My Top 5 Bars I CANNOT Travel Without
As I'm sure many of you know, I love my whole foods. Whenever possible, I find it most satisfying and filling to make time to prep REAL food for short distance travel & on-the-go situations. Real foods keep my digestion in check and have me feeling at my best. HOWEVER, I also love to travel and explore as many new places as possible and this prevents me from always having the most real, whole foods. Upon much research, I've narrowed down my list of go-to bars to 5 favorites based on nutritional facts, taste, and macros! I've tried countless bars - some tasting completely like whey, others tasting like overcooked kale😂. The list below contains my favorite 5 bars that I absolutely never travel without! Discount codes for those that I have and the Instragram handles are included, and I truly recommend giving each of these a try if you haven't already😋
1. @squareorganics
Both the original chocolate coated and newer crisp bars are unlike any other I've had. Not only are they vegan, gluten & dairy-free, and all organic, but they are ABSOLUTELY delicious. They are not your typical run of the mill protein bar - they have no artificial sugars, are based on whole ingredients, and are slightly higher in fats than other bars I've tried. BUT the taste is unbeatable. They are so real, chocolatey and manage to keep me satiated in between meals. If you haven't yet tried adding half a chocolate coated bar into your hot oats, (as frequently seen on @cocos_gymsta), YOU'RE MISSING OUT. This company and the CEO are absolutely wonderful and just to add to their greatness - a portion of all profits go toward the fight against human trafficking... Like excuse me... Please try and be more amazing, I don't think they can.
I ALSO have a discount code toward these magic bars - "cocos_gymsta" will save you 20% and add free shipping to any online order (even to their adorable clothing). I really emphasize ordering online, these bars can get pricy in stores!
Yes, I've had a photo shoot with them HAHA it's love... |
2. @nocow
These bars are super unique because of their texture commonly described as "chalky". I know some people aren't huge fans because of it, but I've been hooked since the first one I tried. They are also a vegan bar, made with pea protein instead of whey. The macros are unbelievable and have about 1g sugar, & 21/22g protein per bar. They've recently released several new flavors, my faves being: peanut butter chocolate chip, mint chocolate, blubbery cobbler, and dark raspberry truffle! I EVEN enjoy the lemon merengue and I typically hate all things lemon flavored. They taste perfect without any warming up, so they're great for keeping in my purse/gym bag. I also stuff my suitcase with them wherever I travel😋 No discount code to share, and they're slightly on the pricier side, but totally worth a try! Their new cookies and fluff butters are also AMAZING. Love this company so much!
3. @questnutrition
The OG quest bars. Quest and I go way back HAHA, I honestly think they were the first protein bar I tried back in high school... and it was immediate love at first bite. Now I have to be honest, the original bars are my favorite and I'm not too crazy about the cereal bars and the hero bars are OKAY. None of these are dairy free because they have a whey protein base and I hear that the artificial sugars do bother some people's stomachs. HOWEVER, your girl loves quest bars like no other. The macros are unbelievable and more similar to nocow with 20-22g protein and 1-2g sugar... also low in net carbs and just slightly higher in fat. The absolute best flavors are: chocolate chip cookie dough (it's America's favorite so don't even argue), s'mores, cookies & cream, mocha chip, blueberry muffin, birthday cake, mint chocolate, and white chocolate raspberry. Flavors I dislike: strawberry cheesecake, lemon cream pie, coconut cashew, mixed berry, and vanilla almond crunch.
I feel like these are the most widely known bars on the market, and for good reason! Their new cookies are also awesome. Give this brand a try if you can tolerate whey... and don't forget to microwave them omg SUCH a game changer.
4. @reddbar
These bars are among the most recent discovery of mine, and I'm already hooked on a few flavors! This is a newer company based out of Maine, AKA THE HOME STATE so I'm already biased. They are more similar to square organics, in that the ingredients are more based upon real/whole ones instead of a heavy protein base. They have similar macros/calories to the square bars and are great for travel because they are fairly filling! They come in chocolate, mint chocolate, (my two faves hehe), oatmeal, peanut butter, and salted caramel. AND all bars are packed with superfoods, vitamins & minerals... so why eat broccoli when you can eat a Redd bar😝 ?? HAHA kidding eat your vegetables but seriously try these out! I was offered to have a custom discount code for followers but am still undecided & don't want to be overwhelmed with too many... Yay or nay - what do you guys think?!
OKAY this is hard because I could create this list to be a mile long. I love so many bars but I told myself to stick to top 5... And I'm not including @jojoschocolate because it is more of a chocolate bar/bark and I'm sticking to the protein bar theme. With that said...
5. @powercrunch
THESE BARS... are so very unique and I love them for a few different reasons. First and foremost the vanilla flavor tastes just like those vanilla wafer cookies I ate way too much of as a child...
YOU KNOW THEM👇
Seriously, these bars have crème filling layered between crunchy wafers JUST like the good old childhood kind do. The salted caramel and vanilla are my absolute go-to's but the chocolate mint, peanut butter, cookies & cream, and red velvet are all great! The ingredients are not the MOST nutritious but they are definitely higher in protein and VERY low in sugar/carb. They use whey protein as well, but no sugar alcohols so I never find myself with an upset stomach afterward. They are extremely delicious and I always tell myself I need to eat them more when I'm nibbling on one! I don't believe they provide ambassador codes right now, but if they ever do they will certainly be hearing from me. Love them so much. Salted caramel is undoubtedly life changing.
I hope this had been helpful! These are just a few of my travel necessities that I frequently post about on Instagram. Even while not traveling, I'll have 1 to 2 of these daily just because they taste so darn good! I love each of these bars for vastly different reasons but they are all great in their own way. I like knowing I am consuming enough protein despite not having greek yogurt, egg whites, or grilled chicken on hand lol and these certainly do the trick. I don't currently track macros, so I choose them solely based on what I'm craving and how hungry I am. Leave any comments or questions below, I will get back to them all! Thanks for reading😊
XOXO - Coco
These are amazing! I used quinoa instead of amaranth. I did 3/4 cup sun butter and 1/4 cush cashew butter. They needed to spend a little more time in the freezer for me to be able to cut them. Love this recipe!
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