Granola Sweet and Salty Nut Bars

Nature Valley Sweet and Salty Nut BarWe're going to do something a bit differently today. Normally when I received goodies from the gange at MS&L, I use it or consume it, then write a review. But this time, TheWife and I decided to do a live online chat while we consumed this particular product. We tried these new Nature's Valley Sweet and Salty Nut Bars, and they were good. Reallly good. But you can read about it below. And please note how much difficulty TheWife gives me ... with the German.

Incidentally, this method of review and chat I borrowed from one of my favorite food sites, What We're Eating. Tyler and Amanda have perfected the art of the chat with a little bit of snark thrown in. Amanda is a personal chef that whips up the most sexy food, and Tyler eats it.

While you're hanging out on the internet, check out Nature Valley's web site. They have a cool interactive map you can see at Where's Yours? This is a great place to put your favorite outdoor area, nature hike, or camping area on the map. Tell your story and have a granola bar.

Nature Valley Sweet and Salty Nut BarAdam: OK.
Wife: Okay. Du bist in ein anderes fenster.
Adam: I am not a spinster!
Wife: Fenster! Nicht “Spinster.”
Adam: Ready?
Wife: OK!
Adam: So we have Nature Valley Sweet and Salty Nut Bars.
Wife: No. I don’t. You hogged the whole thing!
Adam: I am going to break a piece off and we will observe the facade.
Adam: You’re not observing
Adam: I’m tasting a lot of sweet, but not much salty. More sweet though
Wife: Like yogurt covered pretzels.
Adam: Right, that’s exactly it.
Wife: We do love those yogurt covered pretzels.
Adam: The package says “almond butter coating.”
Wife: I believe it. It tastes rich enough to be a butter. I wonder if it has real butter or if it’s just nut butter.
Adam: I have to say, I love most anything called “granola,” but the chewy ones are my favorite.
Wife: I agree. The crunchy is too messy and doesn’t seem to be as filling.
Adam: This one has whole almonds, which I know you love.
Wife: Oh, yeah. Bring on the nuts.
Wife: Bad thing about this kind of granola bar is that it’s not good for bringing on the trail 10 months of the year here.
Adam: Right. The almond butter would melt before you got a mile down the road. These are more for indoor snacking.
Wife: They have to be. Just sitting in the car for a couple of hours while we were at my folks place, the first batch melted and were soft. They recongealed at home by the next day, but were permanently deformed.
Adam: Pretty good for a granola bar. 160 calories each. Plenty of protein from the almonds. Only 2 g of saturated fat
Wife: What % of saturated fat is that?
Adam: 11% of the daily value.
Wife: Ouch. What about Trans fat?
Adam: No trans fat.
Wife: good.
Adam: Not bad, for a sweet and sticky granola bar. I wouldn’t suggest eating more than one a day.
Wife: I know what these remind me of ... Haystacks.
Adam: Yeah, but not as peanutty.
Wife: Yeah, more “butterscotchy.”
Adam: Right, Right. I love anything called butter or scotch.
Wife: Those bars are really rich, though. More than one would probably leave me nauseous. That makes it very satisfying, as you think you’re getting junk when you’re not really.
Adam: Yeah, but you liked the flavor, though.
Wife: Yes, I did. And I like the fact that it’s rich. That’s the junk food part.
Adam: I could see this kind of bar being a good snack right before you hit the gym or hop on the bike to go riding. The sugar and carbs give that immediate energy boost.
Wife: I see it as an end of the day need some junk food, but don’t want to crash the diet kind of snack.
Wife: This is making me hungry.
Adam: OK, I guess that’s a wrap. I give it 7 out of 10 stars.
Wife: 9
Adam: A’ight.