First and foremost, thank you so much for the sweet birthday wishes!  Each and every comment made me smile and reminded me of how lucky I am to have “met” such awesome people through blogging.  So thankful!

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A couple of weeks ago, I was on a mission to find the “best” protein bar the marketplace has to offer.  To be completely honest, I prefer to get my protein from real foods.  However, for those days where lunch doesn’t fill you up or you need a little snack to keep you going until dinner, I think a good wholesome bar is a-okay!  This issue was finding one that fit my criteria…

• short ingredient list
• <200 calories
• >8 grams of quality protein
• low in sugar

What I didn’t want was a candy bar disguised as a protein bar.  I wanted something that I could feel good about eating. 

So, I polled my Facebook friends and Greatist family for recommendations.  But many of the suggested bars I wanted to try were not available in my local grocery store or Whole Foods.  So I continued on with my research.  And then I came across The Simply Bar.  It honestly sounded too good to be true.  Check out the stats…

• 16 grams of protein
• 2-4 grams of fat
• under 3 grams of sugar
• 4 grams of fiber
• 160 calories or less
• <10 ingredients per bar

After learning that my local Whole Foods doesn’t carry this brand either, I decided to take matters into my own hands.  I emailed the company and asked if they could send me some bars to try in exchange for an honest review on my blog.  Bada bing bada boom – a few bars were at my doorstep within days.  Gotta love that!

Obviously, I decided to try the Peanut Butter Chocolate bar first.  So I packed it with the rest of my food for the day and headed to work.  Like clockwork, I felt a little hungry around 3:00 pm so I decided to try the bar and see if it would keep me full until dinner.

Before I get to that, let me just say that these bars remind me of cross between a granola bar and a rice krispy treat.  Very soft and chewy.  And unlike a lot of the other kinds out there, The Simply Bars are not coated in chocolate.  I’m not going to lie, I was a little disappointed at first.  However, , like I said before, I’m not looking for a candy bar.  And as far as size is concerned, the bars are pretty substantial.  It’s not a three bit bar by any means.  

Now, to answer the million dollar question – yes, after eating the bar at 3:00 pm, I was NOT hungry until right around dinner time (7:30 pm).  Not bad!  And I consistently found that to be to be the case with all four bars.

As far as flavor is concerned, the Peanut Butter Chocolate bar was my favorite because it actually tasted like PB + chocolate.  The soft, chewy bar was the perfect afternoon snack.  My second favorite flavor was the Caramel Peanut.  Again, true to its name, the bar had a warm, nutty caramel taste.  I’m telling you, both times it was like eating a flavored rice krispy treat!  Unfortunately, the Lemon Coconut and the Cinnamon Pecan flavors just didn’t do it for me.  The lemon and cinnamon flavors were too overpowering and tasted artificial.  But then again, I’m much more of a chocolate/peanut person, so it’s no surprise that I preferred the other two flavors more.

I think these bars are a great option for someone looking to add a little more protein to his/her diet without increasing anything else.  I still can’t get over the stats!

Another important point is that these bars are also gluten-free, vegan, and kosher, which makes them pretty perfect for almost any kind of diet. 

If you’re like me and searching for a quality protein bar, I definitely recommend you try The Simply Bar to see if it’s for you.  And again, I still think the best way to increase protein intake is by eating fresh whole foods.  However, this is a great grab and go option that will definitely fill you up. 

In other news…

…it’s Friday, and I am ready for the weekend to begin!  Have a good one!

Any protein bar recommendations that fit my requirements?  Please share!