A few weeks ago the husband and I were at Whole Foods where I normally stock up on inexpensive energy bars (yes, Whole Paycheck was one of the few stores that sold Luna Bars on a regular basis for $.99). Imagine my surprise when the price had gone up 20 cents, to a whopping $1.19. The husband noticed the same thing happen to their canned beans (believe it or not, you can find good deals at Whole Foods, especially with their 365 brand, and on organic foods). So, as our once regular trips to WF have dwindled, I realized maybe it was finally time to stop wasting money on something like Luna Bars, when I could easily create a homemade concotion that served the same function, mainly fuel replenishment after a workout.
Now, at this point, the husband would say, “Yeah, it’s called a banana, yogurt and almonds”. But who remembers to pack all that stuff in a gym bag? And the yogurt needs refrigeration. And lots of bananas, yogurt and almonds adds up wallet-wise. The economy is in the toilet, so let’s find something that won’t break the bank.
Enter the homemade energy bar. I found a recipe on FoodNetwork.com, from Ellie Krieger, whose show “Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger” I’ve only seen once, and it was by accident. Today, decided to try it out.
The results are in … This was a worthwhile venture. First, the numbers. I used the “Toasted Nut ‘n’ Cranberries” Luna Bar as my comparison. This is one of the small handful of Luna flavors that I ate, and the only one with out the drizzled chocolate or whatever stuff, so it seemed a pretty decent comparison.
Luna Bar: 180 calories
Fat grams: 4 (saturated fat .5g)
Carbs 26
Fiber 4
Protein 10 g
Ellie’s Energy Bars: 133 calories
fat grams: 5 (saturated fat .6g)
Carbs 20
Fiber 2.5
Protein 5g
So … Luna wins out in the higher Fiber and Protein count. Then again, since it is also higher in calories, I could double the serving size (which, come to think of it, soon becomes about the size of a Luna bar), and for a few more calories I would be receiving an equivalent amount of protein and fiber.
Taste-wise … well these homemade versions certainly aren’t going to win any awards. And Luna/Clif certainly don’t have to worry about the competition. However, as homemade energy bars go, they aren’t bad. The best thing they have going for them is that they are not overly sweet, which is my preference for a pre-workout or post-workout snack. I don’t want anything that makes me crave for something more, the way sweets often do for me. The first bite seemed a bit dry, but I could bake them for less time and that would probably fix the problem.
Price. Ah, the fun part. I went to the bulk section of PCC to purchase the ingredients, and spent $4.62. (I heart Bulk! Quick Rolled Oats! $0.24! Sunflower Seeds! $0.36!) Since I’m doubling the serving size to equate one Luna Bar, price per bar/serving is $0.46. This price is 61% lower than the Whole Foods Luna Bar price. Keep in mind that WF (and maybe TJ’s still does it, too, I haven’t been there in a while) offers these bars at the lowest price I can find (not on sale). You’ll find them at other stores for between $1.25 to $1.39 or more). Not too shabby.
But, wait, Chattycha. What if you were to purchase a case of Lunas from Costco? Okay. You’ve got me. I haven’t priced these suckers at Costco. And I bet if I bought a case I’d get them for a cheaper price. But I don’t have a membership to Costco (which is what, $40 a year? Seriously. I have no idea), and the closest one is who even knows where so don’t forget to include all that driving time and gas and mileage. PCC, on the other hand, is walking distance from my house. Come to think of it, we are PCC Co-op members and since we used our 10% coupon today, technically the ingredients only cost $4.16. Besides, in the amount of time it would take me to drive to Costco, purchase said Luna Bars (and probably $100 worth of other stuff), I could bake these babies, cool them down and slice them up. So, you do the math. Oh, wait, I already did.
Now, for me, energy bars are really intended to fuel the body following a good lifting workout. Or, I’d eat half of one before rowing practice in the morning to wake up the body and get it going. I’m not really exercising right now, unless you count the 30-minute treadmill walk and 15-minute recumbent bike exercise (HR at a nice steady 100 bpm because anything higher and things start to hurt). So consider this a test run for when I return to my regular programming, sometime in the new year. Not sure when exactly, but I know it’s coming.
Pics to come. I’m just a bit too lazy to download the images onto the PC. Hey. I’m 36 weeks pregnant. I can’t be expected to run up and down the stairs simply for some blog artwork.
Got a quick an easy energy bar recipe I should try? Send it on.