Review: theGoodOnYabar

I mentioned two weeks ago that OpenSky, the people behind a lot of the products in my store, are helping out with The Lunch Box Project.

The project’s goal is to ensure all children have access to healthy food at school. With the help of singer/songwriter Jack Johnson, The Lunch Box Project is working to raise $20,000 in the next few weeks.

For the rest of this weekend — through September 7th — OpenSky will donate $1 to The Lunch Box Project for every sale of a healthy Lunch Box product.

I just tried one of the products, theGoodOnYabar. I got the 3-bar sampler pack (manufacturer’s descriptions):

• Breakfast Bar – the original favorite provides 24% of your daily fiber. A stellar 100% organic nutritional line up includes Oats, raw hemp seeds, raw blonde flax seeds, raw sesame seeds, maple syrup and vegan dark chocolate chips. The Breakfast Bar makes a hearty start to any day.
• Peanut Butter Honey – similar nutritional goodness to the Breakfast Bar, with the addition of 100% organic Roasted Valencia Peanut Butter and Raw Honey.
• Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate – The GoodOnYaBar’s most popular flavor adds vegan dark chocolate chips to the peanut butter honey mix. A great substitute for cookies and candy bars!

We went with the Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate.

It’s not really a “bar” like I was expecting. And they’ve obviously made no effort to disguise the fact that you’re eating plenty of raw seeds. I like that about it — it looks like exactly what it is.

Reviews were a bit mixed — I thought it was okay, probably good to have in the backpack when going hiking. It’s not the kind of thing I would want for breakfast, though. I didn’t eat the whole thing, but can’t imagine it being filling enough for a meal.

Jenn, on the other hand, was … disappointed, I guess would be a nice way to say it. When I told her what was in it, she said, “That’s the problem. I hate flax.” If we had checked the ingredients first, I wouldn’t have bothered to ask her opinion. That’s like asking someone who doesn’t like garlic to sample my spaghetti sauce.

So we had some neighbors try it. Cathy said it could have used some crunch, which I can totally agree with. She thought the taste was a little flat, and had an odd aftertaste. Thought some fruit would be a good addition.

Audrey said it tasted okay, sort of like a Snickers™ but without the nuts. But it got stuck in her braces. Yeah, it’s sticky and chewy and full of little seeds. Not a good match for braces.

Overall

If you care about eating organic or vegan, theGoodOnYabar is a great snack, or maybe even a breakfast replacement. If you eat like I do — meat, cheese, dairy, eggs — this isn’t going to take the place of a regular meal. But it could still be a compact, lightweight snack to take on a hike.

Help the Lunch Box Project

Remember, for the next four days each order for the products below will send $1 to The Lunch Box Project.