You may remember that I gave the guys from Temple Protein Bars a hard time at Expo West. Why? These high protein bars claim to have “The Cleanest Bar. Period.” They are gluten free, high protein, high fiber, non-GMO, soy free and all natural. Great, right? Yes, but, the flavors and packaging reminded me of those other guys [Hint: name rhymes with “guest.”] Those are “all natural” but are filled with sweetener substitutes. I got some samples at the show. When Amanda, Kristin and I tucked into the Dark Chocolate Cherry, we were sold. I emailed them and they sent me boxes of six of the ten available flavors. Read on as I am planning to share!
Temple says that they are making “the first, clean protein bar to be made using only natural, whole ingredients without sacrificing quality & flavor.” They looked for good tasting protein bars that were made with good for you ingredients. They were not satisfied with what they found so they made their own with a high quality whey protein isolate. The main ingredients are gluten free oats, almond butter and agave. In addition to being gluten free, non-GMO and high protein, the bars are low glycemic and low in sodium. They also contain superfood ingredients like chia seeds, flax seeds and coconut oil.
Temple now makes protein bars in ten flavors. The bars come in: Butter Pecan Pie, Strawberry Shortcake, New York Chocolate Cheesecake, Sea Salt Caramel, Grekko Coconut, Peanut Chocolate Chip, Dark Chocolate Cherry, Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, Lemon Meringue Pie and Carrot Chocolate Cake. They sent me the six shown above.
I was not sure what to expect of these bars, but I am a fan. I don’t typically eat (very) high protein bars of this style. As I mentioned, I don’t like those other bars that look like these. When we tried the Dark Chocolate Cherry, we liked the taste and texture. The best part for me was the lack of an aftertaste that I notice with many other protein bars. Amanda and I both liked the Butter Pecan the best. I found it filling and liked the flavor and very pleasant taste it left in my mouth. Kristin and I both liked the mini chocolate chips in the New York Cheesecake which made it feel like a filling treat. I like that you can see pieces of nuts and coconut, as well. Daniela and Lance tried the Sea Salt Caramel. Daniela said, “The Temple bar was delicious! Direct quote from Lance ‘when I eat these types of bars I’m not eating them for the flavor but this is actually delicious!’” Abby and I though the Banana Chip was a bit too sweet. In general. I am not a fan of banana flavored things. I was surprised at how much I liked the Strawberry Shortcake – as I usually only like real strawberries – not the flavor. The bar contains freeze dried strawberries instead of strawberry flavor. That’s the ticket! It was a nice subtle flavor and not too sweet. I ate 2/3 of the bar before a long run and it was great pre-run fuel.
You don’t have to take my word for it! Temple sent me six boxes of bars. I will send three lucky readers one of each of the six flavors I received to try. Please use the Rafflecopter below to enter. Winners must have a US postal address, be 18 years of age or older and the offer is void where prohibited. The giveaway runs through June 9th. Winners will be selected and notified on June 10th.
Temple Protein Bars are primarily in Canada, but you can order on the web, and now on Amazon (more flavors coming soon). You can also keep up with them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Check out what other folks are trying in Smitha‘s new Try Out Thursday link up, too!
Please note: I was provided product at no cost in exchange for an honest review. I was not otherwise compensated for this post. All opinions are my own and those of my friends. There is an Amazon affiliate link in this post. If you buy with this link, I will receive a small commission.