Sure, eating homemade food 100% of the time is ideal, but - let's face it - not realistic! I love to cook and make meals from scratch, but I am the first to admit that when there is a "shortcut" I find completely acceptable I totally go for it. That includes sandwich bread (made with 5 whole ingredients from a local bakery), store bought plain yogurt (that is both organic and made with whole milk), strawberry "all fruit" jam (when the summer gets away from me and I just don't have time for canning), and - no doubt about it - snacks!
When you find yourself cooking from scratch every night for dinner and even some days for lunch and breakfast, I agree it can be hard to muster up the energy to consistently make homemade snacks as well. So that's why I am excited to share two of the "cleanest" store bought snacks currently on the market from two companies that I love, and that also happen to be sponsors of ours! We are very selective with the sponsors we work with on this blog, and there's nothing better than being able to promote products that I already purchase on my own.
So I present to you...
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LÄRABAR
I am not going to lie - I always have one of these in my purse for an "emergency snack" and it's usually my favorite flavor, Cashew Cookie. I also always bring quite a few of these along when we travel. It's a great way to supplement a meal or hold you over until you can find some decent grub.
Here are the highlights:
- You will find no more than 9 ingredients in any of their bars (mostly different combinations of fruits, nuts, and spices).
- All of their products are Gluten Free, Non-GMO, and Kosher, with the majority of them being Vegan, Soy Free, and Dairy Free, as well.
- They are currently offering two seasonal flavors for the fall, Pumpkin Pie and Snickerdoodle (available through the end of the year).
- The bars do not freeze or melt, making them the perfect snack for summer OR snow adventures.
- Their brand is enrolled in the Non-GMO Project, and their products are in the process of certification.
- Through a partnership with TerraCycle, their wrappers are recyclable.
Peeled Snacks
My daughters both love dried fruit, and I love knowing that Peeled Snacks brand is both organic and also has no added sugar (or oil or preservatives!), which is sometimes hard to find. The favorite variety in our house is dried apples, and it's a great addition to a quick little trail mix either for a snack or the lunch box.
Here are the highlights:
- Their fruit products are (naturally) gluten-, soy-, dairy-, and sulfite-free.
- Their company is certified organic, and since some of the fruits they offer, like apples, are at the top of the dirty dozen list I think this is a great thing.
- As I mentioned they do not contain any added refined sugar, oil or preservatives.
- To find out where to purchase Peeled Snacks check out their website!
Well, there you have it...two great, super "clean" store bought snack options for when you are on the go. What are your favorite LÄRABAR and Peeled Snack varieties? Please share with us in the comments!
Laura says
I recently printed out a list of companies that support GMO labeling and those who do not. Surprisingly, some of the food companies are makers of a lot of the popular organic foods. These companies usually started small and were bought up by big food companies. Larabar was on the list as "Not" supporting GMO labeling. I got this list from Dr. Mercola's website. Or from http://WWW.cornucopia.org. I believe that is were you can find it and print it out. It will tell you which companies support GMO labeling. I no longer buy products (organic ones) that's all I buy, if they don't support us knowing what's being put in our food.
Becca says
Hi Lisa,
I was wondering if your girls play any sports? I have four boys and they all play a sport. After each game they get a snack. Not healthy. Mainly sugary drinks, chips and cookies. :( My boys are old enough to feel embarrassed if I bring "healthy snacks." I found this article that helped me start thinking how I can change parents views about bringing healthier snacks for after the games. Please share if you would like. Thanks :)
Becca
http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/clintonville/news/2012/05/02/soccer-mom-bananas-about-healthful-snacks.html
Kimberly says
Like Cherie, I also prefer Kind bars. Could you tell me your thoughts on them?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Kimberly. Unfortunately, they do not meet "the rules" criteria. Here is an example of a kind bar ingredient list: Almonds, pecans, honey, blueberry pieces (blueberries, sugar, apples, plums, apple juice, vegetable glycerin, citrus pectin, sunflower oil, natural blueberry flavor), cashews, non GMO glucose, raisins, chicory root fiber, crisp rice, soy lecithin. These are the ingredients you are unlikely to find in our real food pantry: glycerin, glucose, sunflower oil, and soy lecithin. That said, they are better than most bars that are on the market and many are low in sugars. Lara now makes an "uber" bar that is very similar to the Kind bars but with a superior ingredient list: http://www.larabar.com/products/roasted-nut-roll.
Liz says
Hi Amy,
I know this post is from awhile ago, but I just stumbled upon it and happened to read your comment. I wanted to correct your statement that "glucose" is not something you have in your pantry. Honey is made entirely of glucose and fructose (the individual building blocks of dimers and polymers such as maltose, sucrose, and starches) with roughly 45% being glucose and the remainder being fructose. It's incredibly important to be correct when dispensing nutrition advice and suggesting that there is no glucose in your pantry when your actively promote the use of honey is a bit disingenuous.
Thanks
Lizz
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello Liz. There was certainly not an attempt to deceive here but thanks for the clarification. We do not typically have a bottle of anything labeled just glucose in our pantry. We feel it is important to know the source. Is it a processed powdered form of glucose or is it a whole food ingredient, like honey? Kind now lists honey as an ingredient in addition to glucose. ~Amy
Becky says
Hello, my husband and I are starting the mini pledges for our New Years resolution, and are having a debate about whether Larabars are considered a fruit serving for week one. We read in your commentary that dried fruits such as raisins don't count... Do the dried fruits in Larabars count?
Cherie says
Does the amount of sugar in the LaraBar concern you at all? To me it is a big issue. I like Kind bars, a few of them have as little as 4g of sugar.
Clark S says
Hello Lisa!
I'm loving many of your posts and appreciate the information. I am studying to become a registered dietitian and I hope to one day help people incorporate real-whole foods back into their diet for optimal health. Another snack bar you might enjoy is Thunderbird Energetica and Epic Bars. They are 100% real food ingredients designed with optimal nutrition and health in mind. They include awesome nutrient packed ingredients like sweet potato, carrot, turmeric, cherries. They are my #1 snack when I am on the move and I think they would fit perfectly into what your lifestyle!
All the best!
Check it out!
http://www.thunderbirdenergetica.com
http://www.epicbar.com
Brittany @ proteinandpumps says
I LOVE Laravars. Especially the cashew cookie!
Anonymous says
I love this blog!!!
What do you all think of the Simply Balanced brand (it is a Target brand I think)? I love their fruit strips, dried fruit, fruit peel...etc. (All of their products are so yummy) From what I can tell, they are in the real food rules. Have you tried them?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi there. These must be relatively new? I have not tried them and I cannot find a place to view their ingredient lists online. I'll have to check them out next time I am in Target. ~Amy
Nina says
We like Pure bars. They are very similar to Larabars, but they are non-GMO. Only four of the Larabars flavors are non-GMO
http://shop.thepurebar.com/Pure-Fruit-and-Nut-Bars-/c/PureBar@Bars
Nikki K. says
Hello and thank you as always for all of your great info, recipes, tips, etc. I was wondering if you've ever "dehydrated" fruits by baking at a low temperature? I'm not even sure if my oven would go low enough, but I have been given a LOT of apples and was trying to think of another way to preserve/eat them (I don't know how to can, but have frozen some applesauce)
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Nikki. Here is a guest post on homemade fruit leathers: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/06/27/homemade-fruit-roll-ups-recipe-alana-chernila/. Enjoy. :) ~Amy
Pat Farrell says
Larabar is owned by General Mills who has been a supporter of not labeling GMOs. They contributed to both the the No on 37 (CA Right to Know) and the No on I522 (Washington state Right to Know). I DO NOT want to support companies who want to hide GMOs, no matter how organic they claim to be.
Didn't see the entry right above mine but it corroborates what I said.
JJ says
I can't believe you think lara bars are safe?! They are the kind of company that doesn't want you to have GMO labeled! THEY ARE OWNED BY GENERAL MILLS! Go to cornucopia.com to get the real answers on safe brands! Be careful with what you buy! http://www.cornucopia.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/I-522.poster.1101-1.pdf