Epic Whole Foods Bars

There's a new snack bar in Gluten-Free Town that can sustain you as an unbelievably healthy quick meal, and it lives up to some amazing claims. If you eat meat, listen up, because these bars are good.

EPIC Bars are: Paleo, gluten-free, low-glycemic, soy-free, dairy-free, nitrate-free AND have a one-year shelf life. On top of that, EPIC bars use meat from animals that are vegetarian-fed and grass-fed, antibiotic-free, hormone-free and humanely treated. They don't claim to be egg-free, but I don't see eggs on the ingredients of any of the bars.

According to EPIC's philosophy, these bars "are loaded with anti-inflammatory omega-3's, muscle-building conjugated linoleic acid, and antioxidant rich vitamins A and E." Touting a decent amount of iron, and between 11 and 14 grams of protein per bar, that's all pretty good stuff.

But the best part? These bars are really, really tasty.

It's been a long time since my husband has had a good gluten-free bar that is high in protein that he loved, so when he texted me a photo of the wrapper of a Bison Bacon-Cranberry Epic Bar someone at work had given him to sample, and expressed his love for it, I knew I'd better get on that. I contacted Taylor Collins, one of EPIC's founders, and he kindly sent samples of all three flavors as well as some information and a cute bison sticker. Needless to say, my husband was pretty thrilled.

I think my favorite flavor is the Beef Habanero Cherry, but the Turkey Almond Cranberry was a really close second. My husband's favorite is the Bison Bacon Cranberry, but he really did love all three flavors. I wish I could vouch for the bison flavor, but I'm not able to eat pork so wasn't able to try that flavor since it contains bacon. I have no doubts it's equally good. My oldest daughter loved all three flavors, and she said they were so good, she wanted one for dessert! The youngest has a more sensitive tongue when it comes to spices, so she said they were a little spicy for her.

The only thing that took a few bites to get used to was the texture, but it wasn't a huge hurdle. It's kind of a cross between a Larabar and softer jerky. Not quite what you are expecting, but it wasn't an issue for anyone in this family and once I was used to it, didn't mind it all.

Bottom line is, these bars are GOOD. Good for you, good tasting and a good "meal" to have on hand in your emergency supply kit, for trips or for your next outdoor adventure. My husband is bringing some on his desert biathlon coming up.

For more information on EPIC bars or to order or find a location near you that sells them, you can check out their site at: http://epicbar.com/

(Disclosure: EPIC provided these products for me to sample free of charge. The opinions on the bars are completely my own.)

Product of the week

I was introduced to the Perfect Foods Bars a few weeks ago by a girl who works at our local health food store. Can I tell you I'm hooked?

These things are incredible. The peanut butter flavor is my favorite - and I'm one of those people who really can't stand peanut butter unless it's sweetened and coated with chocolate. But this is good. There is an incredible amount of protein in the peanut butter flavor.

There are a few other flavors, including a carob for chocolate lovers. I can't vouch for the carob, however, as I hate carob. I have very bad memories of carob from health food stores being forced upon me as a chocolate substitute when I was a child. Why would anyone want to substitute chocolate? Especially knowing the health benefits of quality chocolate? Me? No thanks. If I can't have the real deal, I don't care to have a substitute, thank you very much. The Easter Bunny even brought me carob. I hate it. So the carob may very well be delicious, but as these bars are fairly on the expensive side, I won't be spending my money to try one. Because did I mention that I hate carob?

The downside of these bars, other than the price, is the fact that they need to be kept cool. I'm sure putting them in your pack for a day of hiking won't harm them, but they are supposed to be stored in the refrigerator, which makes it difficult to keep them in your desk for when hunger strikes.

Other than that, they are wonderful. I love them. And I wish I hadn't eaten my last one!