Bakery on Main truebar

I wish I had the free time to make my own snack bars from scratch, combining a blend of tasty foods to create a healthy snack worth eating as an afternoon pick-me-up, but the reality is that I work.  A lot.  I barely see my kitchen and in the past year, I cooked snack bars twice.  Way to go, gluten and dairy free blogger, way to go.

Thankfully, several companies understand my dilemma and have created bars that I probably cannot top with a homemade version.  In high school, I religiously ate a granola or another protein-packed power bar at least once a day in a desperate attempt to gain weight.  A decade later, I'm still on the lookout for a great tasting bar for a calorie boost.  I've become a connoisseur of snack bars.

Bakery on Main recently debuted six gluten free and casein and dairy free (and non GMO) truebars.  (Note: all six contain nuts and soy and made in the same facility that processes peanuts.)  They were kind enough to send me all six to sample.  I stashed them in my desk drawer at work and munched my way through the bars each day.

I've had several different gluten free bars, but most were bland or horrible tasting and/or the crunch factor made it difficult to chew.  I don't want my snack bar breaking my teeth!  Thankfully, all the truebars had a soft texture but it was disappointing to only be a few bites away from finishing.  I want more bar!! But with 150-190 calories per bar, the truebars were a welcome calorie boost to my afternoon.

The Hazelnut Chocolate Cherry Bar was hands-down my favorite.  It sounds silly, but to me it tasted like Christmas.  (Maybe having hazelnuts for the first time ever this Christmas has something to do with it...)  Since I'm turned off by anything coffee-flavored or even named, I probably would not have the Walnut Cappuccino Bar again (although I cannot find where the cappuccino flavor comes from despite reading the ingredient list a dozen times).  All of the bars were wildly different in terms of texture and flavor, which I appreciated.  It's not just "swap out this nut/fruit/chocolate for that one" - the flavors in each bar compliment one another really nicely. Bravo!

For me a product is a winner if it is convenient, cost effective, better than I can make on my own, and something I would spend my hard earned money on.  I also don't want to eat something that tastes gluten and dairy free.  The truebars are so flavorful, nothing tastes like it is missing! At $1.99 a bar (or the lower introductory price of $17.99 for a sleeve of a dozen), the price is on the higher end of what I like to pay, but still reasonable.  Bakery on Main is fantastic about providing coupons so I can almost always save money at the store.  The bars are great to store in a snack drawer at work, in a backpack, or lunch box.  I always carry at least one bar in my bag and the truebar would be great for a snack on the go.  Worth buying?  I think so!  I loved them!  There are lots of different flavors to choose from - you are sure to find a favorite!

Have you tried the truebars yet?  What's your favorite?