of and talked about each bar that Clif has to offer, so stay tuned for future reviews. To learn more about the Clif Bar company, be sure and head to their web-site for more information on their line of products. Also, be sure and check out the Food Review 101 Facebook page!

The first one we tried out is made more for the Thanksgiving holiday than anything else, but we’re pretty sure that we wouldn’t have a problem eating their Spiced Pumpkin Pie bar anytime of the year. Our first bite was filled with pumpkin goodness, with just a hint of warming spices—cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves–not far behind. This bar is loaded with dried apples and raisins, both of which give it just a hint of natural sweetness. The texture of the bar is the same as all of the other Clif Bar’s we’ve tried out, meaning that they’re semi-soft with some bite to them. Also, the bars benefit from white chocolate and almond pieces, the latter gives the bar a few crunchy pieces in-between each decadent bite. Next, we tried out hand at their Iced Gingerbread bar, of which is made with ginger and molasses to give it that rich flavor that we all know and love. You can see in the picture below that this bar is a tad more decadent looking than the rest; however, it tastes exactly like a gingerbread cookie does. The bar still has those rich holiday flavors and spices that this time of year is known for, and all we have to say about this bar is that it’s hard to disagree with. We couldn’t really find anything wrong with this bar, so if you try this bar out don’t like something about it, we would love to know what it was. Lastly, we tried out the most holiday (personally) sounding bar of them all, and we were hoping that Clif would be able to deliver on their Peppermint Stick nutrition bar. If you’re looking for a nutrition bar that tastes like a peppermint stick, stop looking, because we’ve found it! This bar absolutely tastes like a candy cane, simply because it’s loaded with peppermint goodness. If these three nutrition bars don’t remind you of the holiday season, then we don’t know what will. Overall (4.5 out of 5).

The pros are that you can get them virtually anywhere they sell food, they’re made with organic ingredients, they taste phenomenal, the texture is good, they remind you of the holiday season, and it’s just an overall awesome nutrition bar.

The cons are that they’re only available for a limited time only, and they have more sugars than the regular Clif bars do.

Nutritional Information For 1 Spiced Pumpkin Pie Bar:

Calories 240
Fat 4.5g
Sodium 170mg
Carbs 45g
Fiber 1g
Sugar 25g
Protein 9g

Askinosie Sipping Chocolate

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Team 101

Askinosie Chocolate is this wonderful little company that we found while doing some research on single origin chocolate bars, of which is actually a great reason to purchase their gourmet chocolate bars and products. Askinosie Chocolate get’s there cocoa beans from farmers in the Philippines and Brazil among other places, but the best thing is that they know all of the farmers they receive their beans from. Not only do they know them, they’ve actually met and talked with them in person. Askinosie Chocolate is a brand that you may not have heard of just yet, but another great thing about this company is that they’ll ship their chocolate straight to your doorstep. They have a plethora of products to choose from in both dark and white chocolate, in addition to their line of CollaBARation bars. To learn more about Askinosie Chocolate, be sure and head to their web-site for more information on their line of products; and don’t forget to check out their online store where you can buy their gourmet chocolate directly from them.

For this review, we’ll be talking about their Sipping Chocolate, which is described by Askinosie as: “Real morsels of single origin dark chocolate infused with single origin Intelligentsia Coffee These small morsels of chocolate are made from bean-to-bar in our factory using 70% chocolate made with directly sourced cocoa beans from Davao, Philippines, certified organic cane juice, and single origin Intelligentsia Coffee. Real good and lusciously delicious”. These little chocolate morsels are made for putting into warm milk, of which we did, and it turned out awesome. The taste of our chocolate drink was more chocolate than coffee, but the coffee is noticeable in small notes that help to bring out the dark chocolate just a bit more. This drink would be great before, during or after any meal, so don’t feel like you really have to limit your-self when it comes to their sipping chocolate. Another great thing you can do with this chocolate is to eat it all by it-self–just as a few of our testers did. Overall (4 out of 5).

The pros are that they now have two different varieties of sipping chocolate to choose from, it tastes great, the coffee and chocolate combination is awesome, it melts easily in the warm milk, you can buy it online, and you know exactly where your coffee and chocolate came from.

The cons are that you have to wait a couple of days for your chocolate to arrive.

Nutritional Information Not Available For 1 Serving:

Calories 110
Fat 6g
Sodium 0mg
Carbs 10g
Fiber 3g
Sugar 3g
Protein 2g

Luna Introduces FIBER Bars

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Team 101

We’ve mentioned Luna in previous reviews; however, we have yet to talk about their newest addition to the Luna family—Fiber. Luna says, “Fiber just got a serious taste-lift in the form of LUNA Fiber; the fiber bar you’ll actually crave. 70% organic and available in three fruit-filled shades of delicious; LUNA Fiber is the tasty, wholesome and convenient way to curb hunger, fast”. Their new line of fiber bars comes in three flavors: Chocolate Raspberry, Peanut Butter Strawberry, and Vanilla Blueberry. This review will focus on their Chocolate Raspberry flavor; with hopefully more to come in the near future, so long as Luna sends us a few bars to review and talk about (please Luna). Luna says, “Created by and for women, LUNA bars were the first bars just for us, with the vitamins and minerals our bodies need to stay healthy. Wholesome nourishment and delicious indulgence, they are 70% organic and just plain yummy”. To learn more about Luna bars, be sure and head to their web-site for more information on their line of products. Also, be sure and check out Food Review 101 on Facebook!

We’ll just come right out and say that the bar tastes like chocolate with raspberries, and is actually somewhat comparable to a large Fig Newton. The chocolate is definitely the more dominant flavor of the bunch; however, the thin layer of raspberry filling that runs the length of the bar a key player in making this bar what it is. Without the raspberry filling, the bar would just be a monotonous brownie with nothing to really switch it up. It’s a bit sweet at times from the sugar sprinkles on-top, but it’s nothing that will make you want to put the bar down. Texturally, it’s exactly like eating a Fig Newton bar, with the only difference being that this has a bit of crunch from the sugar crystals on-top. It’s a decent bar overall, and we’re really going to have to try out the other bars to see if we just got lucky and bought the right flavor. Overall (4 out of 5).

The pros are that it has a good chocolate flavor to it, the raspberry is decent, it’s loaded with fiber, you can find their bars at grocery and health food stores, they’re low in calories, and they’re made with 70% organic ingredients.

The cons are that it’s a tad high in sugar, and the raspberry flavor could’ve been a bit stronger.

Nutritional Information For 1 Chocolate Raspberry Luna Fiber Bar:

Calories 110
Fat 3.5g
Sodium 160mg
Carbs 25g
Fiber 7g
Sugar 11g
Protein 2g

Clif Kidz Bar

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Team 101

As we reported in a previous review of Clif Bars, they’ve been around for quite a while now, and they specialize in various product lines that all have to do with nutrition bars–Luna, Clif, Clif Kidz, Kit’s Organic, Mojo, Clif Builder’s, Clif Shot, and Clif Crunch bars. You can find Clif products at your local grocery store, major chain stores, and online, as well as larger warehouse stores like CostCo or Sams Club. For this review, we’ll be looking at three different flavors from their line of Kidz bars: Iced Oatmeal Cookie, Chocolate Chip, and a season flavor called Full Moon Brownie. By the time everything is said and done, we will have taken a picture of and talked about each bar that Clif has to offer, so stay tuned for future reviews. To learn more about the Clif Bar company, be sure and head to their web-site for more information on their line of products. Also, be sure and check out the Food Review 101 Facebook page!

Each Clif Kidz bar is 95% organic, has 8-11 grams of whole grains, and contains 12 essential vitamins and minerals, making it both a healthy and tasty nutrition bar. First, we tried out their Chocolate Chip flavor, and simply judging from the appearance of the bar, we were in for quite a treat. Not only does the bar have a chocolate stripe running the length of the bar, it’s also loaded with chocolate chips, giving this bar a big bump in terms of chocolate goodness. The texture of the bar was decent; however, it was a bit chewier than the Clif’s regular line of nutrition bars. After that, we tried out their Iced Oatmeal Cookie bar, and we’re pretty sure that we actually enjoyed this bar more than the chocolate chip one. This little treat just screams oatmeal cookie, mainly because it has just a bit of sweetness to it from the white chocolate topping, and a hint of cinnamon in it to really pull everything together. Lastly, we tried out their seasonal flavor, Full Moon Brownie, which we think will get everyone in the spirit for Halloween. This bar is described by Clif as a white chocolate chip brownie, and we would have to agree with them on that simple statement. The bar has a chocolate brownie quality to it, which mixes well with the white chocolate chips and white chocolate line that runs the length and width of the bar. Whether or not this bar will help you celebrate Halloween better is anyone’s guess, but it was still a darn good bar nonetheless. Overall (4 out of 5).

The pros are that they have a decent amount of flavors to choose from, everything tasted like its namesake, the texture is good, it doesn’t contain any high fructose corn syrup or artificial flavors, it’s made with healthful ingredients, and you can find them almost anywhere they sell food.

The cons are that it may have too many sugars for some people (granted it’s low GI).

Nutritional Information For 1 Chocolate Chip Kidz Clif Bar:

Calories 130
Fat 3.5g
Sodium 95mg
Carbs 24g
Fiber 3g
Sugar 11g
Protein 2g