Kit’’s Organic Fruit & Nut Bars from Clif Bar

Alisa Fleming ~ I’m always on the lookout for a good brand of dairy-free, nutritious food bars. Not because we eat them daily, but rather I find it important to have some fallback packaged foods that I know we can trust when out and about or traveling. I love making bars at home, but my fresh, non-hermetically sealed treats won’t hold up in the car, on long trips, etc., and they aren’t sold in stores to pick up just when we need them.

You might have seen my shortlist of bar favorites, but I’ve got a new one that I am happily adding to this collection, Kit’s Organic Fruit & Nut Bars by Clif Bar (named after the co-owner of Clif Bar, Kit Crawford – it’s a husband and wife team!). They aren’t too different from a popular competitor, but just enough that they edge them out for me.

Here’s why I now love Kit’s Organic Bars:

• Most importantly, the taste. They are the perfect blend of fruit and nuts, with some extra nut chunks added for textural interest.
• They have an insanely simple ingredient list. All four of the flavors are made with a base of organic dates, organic almonds, and sea salt. They have just one to three additional whole food ingredients based on the flavor.
• They are 100% organic. Yes, seriously, all of the bars, all-organic, and affordable to boot.
• They are also gluten-free and soy-free. This has become important in my household as of late. To note, these bars are also completely vegan.

Kit’s Organic Bars are currently available in four flavors:

Peanut Butter – Organic Dates, Organic Peanuts, Organic Almonds, Sea Salt (surprise, surprise, this was my favorite)

Berry Almond (pictured below) – Organic Dates, Organic Almonds, Organic Barberries, Organic Bilberries, Sea Salt (A nice fruity twist – kind of a cherry-blueberry flavor vibe)

Chocolate Almond Coconut – Organic Dates, Organic Almonds, Organic Unsweetened Chocolate, Organic Coconut, Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, Sea Salt (richer than the others, but definitely dark chocolate in nature)

Cashew - Organic Dates, Organic Cashews, Organic Almonds, Sea Salt (A close second since I actually like cashews, as a nut, better than peanuts – I know, neither is technically a nut!)

And this is what happens when you’re trying in vain to take a good picture of tasty bars, and you haven’t yet had breakfast:

The only drawbacks for my household with these bars:

• My husband doesn’t eat almonds, so we will have to stick with the competitor brand for him (which has some almond-free options), but I’m hoping that Clif adds another nut mix to their line-up that doesn’t involve almonds.
• It looks like they are retailing at about $1.50 to $1.75 per bar. Not bad at all and worth it in my opinion, but I have trouble sneaking bars into the cart on my “frugal” husband when they are more than a $1 each. I’m hoping for some good sales and values!

To note, some Kit’s Organic Fruit & Nut Bars were sent to me by Clif Bar, one of each, to sample. However, the opinions above are obviously my own – this was only $6 worth of food people! And, since I will be buying these bars with my own hard-earned money when they pop up at our local stores, you can consider this review self-funded.

Dietary Notes: By ingredients, the bars are Vegan, Vegetarian, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Gluten-Free, Soy-Free, Wheat-Free, and free of Added Sugars, but see the packaging and contact the company for allergen and manufacturing “may contain” labeling.

For More Product Information: Visit the Clif Bar website at www.clifbar.com.