Happy Friday All!!

I started off my morning with one of these.

I would have loved to have one of these but it’s just not as enjoyable to eat them by myself.

I’m gearing up and looking forward to my long run tomorrow which got me thinking about refueling and in specific the protein bars that I have tried the last few weeks.

After receiving a box of The Simply Bar protein bars  last week, I was tempted to try a different brand to compare between the two and see which one I prefer. So I decided to buy two different flavors of the Clif Bars  when I was wandering around the grocery store with GMan.

I tried the Crunchy Peanut Butter and Black Cherry Almond. No, don’t worry… I didn’t eat these babies all in one shot.

Flavor-wise between the two bars, I liked the crunchy peanut butter (obviously). You can’t go wrong with anything peanut butter. Or can you?  This bar was chewy and the loads of peanut pieces (try saying that three times fast!) throughout the bar added a nice crunch. The bar was a decent size and not too small. I was satisfied after eating it and the bar tied me over for at least an hour until it was snack time again. I did say I am a snacking machine, didn’t I? I wasn’t joking.

The good thing about these bars is that they are easy to find. You can buy them online  (you can also find them in some grocery stores and Costco) and it’s only $15.00 for a box of twelve. Quite a difference in price when compared to a box (containing fifteen) of The Simply Bars  for $32.25.

The Black Cherry Almond was good but I found it to be a little bit sweet. I know… how is that even possible. I ask myself the same question. I liked the chunk of dried cherries and just like the peanuts in the other bar, the almonds really added to the overall texture. The Clif Bars didn’t have that chalky protein taste to them what-so-ever, so that’s always an added bonus!

If I was a protein bar fanatic, I would definitely try these bars again and maybe even be daring and try a different flavor like the White Chocolate Macadamia Nut. Now that sounds good! The only thing I didn’t like about these two Clif Bars is that they have a whopping 250 calories per bar. In my opinion, that’s a lot. What do you think? I know it’s important to get enough calories when your training hard, but part of me runs to burn calories aswell.  I would rather spread those 250 calories out rather than consume them all in one shot! Call me crazy, but that’s my opinion.

  Peanut Butter Crunch Clif Bar                   VS.              The Simply Bar – PB Chocolate

CAL:          250                                                                                         160

FAT:            6                                                                                              3

Protein:     12                                                                                            16

CARBS:      40                                                                                            16

Sugar:        18                                                                                           10

I guess it all depends on personal peference and convenience for some. I personally do not refuel after a run with a protein bar. I’m boring and always normally  mix a big scoop of protein powder (chocolate of course), a banana and milk in the vitamix. I love it and it refreshes me after a hard workout! About five minutes after that I’m probably enjoying a piece of toast with peanut butter.

PS: I realized that my contact page wasn’t working properly so I apologize if you’ve emailed me and I haven’t replied. I promise I’m not rude and ignoring you. It is now fixed, so you can email me again!  Remember.. I’m new to this blogging world, go easy on me :)