I received a box of Quest bars in the mail and was excited…but skeptical. Any website that is jam packed with buffed-up, rippling muscle bodies doused in oil and fake tanner usually gets looked over by me, but I was intrigued by the product. I always preach that a snack bar should never be over 200 calories, and that it should be packed with protein (over 8g is a good place to start) and low in carbs and sugar (preferably under 12g. of sugar). To me, these parameters keep all of the hundreds of energy food bars in check. I read labels thoroughly and feel a sense of victory when a bar meets my criteria. Thus, I do get disappointed when I see a new bar company or I get recommended to a product and then read the label, and find it high in calories and sugar and low in protein (isn’t that what candy bars are for?). So, when I started reading all of the nutritional information for the Quest bars, I got so excited. The bars vary from 170-210 calories and are packed with 20g of protein! And, they preach a “no junk” priority. I love that. Now, I will admit that I was going to stay away from the 210 calorie bars, but with 20g of protein, the calories are actually “worth it,” which can’t be said for most energy bars that are over 200 calories.
Now, how do they taste? Here’s the interesting part, they taste so amazing heated up! I’ve never stumbled across a bar that I could microwave, but that’s usually because bars are covered in a chocolate substitute, making them a mess if they even sit in your car too long. But after 15-20 seconds in the microwave, Quest bars turn into a delicious, warm, soft cookie-like treat! I think I got so hooked on microwaving them, that when I found myself pulling one out for a snack and was nowhere near a heating divice, I just took a small nibble, and put the rest away to save for the nearest microwave! Sounds silly, but once you try them warm, they taste too dense and chewy when they’re not.
When I tried the “chocolate brownie” flavor (heated, of course), I immediately texted a friend of mine to tell her I just had a protein bar that was better than a real brownie, no joke! AND the best part is, the brownie one is only 170 calories!!
The fruit flavored ones taste so yummy warm because they taste like a dried fruit and nut cookie!
The “apple pie” flavor reminded me of a warm bowl of apple cinnamon oatmeal, topped with crumbly brown sugar. And the peanut butter flavored ones made me like the idea of peanut butter cookies for the first time (don’t hate me, but warm peanut butter has always made me sick…which is weird because peanut butter itself is in my list of top favorite foods).
Anyways, needless to say, I’m hooked on Quest bars and they make me want to train even harder just so I can enjoy them more often. I can’t wait for them to come out with more flavors for me to try!
