Skip to main content

Quest Bars Redux

Quite a while back, I had reviewed Quest Nutrition Bars and had a somewhat lukewarm response to them.  However, this was back when I would have chosen sugar over protein, and given my current goal to cut back on the sugary stuff where I can, these seemed to fit my needs and re-entered the picture.



It started with an innocent need for food-on-the-run.  Although I've gotten better at bringing food from home to work again, I usually eat more than I bring (darn breastfeeding appetite!), so these keep me from having to buy extra food after I've spent my lunch breaks working out.  To my astonishment, I actually liked the bar and decided to try all the flavors I could find.  Luckily, GNC is really convenient to me, so with their Quest Bar promotion at the time, I was able to do just that. 

I had to eat these over time, of course, so this post has been a while in the making, but here are some brief notes about the flavors I tried/re-tried:

  • Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough: see last review
  • Cookies & Cream: This is the one that started my "Quest quest."  I actually liked the faux-cookie bits inside.  If I have to buy a box, I'd get this flavor.
  • Double Chocolate Chunk: A very standard chocolate protein bar taste, though I did appreciate the chocolate chunks within.
  • Chocolate Brownie: Also a pretty standard chocolate protein bar taste.
  • White Chocolate Raspberry: Also has bits of stuff inside, definitely not exactly white chocolate (they are kind of crumbly), but not too bad.  I'd eat this again.
  • Cinnamon Roll Flavor: I had read some amazing reviews for this, but it wasn't really notable to me at all.  Nothing about this reminded me of cinnamon roll.
  • Chocolate Peanut Butter: see last review
  • Coconut Cashew: I read a lot of good things about this flavor, but I did not like it at all.  I think it needed more texture and didn't taste like either coconut OR cashew.
  • Strawberry Cheesecake: I liked this!  Although fruity bars don't usually sit well with me, I did like the little pieces of "cheesecake" that kind of reminds me of the cookies n cream one.
  • Apple Pie: This was pretty good, with actual pieces of spongy dried apple inside.
  • Vanilla Almond Crunch: Had bits of almond in it, kind of like almond meal, pretty good.
  • Peanut Butter Supreme: Not bad, peanut-buttery for sure.  This one has over 200 calories.
  • Banana Nut Muffin: Definitely not a muffin due to the texture, but taste-wise, it was mild and not bad.
  • Peanut Butter & Jelly: I think the allure of PB&J is mostly a texture thing, so in a sticky chewy bar form, I wasn't exactly thrilled with eating a peanut and fruit flavored bar.
  • Mixed Berry Bliss: This was nothing notable, just a fruity chewy bar, slightly medicinal.
  • Lemon Cream Pie: I'm not a fan of lemon desserts, so suffice to say this wasn't my favorite but it did have a flavor reminiscent of a lemon bar.

Overall, there is just a small amount of "fake" taste (of proteins/sweeteners), which is a far cry from some other protein bars.  Many are sweetened with monk fruit, which is the latest *thing* when it comes to sweeteners.  For under/around 200 calories and 20-ish grams of protein per bar and very little carbs, these are definitely a good way to fuel up after a workout and makes you feel like you're eating a treat.  To me, they are easier than taking in protein powder.

------
FTC Disclaimer: I purchased these on my own and am providing an honest review.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Giveaway Winner! -- Sony W Series MP3 Player (Update)

Updated Post: 3/20/11 As promised, here are the Sony W Series giveaway winners: -- both have been contacted and prizes sent -- Please e-mail me at (Gmail) Nobel4Lit2 with your addresses, and I'll ship out the units soon! Thanks to everyone who entered.  Stay tuned for another giveaway soon (maybe later this week)! (Note: I ended up putting everyone's retweets starting after the comments when it came to numbering the entries.) Original Post: 3/10/11 Sunday, March 20 2011, the day I will run LA Marathon for the 4th time (and embark on my 8th 26.2 journey overall), will also be very special because it will mark the 5th year since I did my FIRST training run with the intention of running a marathon.  (Check out that life-changing post HERE ). Yep, on March 20, 2006, I went to the track and ran my first 3.25 miles with the dreams of marathon glory (or even half-marathon glory). I think it was one of the best decisions I've ever made.  I was a sprint/track

Sharkies Prize Pack (giveaway)

It's giveaway time! On a long run recently, I took a couple packs of Sharkies Organic Sports Chews  with me to keep me going on a hot day.  I got through those 15 miles  eating these, versus normal gels.  I've been opting to eat chews over gels in my running nowadays because I just find them more palatable and easier on my stomach for some reason.  Plus, they do pack a few more calories, which is a good thing in this case. I normally associate cute little chews with candy, but these actually contain natural electrolytes.  Plus, they were light to carry and very tasty, too!  Each pack is about 140 calories.  The only downside I found to the sport chews is that they stuck to my teeth a tiny bit more than my normal choices, and the packaging gave me a fight at times.  This could easily be solved by conslidating them into a baggie pre-run, or eating them BEFORE running would be much easier than during. Want to win the prize pack below?  It comes with these Sport Chews, a neat

Rebecca Michaels Performance Clothing (Giveaway)

UPDATE: 6/21/12 -- This giveaway is closed, and the winner is #43, Jacqueline!!  I will contact you, but if you miss it, please e-mail me! ------ I'd like to credit in advance "The Ukrainian" who helped me stage some photos for this post. =) Perhaps because I don't dress well when working out, I was offered the opportunity to try some fun pieces from the Rebecca Michaels summer collection. Since I complained about my issues with headbands staying on my head, I also got to try their Violet Love headbands.  "The Ukrainian" didn't hesitate in throwing one on, and I think he said he looks like Rambo in it. Anyway, I'll start with my experience with the headbands .  They are very soft and actually look SUPER cute on!  They also cover a large portion of the top of your head, so those little fly-aways don't come drooping down.  Or is that just me?  My hair is normally cut in layers, so I do experience this quite a bit. Unfortun