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2 Handy Snacks for National Gluten-Free Day {review}

National Gluten-Free Day fell this past weekend.  Although that can be a good opportunity for spreading the word about gluten allergies and sensitivities, and Celiac Disease, for most of us who are gluten-free, every day is gluten-free day.  And that can make it tough to eat on the go.  Even snacks that logically needn’t contain gluten — like jerky or trail mix — often do.

I recently had the opportunity to try the Protein-heavy options from a couple companies.  Two different companies sent me samples.  They’re different.  Both are good, in their own ways.

Munk Pack Protein Cookies

Of the two options, I think these protein cookies from Munk Pack may edge out Stabilyze for my personal favorites.  They’re large, thick cookies.  If you know they’re “protein cookies,” you can tell that comes through just a little, but it’s hard to describe how.  They have a “heavier” feel to the dry ingredient content than a standard Cookie, or something.  However you’d describe it, it’s pretty subtle.  If someone didn’t tell me these were protein cookies, I probably wouldn’t have noticed.

The cookies are vegan (so dairy-free and egg-free) and gluten-free, with 18 grams of protein.  (For you Brewer diet moms, that’s the equivalent of 2-3 protein servings.)  I also like that these contain neither refined sugar nor sugar alcohols (xylitol, erythritol, etc.).  They’re sweetened with monk fruit.  They’re also soy-free and non-GMO.  (They do contain nuts, so if you’re allergic to nuts, these are not for you.  Sorry!  Wait, that’s not quite true.  All flavors contain peanuts; only the White Chocolate Macadamia contains tree nuts.)

The Coconut White Chocolate Macadamia flavor was a bit overly-sweet for me, but I’m not usually a big fan of coconut or white chocolate, so that’s probably just me and not a reflection on the recipe.  The other two of these I tried, Double Dark Chocolate, and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, were both delicious.  The dark chocolate one is pretty dark/minimally-sweetened.  The peanut butter one is more middle-of-the-road.

There’s also an Oatmeal Raisin Spice flavor.  I didn’t receive that one to sample, and I can’t say I’m sorry, because oatmeal raisin isn’t really my thing.  But maybe that’s your favorite.  Here’s the nutrition information for the White Chocolate Macadamia cookie:

Now, even with all the good stuff that’s in these, I wouldn’t recommend replacing meals with them as a matter of course.  Eating your full, “real” meals is a good thing, nutritionally speaking!  But it’s really nice having something filling and protein-packed to stash in the diaper bag or purse for when you get caught out-and-about, and/or in the cupboard for when you need a quick pick-me-up, or got in late and don’t have time to cook or want your belly filled sooner than cooking would take.

Munk Pack – Variety Pack – Protein Cookie – 6 PackMunk Pack – Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip – Protein Cookie – 6 PackMunk Pack – Double Dark Chocolate – 6 PackMunk Pack – Oatmeal Raisin Spice – Protein Cookie – 6 PackMunk Pack – Coconut White Chip Macadamia – Protein Cookie – 6 Pack

Stabilyze Protein Bars

The other protein snack I tried was Stabilyze nutrition bars.  The flavors available are oddly similar to the Munk Pack flavors.  We have Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup, Dark Chocolate Thin Mint Cookie (my favorite!), and Dark Chocolate Coconut Cashew (not my favorite, ’cause the whole coconut/nut thing just isn’t my preference).  There’s also a Dark Chocolate Hazelnut option I didn’t try.  (It seems to be new.)

These bars are gluten-free, and they’re designed primarily to be low glycemic, well-suited, for instance, to diabetics who need to keep snacks on hand for maintaining a stable blood sugar level.  (Hence the name: Stabilyze.)  These do contain sugar alcohols, which is not my preference.  Sugar alcohols are more processed than many natural sugars, and often produce unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms.  The bars contain a blend of xylitol and other sweeteners (stevia & monk fruit) and, although I tend to have a fairly sensitive gut, eating two of these in an afternoon didn’t cause me any issues, so the sugar alcohols must be minimal.  There are no traditionally-refined sugars, though, and I’m confident the xylitol was chosen for its low glycemic index (low impact on blood sugar).

Stabilyze is more of your typical protein bar/similar to a candy bar.  It does have a bit of a “protein bar” sort of taste (you won’t confuse it with a candy bar), but they’re not funky.  (You know how some protein bars have such a weird proteiny flavor that you kinda don’t want to bother?  These aren’t like that.)  The texture of these is a nice contrast to the Munk Pack cookies.  Whereas the cookies are very baked-goods-soft, these have a bit of a “tooth” to them, and even a little bit of crispy crunch.

(Sorry the lighting in my house is so bad.)  Can you see how these are just a very different option from the cookies?  I like them both, but they’re very different products.

One bar has 200 calories, 11-12 grams of protein.  These aren’t free of as many allergens, so that’s something to be aware of.  They’re gluten-free and don’t contain eggs, but they do contain milk, soy, and nuts.  Another thing to be aware of is that, being nutrition bars, these are fortified with vitamins.  Those vitamins include folic acid, making these a less-than-ideal option for those of us with MTHFR mutations.  (Long story short, MTHFR impacts the ability to process folates, and folic acid blocks that process further.)  Even at that, I’d rather eat this than some other options on the shelf.

Stabilyze Low Glycemic Nutrition Bar 12 Pack AssortmentStabilyze Nutrition Bar – Dark Chocolate Thin Mint CookieStabilyze Nutrition Bar – Dark Chocolate Coconut CashewStabilyze Nutrition Bar – Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Bar

So there you go — two new options to stash in your bag for quick snacks.

Do you have favorite go-to protein snacks?

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2 Handy Snacks for National Gluten-Free Day {review} is a post from: Titus 2 Homemaker


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