Hey, girl, heyyyy! So I don’t know about you, but finding snacks that keep me full during the day is a tough task. I want filling things that are easy to grab, because, well, I am chasing a baby around. And, I also have diet restrictions as well as simply wanting to keep to a healthy lifestyle. UGH. So many check boxes to mark. If it were without consequence, I would 1000% go for the hot, fresh out of the oven chocolate chip cookie all day erryday. I am a cookie monster, y’all. The Sprinkles Gluten Free chocolate chip cookie is possibly the best thing on the planet… for real.
But, since I can’t eat a chocolate chip cookie the size of my face every day, I set out on a mission to find THE BEST protein bars for post-workout that actually taste good and satisfy my killer sweet tooth. There have been plenty of terrible ones, but today I am sharing my favorite bars that range from OK to HOLY CRAP that’s amazing.
- ONE Protein Bars: My absolute, #1 TOP CHOICE. Like, holy smokes you guys. These things don’t taste like they’re supposed to be healthy. I don’t know how the heck it’s only 1g of sugar… but dang. It’s not chalky at all, and the flavors for these are the only bar that actually tastes like the flavor it says it is IMO. The birthday cake one… wowzah. Actually feels like eating a vanilla cupcake with sprinkles.
- Orgain Bars: These are arguably *maybe* as good as ONE, but not as filling and there aren’t as many flavor options. They are smaller and are less calories than most protein bars, but also less filling. They are great with a cup of coffee, though! I dip that chocolate chip cookie one in a piping hot cup of java for my afternoon pick me up, and it’s very tasty!
- Quest Bars: These are great, and it actually is the first protein bar I ever got into while working at a Pure Barre studio. These bars can be a hit or miss on texture though. Sometimes, I get one that is perfectly chewy while other times I have had ones that hurt my jaw from having to chew so much. I also once had a very firm one that I couldn’t even bite into. However, if you can heat these up for about 20 seconds… it tastes amazing. The S’mores one is the BEST. As for the Quest Cookies… WOW WOW WOW. SO GOOD.
- Vega Bars: I tried one of these at my gym, because they sold them at the shop and I was starving. I enjoyed it, and the size was what caught my eye! It was really big, but not too crazy in calories (290). However, though it was tasty, I would say it has a chalky after bite. I liked it enough to finish, and I would buy one again if I was in a bind and needed to eat something. This one would be a great meal replacement bar if you’re on the run and need calories.
- RX Bars: Listen, this one is my least favorite, but I would eat it if I needed to. Paul loves these. I hate the texture. Do NOT eat one of these on the way to anything. They will be in your teeth for the next hour. The Chocolate Sea Salt one is tasty. But there’s just no getting around the texture and how it sticks in your teeth.
As for my workouts these days, I have been loving the gym more and more! Ladies, if it’s intimidating to you to go to the gym, just get over the initial awkward hump. I feel more confident every single time. And, I am seeing results. I love doing a sweat sesh on the ellyptical or stair stepper, and then I go do some machines and ab workout of sorts. I have created a highlight on the top of my Instagram where I will be keeping my workouts I share in my stories. See my ab workout from this week below!