Boom Choco Boom - Parve

The boom CHOCO boom snack bar from ejoylifefoods.com was a real find. Before I even opened the package, I notice very large and clearly printed symbols designating the bar as vegan, kosher parve and certified Gluten Free. At last a snack bar from a company that gets it. Now vegans, kosher, lactose intolerant and gluten intolerant people can all enjoy a common snack.

OK enough about the packaging and on to how the product tastes. The key to this chocolate bar is that it is made from rice milk. So a quick sampling of the bar reminds you of a milk chocolate candy bar. While not being overly sweet, it still had enough sweetness to make most sweet tooths happy and the inclusion of rice crisp gave it a a great crunch. I could have easily eaten several in one sitting simply because they're that good.

Another pleasant surprise is the break down of all ingredients: Evaporated Cane Juice; Non-Dairy Cocoa Butter; Natural Chocolate Liquor (Non-Alcoholic); Rice Milk Powder (Rice Syrup Powder, Rice Starch, Rice Flour, Salt, Carrageenan); Salt.For a change, I didn't need a dictionary or a chemistry book to know everything that it contains.

A finer read of the back of the packaging goes on to state that the bar doesn't contain 8 of the most common allergens including no: wheat, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy , fish or shellfish. We tip our hat to Enjoy Life Foods for thinking of the needs of the greater community instead of just the mass market.

For the bar's overall taste and the company's concern for the digestive needs of many different kinds of people we give the boom CHOCO boom a 4.5 out 5.

Munchies® BBQ Flavour Crunchy Coated Peanuts - Circle U

I picked up a large bag (210 g) of "Munchies® BBQ Flavour Crunchy Coated Peanuts" from Frito Lay Canada in Toronto last week. While I wasn't looking for a "healthy snack" I was looking for something different to try and since I love almost anything BBQ Flavored I decided to go with these.

I don't know what I was really expecting from a crunchy coated peanut perhaps something along the lines of a beer nut, but that's not what I got. My first taste revealed something so salty and almost void of any BBQ flavor what so ever. There is a bit of heat, and some our nondescript flavor, but I guarantee you its doesn't taste like any other BBQ flavored snack I've ever had from Frito Lay. I barely managed to eat a bit more than 2 handfuls.

I will say this about the snack, they are definitely crunchy! Whatever they used to coat the peanuts gives them an almost a potato-chip like crunch. The picture on the packaging shows the coating very clearly.

I looked around the Frito Lays Canada website trying to find a great picture of this product and some additional information, but was very hard pressed to even find the one I used. There is virtually no information about this product other than its name and when I looked at the US version of the site, it didn't even mention it. My guess is that they are testing this product in Canada.

To that I can say lucky for the US. While I'm sure I will eventually finish the bag I purchased, I'm in no rush. I can only recommended this product if you really like over salted snacks with just a touch of heat.

I give it 1.5 out 5.

Odwalla Banana Nut Bar - U dairy

The Banana Nut Bar from Odwalla is a real treat. It's both tasty and reasonably nutritious. It is perfect for mid day snack or take it with you anywhere you'll need a snack.

Despite being labelled as Kosher (Circle U) dairy, a read of the ingredients list showed no dairy items, so it is appropriate for vegans or people suffering from Lactose intolerance. One must assume that they must manufacture them on the same equipment as other items containing dairy. So avoid eating it after a meat meal.

As referenced on their website, it really does taste like home-made banana bread. At 220 calories and 5 grams of fat per bar, its safe to say its a healthier alternative. The bar also contains reasonable amounts of fibre, protein and vitamins A, C and E plus iron, calcium and beta Carotene.

While you should be able to find them many kosher grocery stores or best bet is to look for them at your local health food store, or high-end grocery store.

This should be a must for the snack cupboard and we give it an overall score is a 4.5 out 5