All of the Simbree products came highly recommended to me by a mom and fellow blogger.  She is not a food allergy mom, or other special diet mom, just a regular mom who likes good healthy food.  Not to mention, she is a bit picky, so I thought these things must be good!

I went for their Energy Bites first.  They made a positive first impression.  The Bites came in easy-to-open, stand-on-their-own bags, which also resealed nicely.  If you know anything about my struggles with packaging, then you will know that this is a very good thing.  The bags come in two sizes, 6 ounce and 12 ounce, but larger canister sizes and bulk quantities are available.

My stash included a 6-ounce bag of Maple Walnut that was stuffed to the brim, and a 12-ounce bag of the Oat Almond Pistash.  This turned out to be the right proportions to my personal taste. 

Though each bite was generally square or rectangle in shape, they were really a hodge-podge of free form bites in a range of sizes.  This seemed to give them a more natural handmade feel, rather than factory-formed.

Oat Almond Pistash

The Pistash (I love that word) seemed to stick together in the bag, unlike the Maple Walnut, though they weren’t the least bit sticky or gooey to touch.  As I bit in (there seemed to be a good two to thre bites, per Bite), my teeth were welcomed by the soft and forgiving texture.  It melted into my mouth with a definite peanut butter and honey flavor.  Delicious! 

The texture was filled with lots of crunchy/chewy bits of nuts and seeds.  Though oats were tops on the ingredient list, they seemed to be chopped or ground, and didn’t exude a great deal of presence.

These Bites leaned slightly away from energy bar, toward what I like to call real food.  They had a dessert-like vibe, without presenting themselves as a full-fledged cookie.  I could easily become addicted to these, particularly with the healthy food and energy justifications. 

Maple Walnut

Just as I was about to dive into my first Maple Walnut Bite, a warm maple scent struck my nose.  I pulled back for just a second (a very brief second) to enjoy the comforting aroma.  I went in for a taste and …mmm… the deep maple flavor mellowed the sharper sweetness of the honey for more of an underlying, rich dessert-like flavor. 

The oats seemed more present in these Bites.  More specifically, I would call this a maple oat snack (swapping names with the Pistash), with a generous addition of walnuts.  Luckily, I have an affinity for oats and walnuts, so the overall flavor appealed.  However, I did find the Maple Walnut Bites a bit harder to chew during the last bits.

As mentioned, just 6 ounces of this variety versus 12 ounces of the other was about right.  I was somehow more drawn to the Pistash, which didn’t seem quite as indulgent, and had a more pleasing texture.

Alas, for strict vegans, most of the sweetness in this flavor still comes from honey, a wonderful wild blackberry honey, but honey nonetheless. 

My Extra Notes & Tips:

• Both the oats and the nuts seem to be ground into smaller pieces, making for a less “chunky” product, while the nuts
• Both bite flavors contain non-GMO ground soybeans along with organic rolled oats, wild blackberry honey, organic oat bran, brown sugar, and an assortment of nuts and seeds.
• Although Simbree products are wheat and dairy free, they are manufactured in a facility where wheat and dairy products are also manufactured.
• Since the serving sizes were measured in ounces and didn’t specify how many bites, I can only guestimate that four or five bites is a serving.  In that case, they seem about equivalent to a hearty energy bar in calories, fat, fiber, and protein, with a healthy dose of each.  The sugars weren’t as high as I expected from the taste.  They weighed in at about 12 g per serving.

Where to Purchase: Simbree snacks can be purchased directly from Simbree in their online store.  In store, Simbree products are working their way from West to East within the U.S. and it looks as though they have Canadian ambitions.  See their website for a store locator map. 

Comments (1)

	1. 07-06-2007 12:45
	They are delicious! Simbree healthy energy foods are an absolute must! Guest

Gregory

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