Bar Review: Yotta Bars! (Veggies!?)

This bar is definitely different from what you're used to! Yotta Bars have all sorts of vegetables hidden in them- yet somehow they're still sweet and yummy!

The Cherry flavor is said to be their most popular. Other than Cherry, there's Apple Cinnamon and Orange. Cherry was my favorite! =)

Texture: It's not cereal-y, grain-y or chewy. It's a moist bar.

Taste: Seeing asparagus in the ingredients, I didn't think they would taste good at all. But they are tasty! This isn't something you'd have to satisfy your sweet tooth, but it's definitely a delicious snack to keep you fueled. There is a light sweetness to them.

Nutritionals:

(for the Cherry)

Ingredients: Baby oats, brown rice syrup, honey, pear juice concentrate, dehydrated vegetables (tomatoes, asparagus, sweet potatoes, carrots, red bell peppers, beets, corn), crisp rice, rolled oats, evaporated cane juice, dried apples, natural flavors, canola oil.

Bonuses: (from website)

• 1 serving (½ cup veggies & fruit) in each bar
• Low fat, low sodium
• No saturated fats, no cholesterol
• Excellent source of vitamin C
• Good source of vitamin A and iron
• No refined sugars
• No trans fats
• No dairy, no preservatives
• Nothing Artificial
• Non-GMO, no soy

Overall Review: I really like these bars. I find it's tough to fit veggies in my diet (fruit is so much more portable!), and these bars really come in handy. If you're looking for variety in your snacks and care about what you put in your body, I say you should give these bars a try. They don't taste like the traditional bars out there, but they're really tasty still. And the added veggies rock!

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I know with a lot of readers, the trouble is finding the products in their town. I've only seen Yotta Bars in Whole Foods and on Amazon so far.

Bar Review: Clif Kid ZBar (YUM!!)

Sometimes I crave a good energy/protein/granola bar. When I noticed many of the bars around me were full of excess sugar, trans fats and HFCS, I began a mission to find fulfilling organic bars. Over the next few days I'm going to share a few of my finds. Today starts out with a new obsession: Clif Kid ZBar.

Chocolate Brownie

Sometimes I crave a good energy/protein/granola bar. When I noticed many of the bars around me were full of excess sugar, trans fats and HFCS, I began a mission to find fulfilling organic bars. Over the next few days I'm going to share a few of my finds. Today starts out with a new obsession: Clif Kid ZBar!

From the website: The ZBars are "an excellent source of complex carbohydrates, valuable antioxidants and fiber; they fill kids (note: and big kids!!!!!!) up and help them avoid energy spikes and the crashes that follow."

So far I've had the Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Brownie and Peanut Butter. The Chocolate Chip is the best, I love the Chocolate Brownie, and I could live without the Peanut Butter.

They're all basically the same in nutritionals and texture, but we'll focus on the Chocolate Chip for this review! Mmm!

Ingredients: Organic Chocolate Chips (Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Unsweetened Chocolate, Organic Cocoa Butter, Soy Lecithin, Natural Flavors), Organic Rolled Oats, Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Organic Oat Flour, Organic Fig Paste, Organic Tapioca Syrup, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice Syrup, Organic Maple Syrup, Organic Soy Butter, Organic Chocolate (Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Unsweetened Chocolate, Organic Cocoa Butter, Soy Lecithin, Natural Flavors), Natural Flavors, Organic Milled Flaxseed, Organic Oat Fiber, Baking Soda, Salt. (USDA Organic)

Nutritional Highlights: 130 calories, 4g (6%) Fat, 1.5g (8%) Sat. Fat, 24g (8%) Carbs, 3g (12%) Fiber, 11g Sugar, 3g Protein. Lots of vitamins.. including.. 35% Vitamin C, 30% Calcium and 20% Folate.

Texture: The bar is soft. Not grainy or clumpy or "protein-y". Lovely, really. A natural, soft texture. It's like a cookie-bar.

Taste: It is a chocolate chip cookie. I swear. A soft, perfectly sweet cookie.

Chocolate Chip

Size: I can't stand most energy bars with their tiny size and high calories, but the Clif Zbar is different. It's a perfect snack size. See photo!

Satiety: As a snack, this bar really fills you up and leaves you satisfied! I totally don't get any lumps in my tummy, but I'm very content after this bar.

Overall review: Get it! It's the healthiest treat too spice up your life. This bar has become a daily habit. It's organic (no HFCS!!), has tons of nutrients and really tastes divine. I want one now.

Have you tried any other flavors of the Cliff Zbar? Let me know about them in the comments!

BEER: CUSTOM TASTING SESSIONS/THE WIDOWMAKER

Healthy Spirits is now offering custom beer tasting sessions, with tasting notes and suggestions! Planning a party? Come to us with a budget and a week's notice, and we will put together a tasting session that will be custom suited to your tastes.
In addition, we are offering a selection of pre-made sessions, which can be purchased with accompanying notes. This month's selection is a series of ludicrously strong ales that I like to call "THE WIDOWMAKER. Hence the skull. Check it out!

Cheers,

Dave

BOTM SEPTEMBER/NEW RELEASES

Just wanted to remind everyone, in case some people didn't get my phone messages, that September's BEER OF THE MONTH is now ready for pickup. This month's exclusive selections are:

1. Mikkeller Black
2. Mikkeller "It's Alive!"

ALSO:
There is a new addition to our beer family.

1. Augustinerbrau Maximator-$3.99

Just try it, you'll like it.

Cheers!

dave

Dear Self

Yes, the scale was up. Don't act so surprised.

Inspirational notes everywhere, a personal trainer, fresh produce, fancy workout gear and plans galore will not get you to your goal if you don't put the effort in with nutrition. You know the calorie range that makes you lose. You know that that is what makes progress.

So if you continue to sneak that extra snack in at work because you're just so hungry or if your post-workout snack turns into a sampling of the entire kitchen, you will gain weight. Follow the plan (even when it is a little tough) and move toward the right direction.

You can do this.

Life at Sea

My mom and I just got back from our cruise in the Bahamas. We went to celebrate her birthday (August 31) and mine (September 26). We had a great time. The cruise ship was interesting, but the whole trip was priceless.

We found the Imperial Majesty cruise line through a promotional offer. We originally believed it to be a scam although we eventually jumped on board and paid all due fees. However, from the moment we arrived to the hotel the night before the cruise, the whole thing screamed dingy scam everywhere. Later on I discovered we're not the only ones angry about the scam.

We actually tried to get off the ship. It was so dirty, stunk so bad and there was so little to do... but we stayed on. Let's put it this way: When the lady at guest services in the Bahamas asked what ship we were on, she said, "Oh- the dingy!" Needless to say, we (and all of the "guests", really) made fun of the ship A LOT! We ended up meeting some really great people and having an awesome time.

Here's a recap in photographs.
Longest post EVER.

A little about the ship...

Towels spotted with brown and yellow... topped with a few hairs. (That screams clean!):
Artwork in our closet. Oops, I mean in our "room":
Don't worry- they had sculptures by the water coolers.
Our "hallway"! (Notice the "Dead End" sign- they were at the end of every hallway):
...tons of on-board entertainment:
See how enthused my mom was about the ship!:
Smoky karaoke (this was so much fun! We actually stayed here for hours)...
Olympic sized swimming pool (yes, this was the only pool):
...THE Grand Lounge:
When all else fails, there's drinking.
But thank God we splurged and upgraded to the window room (you had to stand on the bed in order to see out the "window"):
The cruise ship was small. Needless to say, there was some serious cruise ship envy at the port. See this picture below? That's it. That's the entire open section of the cruise ship.:
Styrofoam cups and coolers of water. Classy.:
At least they had an arcade!!!
Let me tell you- there were so many hotties on board!
This has got to be the funniest part. Most cruise ships will take pictures of the guests in front of their grand staircase on the formal night. What does our ship do? They bring in a screen with a photo of a real ship's staircase for people to pose in front of!!!!!:
We did make friends (from all over the world, too! England, Russia, Alabama, Cuba, Amsterdam..!):
In the Bahamas my mom and I rented a scooter to take around town:

We went to the gorgeous resort Atlantis. There we walked through their aquarium and hung out on the beach and in the pool!:
A Bahamian marketplace ("Hi pretty girl... Why don't I show you something nice... Make an offer.."):
I got a sunburn :( All over..:
It was a memorable experience with my mom.