Jonesbar - Dark Chocolate Almond (bar) - May 6, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Jonesbar
Dark Chocolate Almond (bar)
Good + 
Weight: 1.7 oz. (47 g.) in total bar
Calories: 210 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $1.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate, Nuts and Nibs Theme Week.

Today's 5-ingredient Dark Chocolate Almond (bar) was from Jonesbar (Manasquan, NJ). The company offers several date sweetened, compressed fruit and nut bars--some with chocolate.

The aroma: a rich melange of chocolate, nut, dried fruit (date, fig), oat/malt, and seed notes. (Note: there was no oat, malt or fig. These were just aromatic impressions.)

The texture was moist and date-y with a soft chew. 

The flavor was a naturally sweet and complex blend of dates, almonds, dark chocolate and seeds (chia) with a barely there, fleeting earthiness (nothing unpleasant). A scintilla of salt contributed the fifth element.

This sealed, single-serving organic bar fueled a hike today. It was a far cry from yesteryear's industrial energy bars with scads of ingredients (including additives, preservatives, fillers, colors, sugars). Those early bars had capitalized on (and almost replaced, for a while) the home-made fruit, nut and chocolate trail mixes (stored in leaky plastic bags in the bottom of a day pack) that many backpackers, climbers and hikers assembled themselves. Evolution is a good thing.

Ingredients: Organic dates, organic almonds, organic 100% cacao chips, organic chia seeds, Himalayan pink sea salt.

Allergen-related information: Contains almonds. "Handcrafted in a top secret facility that processes peanuts and other nuts. Real foods may contain pit or nutshell pieces."

Morsey's Creamery - Stracciatella Gelato; Off The Farm - Dark Chocolate Fudge GF Energy Bar - Oct. 1, 2019

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Morsey's Creamery
Stracciatella Gelato (buffalo milk)
Good +
Weight: unknown - 2 scoop cup + dark chocolate shavings
Calories: unknown
Cost: $7.50 for 1 cup with two scoops
Purchased from: Morsey's Creamery, Palo Alto, CA

Off The Farm Foods, Inc.

Dark Chocolate Fudge Gluten Free Energy Bar

Good +

Weight: 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar

Calories: 346 calories in 1 bar

Cost: $2.79 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Farm Supply Company, San Luis Obispo, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Cowboy Country Theme Week, and another double feature day.

Morsey's Creamery - Gelato made from buffalo milk
I visited Morsey's Creamery (Palo Alto) again this evening (see write-up yesterday) to try their Stracciatella gelato (made from buffalo milk), topped with dark chocolate shavings. This was creamy gelato at its best, and not too sweet.

Thanks also to the herd of 400 water buffalo cows up near Sacramento (each with given names I'm told) making this all possible, and to those caring for them.

Off the Farm - Dark Fudge Energy Bar
And, a suitable second chocolate course seemed to be a Dark Chocolate Fudge Gluten Free Energy Bar from Off The Farm Foods, Inc., based in Redding, CA, where they still have cows, cowboys and a rodeo.

Off The Farm has focused on creating minimally processed energy and protein bars. And, this bar did look authentically hand-crafted rather than being compressed and squeezed out on an assembly line, making it more appealing. It looked more like a piece of individually-wrapped chocolate cake, or a brownie with nuts, seeds and oats. It had a soft chewy texture with some heft (nuts, seeds and grains provided 9 grams of protein).

Although with 49 grams of total carbs, I felt slightly less energetic than I thought I might afterwards, and ready to take a nap. This would be a good meal replacement bar, for hungry cowboys, rather than a snack. (I'd tried a similar bar a few years ago.)

Ingredients: Dates, cashews, non-GMO corn fiber, gluten free oats, almonds, apples, chocolate (unsweetened chocolate, processed with potassium carbonate, sugar, coco butter, sunflower lecithin), cocoa powder, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, sunflower oil, Himalayan pink salt.

Copyright 2019. Unauthorized use of the text and/or images from this site, www.ChocolateBanquet.com, is a copyright violation.

R.e.d.d. - Chocolate Superfood Energy Bar - July 18, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

R.e.d.d.
Chocolate Superfood Energy Bar
Good
Weight: 2.2 oz. (62 g.) in total package
Calories: 220 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $3.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: REI, Mountain View, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Seed Theme Week.

Today's Chocolate Superfood Energy Bar was from R.e.d.d.* (Portland, ME). This protein + energy + vitamin + mineral bar contained a long list of ingredients, including plant/mostly fruit extracts and powders, and yerba mate extract that contained caffeine.

Busy people presumably have a more difficult to find time to cook a healthy meal from scratch. Enter the legion of protein and energy bars on the market, including this one.

This gluten free bar claimed to be 3 products in 1: protein bar + energy shot (1/3 cup coffee) + multi-vitamin. It contained "10 grams of protein, 19 vitamins + minerals, and 35+ grams of natural caffeine," and seeds.

The number one ingredient listed was a Redd vegan protein blend (pumpkin seed protein powder and pea powder) ...followed by agave syrup and oats. The bar also contained organic chia seeds.

The chocolate came in the form of dark chocolate and cocoa powder.

* R.e.d.d. stands for Research Enhanced Design + Development.

Taos Mountain Energy Bar - Chocolate Butterscotch bar - June 11, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Taos Mountain Energy Bar 

Chocolate Butterscotch bar

Good - Good +

Weight: 2.4 oz. (68 g.) in total bar

Calories: 270 calories in 1 bar

Cost: $2.99 (estimate) for 1 bar

Purchased from: REI, Mountain View, CA

Welcome to Day #12 of Chocolate and Caramel Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Peanuts Theme Week.

This two-layered Chocolate Butterscotch Energy Bar from Taos Mountain Energy Bar (Taos, NM) managed to capture the essence of caramel/butterscotch flavor, with a bit more staying power than sweeter chocolate confections with traditional smooth caramel filling.

The base layer of this energy bar was composed of grains (mostly ground corn, with buckwheat, quinoa and amaranth), sugar, house-ground organic peanut butter, chia and flax seeds. And topping this bar that also incorporated a butterscotch syrup (Tapioca syrup-based) flavor blend, was a layer of fair trade dark chocolate.

There are beautiful parks and hiking destinations in New Mexico; and Taos Mountain Energy Bar features some of these locations on their packaging. Today site featured on the Chocolate Butterscotch bar's wrapper: Cerro Pedernal. 

Taos Mountain Energy Bar - Pinon Coffee bar - May 20, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Taos Mountain Energy Bar

Pinon Coffee bar 

Good

Weight: 2.2 oz. (62 g.) in total bar

Calories: 309 calories in 1 bar

Cost: $2.99 (estimate) for 1 bar

Purchased from: REI, Mountain View, CA 

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Coffee Theme Week.

Today's Pinon Coffee Gluten Free Non GMO (bar) was created by Taos Mountain Energy Bar (Cuesta, NM).

This energy bar had a welcoming, natural coffee aroma, a soft seedy chew, and a rich, nutty, mocha flavor.* It was sweetened with coconut sugar and honey instead of sugar (thank you), and was much tastier than most mass-produced energy bars. It would be a great snack for a morning hike in the hills.

The company's bars are described as artisan-crafted and outdoor-inspired. And the packaging around today's bar contained a description of White Sands National Monument area in New Mexico.

*Ingredients: Almonds, honey, coconut sugar, pine nuts, dark chocolate, coffee, coconut oil, chia seeds, pure ground vanilla beans, sea salt.

Perfect Bar - Mocha Chip bar - May 16, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Perfect Bar, LLC

Mocha Chip bar

Good+ - Good ++

Weight: 2.2 oz. (62 g.) in total bar

Calories: 330 calories in 1 bar

Cost: $2.99 in 1 bar

Purchased from: The Market, Palo Alto, CA

Time to wake up. It's Day #1 of Chocolate and Coffee Theme Week.

Today's caffeinated Mocha Chip bar from Perfect Bar, LLC (San Diego, CA) was chock full of organic ingredients, including dark chocolate and coffee.

The line of (refrigerated) bars from this family-inspired company sampled so far have been quite good. Very satisfying.

Normally, a long list of ingredients in a bar is not encouraging. However, the list for this protein bar was all good, and helped explain why this bar was such a satisfying mini-meal. Nut butters and high-nutrient plant-based organic powders helped. Coffee and dark chocolate added rich flavor/depth. Natural-tasting, and not too sweet (thank you!).

Ingredients: 
Organic peanut butter, organic almond butter, organic honey, organic nonfat dry milk, organic, Fair Trade Certified dark chocolate (organic chocolate, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic sunflower lecithin), organic cocoa, organic ground coffee, organic dried whole egg powder, organic rice protein, organic vanilla extract, organic flax seed oil, organic sunflower oil, organic sesame seed oil, organic olive oil, organic pumpkin seed oil, dried whole food powders (organic kale, organic flax seed, organic rose hip, organic orange, organic lemon, organic papaya, organic tomato, organic apple, organic alfalfa, organic celery, organic kelp, organic dulse, organic carrot, organic spinach)

Skout Backcountry LLC - Peruvian Chocolate Organic Energy Bar - May 14, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Skout Backcountry LLC

Peruvian Chocolate Organic Energy Bar

Good

Weight: 1.3 oz. (27 g.) in total bar

Calories: 150 calories in 1 bar

Cost: $2.50 (sale) for 1 bar

Purchased from: REI, Mountain View, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Peru Theme Week.

Today's Peruvian Chocolate Organic Energy bar was from Skout Backcountry LLC (Portland, OR). 

It's not often you see energy bars with single origin chocolate. But today's bar boldly announced its Peruvian roots. This Energy Bar contained only five ingredients* and the chocolate came from "ethically sourced, premium organic Peruvian cocoa."

Pressed dates in this energy bar provided chewiness, moistness and ample sweetness (a little date sweetness goes a long way). Cocoa helped make the flavor richer and more full-bodied.

Craft chocolate, and energy bars like this, have helped power local hikes in the East Bay Regional Parks this past month. Wonderful to enjoy green hills this late in spring this past weekend.

*Ingredients: Organic Dates, Organic Almonds, Organic Peruvian Chocolate, Organic Pumpkin Seeds, Himalayan Sea Salt 

Stone Grindz Chocolate - Oh So Cookie Dough - March 8, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Stone Grindz Chocolate

Oh So Cookie Dough raw energy bars

Good

Weight: unknown

Calories: 120 calories (estimate) in 1 piece

Cost: $5.95 for 1 container

Purchased from: Stone Grindz, online order

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Nibs Theme Week.

Today's container of Oh So Cookie Dough raw energy bars were made by Stone Grindz Chocolate (Scottsdale, AZ).

The company sells these bars (and other energy bars) through their secret store menu on their website.

These soft bars were pleasantly and naturally sweet; and they did, in fact, taste a little like cookie dough. Cacao nibs gave these energy bars a little crunchy texture and cocoa flavor.

Kate's Real Food - Tram Bar - Peanut Butter Milk Chocolate Trail Mix bar - Sept. 5, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Tram Bars LLC
Kate's Real Food
Tram Bar - Peanut Butter Milk Chocolate Trail Mix Pocket Meal bar
Good
Weight: 3 oz. (85 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 360 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $2.99 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Peanuts Theme Week.

Today's Peanut Butter Milk Chocolate Trail Mix Pocket Meal bar, aka Tram Bar, was from Kate's Real Food (Victor, ID).

The sibling to this bar (the Grizzly Bar with dark chocolate) was featured last week. Both were billed as Pocket Meals, which was a fitting description. Both were enjoyed for breakfast and fueled adventures well into the afternoon.

Today's substantial oat-based bar contained mostly organic ingredients, including organic oats, organic honey and organic peanut butter (made with dry-roasted peanuts). Rice nuggets (rice flour and bran, honey, raisin juice, salt) added some crunchy texture. Dried organic fruits (banana, apricots and raisins) and organic seeds (sunflower, sesame) amped up the fruit and "nutty" flavor, texture and natural sweetness.

The milk chocolate (not organic) was more of an accent flavor that added a bit of rich flavor. Unlike many trail and energy bars, this one did not taste overly sweet (thank you!).

Kate's Real Food Grizzly Bar - Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Trail Mix - Aug. 30, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Tram Bars, LLC
Kate's Real Food - Grizzly Bar
Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Trail Mix
Good
Weight: 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 360 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $2.99 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Wild West Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Peanuts Theme Week.

This morning I felt fueled and ready to go, after finishing a Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Trail Mix Grizzly Bear Pocket Meal from Kate's* Real Food (Victor, ID).


The once abundant grizzly bears have been driven out of most of the Western U.S. The last of these big, magnificent bears are in the northwest (Alaska, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho).

Ingredients for this big substantial oat bar included: Organic Oats, Organic Honey, Organic Peanut Butter, Rice Nuggets, Organic Dark Chocolate.

The bar was slightly chewy and had just the amount of moistness and compressed heft to hang together during the eating process. There was a good balance between peanutty, fruity and oaty flavors. And, while not the shining star in this bar, a hint of rich chocolate added flavor depth. Rice nuggets provided some nice crunch. And, my favorite part: it wasn't too sweet. (Thank you!)

*The eponymous Kate first moved to Jackson Hole, WY, and was a skier. (Being active outdoors in the mountains of the wild west makes you more conscious of good food.) Eventually, with a mindful focus on ingredients, Kate's Real Food was born and along with it a line of trail mix bars.

Tahoe Bar - Peanut Butter Plus High Energy Bar - Aug. 24, 2017

Chocolate of the Day:

King Bars LLC
Tahoe Trail Bar - Peanut Butter Plus High Energy Bar
Good
Weight: 2.61 oz. (74 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 310 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $2.69 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Draeger's Market, Los Altos, CA

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Berries Theme Week, and Day #2 of Chocolate and Wild West Theme Week.

What does the phrase the Wild West conjure up for you? Freedom to roam in wide open spaces? Tall mountains, granite boulders and mountain lakes? Cowboys and Native Americans? Exploring new trails, territory and parks that still haven't been fully developed on foot, bike or by horse? There is a mystique to the Western U.S. that still lingers.

Today's Peanut Butter Plus High Energy Tahoe Trail Bar* (South Lake Tahoe, CA) contained peanut butter, chocolate chunks, raisins, cranberries and coconut. This peanut, chocolate and berry combo looked capable of powering** a hike or a western-themed adventure or two. And it did. It was created in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and found its way to the Badlands of South Dakota today.

This gluten-free and vegan energy bar was made with gluten-free oats. It was slightly chewy, substantial and not too sweet (thank you). Dried cranberry bits and coconut offered hints of flavor sparkle. Chocolate chunks were present, but were more of an accent flavor.

* The Tahoe Trail Bar was born in the Hot Gossip coffee shop on the shores of Lake Tahoe in 1995.
**The marketing tagline for this bar read: "fuel for the journey"

RxBar - Coconut Chocolate bar - July 2, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Distributed by Chicago Bar Company LLC
RxBar - Coconut Chocolate
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.83 oz. (52 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 210 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $2.99 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Coconut Theme Week.

When it comes to snacks and confections, the watchwords for the 21st century have been a return to simplicity, health, and transparency about labeling.

Today's RxBar Coconut Chocolate protein bar (distributed by Chicago Bar Company LLC, Chicago, IL) is a great example of a bar you might not have seen very often in the 1990s.

The relatively short ingredients list for the bar base read like a manifesto and received headline treatment on the wrapper: "3 Egg Whites, 6 Almonds, 4 Cashews, 2 Dates, No B.S."..."No Gluten, No Soy, No Dairy, No Added Sugar," it continued. Today's bar also included cacao, coconut and sea salt.

This bar was a well balanced blend of subtle fruit, nut, cacao and coconut flavors; and it was chewy, substantial and delightfully un-sweet.

Empact Bars LLC - Chocolate Cherry Bling protein bar -

Chocolate of the Day: 

Empact Bars LLC
Chocolate Cherry Bling with cacao nibs and dates bar
Good +
Weight: 1.26 oz. (36 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 130 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $0.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Cacao Nibs Theme Week.

Today's Chocolate Cherry Bling with cacao nibs and dates bar was distributed by Empact Bars LLC (Boulder, CO).

This protein* and energy bar was a small, cheery package of dense goodness. The "Goal Digger" tagline, on the shiny gold polka-dotted black and pink packaging was a play on gold digger. I'll take it either way.

The bar had well-balanced dried fruit (dates, unsweetened tart cherries), chocolate brownie (cocoa powder, cocoa nibs) and protein (whey protein, golden flaxseeds, white chia seeds) flavor and textures, compressed into a classy dark protein bar.

Today's bar had great natural flavor with less sugar than most other bars. And it was also gluten free. (Thank you!)

*This bar contained 10 grams of protein.

Pamela's - Ambition Bar, Cold Brew Chocolate - June 12, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Pamela's Products, Inc.
Ambition Bar - Cold Brew Chocolate bar
Good - Good +
Weight: .47 oz. (13.3 g.) / 1.41 oz. (40 g.) in total package
Calories: 63.3 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $1.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Ava's Downtown Market, Mountain View, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Coffee Theme Week.

The Ambition Bar - Cold Brew Chocolate bar from Pamela's Products, Inc. (Ukiah, CA) was made with cold brew coffee (and green coffee); and was one of 5 different, new caffeinated Ambition Bar flavors from Pamela's.

The company has been producing and working on their expanding gluten-free product line for many years now. Their ginger, chocolate chunk/chip and other cookies were a welcome addition to grocery shelves many years ago when there were few good-tasting gluten-free options available in the U.S.

Today's Ambition Cold Brew Coffee Bar had a warm, pleasing cookie aroma reminiscent of fig bar, graham cracker, dates, blended with chocolate chips and a faint hint of coffee and malt.

The ebony-colored bar had the look and texture of a soft brownie cookie bar. It was satisfying and flavorful without being too sweet. The chocolate chips yielded bursts of rich chocolate flavor and it had a mild coffee and chocolate cookie finish.

The amount of caffeine (70 mg) in this organic and gluten- and grain-free energy bar was clearly listed on the packaging. Very useful for those watching their caffeine intake. (The bar was also vegan.)

Trader Joe's - Dark Walnut Bar; Loard's Walnut Sundae - Dec. 17, 2016

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Trader Joe's
Dark Chocolate, Walnut, Peanut, Fig and Date Bar
Good
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) in total bar
Calories: 180 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $1.99 (guess?) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Trader Joe's, Alameda? or Mountain View?, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Walnut Series. Today I celebrated with two chocolate items.

The first was a Dark Chocolate, Walnut, Peanut, Fig and Date Bar from Trader Joe's (Monrovia, CA). The bar was nutty, sweet, chocolatey and slightly chewy.

Loard's Ice Cream
Ice Cream Sundae
Black Walnut, Maple Walnut, chocolate sauce
(Walnut and Cherry Sundae)
Good +
Calories: unknown (750 calories is my guesstimate)
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: Loard's Ice Cream, Alameda, CA

Loard's Ice Cream is a local (San Francisco Bay Area) chain of ice cream stores, that first opened in 1950. I left their Alameda location with a smile on my face.

After a hike and holiday shopping, I had a hankering for ice cream, and the counter staff at this 1900s style ice cream shop fixed me up with a three-scoop (Black Walnut, Maple Walnut and Cherry) ice cream sundae with chocolate sauce and whipped cream. It hit the spot

Probar - Fuel Coconut Dream bar - Dec. 7, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Probar LLC
Fuel - Coconut Dream bar
Good
Weight: 1.8 oz. (51 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 200 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $2.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: REI, Mountain View, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of this week's Chocolate and Coconut Series.

Today's Fuel - Coconut Dream bar from Probar LLC (Park City, UT) was designed as an energy bar for active folks on the go.

I tried mine out on a walk across town, and it did the trick.

The packaging is practical and is durable enough to protect the bar from breaking open if it sinks to the bottom of a bag.

This bar had a slight coconut aroma and a very slight chemical smell to it, although the bar was made with all natural and organic ingredients. (Ingredients for this bar: date paste, coconut, cashews, almonds, semi-sweet chocolate chips, chia seeds, natural vanilla flavor and sea salt.) And the predominant flavor was dates and coconut, as one might expect, with nut bits adding some additional interest.

The texture of this compressed bar was slightly soft and chewy and the date paste held all the ingredients together nicely.

The Organic Coconut Dream energy bar was was gluten and dairy free, and vegan.

Clif Bar - Organic Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bar - Aug. 5, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Clif Bar and Company
Nut Butter Filled - Organic Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bar
Good - Good+
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 230 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $1.79 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Safeway, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Peanut Butter Theme Week.

Today's Organic Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bar was a member of a relatively new line of nut butter filled bars from Clif Bar and Company (Emeryville, CA).

This oat-based chocolate energy bar with a peanut butter filling made me think: what a great idea. I'm surprised I haven't seen more like this sooner.

The organic bar had a soft but substantial chew and wasn't too crumbly. And I liked that it was not ultra-sweet.

I recently sampled Clif Bar's hazelnut chocolate nut butter filled bar (where the chocolate was on the inside), and it was quite good also.

Note: There was no guarantee this bar was gluten free, but it contained no wheat ingredients.

Mamma Chia - Cherry and Dark Chocolate Bar - Aug. 13, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Mamma Chia
Cherry and Dark Chocolate with Chia bar
Good
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 190 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $1.79 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Safeway, Palo Alto, CA

The Mamma Chia website is filled with pictures of healthy, beautiful athletic people. I could aspire to look more like them, but today I just want to enjoy some chocolate and think about "test driving" one of these bars on a hike in the near future.

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate, Fruits and Nuts Theme Week.

Today's Cherry and Dark Chocolate (with Chia) bar from Mamma Chia (Carlsbad, CA) had the same moist-but-not-messy texture as the company's Blueberry and Dark Chocolate bar I had earlier this week. This Cherry bar contained both blueberries and cherries, making it relatively fruity and sweet. Pecan and almond pieces added a chewy crunch, as did chia seeds. The dark chocolate was more of an accent flavor to the seeds, fruit and nuts.

The bar was BPA Free, Non GMO and Gluten Free. The company supports giving back to  community(ies), e.g., by being a member of 1 Percent for the Planet.

Clif Bar - Dark Chocolate Cherry Almond - Aug. 11, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Clif Bar and Company
Dark Chocolate Cherry Almond bar
Good
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 180 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $2.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: REI, San Carlos, CA

In 1990, the Clif Bar, from Clif Bar and Company (Emeryville, CA) was a relatively early entrant into the world of trail mix or energy-type bars for active, outdoor folk.

However, they weren't always gluten-free. The organic and fruit and nut trail mix bars were introduced a few years ago; and happily, I found two gluten-free fruit and nut Clif bars. One even had chocolate.

Both trail mix Clif Bars were individually wrapped. The first one, a Wild Blueberry Almond Mojo Fruit and Nut bar (part of a box of bars I bought) contained no chocolate. The second, individual bar was a Dark Chocolate Cherry Almond Organic Trail Mix Bar. (Today was a transition day from blueberries to cherries as a "featured" fruit this week.)

Both bars were pleasantly chewy and substantial with an even distribution of crunchy nut and sweet fruit flavor. They were medium sweet, i.e. not overly sweet (and slightly lower on the glycemic index than many cereal or trail mix bars). The Dark Chocolate Cherry Almond bar contained both almonds and cashews, and contained organic, dried cherry pieces. And small chunks of dark chocolate "richened" up the flavor.

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate, Fruits and Nuts Theme Weeks, although I have several more items that combine these three items, so expect a few more in the next few days.

Mamma Chia - Blueberry and Dark Chocolate Bar - Aug. 9, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Mamma Chia
Blueberry and Dark Chocolate Bar
Good
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) in total bar
Calories: 180 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $1.79 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Safeway, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate, Fruits and Nuts Theme Week; and I enjoyed a Blueberry and Dark Chocolate bar from Mamma Chia (Carlsbad, CA).

Mamma Chia focuses on producing high-quality, organic chia-based food and beverages. (Their tagline is "Seed Your Soul.") The first Mamma Chia product that caught my eye a few years ago was a striking-looking bottled beverage -- I believe it was a juice blend with chia seeds.

This bar was moist (without being messy) and chewy with lots of authentic blueberry flavor. Certified organic, this bar was also gluten-free and non-GMO. A layer of dark chocolate coated the underside of the bar. It was a bit sweet for my taste, but had a nice, substantial taste and texture without being too heavy or relying on lots of additives.