Sources: George Clooney says Coconut Cream Pie Larabars Looking Good

Happy Thursday, everyone! It's been a looooong but fun week. Lil' Sister Annie turned 23 on Tuesday - Happy Birthday again! I have to take a second to say what a proud big sister I am. Annie has accomplished so much at such a young age... halfway through her Masters in Psychology, and working on her PhD at the same time! She is a beautiful person physically and mentally, is a gracious hostess and chef, and inspires me in every way. Lately she's been impressing me with her hikes around Colorado Springs, and I am excited for her summit of Pike's Peak this September which she's doing for charity. Not to mention she's got impeccable taste for music and food, and an overall lust for life! I just love her so much and am so happy that we've got an awesome sisterly relationship :-)

Back to this week... Thanks to a ton of shows at work (6 total!) and an old friend who was in town on Monday / Tuesday off the Blink 182 / Fall Out Boy / Panic at the Disco tour, I've gotten my fair share of late nights this week! Did some time at the Safehouse - my favorite bar in America, and also Riptide, a great seafood bar and grill on the Milwaukee River. Today, Zak surprised me by suggesting we get lunch - he works really far from Downtown where I am, so we usually never get to do these kind of things. We bought sandwiches and enjoyed the sunshine, eating al fresco by the river. The weather is gorgeous and hopefully will hold out for the weekeend!

Tonight, we have Lykke Li at Turner Hall Ballroom and everyone around the office is pretty stoked for the show. We booked it what feels like forever ago, and it's crazy that it's finally here. Openers are Miike Snow - a couple members had produced Britney Spears' "Toxic" under a different artist name - and Esser, whose song "Headlock" is currently stuck in my head. One great thing my job has done to me over the years, is that I can appreciate all genres of music, and I feel like tonight will indulge my dance-y electronic side.

Now, on to the product review! Y'all ready for this?

Decided to try out my second ever Larabar today, the Coconut Cream Pie flavor, as an afternoon snack. How does this bar compare to the Pecan Pie bar, reviewed earlier this week?

YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM! I prefer this flavor very much over the Pecan Pie Larabar.

How does this bar stack up, nutritionally? Let's take a look, stats are thanks of MyFitnessPal.com:

Nutrition Facts

Larabar - Coconut Cream Pie

Servings:    of 1 bar

Calories

200

Sodium

5 mg

Total Fat

10 g

Potassium

300 mg

     Saturated

7 g

Total Carbs

27 g

     Polyunsaturated

1 g

     Dietary Fiber

5 g

     Monounsaturated

2 g

     Sugars

21 g

     Trans

0 g

Protein

3 g

Cholesterol

0 mg

 

 

Vitamin A

0 %

Calcium

2 %

Vitamin C

0 %

Iron

6 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

The good:

- Flavor is great - all coconut, with the delectable flavors of almond and hint of mellow cashew

- The texture is grittier than the Pecan Pie bar but very pleasant, with detectable pieces of shredded coconut and nuts. 

- Ingredient list on the package says this bar has "Unsweetened Coconut, Almonds, Cashews, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil," fine by me. I love that there are so few ingredients and that all have recognizable names!

- 10% your daily value for Copper again (LOL - so weird) as well as Magnesium

- 5g of fiber! That rocks.

- George Clooney recommends it... at least this picture makes it look like he does

I've had my Onion desk calendar stuck on Clooney's Feb. 3rd headline since... well since Feb. 3rd of this year. Isn't it hilarious? "Sources: George Clooney Looking Good"

The iffy:

- Fat content = Yowza! I had read a review of this bar from Tina, who loves this product but points out it has 7g of saturated fat! The label says that of the remaining 3g of total fat, 2g are monounsaturated and .05g polyunsaturated. This goes beyond my fat smarts so I am going to need to read up on what this exactly means.

- 200 calories, 3g protein = not what I typically look for in a bar. As I said with the Pecan Pie Larabar, I'd rather have high protein for so many calories. I realize that for a product that's mostly nuts and coconut this is average... however I look for more.

The Verdict:

I like prefer this flavor over the Pecan Pie bar, however will probably not purchase very often. I will save my dough for packaged bars that are higher in protein / other nutrients. I think it's a great once in a while indulgence, but a little too much of a splurge calorie and fat wise to be a regular snack item. I'd rather eat more food to feel full :-)

Some questions - please feel free to leave comments!

What is your favorite flavor of Larabar? 

What is your favorite packaged energy / granola / fruit bar?

What is your favorite George Clooney movie? ;-)