Eddie's Energy Bars - Initial Impressions

I'm currently eating my third bar from Eddie's Energy and I figured it was a perfect time to give some initial impressions before I tackle a bigger, full-on review.

I read about Eddie's Energy Bars awhile back in a business magazine (Entrepreneur). The blurb said the company was growing and was one to look out for (in a good way). Having been on a granola bar kick for months, I figured I would check it out. And I did. And promptly forgot about them.

Fast forward a week or two and I decide to check them out again, this time paying close attention to the ingredients. While nearly half of the choices contain nuts, all of them have milk. And coming form a highly food-allergic family, I take labels seriously. My son is very allergic to milk and nuts, my daughter is slightly allergic to milk and very allergic to nus, and I am very allergic to nuts and poultry (and mildly allergic to various other foods).

Anyway, finding a granola bar without nuts is next to impossible. Go ahead and try it. I dare you to read the label the next time you go out grocery shopping. So when I saw Eddies had some bars that were nut-free, I figured I'd give it a try. So far I'm glad I did and here's why.

The Package
My biggest complaint so far is how difficult these are to open. Scissors or a knife are required to get at your bar quickly and easily.

The Flavors
So far I've had Chocolate Chip, Mint Double Chocolate Chip, and Cinnamon Raisin. The Chocolate Chip was okay when it came to taste. But that was without any refrigeration so the results may be skewed by the heat (I ate it right after it arrived in the mail). The Cinnamon Raisin was very good. A little too much cinnamon for my tastes, but not enough to make me choke on it. I could easily eat a bag of these. The Mint Double Chocolate Chip that I just finished was good, but not as minty as I expected. In fact, it was pretty well hidden beneath the chocolate flavor. But I like chocolate so that's fine with me.

The Texture
The texture is heavy. Not lite like a feather or heavy like a stone, but still pretty heavy. And it's dense. The bar is a standard size, but it feels like a lead bar when you pick it up. It's also a bit chewy and chunky. Certainly not a crunchy granola bar that could crack your teeth, but there's enough there to make you chew for a few minutes.

The Label
As I said, I take labels seriously. While I primarily read them for the ingredients, I also check them for calories. So far they're reasonable on the calorie count (for example, the Mint Double Chocolate Chip has 249 calories in the three ounce bar). I know it sounds high but consider you could eat one of these for breakfast and be full, it's a fair trade. They also go well as snacks in the afternoon.

The Oddities
This is where things get a bit weird. You see, the name of the product implies you can get energy from it and the main page says "We are on a mission to get you powered on natural energy!" (their emphasis, not mine). But with one bar, I didn't seem to have any extra energy. The other two, I have a weird buzzing feeling. Almost like a hum. In fact, I'm buzzing right now. I'm just not sure if that equates to energy or not yet. Seeing as I haven't tested the product in combination with physical activity, I feel it's a bit early to make conclusions.

The Company
This was another impressive part of the product. It tastes good and sits well, but the founder, Michael Adams, is not only available to talk to, he seems like a nice guy. I know, it sounds lame, but that first impression tends to stick with you like a tattoo sometimes. Fortunately, it was a positive impression. He sells his wares while going to college (his mom and dad make the bars at home) and yet, is very accessible to the general public. He's on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Wordpress. And of course the main website.

I was a bit long in my "initial" impressions, but I'm hoping to do a longer review later. I've been slowly collecting peanut free granola bars for nearly a year now and these will fit perfectly into that post.

Small Photo Update

Here's a small photo update with more recent pictures of William's cast, some video from vacation, and Elizabeth's unicorn, Lilly.

Vacation

Vacation was, well, it was a breakation. The first full day of vacation William broke his leg. And it rained nearly every day. But, in the spirit of staying positive (or at least trying), here are some good things that happened.

- Service and care was great at the Emergency Room at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh (there was also another kid there that broke his arm trying to squish a spider - sad but funny).
- Elizabeth got a chance to go back to the Children's Museum in Pittsburgh and got to see bob the Builder (which is weird because she doesn't even watch his show).
- Elizabeth got to spend the night with my Mom and Steve (and got to see their cows).
- Elizabeth got to spend the week (still ongoing) with Yvonne's parents.
- I got to eat not one, but two Blizzards.
- I got to read.

Yes, other good stuff happened (like I ran a 5k race and survived) but, well, just look at the pictures. They're more entertaining anyway.

Click here to see them all.

Oh yeah, and today is our 9th wedding anniversary. Happy dorkiversary dear!