If you are not in the know, Picky Bars hail from our backyard – Bend. They were the brainchild of some bad ass athletes – Lauren Fleshman and Jesse Thomas, along with their friend Steph Bruce – who wanted to create something that was easy to eat at all points preceding and following a workout, and even during. You can read their Founder’s Story, but basically the three of them desired to created a bar that combined real food ingredients with performance qualities, was easily digestible, and, because Steph has Celiac Disease, something gluten-free. Thus, Picky Bars was born.
Picky Bars don’t feel like your typical bar. They are soft to the touch – even through the wrapper – not a hard, dense concoction. There are clearly different ingredients in each of the 9 types of bars, but the primary features are dates and some sort of seed or nut butter which are designed to provide athletes with fast-acting carbs, long-lasting fats, and a bit of protein, to keep you satisfied and fueled at the same time. And at under 200 calories, they are a solid caloric option as well. We were sent a sampler of their bars to check out – and we haven’t found a bad one in the bunch.
Lauren’s Mega Nuts was the very first flavor that was made in Lauren’s home in Eugene. It’s like a mild take on a PB&J sandwich, and harkening back to comfort food while out on a run is never a bad thing. The taste is not overpowering (it’s not like you just swallowed a glob of creamy peanut butter), but a little light flavoring – combined with cinnamon and chocolate chips – makes this probably my favorite of the bunch. Smooth Caffeinator provides a little bit of a kick, combined with hazelnut flavoring to keep the taste more neutral (maybe it tastes like a snack of coffee and Nutella).
But although the company may have “bars” in the name, there are a few other options and we checked out their performance granola, and oatmeal, as well as “Drizzle” – a nut butter concoction.
The PB&J All-Day Granola is a perfect car/bag, and really anytime, snack. The granola is combined with dried berries, flax, and coconut oil, making it a delicious treat no matter how you enjoy it. I have used it as a post-Eugene Half snack, as well as added some oat milk for a late night healthy snack. There are few oatmeal options and the How ’bout Dem Apples is a delicious and filling option that includes a little kick with some spicy ginger, as well as chia seed, almonds, and dates. The price of Drizzle is definitely pretty steep for the amount ($16 for 6.5 ounces), but it’s really a solid option for taking over your peanut butter. To be honest, I don’t utilize peanut butter a ton, so only having a little on hand to adorn some bread, accompany a banana, or splash into a smoothie makes this the perfect size. And instead of refined shelf PB, Drizzle is sweetened with coconut sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and superfood maca balance out the flavor.
You should be able to find these with relative ease using their Store Locator.
Items:
- Picky Bars ($2.75; $1.93 with Picky Club or in multi-packs)
- Granola ($8.99; $6.29 with Picky Club)
- Oatmeal ($2.99; $2.09 with Picky Club)
- Drizzle ($15.99; $11.19 with Picky Club)
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Thank you to Picky Bars for providing us with samples. Please read our transparency page for info on how we do our reviews.
