Manbake

Protein bars make up a very big part of my diet.  Maybe a little too big of a part...but that's not important now... I just love them! Convenient, portable, easy, prepackaged, high protein, and if you find the good ones, healthy and tasty!

I was seeing some bars by a company called Manbake all over Instagram and knew I had to try some!

I was very excited when they send me 10 bars to taste and review!

Before the tasting party can begin, I had to check out the nutritional stats.  

I like my bars to have around 20 grams of protein.  Check! 

The macros vary slightly but the bars are 160-190 calories 5F 24C 20P.

Doesn't hurt that they are also gluten free and paleo friendly!

I would absolutely consider these a healthy protein bar.  Most of Manbake's recipes contain chia seeds, flax seeds, and hemp.  Super foods! They also use lots of different nuts and seeds instead of sugars and preservatives.  

They even have a vegan friendly bar! I decided to try the Mocha Fudge first.  This bar also contains some caffeine for an extra energy boost!

As soon as I tore through the wrapper I smelled chocolate and coffee! I checked in the ingredients and they even use real coffee. 

I was pleasently surprised to find whole almonds throughout the bar.  The bar was slightly soft and chewy.  This bar was not very sweet at all.  I could really taste the coffee.  I am not a huge fan of coffee flavored things, but if you are, this might be a good flavor for you to try. 

Let's try something a little fruity!

I must warn you...I am not a huge fan of fruit flavored things...I love fruit, but I usually don't really like fruity flavored things like yogurt, ice cream, granola bars, candy, cereal...

I went into it with an open mind! 

I actually kinda liked it! Same soft, chewy texture.  There were tiny bits of strawberry swirled throughout.  I like that there wasn't huge chunks of strawberries, but some strawberry essense.  Strawberry essence?? Ya, sure... 

Sticking with the fruity-ness...

Apple Pie is quite delicious! It is one of the fruity desserts I actually like.  Can't go wrong with cinnamon and apples.  

It smelled fantastic!! Just like apple pie from the oven.  

Loved this one!! The bar was pretty smooth.  No real chunks or anything.  I don't know how they got so much apple cinnamon flavor in there, but they did real good with this one!

I took the other Apple Pie bar to the soccer fields.

Let it sit in the sun for a few minutes to get really soft...heavenly!! It really was like warm, gooey apple pie!

I decided to have some fun with the Double Chocolate Chip bar.  

I see little chocolate chips hiding in there!

The texture of this bar is cookie dough-ish I figured...

Why not turn it into actual cookies!!

I microwaved the bar for 10 seconds, broke it into little pieces, formed tiny cookie dough balls, and baked them at 350 for 5 minutes.

Ta-Da!! Itty Bitty Cookies!!! These were not quite as sweet and chocolatey as I would have liked, but still pretty tasty.  I have baked other bars into cookies before and is my absolute favorite way to eat them!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough was up next so I HAD to try more cookies!

This bar was much softer than the Double Chocolate Chip.  

So they spread a lot more when baked. 

Next time I need to use a bigger baking sheet and spread them out.  

But they tasted amazing!! Slightly crunchy and then just melted in my mouth!

The Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough bar was by far my favorite!

I tried the other one right out of the wrapper.  Literally tasted like the raw slice and bake cookie dough you buy at the store.  Only this is good for you!!

I work as a nanny and sometimes it can be hard to always sit down and eat when and what I want. 

These bars are a perfect snack to toss in my bag for when hunger strikes! 

Would I recommend Manbake bars?!

Yes!! With all the different flavors, I am sure you will find one that suits you!

You can buy right from their website or check and see if they are sold in stores near you.  Manbake also carries a line of nut butters that all sound fabulous.  

Be sure to check out Manbake on your favorite social media sites!

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Quest Rice Crispy Treats!

I remember making Rice Crispy Treats as a kid all the time! I still make them with the kiddos I nanny for, but don't eat four or five bars like I used to! I decided to come up with a little healthier version of this childhood treat so I could still enjoy them without the guilt!

Since I didn't want to use an entire bag of sugary marshmallows half a stick of butter, I needed to come up with something to replace those ingredients with...Quest Bar to the rescue!!

Only two ingredients! That is less than what you need for the original recipe.

Puffed Rice cereal and a Cinnamon Roll Quest Bar.  That's it!!

*Get creative!! Try different cereal / bar combos*

First microwave the Quest Bar for about 10 seconds to get it nice and soft.  Break it up into little pieces, put it in a bowl. 

And add a little bit of water (about 1 Tablespoon) Microwave 10 seconds, stir, microwave 10 seconds, stir...

Until you get it to this consistency.  

Stir in your cereal.  

Make sure you get it mixed up really well!

You will want a pretty small container.  I just used some tupperware.  Spray your container with a touch of non stick spray and press the cereal in there. 

Feel free to use two or three bars to make more bars! I consider this one serving.

Place in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes to let the bar set up.

And there you have it!

Two big rice crispy treats that are not full of sugar and butter!

Both bars are only 230 calories! 

Because of the Quest Bar, they also contain 21 grams of protein.  Great pre or post workout!

I think next time I will use a Chocolate Brownie Quest Bar to make chocolate treats!

The possibilities are endless! 

Rice Crispy Treats

• 1 Cinnamon Roll Quest Bar
• 1 cup puffed rice cereal (17g)

1. Unwrap Quest Bar, place on microwave safe plate, and microwave 10 seconds
2. Break bar into little pieces, put in a bowl, and add 1 T warm water
3. Stir, microwave 10 seconds, stir, microwave til bar is dissolved
4. Stir in cereal 
5. Lightly coat your dish and press in bar mixture
6. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes
7. Enjoy!

Makes 2 Bars

230 calories for both

 6F 38C 21P

Check out my recipe video too!

Zing Bars

I am on a mission to try all the different brands of protein bars! Next up - Zing Bars. 

I got to choose four different flavors to try and review.  It was not an easy decision! There are flavors like Chocolate Coconut, Dark Chocolate Hazelnut, Coconut Cashew Crisp, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Double Nut Brownie, Cranberry Cashew, and more!

I chose Chocolate Coconut, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, and Dark Chocolate Sunflower Mint.

They have 3 flavor profile of bars which include chocolate covered, soft cookie, and fruit & nut.  They also use 3 different protein sources.  These include brown rice protein (vegan), pea protein (vegan), and whey protein.  They are all gluten free, with no preservatives and no synthetic vitamins and minerals. 

I have said it before and I will say it again...it is easy to make a "healthy" protein bar...

Making it taste good too is the real challenge! 

 First up was the Oatmeal Chocolate Chip.  This is considered one of the soft cookie bars.  

I loved the texture! Soft and slightly chewy with lots of chocolate chips and oatmeal pieces.  

The taste was really great! It had the perfect sweetness without tasting artificial.  The sweetness comes from all natural ingredients like pecans, sunflower seeds, and cinnamon.  

This bar comes in at 210 calories 9F 25C 10P.  

Let's switch it up with a bar covered in chocolate! 

Dark Chocolate Coconut contains 210 calories 10F 25C 10P.  

If you like coconut, and you like chocolate, you will love this bar!

The chocolate has a great flavor and the bar is nice and soft.  My favorite so far!

You really can't go wrong with Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, right?!

Soft cookie texture again.  Very very good!! I could really taste the peanut butter and it had just enough chocolate chips throughout the bar.  Similar macros here with 210 calories 9F 25C 10P.  

Dark Chocolate Mint was saved for last.  Covered in that smooth chocolate once again.  

I could really smell the mint and was hoping for an Andes Mint or Thin Mint Cookie taste.  

Unfortunately I was quite disappointed with this flavor.  At first it tasted good, but then it had almost an alcohol flavor to it.  It might have been from the natural mint oil? 

I don't always love the chocolate/mint combo, so I had my husband try it too.  Sadly, he was not a fan either :(

I really enjoyed three out of the four bars!! I absolutely want to try more flavors because I think the people at Zing are really onto something here!

Overall, I love the texture of these bars.  With the exception of the mint one, the flavors were great! I wish they had a little more protein, but 10 grams is still quite good for a bar this size.  I also love the fact that they are gluten free and have vegan options.  

I decided to have a little more fun with the rest...

I loved cutting half of the Dark Chocolate Coconut into bite sized pieces.  It seemed to last longer this way and was a perfect little chocolate treat.  

Half Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip and half Oatmeal Chocolate Chip into the microwave for 10 seconds.  

It was like warm cookie dough! This was awesome!! I loved how the little chocolate chips got all melty.  

Take some of those bite sized pieces, place them into the freezer for a few minutes, and you have yourself a super tasty chocolate treat! 

This is now my favorite way to eat Zing Bars! 

Would I recommend Zing Bars??? Yes! With all the different flavors, I am sure you will find some that are perfect for you.  

I have seen Zing Bars at some local grocery stores, Whole Foods, and some specialty stores.  Try using their store locator to find them in stores near you.  You can also just order some online! 

There is one really really bad things about these bars...

Eating the last of them...

Be sure to check out Zing Bars on all your favorite social media sites! 

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Quest Creation - Strawberry Cheesecake Jello Bars

I think it is time I come clean...I am...a Quest Bar addict...There, I said it! I am not ashamed either! These bars taste amazing, are super healthy, and you can turn them into crazy creations! For example, how about some Strawberry Cheesecake Jello Bars?!

This dessert is fantastic! It is a great way to satisfy that sweet tooth.  Plus, it is packed full of protein and very low in fat.  

Don't worry, it is very easy to make! You only need four ingredients.

Vanilla protein powder, unsweetened vanilla almond milk, sugar free fat free strawberry jello mix, and that wonderful Strawberry Cheesecake Quest Bar. 

Unwrap the bar, place on microwave safe plate, and warm it up.  

It only needs 8-10 seconds in the microwave.  Just enough to make it soft enough to mold. 

Place the bar between some parchment paper and roll it nice and thin.  

I am using a small 5x7 baking dish, so I made it to fit.  You could use any shape and size dish.  If your dish is much bigger, you may want to use two bars.  

Coat the dish generously with some non stick spray and just lay the flattened bar in there.  It doesn't have to be a perfect fit because the bar will expand some as we bake it.  Into the oven at 350 for 10-12 minutes.  

Ta-Da! 

Now we have a beautiful and tasty crust for our bars. Stick this in the fridge while we mix up the jello part. 

Add the whole package of jello mix to one cup of boiling water.  If you want, you can add a sweetener to two.  I used one little Splenda. 

Make sure all the powder is dissolved and stick this in the freezer, just to take the chill off.  

In a shaker cup, add 1/2 scoop of vanilla protein powder and 1/2 cup milk.  Shake it up real good!

If you don't have a shaker cup, you can just use a whisk or spoon.  I find the shaker works really well though! 

Now add the jello mix.  It's ok if it a little warm, you just don't want to add boiling hot liquid to milk...Mix it up some more!

Really work those arm muscles! 

Now you should have a very pretty pink mixture.  Don't worry, we are almost done!!

Stick this back in the fridge or freezer for a bit.  You want to make sure your Quest Bar crust, and jello mixture are completely cool before we do the next step!!

Once you are sure everything it cooled, slowly pour the jello mixture over the crust.  If the jello mix is even a little bit warm, it will start to melt and break apart the crust.  

Stick the in the fridge for about an hour or until the jello has set.  I know...waiting is the worst part!!

 It is so worth it though!! As you can see, I was a little impatient and forgot to take a finished product picture...I couldn't wait to eat a piece!!

 I got six nice sized bars from this recipe.  Let's be honest though, I ate the whole dish by myself...And why shouldn't I?! The whole dish is only 260 calories! That is much less than any teeny tiny piece of cheesecake you might get at a restaurant.  

 That bite is pure perfection! 

The jello is cold and creamy, the crust is sweet and crunchy, and together it is simply amazing!

Yum!!!

 The whole dish also has a whopping 36 grams of protein! I really look forward to this treat after a tough workout!

If you're only excuse for not making this is that you don't have any Quest Bars, then let me stop you right there!!! Go here and buy some now! I promise you will be glad you did :)

Strawberry Cheesecake Jello Bars

• 1 Strawberry Cheesecake Quest Bar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (120ml)
• 1 package sugar free fat free strawberry jello mix
• 1/2 scoop MTS vanilla whey (15g)
• 1 cup water
• sweetener if desired

1. Microwave Quest Bar for 10 seconds.
2. With a rolling pin, flatten the bar between parchment paper. Make is fit whatever size dish you are using. 
3. Coat dish with nonstick spray and place flattened bar on bottom.
4. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes
5. Let cool completely.
6. Mix together entire package of jello and 1 cup boiling water.  Let cool.
7. In a shaker cup, mix milk and protein powder.  Add jello mixture once it is cool. 
8. Once crust and jello mixture are both completely cooled, slowly pour jello over the crust.
9. Place in fridge for 1-2 hours or until jello is set.
10. Enjoy!!

Makes 6 Bars

Whole Dish - 260 calories

7g Fat

29g Carb

36g Protein