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ZaraSp00k
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11/03/2011 10:08AM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
Snickers has been it forever, but this year somehow I accumulated a real energy bar, A Cliff Bar Chocolate Brownie to be exact, I was pleasantly surprised how it performed, very filling and did indeed give me a shot of energy that nothing else I've had in past would have. I may end up using these in the future for a portage snack, really did the job better than a Snickers or GORP would have. Yeah, they are expensive. Just wondering what others think.
 
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11/03/2011 11:39AM  
I've been trying various candy/supplement bars for a long time.
Something that will not melt, eliminated most chocolate (except for high cocoa content semi-sweet). A stable shape /substance that will not excessively deform in a pack or pocket. A taste preference for nutty/meaty snacks vs sweet/starchy.
Pearson Salted Nut Roll Is my choice in a candy bar.
Tanka Buffalo Bar Is my choice for an energy bar.

I have not found a Cliff/Luna/Powerbar that I like yet but will keep searching.

butthead
 
Jackfish
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11/03/2011 11:42AM  
Have you ever made Hudson Bay Bread? If not, I strongly encourage you to give it a try. Very inexpensive per bar, very satisfying, great taste and even better, at least IMHO, with peanut butter and jam on top.

From the Camping Recipes page:

Hudson Bay Bread (from the Charles L. Sommers Canoe Base BSA)

The quantities in this recipe will work perfectly with an 11" x 16" air-bake brownie-type pan.

3/4# butter or margarine (I use butter)
2 Cups Sugar
1/3 Cup Karo Syrup
1/3 Cup Honey
1 tsp Maple Flavoring

Blend together the above ingredients. (A counter-top mixer works really well for this.) When thoroughly blended, add:

3/4 Cup ground nuts (I use walnuts or pecans)
9 1/2 Cups QUICK COOKING MINUTE OATS (emphasis on Quick Cooking. The finer oats hold together better than course oats.)

Blend all ingredients thoroughly.

Then, place mixture in 11" x 16" air-bake pan and spread evenly. Press down into pan so mixture is firm. Bake in a standard oven at 325 degrees for 35 minutes. After removing from oven, you will see that the bread has "risen" a bit. Use a pancake flipper to press bread down firmly again and let cool for a few minutes. This keeps the bread from crumbling when you cut it. Use a serrated knife to carefully cut the bread into squares. (Using an 11" x 16" pan, I'll cut the Bread into 12 squares.) Allow to cool and remove from pan.

For canoe trips, package each square of HBB in a quart-size zip lock bag and have peanut butter and jelly available to spread on the bread. It tastes great and is a great energy bar.
 
11/03/2011 12:32PM  
i really like clifs builders bars.
 
11/03/2011 12:58PM  
I like Cliff Bars in the mid morning but the flavors I like are more fruit and nut than chocolatey. I do the trail mix in the mid- to late afternoon. There are a lot of energy and protein bars out there, it's worth testing a bunch of them to see which you like the most. I think having the very same flavor day after day might get old.

I might have to try the Hudon's Bay bread some time. Jackfish, is it good plain without anything on it?

 
11/03/2011 01:12PM  
Best of both worlds? Snickers Energy Bar

JD
 
11/03/2011 01:17PM  
quote kanoes: "i really like clifs builders bars."


This is my choice also
 
OBX2Kayak
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11/03/2011 01:45PM  
Last trip I packed one energy bar for each day and, did not eat one of them. For some reason I just do not have a taste for energy bars while tripping.
 
talusman
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11/03/2011 03:21PM  
quote butthead: "I've been trying various candy/supplement bars for a long time.
Something that will not melt, eliminated most chocolate (except for high cocoa content semi-sweet). A stable shape /substance that will not excessively deform in a pack or pocket. A taste preference for nutty/meaty snacks vs sweet/starchy.
Pearson Salted Nut Roll Is my choice in a candy bar.
Tanka Buffalo Bar Is my choice for an energy bar.


I have not found a Cliff/Luna/Powerbar that I like yet but will keep searching.


butthead"


Salted Nut Roll - mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm good.
I buy the little ones like you give for Halloween. Just pop 'em in your mouth.
 
11/03/2011 04:32PM  
I'm partial to ProBar . My brother and I eat them for lunch since they have 375-400 calories, which is almost twice as many as most energy bars.
 
11/03/2011 05:27PM  
I like the clif bars. Filling and they don't melt, even the ones w/ chocolate. Just have to get past the fact that it looks like a piece of poop.
 
11/03/2011 05:41PM  
quote ducks: "I like the clif bars. Filling and they don't melt, even the ones w/ chocolate. Just have to get past the fact that it looks like a piece of poop."

hahahaha! so true.
 
yellowcanoe
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11/03/2011 09:47PM  
Are Clif bars really dry? I usually go for Lara bars but they are pricey.

A bar and a piece of cheese and landjaeger and dried fruit are my lunch. Some trips are on the ocean or a Great Lake or the Everglades so I tend to snack as I go.

I have a recipe for Hudson Bay bread too ( but not in front of me). I use maple syrup instead of Karo. Grade B if you can find it. (A is too delicate)

Lunch is kind of repetitive so I like different flavors of bars but dislike chocolate coated ones. They are yummy but in heat the chocolate is messed all over the wrapper.

Sure they give you a quick boost. They do have a lot of sugar but most also have protein and fats.

 
Jackfish
Moderator
  
11/03/2011 10:43PM  
quote yellowcanoe: "I have a recipe for Hudson Bay bread too ( but not in front of me). I use maple syrup instead of Karo. Grade B if you can find it. (A is too delicate)"

Yellowcanoe, when you have a minute, I'd like to see your Hudson Bay Bread recipe. My recipe calls for Karo Syrup and some maple flavoring, and the stuff is darn good. I'm always up for a new recipe though. I'll always give it a try.

Also, what do you mean by Grade A and Grade B syrup?
 
11/03/2011 10:44PM  
quote yellowcanoe: "Are Clif bars really dry?"


The key to Cliff Bars NOT being dry is to check their freshness date. Buy ones that have a freshness date long in the future - like a year or so. If you get them closer to the freshness date, they can be dry, in my experience. Places that sell high volume like REI are good.

 
wetcanoedog
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11/03/2011 11:38PM  
Cliff is a good middle of the road bar.more than a candy bar but less than something like the big "meal" bars like Bear Valley Fruit and Nut.
i take a couple Bear Valley as "just in case" or back-up meals and a few times have wolfed one down with Tang for breakfast when i was trying to beat a rising wind in the AM.i take at least five Cliff's as fillers between main meals and half will do it most times.i don't bother with Gorp anymore as the bars are easy to handle and pack.
for candy i'll M&M's in small bags,semi sweet Toblerone bars and small Tootsie Rolls.for a real energy kick i have hidden away a supply of Romneys Kendal Mint Cake,a bar of glucose and sugar.Rei had these years ago but for some odd reason getting them in the US these days requiries a permit,at great expense,from the FDA.
 
ZaraSp00k
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11/04/2011 11:40PM  
thanks for the recipe suggestion Jackfish
In the past I have made oatmeal cookies per the container top but use more oatmeal with a little milk, makes them less cookie like, more bar like, really filling and all purpose, obviously makes a good breakfeast
 
yellowcanoe
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11/05/2011 12:29AM  
quote Jackfish: "
quote yellowcanoe: "I have a recipe for Hudson Bay bread too ( but not in front of me). I use maple syrup instead of Karo. Grade B if you can find it. (A is too delicate)"

Yellowcanoe, when you have a minute, I'd like to see your Hudson Bay Bread recipe. My recipe calls for Karo Syrup and some maple flavoring, and the stuff is darn good. I'm always up for a new recipe though. I'll always give it a try.

Also, what do you mean by Grade A and Grade B syrup?"


Its the same recipe substituting maple syrup for the Karo.Great recipe
The recipe overall is fine. Grading here is by these standards
http://www.meliving.com/maplesugaring/grades.shtml
It helps of course to buy locally. I never see B in a supermarket but if I wander across the lake to the local sugar stand he is happy to sell me B grade. In the upper Midwest you may get the same results by finding a local source. Supermarkets here mostly sell Grade A dark.

The As are first run when the sap first flows. B is a late harvest. A few years ago I spotted a Grade C at the sugarshack and did not dare ask. I suspect the grading system has changed since then.
My personal problem is that I hate any "maple flavoring". We"re kinda sensitive about that in northern New England.

 
11/06/2011 07:20PM  
@ boonie,
I ordered a 12 pack of those Pro Bars, it is like a sampler pack or 4 different bars , and you get 3 of each. Kinda spendy, but I will try em out and report back. Sound darn good to me, and for a trip, what the hecks another few bucks!
SunCatcher
 
PineKnot
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11/06/2011 08:17PM  
Although some have posted good reviews of Clif bars, I can't say that...tried them once, but they looked like dog poop and tasted like it too.

For the past couple years, my sons and I have liked the Probars. We're partial to the Whole Berry Blast and the Nutty Banana BOOOOOOOMMMM!! The only downside to them is they are quite heavy.

 
11/06/2011 09:29PM  
We use the ProBars as a meal rather than a snack since they have way more calories than the other bars like Clif bars - about 375+ calories versus a little over 200 for a Clif bar. That's part of the reason they are heavier - there's more food in them. Also one reason they are a little more expensive. I wonder how the weight and cost compare on a per calorie basis? They are a whole foods bar and will stick with you for a while, too. Like PineKnot, I like the Whole Berry Blast. KokaMoka is good, too. I also like the Original, SuperFood Slam, and the new Cran-Lemon Twister for a little variety.
 
11/06/2011 09:45PM  
I do on average one box a week (sometimes more) of Pure Protein bars that I get at Wal-Mart. Box of 6 is about $5.75.

I do two protein shakes a day since I had gastric bypass. My doctor wants me to get 80 – 100 grams of protein a day. These help break up the routine.

They come in several flavors but my favorite in Chocolate Peanut Butter.
200 calories with 20 grams of protein. There are bars with more protein but my body will not absorb more than 25 grams/2 hours.
 
11/10/2011 05:59PM  
Got my dozen Pro Bars today.
I had "SUPERFOOD SLAM" Pro Bar for the first one.
Really DENSE bars, weigh 3 oz each. I like em and these will be my go-to bars on the trail. Do to the high calories content, and may use it as part of my major lunch item, or mid morning/afternoon snack on the trail. I still have 3 more kinds here to try.
SunCatcher
 
HikingStick
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11/10/2011 06:22PM  
I'll throw another vote behind Hudson Bay Bread. The recipie I have is similar to Jackfish's, but ours has molasses instead of Karo.

Even better than quick oats, putting the oats through a grain mill or food processor is even better--it makes the consistancy closer to oat flour (which probably could be purchased and used).

While baking our batches, we pull it out and flatten it twice, baking it more each time. The result is the densest granola/energy-type bar we've ever had. We make variants with nuts and/or dried fruit: banana walnut, cranberry almond, peanut. The options are nearly limitless.

We cut ours into granola-bar sized pieces. We've never put anything on them--they have provided plenty of energy as-is. One of our favorite lunches in the BWCA is Hudson Bay Bread and jerky.
 
11/19/2011 08:27PM  
quote mooseplums: "
quote kanoes: "i really like clifs builders bars."


This is my choice also"


A staple for me as well. I start my day with a builders bar and a cup of coffee. I love chocolate with coffee. I like the regular cliff bars for carbs and usually have one when on the first portage of the day. That pretty much holds me till lunch.
 
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