I don't have a special logo to offer, and I haven't held a formal panel to taste test every last bar on the market ... but I have tasted quite a few bars (dozens in fact) and outgrown some brands as better options have come along ... so I thought I would share the ones I keep going back for again and again.

To be considered for Alisa's Completely Informal Energy Bar Awards (that would be me), said bars must be dairy-free (that is, made without milk in any whey (sorry bad pun), shape, or form - casein-free, lactose-free, etc.). They also needed to be affordable and easily accessible. I have tried some positively delicious bars, but their price tag classifies them as an occasional special dessert rather than a daily dose of energy. As a side note, I also lean toward soy-free bars, as you will see. With that in mind, the winners are ... Click to view fll post on One Frugal Foodie.

My first question when I received the news about Nasoya Silken Creations was, "What is it?" The response of a "dessert starter" left me even more befuddled, as I had never come across anything similar, dairy-free or not. But our adventurous, dessert-loving tester Sarena was more than enthusiastic to take it on (all three flavors, of course), and what she discovered was truly a revolutionary new product. She literally fell in love with the ease of using Silken Creations to create creamy, low-fat desserts. In fact, she even put its simplicity to the test by using the Strawberry Silken Creations as the only ingredient in homemade dairy-free ice cream. The delicious results exceeded her expectations ...

The food allergy and special diet community at large mourned when Allergy Grocer, a long time online retailer, closed its “doors.” Though this also meant a permanent loss of their popular Miss Roben’s product line, there are several wonderful small businesses picking up where Allergy Grocer left off in specialty food online sales. While purchasing perishables may not be as feasible over the Internet, snack foods, mixes, and ingredients make great online purchases, especially during the busy back-to-school and holiday season, when seeking out specialty items in stores might be a bit too time-consuming or even impossible in rural areas.

Here is a quick list of some wonderful online specialty retailers who offer top quality foods with special product coding for various diets (such as vegan / vegetarian, sugar-free, low-fat, kosher, etc.) and food allergy / sensitivity needs (gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, soy-free, etc.):

Crave Bakery is pleased to announce their expansion into the Rockies and beyond!  All of their newest and most delicious gluten-free and dairy-free desserts are now available at 29 Whole Foods Market stores in the Rocky Mountain Region.  This means that people with gluten and lactose intolerance from Boulder to Colorado Springs, Park City and Salt Lake City, Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and as far east as Overland Park, Kansas, can now find Crave's restaurant-quality, beautifully-made desserts at their local Whole Foods.

Crave enters this new territory with five upscale desserts which are perfect for entertaining or for an elegant summer al fresco dining experience:

Safely Eat Out with Celiac / Coeliac, Food Allergies and Special Diets ~ Based on the award-winning Let's Eat Out!™ book series, iEatOut Gluten & Allergen Free™ offers menu item choices dynamically configured to your specific allergens.

Quickly learn what is safe for you to eat, how foods are prepared and what questions to ask when ordering meals in Indian, Italian and Steak restaurants around the corner from your home or while traveling around the world!  With iEatOut Gluten & Allergen Free™, you can quickly, discreetly & easily:

As mentioned before, I seek out deals wherever they may be ... and if that means shopping for groceries online, so be it. But this month, I was rather blown away by all of the dairy-free (and in many cases food allergen-free), natural food super-deep discounts available from the Amazon Grocery Sales & Special Offers for the month of August (these deals expire on Aug 31, 2009). Thick cut, lavishly (and naturally) flavored tortilla chips for less than $2.00 a bag (delivered!), jumbo whole grain cookies for $.70 a piece, and better than Oreo organic cookie packs for just $.50 a piece ... I could go on, but I will let the deals speak for themselves.

Keep in mind, all grocery purchases of $25 or more on Amazon include free shipping, and right now, orders under $25 cost just $.99 in shipping! And, since you are ordering online, there probably won't be any sales tax either. Bonus!  You can view all of this month's deals here on the Grocery Sales Page, but for fun, I have included below details on the offers for our favorite picks ... that is, foods we have trialed, enjoyed, and think are a great value at these prices ...

Sheffield, United Kingdom - Fretwell-Downing Hospitality To LaunchLatest Version of Saffron at Restaurant Show ~ New developments to the Saffron menu planning software, enabling restaurants to check their menus for up to 15 different potential food allergens, will be unveiled at this year’s Restaurant Show (12th-14th October). Catering software specialist, Fretwell-Downing Hospitality (FDH) will be introducing the next generation of the software, offering even greater food allergen reporting alongside the nutritional analysis, menu planning and costing capabilities of Saffron Nutrition ...

Premium Chocolatiers has been well known and loved since they introduced their deliciously dairy-free boxed chocolates, Like any good chocolatier, they just couldn't stop creating. They have dazzled each holiday with delicious new chocolate gifts, all crafted in their dairy-free, nut-free, and kosher facility. And now, they have added another permanent item to their product line, the Milkless Milk Chocolate Bar. Each chocolate bar weighs in at 50 grams (just under 2 ounces) and can be bought in packs of 6 from their online store.

Though I haven't sampled the Milkless bars as of yet (waiting for the Southwest chill to arrive before braving shipped chocolates!), I have trialed (and loved) all of the Premium Chocolatier boxed chocolates and Easter chocolates, many of which are made with their delightfully sweet milk chocolate. So I can vouch that these bars are sure to be kid-pleasers for those upcoming lunch boxes! But wait, there is more ...