Archive for the ‘Burning Man’ Category

Protein Bar Review #23: Pure Bar Ancient Grains Peanut Butter Chocolate Bar

Posted: September 25, 2015 in Bike Culture, Burning Man, Cooking, Science
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Post 23 - Pure Bar Ancient Grains

Brand: Pure Bar

Product: Ancient Grains Peanut Butter Chocolate Bar

Weight: 1.23oz / 35g

Cost: $2.19/per from manufacturer

Stats

Calories: 160

Total Fat: 9g, Sat. Fat 1.5g

Cholesterol: 0g

Sodium: 65mg

Potassium: 135mg

Total Carb: 17g

Fiber: 2g

Sugars: 8g

Protein: 5g

Protein per ounce: 4.06g

Protein, Cost per gram: $0.44

Carb to Protein Ratio: 3.4-1

Vit A: 0% DV

Vit C: 0% DV

Calcium: 2% DV

Iron: 4% DV

Organic, non-GMO, gluten free, soy free, and vegan.

Flavor:

As awesome as the Chocolate Brownie bar was, is about as disappointing as this Peanut Butter Chocolate Bar tasted. I had pretty high hopes for Pure Bar after that protein-dense brownie bar rocked my world to its very core. While the taste and mouth-feel of the last bar were spot-on perfect for being a delicious brownie with some nutrients hidden away in the mix, this bar had a mouth-feel that reminded me of a dry granola bar that they tried to jazz up with some bits of chocolate.

The one major selling point to this bar is that it is physically the lightest weight/smallest bar I have reviewed. I’m not actually sure if that even is a selling point, since it is not the most nutrient dense (not by a long shot) meaning you’d be better off eating a piece of an Organic Food Bar or a 22 Days bar rather than ever trying this disappointment. That being said, the small size of this bar manages to give it a protein-density greater than the Pure Bar Chocolate Brownie, the Kit’s Organic Bar, and all of the Simple Squares. The carb-to-protein ratio is also right in the ideal window. But, the price per gram of protein here is the worst out of every bar I have reviewed, making this the worst buy so far.  This bar did have the lowest amount of sugar out of all the bars I have reviewed, making this ideal for anyone who is diabetic.

Protein Bar Review #22: 22 Days Coconut Chocolate Chip Protein Bar

Posted: September 17, 2015 in Bike Culture, Burning Man, Cooking, Science
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Hey readers, I am back from the Black Rock Desert and my third trip out to Burning Man. Now I can speak from experience as to which protein bars actually held up best in the intense desert heat (which was significantly less intense than previous years). I’ll be trying to settle back into my groove of 1-2 of these a week now that life has gone back to relative normalcy.

Post 22 - 22 Days Coconut Chocolate Chip

Brand: 22 Days

Product: Coconut & Chocolate Chip Protein Bar

Weight: 2.6oz / 75g

Cost: $2.99/per from manufacturer.

Stats

Calories: 290

Total Fat: 12g, Sat. Fat 4.5g

Cholesterol: 0g

Sodium: 5mg

Total Carb: 33g

Fiber: 12g

Sugars: 15g

Protein: 20g

Protein per ounce: 7.69g

Protein, Cost per gram: $0.15

Carb to Protein Ratio: 1.8-1

Vit A: 0% DV

Vit C: 2% DV

Calcium: 8% DV

Iron: 35% DV

Organic, plant based, vegan, non-GMO, soy free, gluten free.

Not made in gluten free facility.

Flavor:

It was faintly coconut tasting, not as strong as I would have liked but probably for the best since coconut can be one of those flavors where either you love it (like I do) or you hate it. The chocolate was definitely more of the central flavor in this bar and the overall flavor was quite pleasant. Like the other 22 Days bar I reviewed, the texture did remind me a bit of a power bar, really chewy but with a pleasant mouth feel. It did not have a shred of the dreaded chalky taste that typifies cheap protein; one of the major reasons I love this brand is they are entirely plant based without and cheap whey, wheat, or soy protein as fillers. The importance of this point cannot be overstated as most protein bars on the market are loaded with cheap filler proteins from China. Outside of the protein, there was a ton of iron, at 35% DV this would be the most iron-rich bar I have reviewed making it good for people who are iron deficient. This coconut protein bar manages to be even more nutrient dense than 22 Days peanut butter protein bar, not by much but by enough to be notable.

As I made note of in my first review on 22 Days Daily Mocha Mantra, 22 Days has some organic protein bars that pack 20 grams of protein into each bar. While they are a bit heftier than other bars by about half an ounce they still pack in more protein per ounce than anything else I have reviewed, even more than the Squarebar. These 22 Days bars still have the cheapest protein per gram cost at 15 cents a gram and the best density of any bar reviewed; at this point I doubt I will find anything better. While I did not bring any of this flavor with me to Burning Man, I did bring three other 22 Days bars and they all held up well (save for my walnut protein bar where it seemed that the factory seal didn’t hold in the heat, the bar still tasted great but it was kind of stale).

Protein Bar Review #21: Simple Squares Coffee Nuts and Honey Snack Bar

Posted: August 13, 2015 in Bike Culture, Burning Man, Cooking, Science
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Post 21 - Simple Squares Coffee

Brand: Simple Squares

Product: Coffee Nuts & Honey Organic Snack Bar

Weight: 1.6oz / 45g

Cost: $2.49/per from manufacturer

Stats

Calories: 230

Total Fat: 17g, Sat. Fat 5g

Cholesterol: 0g

Sodium: 95mg

Total Carb: 16g

Fiber: 3g

Sugars: 10g

Protein: 6g

Protein per ounce: 3.75g

Protein, Cost per gram: $0.41

Carb to Protein Ratio: 2.6-1

Vit A: 0% DV

Vit C: 0% DV

Calcium: 4% DV

Iron: 10% DV

Organic, gluten free, wheat free, kosher, no refined sugars, soy and dairy free.

Not made in a gluten free facility.

Flavor:

It would seem I spoke too soon when I said the Daily Mocha Mantra bar, from my first post, was the only one made with real organic coffee; now that I have had the coffee Simple Square I know my error. It would seem there are two made with coffee (if any of you readers know of another one let me know). The flavor was similar to the ginger Simple Square, but with hints of coffee instead of ginger. It was not nearly as tasty as the coconut Simple Square I started with, but hey, it had coffee in it so that’s pretty cool, right? The mouth feel of all of these Simple Squares is the same, as the ingredients are virtually identical in all of their products. Simple Square created one template to rule them all, and then made a bunch of flavors to apply to that template. The nutrient content is not very good and the protein ratio is also lacking, the major win for this bar is that it is made with coffee and is still kosher.

Another win for the entire Simple Square family of products is that they have nothing in them to melt in high heat situations, making them all great for Burning Man. I picked up a few Simple Squares and other bars that seem Burn-friendly to bring out with me this year to test them first-hand in the desert heat.

Protein Bar Review #19: Evo Hemp Pineapple Almond + Raw Protein

Posted: July 24, 2015 in Bike Culture, Burning Man, Cooking, Science
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Post 19 - Evo Hemp Pineapple Almond

Brand: Evo Hemp

Product: Pineapple Almond + Raw Protein (Hemp Powder)

Weight: 1.69oz /48g

Cost: $2.25/per from manufacturer

Stats

Calories: 205

Total Fat: 10g, Sat. Fat 1g

Cholesterol: 0g

Sodium: 0mg

Potassium: 280mg

Total Carb: 22g

Fiber: 4g

Sugars: 11g

Protein: 8g

Protein per ounce: 4.73g

Protein, Cost per gram: $0.28

Vit A: 0% DV

Vit B1: 4% DV

Vit B6: 4% DV

Vit C: 2% DV

Vit E: 15% DV

Magnesium: 20% DV

Zinc: 2% DV

Calcium: 6% DV

Iron: 15% DV

Phosphorous: 10% DV

Manganese: 15% DV

Organic, raw, gluten free, vegan, and soy free.

Flavor:

If you couldn’t tell from my previous posts, I love hemp, so the idea of a protein bar largely made of hemp definitely has some appeal. The flavor wasn’t particularly inspiring nor unpleasant in any way. It was somewhat sweet, yet savory, the dates that make up much of the bar are a large flavor component. This Evo Hemp bar didn’t have as good of a flavor or mouth feel as the last one I reviewed for post #4, but it did have more protein, magnesium, manganese and other minerals. The protein per ounce ratio on the Evo Hemp bars isn’t as high as many of the bars I have reviewed but it also isn’t the lowest, and for the price it makes this a very well-rounded middle of the road protein bar, with a lot of auxiliary nutrients for those who need them. The extra minerals and bromelian from the pineapple would be a great asset for anyone who is mineral deprived or needs a little extra boost recovering from an MDMA hangover, which could be great at festivals like Burning Man (if you take MDMA). The lack of chocolate coupled with the bromelian makes this an ideal protein bar for Burning Man, especially if you intend to take MDMA out there.

Protein Bar Review #17: Organic Food Bar – Protein

Posted: July 9, 2015 in Bike Culture, Burning Man, Cooking, Science
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Post 17 - Organic Food Bar Protein

 

Brand: Organic Food Bar

Product: Protein

Weight: 2.65z / 60g

Cost: $3.29/per, online

Stats

Calories: 330

Total Fat: 9g, Sat. Fat 1.4g

Cholesterol: 0g

Sodium: 5mg

Potassium: 364mg

Total Carb: 33g

Fiber: 8g

Sugars: 18g

Protein: 22g

Protein per ounce: 8.3g

Protein, Cost per gram: $0.15

Carb to Protein Ratio: 1.5-1

Vit A: 0% DV

Vit C: 0% DV

Calcium: 10% DV

Iron: 9% DV

Organic, 100% raw, gluten free, cold processed, alkaline forming, non-GMO, vegan, and produced with solar power.

Not made in a gluten-free facility.

Flavor:

I was a little skeptical when I saw the package, the package kind of reminds me of a Power Bar or some other generic protein bar full of fake garbage. Upon closer inspection I saw a really simple ingredient list and none of it was a chemical or something synthetic. This bar was 100% raw and 100% deliciously awesome. While it was the most expensive bar I have reviewed in terms of total cost, the protein per gram cost was one of the lowest and this bar had the highest amount of protein out of any bar I have reviewed so far. This was a very solid protein bar with lots of potassium, but it really didn’t have any other nutrients worth noting. I am intrigued to check out other bars by this company to see if they have something comparable on the protein but with more other nutrients as well. The flavor was pleasant but also kind of bland, it tasted strongly of the dates and nut butter that make it up. You could see the sesame seeds in it and occasionally get a small crunch from them. It had a mouth feel similar to a Power Bar, but softer. The complete lack of chocolate would make this a great bar for Burning Man

 

Protein Bar Review #15: Pure Bar Chocolate Brownie Bar

Posted: July 6, 2015 in Bike Culture, Burning Man, Cooking, Science
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Post 15 - Pure Bar Chocolate Brownie

Brand: Pure Bar

Product: Chocolate Brownie Bar

Weight: 1.7oz / 48g

Cost: $2.19/per from manufacturer

Stats

Calories: 190

Total Fat: 8g, Sat. Fat 1g

Cholesterol: 0g

Sodium: 5mg

Potassium: 250mg

Total Carb: 26g

Fiber: 4g

Sugars: 18g

Protein: 6g

Protein per ounce: 3.53g

Protein, Cost per gram: $0.37

Carb to Protein Ratio: 4.33-1

Vit A: 0% DV

Vit C: 0% DV

Calcium: 2% DV

Iron: 8% DV

Organic, non-GMO, gluten free, soy free, and vegan.

Not made in a gluten free facility.

Flavor:

Sometimes labels can be deceiving, not the case here. I read chocolate brownie bar and I was worried it might taste like failure, but I could feel a brownie-like texture through the package and those fears dissipated. Honestly, it was so delicious I totally forgot to take a photo of it until after eating it. It tasted like a brownie and had the mouth feel of a brownie, but it had more nutrients than a brownie which was awesome. Like the Simple Squares, the Pure Bar has very few ingredients, clocking in at only 7. The ingredients were similar to the Kit’s Organic Bar I reviewed the other day, but with a much, much better taste.

The complete lack of meltable chocolate makes this an ideal bar for bringing along to Burning Man, especially since it manages to really taste like a chocolatey brownie. The protein ratio isn’t amzing, the price per protein isn’t amazing, but it has a good amount of potassium and besides, the flavor is AMAZING. I wouldn’t hesitate to say this might be the most delicious bar I have reviewed.

[100th Post] Hey everyone, this is my 100th post on this blog. Just wanted to thank you all for reading my blog! Here is looking at 100 more posts!

Protein Bar Review #14: Kit’s Organic Fruit + Nut Bar – Peanut Butter

Posted: July 5, 2015 in Bike Culture, Burning Man, Cooking, Science
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Post 14 - Kits Organic

Brand: CLIFBar

Product: Kit’s Organic Fruit + Nut Bar –  Peanut Butter

Weight: 1.8z / 50g

Cost: $1.50/per from manufacturer

Stats

Calories: 200

Total Fat: 11g, Sat. Fat 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat 4g, Monounsaturated Fat 5g

Cholesterol: 0g

Sodium: 95mg

Potassium: 320mg

Total Carb: 25g

Fiber: 4g

Sugars: 15g

Protein: 6g

Protein per ounce: 3.33g

Protein, Cost per gram: $0.25

Carb to Protein Ratio: 4.16-1

Vit A: 0% DV

Vit C: 0% DV

Calcium: 2% DV

Iron: 4% DV

Organic, gluten free, soy free, dairy free, and vegan.

Not made in a gluten free facility.

Flavor:

Much like the Simple Squares I reviewed for posts three and eleven, the Kit’s Organic bar is amazingly simple and manages to have even fewer ingredients. This bar is nothing but dates, peanuts, almonds, and sea salt. The peanuts and dates take over the front half of the flavor profile and the almonds and salt round it out and give this very simple bar a lot of complexity. While the protein wasn’t all that high compared to most of the bars I have reviewed it is well costed and comes from macrobiotic sources (though the product isn’t labeled as such). The Kit’s Organic bar has a high amount of potassium which is good for people like me who are prone to cramps and need lots of potassium in our diet, especially around working out.

I like CLIF bar because they tell you how much poly and monounsaturated fat is in the bar; most of the other bars I reviewed contained comparable amounts but few brands actually record it. Poly and monounsaturated fats are the so-called good fats, though there is some debate over how good a diet high in monounsaturated fat is; to simplify things, it depends on your lifestyle and demographics, talk to your doctor for a better description of the various types of fats.

This would be a great protein bar for bringing to Burning Man because it has nothing to melt and every ingredient is self-stable, meaning this will never need refrigeration ever, even in the crazy heats of the Black Rock Desert. While this bar itself isn’t anything terribly special it would make a great base recipe for making your own protein bars (a teaser of things to come on this blog).

Protein Bar Review #13: GoMacro Protein Paradise Cashew Caramel

Posted: July 3, 2015 in Bike Culture, Burning Man, Cooking, Science
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 Post 13 - GoMacro Caramel Cashew

Brand: GoMacro

Product: Protein Paradise Cashew Caramel

Weight: 2.1oz / 60g

Cost: $2.89/per from manufacturer

Stats

Calories: 260

Total Fat: 12g, Sat. Fat 3.5g

Cholesterol: 0g

Sodium: 10mg

Total Carb: 37g

Fiber: 2g

Sugars: 10g

Protein: 12g

Protein per ounce: 5.71g

Protein, Cost per gram: $0.24

Carb to Protein Ratio: 3.08-1

Vit A: 0% DV

Vit C: 2% DV

Calcium: 2% DV

Iron: 15% DV

Organic, gluten free, non-GMO, sustainably sourced, macrobiotic, and vegan.

Not made in a gluten free facility.

Flavor:

Very similar mouth feel to the other GoMacro bar I reviewed, kind of like the texture of a Clif bar but a bit chewier. This did not have the chocolate chips that the last GoMacro bar did, which makes it kind of mediocre by comparison. I had expected more out of the caramel flavor which was barely noticeable. The whole bar tasted rather bland, nothing to write home about on the flavor front but nutritionally this bar was pretty decent. Like the other GoMacro bar, this one had a significant amount of iron making it good for people who are iron deficient. Past the iron and protein there really wasn’t much going on. The protein to gram ratio and the cost were middle of the road, neither particularly bad but neither exceptional either. I would sooner pay the extra 10 cents a bar to get a 22 Days Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Protein Bar, which is better in all ways compared to both GoMacro bars I reviewed.

This would be a great protein bar to bring to Burning Man because it has no chocolate in it or anything to get melty (no liquid caramel).

Protein Bar Review #12: 22 Days Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Protein Bar

Posted: July 2, 2015 in Bike Culture, Burning Man, Cooking, Science
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Brand: 22 Days

Product: PB & Chocolate Chip Nirvana

Weight: 2.6oz / 75g

Cost: $2.99/per from manufacturer.

Stats

Calories: 280

Total Fat: 10g, Sat. Fat 2.5g, Poly Unsaturated 2.5g, Mono Unsat. 6.5%

Cholesterol: 0g

Sodium: 0mg

Total Carb: 36g

Fiber: 10g

Sugars: 17g

Protein: 20g

Protein per ounce: 7.69g

Protein, Cost per gram: $0.15

Carb to Protein Ratio: 1.8-1

Vit A: 0% DV

Vit C: 2% DV

Calcium: 4% DV

Iron: 35% DV

Fair Trade organic, plant based, vegan, non-GMO, soy free, gluten free, Natural Food Certified, Produced with Solar Energy.

Not made in gluten free facility.

Flavor:

You might look at this and think it will be your standard, boring, peanut butter chocolate protein bar. If you do think that prepare to be totally wrong. This is what CLIF bars wishes it tasted like and what Power Bar wishes it could power up to be. The texture did remind me a bit of a power bar, really chewy but with a pleasant mouth feel. It did not have a shred of the dreaded chalky taste that typifies cheap protein; one of the major reasons I love this brand is they are entirely plant based without and cheap whey, wheat, or soy protein as fillers. The importance of this point cannot be overstated as most protein bars on the market are loaded with cheap filler proteins from China. Outside of the protein, there was a ton of iron, at 35% DV this would be the most iron-rich bar I have reviewed making it good for people who are iron deficient.

As I made note of in my first review on 22 Days Daily Mocha Mantra, 22 Days has some organic protein bars that pack 20 grams of protein into each bar. While they are a bit heftier than other bars by about half an ounce they still pack in more protein per ounce than anything else I have reviewed, even more than the Squarebar. Amazingly, these bars also have the cheapest protein per gram cost at 15 cents a gram. For the great flavor and nutrient density at the best price, I may have found my new go-to protein bar; at least when I don’t want coffee with my protein. I would totally bring this to Burning Man as well, the chocolate was mixed into the peanut butter base and I would not expect this to get melty in the desert sun.

Protein Bar Review #11: Simple Squares Ginger Coconut Honey Snack Bar

Posted: June 30, 2015 in Bike Culture, Burning Man, Cooking, Science
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Post 11 - Simple Square Ginger

Brand: Simple Squares

Product: Nuts, Ginger, and Honey Organic Snack Bar

Weight: 1.6oz / 45g

Cost: $2.49/per from manufacturer

Stats

Calories: 230

Total Fat: 17g, Sat. Fat 5g

Cholesterol: 0g

Sodium: 95mg

Total Carb: 16g

Fiber: 3g

Sugars: 10g

Protein: 6g

Protein per ounce: 3.75g

Protein, Cost per gram: $0.41

Carb to Protein Ratio: 2.6-1

Vit A: 0% DV

Vit C: 0% DV

Calcium: 4% DV

Iron: 10% DV

Organic, gluten free, kosher, no refined sugars, soy and dairy free.

Not made in a gluten free facility.

Flavor:

It’s been a couple weeks since I last reviewed a Simple Square so it is time for another go, this time with the ginger flavor. The ginger one is just like the coconut Simple Square, but with added ginger which, as a fan of ginger, I thought I would like but I actually found it kind of off-putting. I love the Simple Square for it’s simplicity, even though this one is slightly less simple with seven ingredients. The flavor wasn’t bad, it wasn’t good, it was best described as mediocre. Maybe I had my standards set too high after the coconut Simple Square, but this one was a real let down, especially compared to the Squarebar. I would say the major selling point here is that it is kosher, which I imagine is a huge win for people who keep a kosher diet but I don’t so it’s not relevant to me.

Just like the last Simple Square reviewed, this one has nothing to get melted in high heat situations, which makes it great for Burning Man. Personally, I would still opt for the coconut one over this ginger one.

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