As soon as I saw those bars, I was sure I was staring at what could be called “the low-price LARA BAR.”

According to the label, it’s an “all natural fruit and nut bar.” When you see the ingredients, you’d swear it was a LARA BAR – it’s a date bar with some nuts added in. Some of the ingredients are even organic, which is pretty sweet when you consider how I found these on sale for $4 a dozen! (At 33 cents each, I got these cheaper than most candy bars!)

The two flavors I tried are cocoa coconut and cashew, pecan, and honey. At first I thought both of them were kind of bland, but after having a few, I’m beginning to enjoy them.

Continue reading for flavor and nutrient comparisons…

Cocoa Coconut

Ingredients: Dates, almonds, walnuts coated with rosemary extract, honey, coconut, cocoa powder.

Simply put, this tastes like a chocolate bar. One of those semi-bland, organic types of chocolate bar. The first time I had it, I thought it was very bland and dry. After having two or three, the taste began to grow on me. I’m not a huge fan of chocolate, so I don’t love these, but they’re not bad. You do taste a little bit of coconut, too, so that adds to the flavor.

As for the texture, it’s more like Chunks of Energy than the LARA BAR, because these Simple Harvest bars are packed with walnuts and other goodies. The nuts and other additions overpower the date flavor and smooth texture. (I prefer the smoother, more ‘date-like’ texture.)

The best way to describe it is a combination of both; not quite as smooth as the LARA BAR, but not as grainy as the Chunks. It’s decent though (and I’d still prefer this over a Clif Bar or Powerbar.)

Coming in at 200 calories, it’s right on par with most energy bars and granola bars.

Cashew, Pecan, and Honey

Ingredients: Dates, pecans, cashews, honey.

On the other side of the taste spectrum we have the Cashew, Pecan, and Honey bar. It is much better, and sweeter, than the Cocoa Coconut, but I wish it had a shorter name. I think something more concise like “Honey Cashew” would do the trick.

Anyway, this bar tastes great and it’s sweet, which must be because of the added honey. I love cashews, too. But even with the nuts, the bar is still moist and chewy.

The soft texture is nice, but it sure goes down quick for being 240 calories. That’s great on the bike, though, when you just want a good source of energy that’s easy to eat. (Don’t you hate it when you waste energy trying to chew an energy bar?)

Overall I loved this flavor and will be buying as many as I can find at 33 cents each!!

Nutrient Comparison: LARABAR vs Simple Harvest Bar

Considering how similar these bars are, I thought it would be interesting to do a little nutrient comparison. On the chopping block we have a Pecan Pie LARABAR vs the Cashew, Pecan, Honey Simple Harvest bar:

Calories:
LARABAR 200, Simple Harvest 240. The 40 calorie difference looks substantial, except that a lot of energy bars vary from 190-240 calories based on the flavor, so this isn’t surprising.

Total Fat:
LARABAR 14g, Simple Harvest 14g. Exactly the same.

Sodium:
LARABAR 0mg, Simple Harvest 5mg. Practically the same.

Total Carbs:
LARABAR 22g, Simple Harvest 29g. This is about the only place they differ. The Simple Harvest bar brings 7 more grams of carbs to the table, which, again, is great for on-bike eating.

Sugars:
LARABAR 16g, Simple Harvest 21g. 5 of those 7 more grams mentioned above come straight from the sugar. (Which would be from the honey in this case.)

Fiber:
LARABAR 4g, Simple Harvest 4g. Exactly the same, once again.

Protein:
LARABAR 3g, Simple Harvest 3g. Exactly the same, yet again.

So overall these bars are pretty close. The LARABAR has a few more vitamins and minerals listed, but perhaps the Simple Harvest bar has them, too. It might just not list them all, because they aren’t that high in any certain mineral. (Plus, the ingredients are so similar, it would make sense.) The only real difference is that the Simple Harvest bar has more sugar content, but it has honey as an ingredient.

Based on that comparison, I’d actually recommend the Simple Harvest bar as an on-bike energy bar. The honey will go to good use, fueling your muscles!

My final verdict is…

These Quaker Simple Harvest Fruit and Nut Bars have a pretty good taste, they’re healthy, and they’re cheap. That’s perfect for me! As much as I love the LARA BAR, I’m always looking for the cheapest option! So, for $4 a dozen, I’m not passing these up!

I highly recommend the Cashew flavor. (But if you like chocolate, go ahead and try the Cocoa Coconut.)

Website: www.QuakerSimpleHarvest.com

* Although I don’t see these bars mentioned anywhere on the site… (Perhaps they were just test marketed and discontinued because they are too much like health food?)

4/2/2008 Update:
I just got word from Quaker and unfortunately these bars have been discontinued!! My advice is to make your way to a Big Lots department store and buy all that you can for $4/dozen!

We’ll start off the Water Bottle Wednesday series by looking at this nice water bottle from Trek Bikes.

This is a quality water bottle that looks and feels good. The color and design make it more apt to a beach cruiser, as I don’t know of many racing bikes in the baby blue and navy blue color scheme!

But it works. It’s actually on par with the Specialized brand water bottles, so I wouldn’t hesitate to use it in a race situation.

What’s cooler, though, is how I got it. It was actually a door prize (which I rarely win) at the 2007 Shannock Valley Community Festival MTB race (which I’ve done about five times now.) It might be my only door prize though!

Thanks goes out to Trailz End Multisport Bicycle Shop of Indiana, PA for donating it. I’ve used it over 6 months now and it still looks good!

Being an endurance athlete, you probably consume energy bars, right? I know I do. They are full of carbs, electrolytes, and calories, and they are easy to eat while riding. What’s not to love?

Well, in some cases, the taste!

For the most part, energy bars are a vital component in the endurance athlete’s arsenal. However, they aren’t the best idea for meal replacements. There is no substitute for healthy, unprocessed foods, (and I think we would all agree on that, even if we don’t always take our own advice.)

And that’s why I hate people saying that energy bars are terrible, like Dr. Weil does in his article, “Are Food Bars Food?”

At the beginning of his article, he even admits that the bars were created for endurance athletes. But then he goes on to say that the bars are unhealthy choices for regular people… I agree with that, but he makes it sound like the energy bars are the devil, which I wholeheartedly disagree with.

You can’t blame the energy bars for making people unhealthy. You have to blame the people that eat the energy bars and then sit around on the couch. These bars aren’t meal replacements, they are to be consumed in addition to a healthy diet by people that need the excess calories.

Hell, when I’m looking at an energy bar, I think “the more carbs the better!” (Obviously this sentiment applies to endurance athletes and not dieters, so if you are just looking for someone to bash sugar and energy bars, you’ve come to the wrong place.)

Now, maybe Dr. Weil has a grudge against high fructose corn syrup. That’s fine, because I do, too. But where are you going to find high fructose corn syrup these days?

It’s certainly not found in the new Powerbars, Cheetah Bars, Detour Bars, Chunks of Energy, or LARA BARS.

So it seems Dr. Weil is just attacking our beloved energy bars in order to promote his own line of food bars geared towards regular people who need a quick and convenient meal. (Go ahead and promote your stuff, but don’t knock our energy bars because some people use them incorrectly.)

I don’t think I need to go any further for you to realize what’s going on here. (If I had my name on energy bars, I’d promote them everywhere, too!) But as you can see, I didn’t have to look far to find numerous examples of healthy energy bars.

What’s the most important part of your bike ride? A sweet carbon frame? Supple tires? Your helmet?

The jury is out on the most important part, but one of the most important accessories for almost all cyclists is the water bottle. It allows us to carry water and therefore, stay hydrated.

It’s so simple and convenient yet often ignored.

I’ll admit, I take my water bottles for granted sometimes. But when I drop one on the road or if one shakes out on a rough section of singletrack without me knowing, I sure miss it!

That’s why every Wednesday (starting next week) I’ll have a post dedicated to a certain water bottle or story involving the glorious “water bottle.”

Also, since I might not have enough water bottles and stories to fill the spot every single week, I’m inviting submissions. If you have a water bottle you love or a great story behind one, send in the story along with a pic of the bottle if possible, and I just might publish it!

If you are a company looking for promotion of your specialty water bottle or just a regular water bottle with your logo on it, send it in, too. I’ll feature it in this column, and hey, I can never have too many water bottles!

Stay tuned!

Water Bottle Wednesday Archives:

• #1 Trek Bottle from Trailz End
• #2 Gatorade 32oz Water Bottle
• #3 Never Reach, the $99 Water Bottle
• #4 Announcing the New BPA-free Water Bottles
• #5 Polar Bottle
• #6 coming soon

Last month I mentioned where to get a coupon for a free bag of Flat Earth Veggie Crisps. I printed out a coupon and picked up a free bag, did you?

The flavor I got was actually Herb & Garlic Field. I had thought that Farmland Cheddar and Wild Berry Patch were the only flavors, but there are actually six flavors, ranging from herbs and cheddar to peaches and berry!

I thought I knew what to expect with “veggie crisps” but I was totally wrong. These Flat Earth Veggie Crisps were definitely not what I expected!

I thought they would be chips made out of vegetables. I swear I’ve seen actual veggie chips (kind of like apple chips, which are basically dried apple slices) in certain grocery stores. So I don’t think it was unreasonable to think these were going to be dried veggie chips…

But these were heavy on the “crisp” and low on the “veggie.” They are actually just like a baked potato chip! (The main ingredients are rice flour, potato flakes, corn oil, and modified corn starch.) The 1/2 serving of vegetables per serving comes from the dried veggie powder sprinkled on top!

So what are Flat Earth Veggie Crisps?

These veggie crisps are simply a healthier version of the potato chip. They’re definitely a processed food, and not exactly healthier than crackers like Wheat Thins. Think of Baked Lays or Pringles texture plus an herb/garlic cracker flavor. The ridged texture also reminds me of Ruffles potato chips.

Basically these are a healthy alternative for those who can’t resist potato chips, but definitely not something for you to consume as health food. And they definitely aren’t a substitute for getting your vegetables!

I mean, the taste is alright, kind of like any herb and garlic cracker. But think about this:

You can eat one can of green beans, and that will give you 3.5 servings of vegetables in just 90 calories and 0 grams of fat. To get that from these Veggie Crisps, you’d have to eat seven servings (more than one bag) totaling 910 calories and 35 grams of fat!!

My final verdict is…

These are a decent substitute for regular potato chips. They’re probably better than most crackers, too, since these do indeed have a 1/2 serving of vegetables in them.

But don’t go out of your way to eat these! They’re still processed foods and not exactly healthy. Now that I’ve gotten out of the habit of eating junk food like potato chips, I’ve not even that tempted to eat these! (I’d prefer something more hearty.)

Finally, they cost $2.99 for a six ounce bag. (A six ounce bag will be gone in to time.)

So they’re expensive and not very healthy… feel free to skip these if you see them on the shelves.

Website: flatearth.com