As I have said before, eating healthy on the go can be a big challenge. It is so easy to grab whatever is around. I find this is especially true for airplane flights/airports and long work meetings. And now since I am eliminating wheat, gluten and dairy for the short term, healthy snacks can be a bit tough to find on the go. I was fortunate to try some awesome new (to me) on the go snacks recently. Even better, I have some giveaways so you can enter to win some, too! This week’s giveaway has one brand that I coveted and tried via Yumvelope and one Chicago company that was new to me. Check out my reviews on Bearded Brothers bars and Simple Squares and enter to win on the bottom of the post.
I first saw Bearded Brothers bars on a trip to Austin, TX. They looked awesome (I love the packaging), had simple ingredients and seemed to be packed with nutrients. They were also pricy at the little grocery I was in so I did not try them. It was my luck that two bars arrived in my Yumvelope. After trying the Colossal Coconut Mango from Yumvelope, I wrote to see if Bearded Brothers wanted to do a giveaway here. They said “yes” and sent me a really great package of all flavors for me to try and a set for one lucky reader, too.
Caleb and Chris (a/k/a the Bearded Brothers) both have a passion for the outdoors and living a healthy life. This shared passion resulted an organic snackfood company. As they say, their bars are “handmade with love and joy in Austin Texas” The bars are:
- 100% organic
- Mostly raw
- Gluten free
- Soy free
- Vegan friendly, and
- “Amazingly delicious“
The bars are compact and fairly dense. They seemed small to me at first blush, but are actually pretty filling. I tried one before a long run and the others as afternoon snacks. They worked well for both. The flavors are Fabulous Ginger Peach, Bodacious Blueberry Vanilla, Mighty Maca Chocolate and Colossal Coconut Mango. I tried Colossal Coconut Mango first. It was very fresh and tasty. I love ginger and I enjoyed the Ginger Peach a lot, too. Dried peaches are not a common ingredient I come across and I enjoyed this taste with the ginger. The Bodacious Blueberry Vanilla tastes like a blueberry fig newton to me (a good thing – especially because I can’t eat fig bars at the moment!) It also contains rice protein so it has 8 grams of protein which is really good for a non-protein labelled energy bar. I was not a huge fan of the Mighty Maca Chocolate. Despite the fact that my fave natural foods chef, Amanda Skrip, swears by the stuff (maca that is), I cannot get used to the after taste it has! Don’t get me wrong, I would still eat this bar, but it would not be my first choice.
I really like these bars! Don’t take my word for it! The Bearded Bros were kind enough to send one of each flavor for one lucky reader to try. Please use the Rafflecopter at the bottom of the post to enter.Â
I first saw Simple Squares on Abe’s Market and Jim from Jimmy Bar! Energy Bars told me they were a Chicago company. I ordered a sampler from Abe’s Market with a discount code and then wrote to Simple Squares to see if they’d be interested in a review. They were great and sent me one of each of their four original flavors.
Simple Squares founder, Kimberly Cruppi Dobbins, says of her simple, unprocessed bars, “the need for whole food and simple snack bars was cultivated while on the road and refined after being advised to follow an elimination diet. Refusing to compromise yet recognizing the need to indulge, I set out on a mission to create great tasting and healthy snacks.” Simple Squares “on a mission” to create simple, great tasting and healthy snacks. Simple Squares are “savory-sweet”, organic snack bars infused with honey and herbs. They are trying to show that whole foods can be easy, on the go snacks.
The flavors are: Cinna-Clove, Sage, Coconut, Rosemary, Coffee and Ginger. All bars are:
- Low in sodium
- Good source of fiber
- Contain healthy herbal infusions
- No wheat, gluten, dairy, corn, soy
- Sustainable source of energy
- No refined sugars, brown rice syrup or agave
It may not come as a surprise if you know me that I tried Coffee and Ginger first. They were both very tasty and a mix of sweet and savory. The flavors are fresh and not overpowering. I tried Cinna-Clove and loved that it was not sweet and that I could identify the flavors and foods included. The last one I tried was Sage and I am a bit surprised to tell you that it was my favorite. The Sage was light and the honey was a perfect counterbalance. It was not sweet and kept me full for a long time. I shared several with friends, too. Â Here is what they had to say:
- Lindsay said, “I decided to try this Simple Squares bar crumbled in almond yogurt for a quick breakfast on Saturday. It was really good and not at all what I expected- it was packed full of seeds and nuts. It also kept me full until my mom picked me up at 2 EDT which is definitely a sign of a substantial snack bar!”
- Maureen said, “I really enjoyed the Simple Squares. Â I thought they were the perfect size for a little pick me up and they were tasty. The all natural ingredients really came through in the flavor. Â I actually think it was one of the better bars that I’ve tried.”
- Jen said, “I loved the Simple Squares coconut flavor.  I ate mine Sunday while doing lawn work ([Her husband] doesn’t allow lunch breaks)  and it really did tide me over.  I also really loved that I could identify all the ingredients.  I liked the flavor more than the Jimmy bars (I am a sucker for anything coconut!)”
I love these bars! I am giving away the four pictured above to one lucky winner. Please use the Rafflecopter below to enter. (Don’t want to wait? Abe’s Market has a sale on these bars right now (20% off) and get an additional 10% off with code bamboo.)
Are you getting tired of new whole food bars? I am not. But just in case, my next giveaway will include delicious chickpea snacks from Biena Foods and yummy gluten free/vegan cookies from Liz Lovely! Stay tuned!
Please don’t forget to click the green button on each entry you choose. If you already like my page on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter, click that button on the Rafflecopter and get credit! The giveaway is open through the end of the day on Wednesday, August 28th. I will select and notify winners on Thursday, August 29th. One prize per winner – winner selects prize from available options in order of draw. Only valid for participants in the US at this time.
Please Note: Most of the products for review and giveaways were providedto me by the vendors above. All opinions and comments are my own or those of my friends.
PS. Don’t forget to check out our awesome Honey’s Runners raffle to support the American Cancer Society. Only $5 to enter, 100% match to $2500 and GREAT prizes (2 winners drawn each Thursday through September 8th.) There are still great prizes left!