I’m starting a new series called “Bar Exam” where I review one of the plethora of varied and sundry snack bars on the market right now.

I would eat a lemon Larabar every day if it wouldn’t totally break our grocery budget. It’ll be fun to try all these bars that I never buy because I feel they’re too expensive to take a chance on. Who knows, maybe I’ll find a new favorite?

(This review was completely unsolicited and reflects my true opinions about the product.)

I picked up this Pom Bar at Whole Foods. I haven’t heard of this one before, but anything with “yogurt” in the title will get my attention.

Can you see my camera reflected in the wrapper?

This bar is 210 calories, about what I expect from a snack bar. It has only 3 grams of protein so it wouldn’t make for a good after-workout protein bar, though it doesn’t claim to be one. It does have a whopping 28 grams of sugar. That’s pretty high and I’m sure the yogurt coating has a lot to do with that.

The ingredient list has around 15 items but nothing that sounds any alarms for me as being terribly unhealthy. It does contain whey in the yogurt coating so it’s not vegan, but again it never claims to be.

Appearance: It’s a good size for a snack and I’m glad that it wasn’t tiny compared to the packaging. That always drives me crazy when the product is so much smaller than advertised, but this one met expectations. The yogurt coating looked smooth and not oily.

Taste: Mmmm! The filling is slightly tart and definitely tastes like pomegranate. The yogurt is smooth and not-too-sweet and has a slight tanginess like real yogurt.

Texture: Being mostly dates, it has the similar smooth texture of a Larabar, but with smaller pieces of nuts. There is what feels like strawberry seeds in it, that’s not what it is but it definitely has the same feeling of tiny popping crunchiness that you get from dried raspberries or strawberries. There is no graininess or oiliness in the yogurt.

Overall I really like this bar. Being that it has so much sugar though, I would probably only eat these as a dessert replacement when I’m craving something sweet at night. Luckily it’s delicious enough to actually be satisfying as a dessert. I can definitely see myself buying one of these again, though rarely.

Any recommendations for bars I should try?

June 17, 2011 Alayna Discussion 5 comments

Last night’s blogger dinner was fantastic! I was so uncomfortably full when I got home last night that I just had to pass out immediately. I’ll fill you in on the whole thing later today, I got tons of great pictures of the mountains of delicious vegetarian food we tasted.

This morning, since my belly is still aching from how much I managed to stuff in it last night, I opted for a very small and light breakfast. Strawberries are getting sweet here in the heat of Georgia and they made for a refreshing and light yogurt bowl.

I topped them with this orange passion fruit yogurt. I really like the thin consistency of Wallaby yogurts, really good for drizzling over fresh berries!

Drizzle….

I know that’s not a lot of food, but I need to go get ready for a chiro appointment so I’ll get more to eat when I get back.

My camera is dead or I would show you my other cat Lucas being cute and curling himself all over my keyboard. There is no way I’m ever gonna eat all the biscuits he’s making!

I’ll show you the blogger dinner after lunch, It would make you too hungry if I did it before and I’m just not that mean. 😉 Well, I guess I could tease you with this…

See you after lunch!

June 16, 2011 Alayna Discussion 1 comment

Maybe you’ve already noticed, but I am in a funk. I have really slacked off on blogging lately and on doing much of anything in general. A lot of bloggers go through a period where they are just not excited about blogging. I think I’m just now coming out of one of those.

In an effort to get myself back on track, I’m gonna try adding some structure to my posting. Today I am introducing something I’m calling “morning musings.” Basically, I’m going to try to blog first thing in the morning about my breakfast, my life-happenings, and whatever else is swimming around in my head to help me gain some focus for the rest of the day.

Today I tried something totally new for breakfast. I bought a half of a papaya at the farmers market because it just looked so juicy and beautiful. I’ve never had papaya before and at first I didn’t really like it. It kinda reminds me of melon but with almost a faint cherry flavor, both of which are not favorite flavors for me.

I topped it with greek yogurt, honey, and slivered almonds.

As I kept eating I liked it more and more. It is so soft that it just disintegrates in your mouth and it’s really sweet and summery.

This guy was pretty sweet too…

I love how Liam sleeps with his arms tucked under his belly instead of his chest. I think he breathes better in this position or something. He is unusual, to say the least.

Hopefully this little experiment will help me to get back on track, I’m definitely a person that thrives with a little structure and things have certainly felt out of control this past month (more on that later.)

And I definitely have something fun to write about tomorrow since tonight I’m attending a blogger dinner at Rosebud restaurant. I’m excited to chow down on the vegetarian tasting menu they’ve planned for us!

Have you ever had the blogger blues?

What is your favorite exotic fruit?

June 15, 2011 Alayna Discussion 6 comments