Simply Bars Review

I think I’m a pretty loyal person. Just ask my friends. Or check out what I eat every day. Oh wait, I don’t show you! Because you’d be bored out of your mind, up until dinner time. But I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned to you before that my daily meal plan is not complete without a certain candy-bar-like nutrition bar, consumed within 20 minutes of hitting the gym (yes, I really do need to eat *right* before I lift!)

But sometimes I cheat. It’s not a quality I’m proud of, except when it comes t o expanding my knowledge of good food out there and coming back to share that with you. That kind of cheating hurts no one. When the opportunity to try The Simply Bar came around, I didn’t jump on it immediately. First, I checked the nutrition stats. Then, I found myself unable to resist – and so excited when they arrived.

Check out all those flavors! The Simply Bar comes in plenty of varieties, like Cocoa Raspberry, Peanut Butter Chocolate, and Cocoa Coffee, just to name a few .

And there’s more to love. I’m always looking for the most bang for my buck, and when it comes to food, that translates into getting the most effective nutrients for the least amount of calories. Compared to other nutrition bars with similar calorie content, The Simply Bar contains more protein than any bar I know.

What else? Well, I suspect that if I had any dietary restrictions whatsoever, I’d be hard pressed to find a healthy protein bar I could eat. On the contrary, The Simply Bar opens doors for many more people, including those who are vegan, gluten-free, or keep kosher. Heck, these would be a great treat in one of those out-of-town wedding guest goody bags, given how nourishing and allergy-friendly they are!

Closer look at some of the flavors…

I mentioned that these have more protein than other bars that have about the number of calories, but zeroing in on that nutrition label shows more good things. Note the super-short ingredient list which contains only things I can read – I love that! So many “nutrition” bars or “protein” bars are filled with tons of seemingly unnecessary fillers; these have just a handful of good, clean ingredients. And the fact that sugar content is pretty low. Don’t believe me? Pull out your protein bar and compare. The Simply Bar has less sugar than Lara, Zone, Cliff, Balance, or Luna Bars. This is something to celebrate, for sure.

A couple of the flavors even boast more fiber than sugar, such as the lemon coconut.

Pretty cool, huh? I promise, you won’t see that with almost anything else that comes in a package.

One last thing I want to show you is what they look like on the inside (excuse the photo quality, as this one was snapped by my phone unlike all the rest.) The Simply Bar is comprised mostly of soy protein nuggets and has a soft, chewy texture much like a granola bar. It’s not coated in chocolate, rivaling a candy bar like my beloved Zone Bars, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Just different 🙂 My favorite flavors that I tried (and I didn’t get to try them all, as I shared with my husband) were the Cinnamon and the Caramel Peanut, but all are substantial in size and and were great for clean, wholesome pre-workout fuel or a quick mini-breakfast on the run. Will I be replacing my Zone Bars? Well, I haven’t seen The Simply Bar in stores near me yet, but I promise that if The Simply Bar folks can make them appear in my local BJ’s for the same great deal I get on Zone Bars, they will surely make their way into cart at at least every other time – there’s room for both in my life, right?

In other news, I just wanted to share a few fun things I came across this week.

Ever wanted to go to Greece? I have been, and let me tell you, Ben and I both agree that this is a place we’d love to vacation again and again. Amazingly fresh, simple yet flavorful Mediterranean cuisine, gorgeous sunsets, quaint villages, friendly people, wonderful wines and history at your fingertips – what’s not to love? That’s why I’m entering to win a Greek Getaway from FAGE. I can’t wait to get back there. Who knows, maybe this will be my trip – or yours!

Want to travel closer to home and win some great goodies too? Then enter your favorite, original chicken recipe in Pilgrim’s 22nd Annual Winning Taste Recipe Contest. They’re looking for your best, creative recipe. The grand prize winner will receive a 4 night package for 2 at the Lake Austin Spa in Austin, TX. Heck, I’ve always wanted to go there – I just need to figure out what recipe to enter! Any suggestions? Runners up can win a KitchenAid Mixer, a Wusthof knife set, or a KitchenAid Blender. I know plenty of you would love that!

Last night, we ate this. Again. Prettier pictures coming soon 🙂

Here are a few of my favorite recipe discoveries this week – seriously, how would I ever know what to make without being part of such an incredible food blogging community!

* A raw, vegan Tomato Basil Cream Sauce over at Art & Lemon. I keep going back to ogle this, admiring how rich and creamy it looks, and reading again to make sure I didn’t misunderstand how incredibly simple it is.You won’t believe it either.
* Pumpkin Crepes with Gingered Pears and Spiced Marscapone by one of my fave gals, Natalie, at Perry’s Plate. This is actually an “oldie but a goodie” on her blog and I can’t believe I missed it the first time around – better late than never!
* Pumpkin Hot Chocolate with Maple-Cinnamon Whipped Cream at The Diva Dish. It’s totally clean and healthy too – incredible!
* Almond Butter Amaretto Brownies at All Day I Dream About Food. No joke, there are some days where all I dream about are Carolyn’s awesome ability to create delicious low-carb desserts.
* Roasted Tomato Soup with Broiled Cheddar at Smitten Kitchen – Now I know why people buy pounds and pounds of tomatoes at a time. I want to join that crowd.

Finally, I bet you want to know if you won my giveaway for Cascal all-natural “grownup” sodas. If you commented as Shannon Crandall, Candace, Erin, Amandapaa, or Nicole, you’re in luck! I’ll be getting in touch shortly.

Happy Friday everyone!

Thanks for visiting Cara’s Cravings. If you like what you see and want more, subscribe via email or in a reader, follow me on Twitter, or visit me on Facebook.