An orange crush.
Would you like me to introduce you to her? And yes, it is a her.
Meet the Yogurt Orange Swirl nimble Bar. It's 120 calories of cute, delicious nutrition.
A bit about her and her friend, the Peanut Butter nimble bar {via their website}:
The folks at Balance Bar, the makers of the nimble Bar, offered me the chance to try these for review after I had participated in a Twitter contest. I've been a fan of Balance Bars so I quickly said yes.The nimble bar is an all-in-one 40-30-30 energy, beauty and nutrition bar that keeps you looking and feeling your best in one simple step. Based on the same 40-30-30 nutrition principle as Balance Bar, nimble is made with Truvia® brand sweetener and is the first bar to combine essential ingredients like FloraGLO® Lutein and Beta-Carotene for your skin with 7 critical nutrients for your body, including Protein, Fiber, and Calcium – all for 120 calories.
And I'm glad I did.
My biggest complaint with nutrition bars is the calorie count. Clif bars easily clock in at 250 calories and bars marketed to women, such as Luna, routinely come close to 200 calories. There's nothing wrong with that, per se, but I am eating these as a snack or pre-run fuel - not as a substantial part of a meal. If I am going to spend 250 calories somewhere, I want to make it worth it.
And the bars that have fewer calories are often less than nutritional. It's not unheard of to see corn syrup - even the high fructose kind - in a product or crazy artificial sweeteners. The nimble Bar is made with Truvia, a stevia-based product that doesn't give me pause.
As far as taste, the Yogurt Orange Swirl reminds me of a creamsicle and I was a fan from first bite. I'm not as big of a fan of the peanut butter. The first time I ate it, I was a bit thrown off by the texture. It's not off-putting but it lacks a coating or crunch that I've come to expect - it was almost like a fudge. The taste was good but not great. And given I like the orange so much, I've yet to eat more than two.
I love to eat them before a run or when I'm rushing from work to teach BODYPUMP. It's just what I need to get me through a workout without dragging me down.
But you don't have to take my word for it. The folks at Balance Bar have a pretty awesome package for one of you gals.
Balance Bar teamed up with lifestyle expert Laurel House, a.k.a. “Quickie Chick,” for a very special giveaway. The winner will receive:
- Twelve bars of nimble in two scrumptious flavors - Peanut Butter and Yogurt Orange Swir
- An autographed copy of Laurel’s just-published book, “Quickie Chick’s Cheat Sheet to Life, Love, Food, Fitness, Fashion and Finance on a Less Than Fabulous Budget”
A limited-edition retro-50s-style wildflower wristlet by glittersweet® (By the way, I got one, too, and it is totes cute!) - Two Bloom Black Ties - a hair tie that is also stylish jewelry. Wear it in your hair or wear it on your wrist. Either way it’s “The Elastic All Dressed Up!”
Giveaway runs from June 8 to June 13, ending at midnight EST. Entries after that will be considered null. The winner will be chosen via Random.org and will be announced Thursday, June 14. Winner is responsible for contacting me hlthystrides at gmail dot com within 72 hours, or a new winner will be chosen. Open to U.S. residents only.
Note: I've had to disable anonymous comments because of spam. I apologize if this prohibits some of you from entering but I had to do it for your (and my) cyber safety.
Have grace for yourself. If you get all bent up about missing a run or eating too much one time, you'll be a mess and you'll downward spiral.
ReplyDelete#quickie tip: trying to laugh as often as possible
ReplyDeleteI try to just think of today..Be healthy through today, and you can worry about tomorrow tomorrow! Also-I speak out loud to that little voice in my head that says I can't do it..and tell him I CAN!!
ReplyDeleteIf you are not hungry enough to grab fruits or veggies, you're not really hungry!
ReplyDeleteMy tip is that if you eat something unhealthy, just move on and continue to eat healthy, you didn't "ruin" the entire day.
ReplyDeleteCan you re-enable the name/url option? It's really hard for me to comment (and anyone else who has a self-hosted wordpress page.)
My quickie tip is to start the day with a glass of water. There is something mentally positive about a clear, refreshing glass of water to set you on the right track for the day!!
ReplyDeleteMy quick tip, have coffee before running! LOL!
ReplyDeletemy quickie tip is to brush your teeth immediately after dinner. I am less likely to snack if I have teeth that are so fresh and so clean.
ReplyDeleteMy quick tip - always have a healthy snack with you.
ReplyDeleteMy quick tip for staying healthy is water, water, water! No need for calorie bomb beverages!
ReplyDeleteMy quickie tip: remember that it's not about the number on the scale-- it's how you're feeling inside and out!
ReplyDeleteThose sound yummy! My quickie tip is to always be prepared with a healthy snack.
ReplyDeleteQuickietip: Plan ahead for the gym, a run, and/or your meals.
ReplyDeleteMy quickie tip - Don't keep junk food in the house. If I have to go OUT for it, it's much more of a treat, and I don't overdo it...
ReplyDeleteMy quick tip is to plan for your day. If I know I am going to be out most of the day due to work then errands after work then I take and load my Vera down with water, healthy lunch and healthy snacks. I dont want to be tempted to be out and be hungry and run through the drive through and eat something unhealthy and regret it later.
ReplyDeleteMy quickie tip is to plan & pack my meals ahead that way it's not a mad dash for what to bring to work with me or what to make for dinner.
ReplyDeleteMy quickie tip - no kidding - I tell myself that I'm "allergic" to trigger foods like Doritos and other chips, ice cream, etc. It really is true. They cause me to swell up!! :)
ReplyDeleteMy quickie tip... I always park in the back. It makes it so I squeeze in a few extra steps when I am running from work to school.
ReplyDeleteMy quickie tip is to try to plan meals ahead instead of eating out or grabbing take out.
ReplyDeleteQuickie Tip...prepare meals the night before for my work day so I don't end up eating fast food! And reminding myself that exercise will de-stress me after a long day, even when I'm exhausted and want to bail on my kickboxing class lol
ReplyDeleteMy quickietip is simple.... Drink Water!! Not only is it good for your inside but your outside as well!! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Kim! Congrats on the amazing weight loss - very inspiring! My weight loss tip would be to write everything down that you eat each day. It helps keep the calories in check and keeps you accountable for what you put into your mouth! Keep up the great work :)
ReplyDeleteMy quickie tip is to work in activity throughout your day, even in small ways...like parking further away, so you have further to walk.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance to win!
gina.m.maddox (AT) gmail (DOT) com
My quickie tip is to write everything down, it helps you to stay accountable to yourself!
ReplyDeleteMy quick tip for keeping healthy is to always choose the stairs. Food wise my quick tip is to indulge in moderation. I love a good candy bar but always cut it in half then put the other half away for later.
ReplyDeleteMy quick tip is water & chia seeds. I find chia great for energy and it makes me feel less hungry until I can grab a decent meal.
ReplyDeleteMy Quickie Tip: there is so much to be said for finding a fitness buddy - someone to share food/exercise frustrations and victories with, and to help motivate each other to push through good times and bad. My new workout buddy has helped me become a morning runner (when the idea of getting up at 5 am for ANYTHING much less running seemed an impossibility!), simply by her being there for me to report to and run alongside!
ReplyDeleteMy tip is to drink enough water. It's simple but not always easy.
ReplyDeleteMy quickie tip: Eat several small meals and snack healthy. Couple that with half an hour of whatever form of exercise suits your body. These two things have always helped me. With the weather being so gorgeous, it is easy to clock in more than half an hour of work out time.
ReplyDelete