The other day as I strolled through my local Publix picking up the week's groceries, I spotted a special display near the produce section. I immediately detoured from the fruit section straight over to this glorious Russell Stover Sugar Free display. As a connoisseur of sugar free findings, I was a bit excited to see some new products in the land of LowCarb.
I rely on Russell Stover quite a bit for help with my chocolate fix. They have a big selection of sugar free chocolates. Most people will be able to find SOMETHING that suits them among the Russell Stover Sugar Free offerings.
What surprised me, though, was the box of Snack Bars I spotted.
I'm used to pretty much ONLY having Atkins bars to choose from. There are a few Atkins bars I like...and even a couple I REALLY like. But a girl needs some variety, ya know?!? These babies were a bit pricey (as are Atkins bars), but I decided I HAD to try them out...for you guys (yeah, you guys were my excuse to myself to spend $6.99 on a box of bars). I suppose, truly, when you consider that you get 9 bars for $6.99, compared to about $6 for 5 snack bars when you buy Atkins, it's not such a bad deal? (You can buy the bars HERE for $6.99)
Here's the "official" description of the pack of bars I bought:
"Sugar Free Snack Bar Variety (9-Pack), 9.9 oz. box -- Sample three of Russell Stover's delicious snack bars in one variety pack. Each box contains sugar free chewy granola, apple cinnamon and blueberry snack bars. "
So, here's the size of the bars.
And now, let me tell you about the flavors.
ALL THE BARS: The SF Chocolate on all these bars is pretty much the standard for all Russell Stover Sugar Free chocolates. If you like their version of SF Chocolate, you should like these bars. The chocolate is the predominant taste in each of these 3 flavors, so if you aren't a big fan of RS SF chocolate, don't buy ANY of these. Also, these are slightly high in sugar alcohols, so you will most likely get some gas. I never had any problem other than some mild to medium gassiness. I ALWAYS limit myself to one bar per day, and don't have ANY other sugar alcohols if I have any of these bars. The sugar alcohol used: maltitol. Some people digest sugar alcohols differently than others, meaning more stomach distress...and also some are more prone to blood sugar spikes when consuming them. You know your body best, so choose accordingly. Splenda is used, also, so if it causes you any distress, bear it in mind, as well. If you're good with all that, then let's move on.
Chewy Granola:
strong chocolate flavor with chewy granola, too. 18 g carbs, 6 g fiber, 9 g sugar alcohol, leaving you with 3 g net carbs per bar. 5 g protein.
Apple Cinnamon:
strong chocolate flavor with a mild apple cinnamon flavor. 17 g carbs, 6 g fiber, 9 g sugar alcohol, leaving you with 2 g net carbs per bar. 4 g protein.
Blueberry:
strong chocolate flavor with a hint of blueberry flavor. 18 g carbs, 6 g fiber, 10 g sugar alcohol, leaving you with 2 g net carbs. 4 g protein.
You'll notice that these bars are relatively LOW in protein. These are not for meal replacement. These are more of a snack or dessert. I'd say dessert, really. They aren't gonna make you feel full. They will suit your sweet tooth a lot better than they are gonna take care of hunger pangs.
My verdict: I am glad I bought them. They were pretty good. I'm not madly in love with them. The chocolate flavor is good TO ME. The "other flavors" are too mild to be impressive. The chewy texture is about standard. The net carbs fit in nicely with my diet plan. I think a box of these will last me about a month, because I like it enough to have a bar about two times a week. I don't like them so much that they are gonna call out to me and end up being gone in a week or two (like the SF Oreos did!).
I hope you will be able to find these, if you're interested. I'd never seen them before. But, if you don't find them locally...
What's your absolute favorite Low Carb/Sugar Free bar?
Do you make your own? Share the recipe with us all?
