Enjoy Life - Chocolate Protein Bites - Dark Raspberry - Dec. 1, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Enjoy Life
Chocolate Protein Bites - dark raspberry
Good
Weight: 1.27 oz. (36 g.) / 6.4 oz. (180 g.) in total package
Calories: 170 calories in 1 serving (3 pieces)
Cost: $8.49 for 1 package
Purchased from: CVS/pharmacy, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Protein Theme Week, and the first day of Chocolate and Raspberry Theme Week.

Today's Dark Raspberry Chocolate Protein Bites were from Enjoy Life Natural Brands LLC (Chicago, IL). One serving (3 pieces) contained 6 grams of plant protein.*

Enjoy Life offers a variety of cookies, bars (including Breakfast Ovals) and bites that are free of common allergens,* including today's Chocolate Protein Bites, that were made without "wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, casein, soy, egg, sesame, sulfites, lupin, mustard, fish, shellfish, (and/or) crustaceans." These Bites were also Palm Oil free.

These ball-shaped chocolate protein bites had a soft, slightly chewy texture and mild chocolate cookie flavor with flecks of red raspberry (and tiny raspberry seeds) inside—with corresponding fleeting sparkles of genuine raspberry flavor.

There was a very slight artificial flavor that was noticeable but not off-putting. It could have been from the "Natural Flavor" or the sunflower protein or rice protein. "Natural Flavors" can cause a slightly off flavor. One wonders why they are used at all.

Ingredients: Semisweet chocolate (unsweetened chocolate, cane sugar, cocoa butter), sunflower protein, sugarcane syrup (cane sugar, water), tapioca syrup, cocoa butter, roasted and salted pumpkin seeds (pumpkin seeds, safflower oil, salt), rice protein, cocoa powder, dried raspberries, safflower oil, natural flavor, citric acid.

*Today's Bites were made in a dedicated nut and gluten free facility.

Enjoy Life - soft baked Chewy Bars cocoa loco - Aug. 7, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Enjoy Life Natural Brands, LLC

soft baked Chewy Bars cocoa loco 

Good

Weight: 1.15 oz. (33 g.) / 5.75 oz. (165 g.) in box of 5 bars

Calories: 140 calories in 1 bar

Cost: $4.99 for 1 box of 5 bars

Purchased from: Sprouts Farmers Market, Mountain View, CA

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate Brownie Theme Week.

Today's individually-wrapped, cocoa loco, soft baked Chewy Bars from Enjoy Life Natural Brands, LLC (Chicago, IL) were a nice, small size.

These snack bars were, as advertised, soft and chewy, and had a "brownie texture." They were, perhaps most significantly, allergy friendly—made in a dedicated facility and free of a dozen or more common allergens, including gluten, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, soy, egg, sesame and more.

If you have a sweet tooth, you're in luck. These cocoa loco bars were quite sweet. (They were made with an alternative flour blend and sweetened with tapioca syrup, organic cane sugar, chocolate chips and date paste.)

Enjoy Life - No Nuts! Seed and Fruit Mix - Mountain Mambo - July 22, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Enjoy Life Natural Foods, LLC
Not Nuts! Seed and Fruit Mix - Mountain Mambo
Good - Good +
Weight: 1/2 cup (2 oz.) / 6 oz. (170 g.) in total package
Calories: 280 calories in 2 servings
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: missing information 

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Seeds Theme Week and Day #1 of Chocolate Chip Week.

Today's Not Nuts! Seed and Fruit Mix - Mountain Mambo was from Enjoy Life Natural Foods, LLC (Chicago, IL). The satisfying trail mix style blend contained raw sunflower kernels,  roasted and hulled pumpkin seeds, raisins, dried apples, chocolate chips and cranberries.

The mini chocolate chips* added some chocolate flavor without making the mix too sweet.

When it comes to trail mixes and energy bars, not that many are made in a dedicated gluten free and nut free facility. Happily, this Enjoy Life mix was. So, those with allergies can relax and enjoy a bit more with this snack.

*The Enjoy Life brand also includes a line of chocolate chips and other chocolate-containing snack items.

Enjoy Life - ProBurst Bites - Chocolate Cinnamon Spice - Dec. 21, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Enjoy Life
ProBurst Bites - Chocolate Cinnamon Spice
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.27 oz. (36 g.) / 6.4 oz. (180 g.) in total package
Calories: 170 calories in 3 pieces
Cost: $7.99 for 1 package
Purchased from Ava's Market and Deli, Mountain View, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate, Holiday Spices and Maple Theme Week.

And Happy Winter Solstice Day. Soon, our darker days will grow lighter again. This thought helps us get through the January to come. That, and chocolate.

Today's allergy-friendly,* Chocolate Cinnamon Spice flavored ProBurst (protein burst) Bites were from Enjoy Life Natural Brands, LLC (Chicago, IL—a city where they really understand Winter and warming spices).

Chocolate was the first ingredient listed, so this snack didn't stint on cocoa content. Other ingredients with protein (rice protein, pumpkin seeds and chia seeds), helped create a balanced (i.e. not too sweet) sugar level.

The Bites had a soft chew and light spice notes (cinnamon with very subtle hints of chili and vanilla).

Enjoy Life also makes chocolate ProBurst Bites in another flavors, including Cranberry Orange, SunSeed Butter and Mango Habanero.

*These Bites were free of all 8 common allergens: wheat, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish and shellfish, and were also made without casein, potato, sesame and sulfites.

ChocolateBet: October 13, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Enjoy Life Natural Brands, LLC
boomCHOCOboom Bar - Ricemilk Crunch
Good
Weight: 1.12 oz. (32 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 170 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $ N/A
Purchased from: N/A

Yesterday I had a boomCHOCOboom - Ricemilk Chocolate bar from Enjoy Life (Schiller Park, IL). Today's bar, from the same maker, was a close cousin -- only with the addition of rice crisps sweetened with raisin juice and honey. I would have liked a little less cane sugar in the base ricemilk chocolate that formed the bar; however, this gluten, dairy and soy-free offering was a good alternative to similar chocolate bars on the market that are made with milk, barley malt and/or soy lecithin.

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Rice Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: October 12, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Enjoy Life
boomCHOCOboom Ricemilk Crunch (bar)
Good
Weight: 1.12 oz. (32 g.) total bar
Calories: 170 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $2.09 total bar
Purchased from: Raley's, in Incline Village, NV

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Rice Theme Week. The "rice" in this chocolate bar came in the form of rice milk powder. There were no rice cows involved. This milk was derived from a blend of rice syrup powder, rice starch and rice flour.

This gluten free bar from Enjoy Life, was wheat, dairy, peanut, tree nut and soy free. The chocolate broke with a relatively hard snap, and the texture was a bit different, but otherwise it tasted like other chocolate bars. Good news for those avoiding dairy.

ChocolateBet: July 26, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Enjoy Life Natural Brands, LLC
Crunchy Chocolate Chip cookies
Good++
Weight: 2 oz. (56.6 g.) / 7 oz. (198 g.) in total box
Calories: 240 calories in 4 cookies
Cost: $4.59 total box of 14 cookies
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, in Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #8 of Crunchy Chocolate Theme Week. I've extended this theme week by a few days, as I found several chocolate items with a crunch component.

These gluten-free (and nut and dairy free) Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies from Enjoy Life (Schiller Park, IL) were, as labeled, crunchy; and they were fairly light, with a generous smattering of chocolate chips.

These might also make good ice cream sandwich cookies -- perhaps with a vanilla gelato center.

ChocolateBet: July 20, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Enjoy Life Natural Brands, LLC
Crunchy Double Chocolate cookies
Good +
Weight: 1.37 oz. (39 g.) in 3 cookies/ 6.3 oz. (179 g.) total box
Calories: 165 calories - 3 cookies
Cost: $3.99 total box of cookies
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, in Palo Alto, CA


Today was Day #2 of Crunchy Chocolate Theme Week.

These Crunchy Double Chocolate cookies from Enjoy Life (Schiller Park, IL) were crunchy, as advertised. The double chocolate moniker referred to chocolate chips that were embedded in a gluten-, dairy- and nut-free chocolate cookie base.

I liked the size of these chocolate cookies. Two or three were just right as a light snack.

Enjoy Life specializes in "allergy friendly" foods. Rice, buckwheat and millet flours were used as a gluten-free alternative mix for these double chocolate cookies.

ChocolateBet: November 23, 2010

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

1.) 1 piece
Gateau et Ganache
"Le Gingembre" (Ginger) chocolate bonbon
Very Good
Weight: .45 oz. (12.7 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 63 calories (estimate)
Cost: $15.00 for box of 8 pieces (Autumn collection)
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, in Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Gingerbread Theme Week. I picked up an Autumn collection box of assorted chocolates from Gateau et Ganache, after sampling their "Le Gingembre" dark chocolate and ginger chocolate at the San Francisco Luxury Chocolate Salon recently. Garnished with two small bits of candied ginger on top, this was a rich and tasty bonbon.

And just in case this fine ginger chocolate doesn't count as "gingerbread" I also had a bite of a tiny gingerbread cake -- cookie actually. See below.

2.) 1 small bite of one cookie
Enjoy Life
Soft Baked Gingerbread Spice Cookies
(topped with chocolate and gingerbread sauce)
Good +
Weight: .25 oz. (7 g.) for 1 bite/ 6 oz. (170 g.) total box
Calories: 30 calories
Cost: $3.69 total box of cookies
Purchased from: Whole Foods, in Los Altos, CA

These small gluten- and nut-free gingerbread cookies from Enjoy Life were a treat, especially when decorated with a drizzle of homemade chocolate and gingerbread sauce (dark cocoa powder, brown sugar, molasses, ginger and spices). My only complaint: a somewhat gummy texture in my mouth that showed up only after I'd chewed up a bite of cookie.

ChocolateBet: October 13, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

1 bar
Enjoy Life Natural Brands, LLC
Cocoa Loco snack bar
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.)/5 oz.(141 g.) total box of 5 bars
Calories: 120 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $4.29 for box of 5 bars
Purchased from: Raley's, in Incline Village, Nevada

These bars are nut and gluten free. I bought these to take on a hike when up in the Sierra mountains last weekend. I liked the relatively small bar, the right size for me.