One of the main problems with nutrition supplements and the like is their hefty price tag. Most bars and gels are over $1 each even if you buy a 12 pack, and filling a bottle with sports drink tacks another dollar on there. Over the course of a week it’s not surprising to top $10 worth of this stuff! (Which comes out to over $500 a year!)

Plus, all the foil wrappers scattered in the woods and along the road (and in the landfills) don’t do much good for the environment. So what can you do?

You could make your own energy bars, which I do sometimes, but that can be a hassle, especially if you don’t cook much. But I’ll admit that my favorite thing about Powerbars is that nice foil wrapper that peels away nicely. Can’t really do that with your homemade bars.

Now there’s a happy-medium, though. You can buy a pack of energy bar ingredients and you just bake them at home, leaving the recipe to the experts.

$5 buys enough mix to make a dozen bars, saving you about 60%. More info: www.matisseandjacks.com

I haven’t tried these yet, but if you want, I’ll try to pick some up and review them later this season.

After reading a review of Click Bloks at active.com, I’m anxious to try them.

While basically an alternative to gel, they offer something different to chew on. They’re like gummy bears in a way.

Not exactly like the FRS health chews, but similar, because both are like candy!

And a 2 serving bag is $2, right on par with gels. The active.com review made them sound real tasty. Let’s see…