This Bar Saves Lives - Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Sea Salt bar - Oct. 14, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Bar Saves Lives
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter and Sea Salt bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) in total bar
Calories: 190 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Halloween wEEKs.

Candy bars and confections still rule Halloween. So this week we've been focusing on a range of traditional, healthy, updated and other versions of traditional chocolate candy bars.

Another variation is...the chocolate candy bar with a social purpose. Today's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter and Sea Salt bar was from This Bar Saves Lives (Culver City, CA).

It was gluten free, dairy free, non-GMO, and made with Fair Trade Cocoa; and it had a chewy, slightly crunchy satisfying texture and taste.

This bar also, as the name implied, had a social purpose: "Buy a Bar. Feed a Child. Healthy Snacking," read the taglines. The company uses proceeds from their bar sales to make and send food aid packets to children around the world (Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Mexico).

Amy's - Andy's Dandy Candy Dreamy bar - Oct. 13, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Amy's Kitchen Inc.
Andy's Dandy Candy - Dreamy bar
Good
Weight: 1.75 oz. (50 g.) in 1 package of 2 bars
Calories: 200 calories in 1 package
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Halloween wEEKs. And happy spooky* Friday the 13th to you.

We've been examining traditional candy bars and healthier alternatives this week. And, healthier means different things to different people.

Today's Andy's** Dandy Candy Dreamy bar was from Amy's Kitchen Inc. (Petaluma, CA). While similar to a traditional candy bar in appearance, it's been substantially improved (and I would say it was healthier too).

The vegan Dreamy bar contained no 1.) high fructose corn syrup, 2.) preservatives or 3.) GMOs. Several companies have made a move away from the first two, not so much with the third.

Also, the bar was made with organic dark chocolate and real cocoa butter. (Much of the chocolate used in traditional candy bars is milk chocolate and often contains vegetable oils in place of cocoa fat/dairy butter, and a very low percent of cocoa solids—barely qualifying as chocolate in some cases. Beware when you see the term "chocolately.")

Amy's updated take on candy bars shows how this market has evolved. Their bars are gluten free, vegan and 98% organic ingredients, and can still satisfy a sweet tooth (via organic cane sugar and tapioca syrup).

It was sweet; but the high sugar contain (found in almost all nougat-centered candy bars) was also balanced by the use of dark chocolate and the addition of soy protein. The two smaller bars in one package made sharing and portion control easier (100 calories in each bar).

There were no dairy, wheat, gluten, or nut ingredients listed; but the packaging did contain the: "May contain traces of tree nuts" statement.

*Scarier than Halloween or Friday the 13th this week are the real life wildfires that are burning around some of the Amy's facilities in Northern California. I called to convey good thoughts, and as of this writing the facilities were fine, although many employees were being affected. 

** The name Andy's Dandy Candy came from Andy and Rachel Berliner. who founded the original company in 1987 and named it after their daughter, Amy. The privately-held, family business has grown over the years and produces a line of frozen foods, entrees, soups, and chocolates that offer consumers organic, gluten free and low-sodium options.

Quest - Nutrition Bar - Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough - Oct. 12, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Quest Nutrition, LLC
Quest Bar - Protein Bar - Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Flavor
Good
Weight: 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total package
Calories: 190 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Halloween wEEKs. We're exploring health and nutrition bar alternatives these last few days. While the notion of health bars may offend some traditional Halloween candy fans, there are alternatives for all in the U.S.

Typically nutrition and health bars have contained added nutrients, vitamins and minerals, and/or added protein.

Today's (full-size) Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Bar contained 21 grams of protein.* That's a lot of protein

Most popular, full-size chocolate candy bars contain about 4-8 grams of protein and lots of sugar/carbohydrates. This bar boosted the protein and reduced the sugar and fiber.

Despite the sweet-sounding cookie flavor name, the gluten free Quest bar contained only 1 gram of sugar (and 4 grams of net carbs); it was sweetened with Sucralose, Erythritol and Stevia. The bar also contained 14 grams of fiber.

This protein bar had a caramel color and flavor, with a dense/compressed, chewy texture. The embedded chocolate chips were more obvious after taking a bite and they contributed some chocolate flavor.

*This bar contained a protein blend: milk protein isolate, whey protein isolate

The Balance Bar Company - Chocolate Peppermint Patty - Oct. 11, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Balance Bar Company
Chocolate Peppermint Patty Nutrition Bar
Good
Weight: .78 oz. (20 g.) (per label) in 1 small bar
Calories: 80 calories in 1 small bar
Cost: $N/A - free sample
Purchased from: N/A - free samples being handed out on street

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Halloween wEEKs. After exploring some popular candy bar alternatives, we've moved on to some possible nutrition and/or health-bar alternatives for the scariest chocolate day of the year.

Today's Chocolate Peppermint Patty Nutrition Bar was distributed by the Balance Bar Company (Ronkonkoma/Bohemia, NY).

I happen to receive a few sample bars that were being handed out to the public. The sample-sized bar would also be great for trick or treaters looking for nutrition bars.*

This small bar-shaped patty had an intriguing mint and dark chocolate aroma.** The filling was a soft caramel nougat flavored with peppermint oil. (There were also some soft cookie crumbs rolled in - made with rice flour). So the bar had a little more textural heft than most peppermint patties with a cream filling.

As far as the balanced nutrition part...I did feel that the addition of a little protein and inulin fiber slowed down or helped balance the sugar rush a bit. So, take a bite, if you dare!! (Cue the sound of scary ghost laughter and lightning in the background.)

*Note: Balance Bars have some added protein (soy, dairy) to help balance out carbs. This bar did not contain wheat or gluten ingredients, but did contain soy and dairy and was made on shared equipment with peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, wheat and sesame.

** The dark chocolate flavored coating did contain cocoa and unsweetened chocolate; sugar and fractionated palm kernel oil were the first and second ingredients.

Balance - Chocolate Caramel Peanut Nougat Nutrition Bar - Oct. 10, 2017

Chocolate of the Day:

The Balance Bar Company
Chocolate Caramel Peanut Nougat Nutrition Bar
Good
Weight: .78 oz. (22 g.) for 1 small bar
Calories: 100 calories in 1 small bar
Cost: N/A - free samples being handed out
Purchased from: N/A - free samples being distributed to passer-bys

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Halloween wEEKs.

Many people are looking for healthier, more balanced alternatives to traditional Halloween candy. As a child, I remember a dentist handing out sample containers of dental floss instead of candy. Not really appreciated by children at the time. But, times change and balance means different things to different people.

Today's Chocolate Caramel Peanut Nougat Nutrition Bar was from The Balance Bar Company (Bohemia, NY). The company has aimed for a 40-30-30 blend of carbohydrates, protein and fat respectively in their bars. Today's bar looked like a traditional chocolate candy bar, but had added protein.

This Balance bar did have a slight soy protein taste, but overall the flavors were balanced, and the soy wasn't objectionable.

Trader Joe's - Boffo! Bar - Oct. 9, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Trader Joe's
Boffo! Bar
Good
Weight: 1.8 oz. (51 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 240 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $0.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Trader Joes, Alameda, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Halloween wEEK.

Adults who grew up in the U.S. in the mid- to late-1900s celebrating Halloween by dressing up in ill-fitting costumes and going door-to-door for treats often ended up with a fat sackful of candy after a run through the neighborhood.

And they often ended up suffering from sugar overload after downing several (sometimes full-size) candy bars and sweets if they managed to avoid adult vigilance. (It was easier to do the latter if you grew up in a large, chaotic family. Parents were busy doing triage and picking their battles.)

Most parents now monitor candy intake more closely, but individually-wrapped chocolate candy bars are still a thing, even in petite form.

This week begins with featuring more traditional candy bars and then veers into possible chocolate alternatives.

Today's Boffo! Bar from Trader Joe's (Monrovia, CA) possessed all the traits and flavors of a classic candy bar. At its core, it contained white, fluffy nougat, covered by a layer of caramel and peanuts. And it was coated in milk chocolate. I do love the name "Boffo!"* It makes me wonder why this name hadn't been used before.

*And speaking of the 1900s, Boffo is a term linked with a successful production (movie, play, event) and/or satisfying, deep laughter. Make sure to work this term into your comings and goings this week. People may look puzzled, but you'll all be the better for it.

Note: In my haste, I missed that this bar does contain malted barley, and possible traces of wheat. So, gluten-freers should probably avoid this bar.

Hershey's Snack Bites; Mars Crisper bar - Oct. 8, 2017

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Mars Chocolate North America, LLC
Snickers Crisper bar
Good
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 190 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $2.00 for 2 bars
Purchased from: Walgreens, Palo Alto, CA

Hershey's
Snack Bites
Good
Weight: 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total package of 6 pieces
Calories: 370 calories in 1 package
Cost: $1.99 for 1 package of 6 pieces
Purchased from: Walgreens, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Halloween wEEK.

Halloween is a big chocolate holiday in the U.S.; and two of the largest chocolate suppliers of Halloween chocolate treats have been Mars Chocolate (Hackettstown, NJ) and The Hershey Company (Hershey, PA)—corporations that continue to dominate the market with brands like Snickers and Reese's, respectively.

And just when you think you've tried every variation on a Snickers bar or a Reese's chocolate and peanut butter offering, new ones materialize on store shelves.

Today's twist on the traditional Snickers bar (called the Crisper bar) contained puffed rice, caramel peanuts and chocolate. The rice added some crispy crunchy texture and bulk to the bar, and it was well balanced and integrated.

Hershey's Snack Bites
Today's chocolate Snack Bites treat from Hershey's consisted of "Snackable Milk Chocolate and Almond Clusters." These roundish, chocolate bites, contained embedded pieces of toasted almond.

These packages were a bit larger than the average snack-sized Halloween bar; but if you want to upsize, there are plenty of traditional treats like this available.