[All this can be yours!! Well, without the basket.]
When I first decided to open an organic vegan bakery a few years ago, I wanted to do things right. I took a summer course in running a small business, interviewed dozens of owners of other baking companies, and held a focus group (lucky for me, Gemini II works in the marketing field and led the group for free!).
Oh, and I checked out the competition. In the interest of research, you understand. I bought muffins, cookies, cakes and bars galore and, of course, sampled them all. Some were truly awful; some were moderately good; and some were exceptionally delicious. It was that last category on which I focused, and felt I had to do better. Along the way, I also came across samples of myriad other sweet treats at vegetarian fairs, trade shows and expos. One of the samples I tried back then were these Simply bars.
Developed by the company’s owner, Cathy Richards, the bars were created partly so that Cathy herself (who has Crohn’s disease) could enjoy delicious, healthy, gluten- and grain-free treats. I’d say she succeeded famously!
Besides being vegan, grain-free and gluten-free, these bars impressed me with their list of simple, real ingredients (as the website says, they “have pronounceable ingredients!”). While each flavor has its own add-ins such as lemon zest, coffee beans or peanut butter, the basic components include non-GMO soy crisps (from soy protein and tapioca starch); organic agave nectar; organic brown rice syrup; and canola oil. With a crunchy, light texture much like a rice krispie bar yet not too sweet, they were perfectly in line with my own diet! In addition, these babies are low calorie, low glycemic (most flavors) and extremely high protein–the highest of any energy bar, at a whopping 16 or 17 grams per bar (that’s more than you’d get in a typical fast-food hamburger!)
Well, you can imagine my glee when Cathy said she’d send a whole box of assorted Simply bars to one lucky reader of this blog!
They’re available in five yummy flavors: Lemon-Coconut, Cocoa Coffee, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Cocoa Raspberry, and Cinnamon with raisins. When I received my samples last week, the HH fairly pounced on the Lemon Coconut and devoured it in under a minute. My own favorites run toward the chocolate varieties, but I’m also fond of the Cinnamon, which is most like a granola bar.
If you’re looking for a great energy boost or just a terrific snack that will be kind to your digestive system, the Simply bar is for you.
Here’s how to win a box of Simply bars of your own!
1) TO ENTER, simply leave a comment on this blog post letting me know why you’d like to win the bars. Are you gluten intolerant? An athlete who wants a high-protein snack? –etc. Click here to comment!
2) FOR AN EXTRA ENTRY, DO ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:
- Tweet about the giveaway on twitter (be sure to include @RickiHeller to identify the contest) and then leave a comment (click here) letting me know you’ve done so.
- Mention it on your own blog, with a link to this page, and leave a comment (click here) so I know you’ve done so.
The contest is open to anyone anywhere (get those entries in, Martians!) and will close on September 7, 2009–just in time for back-to-school!
To leave your comment, go back to this post.
