Sunday, September 19, 2010

Larabar Review and a Giveaway!

Hi guys! So, remember the other day with all the excitement of packages arriving and being ripped open? Well, I have had some time to nibble my way through all three flavors of Larabars that were so generously sent to me. I have also been distributing them to my friends and family, and have gotten their responses as well. Now it's time to tell you all about it!

First off, Larabar is a company that focuses on filling the body with only good-for-you, nutritious things. They believe that "food is most satisfying in its simplest form". These nut and fruit bars contain high quality ingredients for a simple and delicious product. I was VERY impressed upon reading the ingredients lists for these three flavors. The cashew bar has only two ingredients, and it happens to be my favorite! Score! No hidden, scary additives. No bizarre preservatives. I can even pronounce every ingredient! To top it all off, they are gluten, dairy and soy free, vegan, and kosher! Not too shabby!

Now, on to the flavors! As I said, the Cashew is my favorite, and Ben's favorite as well. All it has in it are dates and cashews! The thing I really like about this flavor is that it doesn't just taste date-y. Lots of date based bars lack much interest, and just taste like dates. Not the best. The cashew flavor really comes out in these, and although they are a bit plain, they are the perfect tasty snack.

The cocoa coconut chew bars were second in line. I had hoped that these would taste a bit more chocolatey than they did, given the name. It could use a bit more coconut for my taste buds, too, but it's otherwise a very good flavor. I do get more of a date flavor from this bar though. Containing dates, almonds, walnuts, cocoa powder and dried coconut it's another healthy choice!

Key lime was our least favorite, although I have different feelings about it each time I eat one. The lime and coconut flavors come through very strongly, which I liked a lot, but the sweetness from the dates just doesn't seem to meld well. I don't know why. This bar also seems to be a bit softer than the others. I think you just have to be in the mood for this flavor. I had one yesterday, and didn't really like it at all. But I just ate one, to refresh my memory before writing this review, and I found it to be very full flavored and refreshing, with a lot tangy interest in my mouth. Pretty darn good! I am so indecisive! This one contains dates, cashews, almonds, dried coconut, and lime juice concentrate.

Each time I eat one of these I have to re-read the ingredients to convince myself that they are so healthy. The sweetness really makes these bars feel like a treat. Plus, they are really handy to keep in a car, purse or backpack as they don't melt! After trying these I really want to try their other flavors, there are so many!

If these bars are something you'd like to try, then all you need to do is enter my giveaway! I'll be sending out cases of 12 bars, with 4 of each of the above flavors for your sampling pleasure!

How do you enter?
-You must be a "follower" of the Ravenous Rowie blog
Then choose one of the following three actions: 
- leave me a comment on this post, telling me which Larabar flavor is your favorite.
-Or, if you have never tried one, which flavor are you most interested in trying?
-Or what do you think the next new Larabar flavor should be?

I will do the drawing for the winners a week from today, on Sunday, September 26th. I have a lot of these to give away, so your chances of winning are pretty good! Good luck!

11 comments:

  1. I actually like the key lime a lot. It's my favorite so far but I like all of the fruity flavors. I guess it just varies from person to person.

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  2. I love your blog, Rowie, & have copied down a few of your recipes to try. Uncle Curt is doing the cooking for us these days, since I'm still working & he isn't, and, unfortunately, he is NOT very adventurous in the kitchen. I will keep collecting your recipes, so when I can finally retire, I'll have lots of fun new recipes to try! I think the cocoa/coconut Larabars sound the best & I think something with dried apples & cinnamon would be fabulous! Love you lots!

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  3. I'm following you now - glad I found you! And I LOVE your background water pic... very close to my heart (here's why www.emilybickell.ca - that's what I do for a living!)
    I've been looking for these for a while and finally found them in a grocery store about 20 minutes from home. So the first one I'm going to try is the Key Lime Pie, but I haven't tried it yet!

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  4. I've been a follower of your blog for a few months now and I have been a fan of Larabars for over a year. My husband loves them too and picks them up whenever we are going hiking, they are fantastic on the trail! My personal fav is also the cashew, but I am curious to try some of the new flavors too, thanks for sharing!

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  5. I'm a follower. : )

    I'd like a peanut butter variety, though the key lime sounds delish.

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  6. I am a huge Larabar fan! My favorite is Chocolate Coconut Chew, although I think they should make a chocolate-banana flavor.

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  7. I am a follower. It's been some time since I've eaten a Larabar, but I'm curious to try their lemon bar. And coconut cream pie sounds amazing!
    ~Cee~ ceevegnashville [at] gmail [dot] com

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  8. My favorite flavor is peanut butter cookie.

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  9. I'm now following you. I'd like to ry the cashew date. Sounds yummy!

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  10. Oh, don't include me in the contest. We tried several of the chocolate varieties of these bars and we really disliked most of them, deeply disappointed in the flavors. But that is just an example of how one reviewer will differ from another.

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