I've been doing a lot of munching and crunching around here --- all in the name of research, of course. But I had an email land in my inbox that I just had to vet. It claimed that the line of Power Crunch protein snacks had a chance at providing the flavor and crunch of traditional Girl Scout cookies, without the empty calories. My thought was no way, no how could they compete with my Thin Mints, so I, of course, had to take them up on their sample offer. Hello, lover.
Now, I won't say that this will take the place of my Thin Mint order this year. Those only come around once a year and are special treats, you guys. But this protein energy bar will give you a chocolate-mint fix in a protein pinch. It tasted minty and chocolatey, and although I felt like it was just missing a little something-something, I loved the crunch of the wafers. With 13 grams of protein, 5 grams of sugar, 1 gram of fiber and 205 calories for an entire bar, it's a snack that'll give you a protein-filled sweet fix without loading you up on sugar.
The texture of all of these is similar to that of the chocolate-covered Nutty Bars you may have had before. And I must say, the Peanut Butter Creme, said to be reminiscent of the Girl Scout Do-Si-Dos, was delightful. As Jim Carey said in The Mask, somebody stop me. With nearly the exact same nutrition profile of the Chocolate Mint but five calories lighter, this one was delicious. It was light and peanut buttery without being overpowering, and well, I wolfed it down as a morning snack and wanted more.
If you're looking more for a berry taste, they've got the Wild Berry Creme, which tastes fruity, but it was a little too sweet for my taste. For its sweet taste, though, it clocks in with the same numbers as the others, even adding a gram of the whey protein above the others. They've got so many flavors of the bars that I haven't even tried all of my samples yet, but with Cookies & Creme, Peanut Butter Fudge and Triple Chocolate, you'll have an option to try no matter what flavor you're craving.
I did, however, try the Power Crunch Choklat Bars, which are chocolate bars with bits of crunchiness inside, much like a Nestle Crunch bar if you want to compare it to a candy bar. The only thing I didn't like was the fact that one package contained two servings, and I found it very difficult to stop myself and save the rest for later. Half of the bar clocks in at 200 calories, 10 grams of protein and their standard 5 grams of sugar --- not bad for what is essentially a protein candy bar. Can you see now why I had to stop at half? Otherwise you're eating 400 calories of chocolate; even if you are getting protein out of the deal, it's still a lot of cals for a snack!
Over all though, I was totally pleased with the taste and crunch of all of the Power Crunch bars I tried --- and I'm glad that I've got some more samples in my pantry to last me awhile...
Have you ever found a healthier substitute for a vice like Girl Scout cookies? Do share ... ---Erin