Overall rating- 5

For years, Clif Bars have been admired among the backpacking, dusty travelers of the snack food industry not only for their great taste, but their commitment to organic food products. Clif’s refusal to use any ingredients grown with the use of toxic pesticides or synthetic chemicals certainly got our attention. All their food is free of trans fats, hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup and their philosophy in part, “…food made right, can make the world a better place” sure sounds dandy to me. We can see why Chris McCormack went to Clif when he was having a nutritional crisis. Here’s a few of our favorites and how the panel rated them:

Mojo Dipped- Chocolate Peanut

Appearance: 5

“ I could tell before even trying it that it would be good.” – Kelli

“Just looking at this thing makes me hungry.” – Ryan

Texture:  5

“ I love the texture and the dipped chocolate keeps it from being too dry. This bar was definitely my favorite.” -Kelli

Taste:  4.5

“Of all the bars, this one was my favorite. I could totally see myself buying a case of these.” – Jennifer

“ The amount of sweet and salty was great…it was tasty. I love the fact that there’s no high fructose corn syrup in it or other garbage like that.” – Deena

Nutritional Content: Calories 210, Total Fat 10g, Protein 9g, Total Carb. 22g, Dietary Fiber 2g

Crunch- White Chocolate Macadamia Nut

Appearance: 5

“The creamier side makes it look very appetizing!” – David

“ This looks like it would be tasty crumbled on a smoothie!” – Jennifer

Texture: 4

“…a little dry, but that’s the nature of those crunch type bars. It was my favorite crunch bar I’ve ever had.” – Deena

“ The creamy side made this bar for me. I liked how it moistened the crunchy side.” -Ryan

Taste: 4

“ Tasted like a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie!” – Deena

“ I don’t normally love white chocolate, but this was pretty good” – Michael

Nutritional Content: Calories 180, Total Fat 8g, Protein 4g, Total Carb. 27g, Dietary Fiber 3g

Mojo- Peanut Butter and Jelly

Appearance: 5

“ I love the combo. It even looks fun! “ – Michael

Texture: 5

“ The jelly on top softened the bar much like the consistency I prefer and the coating on the bottom made the whole bar. “ – Sherri

Taste: 5+

“ My little girl loved it. This was my favorite of all the bars I tried!” – Deena

“ Loved it! Would absolutely recommend it to someone else.” – Sherri

“ Woa. That’s good.” – Jennifer

“I like it. Tastes like PB&J!” – Ryan

Nutritional Content: Calories 220, Total Fat 11g, Protein 9g, Total Carb. 21g, Dietary Fiber 2g

The Final Say: Overall, our testers went crazy over the Clif bars, especially the Mojo with the Crunch at a close second. They scored well and had the highest occurrence of begging for more freebies from our panel. “I’m not usually a fan of crunchy granola, but I loved this one!”

For purchase and nutritional information go to: www.clifbar.com

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Overall Rating- 4

After sampling a few of these bars at the Outdoor Retail Show in SLC recently, we thought you should hear about this little company. Olympic Granola was founded in 2003 in Washington state where they started selling bars at co-ops and local farmer’s markets. They have since expanded nationwide and include eight varieties of gourmet granola bars. They are a family company who is “…passionate about eating healthy, staying active, helping others, living long productive lives, pursuing excellence in all we do and making the nest darn granola known to man.”

Here’s how our favorites rated among our panel:

Almond Chocolate

Appearance: 5

“ These bars look really good. I want that chocolate in the middle.” - Jennifer

“ It’s the perfect size for my Bento Box.” – Sherri

Texture: 5

“ The chocolate center kept it from being too dry.” – Ryan

Taste: 5

“ I LOVE this one! The chocolate is richer than I would have guessed with an all natural bar. I want more. “ – Jennifer

“ This one is really good, I like the subtle almond flavor. I wanted to eat another one, but it’s surprisingly filling.”  – David

Nutritional Content: Calories 200, Total Fat 10g, Protein 5g, Total Carb. 25g, Dietary Fiber 3g

Honey Almond

Appearance: 4

“ Looks moist. I like that it looks a bit bigger than a regular bar. Wish it had something more though, it looks like any other granola bar to me.”  – Michael

Texture: 4

“ Very natural, not too dry.” – Chris

Taste: 4

“ It tasted exactly like the granola I make for breakfast… I really liked the short and simple list of ingredients. ” – Deena

“ I might buy it based on the ingredients list because I’m a health nut… but it was a little too natural tasting for me.”  -Kelli

“ I like the natural taste, but I can see how someone would think it’s just slightly bland.” – Michael

Nutritional Content: Calories 190, Total Fat 9g, Protein 5g, Total Carb. 24g, Dietary Fiber 3g

The Final Say: Of all the flavors the brand has to offer, Almond Chocolate ranked among the highest with our testers with Mocha Mint and Espresso Almond Chocolate tying for a close second. I tried one on a hike and was pleasantly surprised by how moist and delicious the bar was. I have already made plans to buy a box or two myself! This is a company with a great product and on a mission to, “ …provide the best tasting, healthy granola products available to meet the needs of today’s increasingly health conscious, fast-paced lifestyles.”

For purchase and nutritional information go to: www.olympicgranola.com

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Overall Rating- 4

Raw Revolution was started by a registered nurse and Natural Foods Chef with a passion for prepping and eating raw foods. This single mom turned a hobby into a great company after developing one very tasty brownie that attracted accolades from the average person as well as health nuts. They are founded on the belief that, “ raw, living foods are clean, and have higher nutrient content than cooked food. Processed foods such as protein isolates and grain based fillers are acidic and cause fermentation in the body.”

From one brownie to over 10 flavors of all natural, vegan, raw food bars and growing, Raw Revolution is poised to become an industry favorite. Here’s what our panel thought:

Apple Cinnamon

Appearance: 3.5

“ I’m a little nervous. It looks different than what I’m used to seeing.” - Ryan

Texture: 4

“ I was pleasantly surprised with how good it felt in my mouth. I was a bit nervous to try it.” – Chris

“ I really like the texture. I like that it’s different from standard bars.” – Jennifer

Taste: 5+

“ My kids and I both LOVED this bar. I would gladly let them eat it.” – Ryan

“ I can’t believe they put all those greens in it and it still tastes so good. It’s way healthier than other granola bars. My baby (almost 2 yrs.) gobbled it up and wanted more!” – Deena

“ This one surprised me with how good it tasted. I would definitely recommend someone buy this bar.” – Jennifer

Nutritional Content: Calories 150, Total Fat 5g, Protein 3g, Total Carb. 27g, Dietary Fiber 6g

Tropical Mango

Appearance: 4

“ Looks good to me. Anything with mango looks like a winner. I’m starting to get used to the different look.”

- Chris

Texture: 5

“ It’s a slippery little sucker, but not greasy.” – Chris

“ Texture is great, I dig it. “ – Ryan

Taste: 5

“ Man, this is actually really good.” – David

“ The flavor is great, I’m really surprised that it’s so healthy for me.” – Ryan

“ Most other granola bars just taste like candy bars. This one doesn’t (which I like!)” – Deena

Nutritional Content: Calories 190, Total fat 10g, Protein 5g, Total Carb. 25g, Dietary Fiber 3g

Tropical Banana

Appearance: 4

“ Looks fine. At first glance it reminds me of the homemade raw bars my wife makes. (That’s a good thing.)“- Michael

Texture: 4

“ That thing shot right out of the package! I like the texture, it’s moist, not dry like other snack bars.” – Jennifer

Taste: 5

“This is really good! I’m in love with the tropical banana. I’m surprised by how much flavor there is, it’s not boring at all. ” – David

“I still can’t believe these bars are so healthy, they taste really good.” – Ryan

“I love that my kids like this. It’s a really big selling point for me. Most of the supplements and bars that I eat, I’m not comfortable letting them taste since I’m not entirely sure what’s in them. This has a simple, healthy list of ingredients. “  - Jennifer

Nutritional Content: Calories 170, Total Fat 7g, Protein 5g, Total Carb. 26g, Dietary Fiber 5g

The Final Say: There are so many flavors to test, we had a hard time choosing which ones to highlight. These bars may look a bit unconventional, but let’s be clear, they taste great! The Apple Cinnamon rated the highest in taste with the Spirulina and Cashew coming at a close second. Word on the street is that these bars are making a great impression, with most comments from our panel ending in, “I wanted more!”

For purchase and nutritional information go to: www.rawrev.com

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Overall Rating: 4.5

PROBAR was founded in 2002 by Art Eggersten, a self proclaimed “foodie” and founder of a one-on-one nutrition counseling business. He says, in part, “I’d been making bars for myself and using them for fuel during long days snowboarding, I realized my clients might like them, so I started using the bars in my nutrition programs.”

PROBAR’s mission is simple, “We make wholesome, nutritious, delicious meal replacement and snack bars that anyone can enjoy. The idea is to make healthy food taste good, but to also make it convenient so it’s within reach of anyone who wants it. If we can get people to eat better, help create a healthier society, and make a great business out of it in the process, we’ve achieved our goals.”

He is also the founder of Utah Wellness Center in Provo, that is devoted to Integrated Therapies. We are proud to say this great company calls Utah home. They offer 18 flavors, with the majority of the bars being 70% raw. All the bars are also 100% vegan and made with whole organic ingredients. They offer snack bars as well as meal replacement. We chose a few to tell you about. Here’s what our testers thought:

Koka Moka

Appearance: 5

“ It looks really tasty with all the nuts and chocolate chips mixed in.” – Michael

Texture: 4

“ It was chewy without being too gooey, if that makes sense. I really liked the chopped seeds and nuts to keep it interesting. “  – Ryan

Taste: 5

” I would eat this bar for a long bike ride or as a meal replacement when I’m crunched for time. I would buy this bar… organic bar with a good taste and consistency as opposed to a bar with a lot of chemicals” – Gary

Nutritional Content: Calories 360, Total Fat 18g, Protein 9g, Total Carb. 47, Dietary Fiber 7g

Cran-Lemon Twister

Appearance: 4

“ Looks delicious. I like the combination of the two flavors, it smells nice.” – Ryan

Texture: 5

“ More nuts – almonds- would be good in this.” – Sacha

“I thought it had the perfect combination of nuts and chewy substance.”  – Chris

Taste: 5

“The combination of lemon and cranberry is great!” – Sacha

“I really like the two flavors together. It’s very refreshing.” -Ryan

Nutritional Content: Calories 350, Total Fat 17g, Protein 8g, Total Carb. 46g, Dietary Fiber 6g

Fruition- Peach

Appearance: 4

“It looks fine, without all the artificial coloring, it’s mostly like bits of food crammed into a bar. I guess that’s the point though.”           -Chris

“Smells great. I’d like to eat it now.” – Michael

Texture: 5

“The texture looks great. I like that they didn’t just go with just big chunks or little ones. The variety is good” – Chris

Taste: 5

“The flavor is great, I liked it. It would be good with pieces of dried peaches in it.” -Sacha

“I really liked the taste of the peach. They did a really great job. I can’t believe how healthy the ingredients are.” – Jennifer

Nutritional Content: Calories 160, Total Fat 2g, Protein 3g, Total Carb. 34g, Dietary Fiber 4g

The Final Say: The PROBAR tested well, with the majority of athletes preferring the meal replacement bars, which all agreed are more than filling. Most could hardly finish an entire bar; pretty handy for slipping in your back pocket when you plan on spending your entire Saturday running trails. We liked that the website offered explanations of every ingredient they use and helpful nutrition information. It’s no surprise that PROBAR has been winning awards and gaining attention from the media with mentions from Outdoor Life to Runner’s World. We give this great company our stamp of approval.

For purchase and nutritional information go to: www.theprobar.com