ProBar Old School PB&J Bar

Nuts, nuts and more nuts. OK, technically seeds but still really yummy.

Touted as a meal replacement bar, this offering is a nutrient dense bar with nearly 400 calories per bar. 

After over three decades I still enjoy a good PB&J, unless I am around one of my peanut allergic acquaintances, which seems to be more common for some reason. I was concerned that the PROBAR might mangle their attempt at replicating this staple of my cold lunches and I had low expectations when I unwrapped this bar during lunch.

Ingredients:

This bar is evidently 100% vegan which does nothing for this omnivore but may appeal to some. I was pretty much able to understand all the ingredient names (still don’t know what Arabic gum is) but it looked pretty edible. 

Still though this bar is 370 calories in a very small package. I wasn’t overly full after eating it and could see myself eating a lot more food and ending up with a big calorie bill without feeling especially full. 

Texture/appearance:

For better or worse, this looks nothing like a PB&J sandwich.  This is a fruit and nut bar, plain and simple, with very little fruit. If a brown bar crusted with more different kinds of nuts than an alien abductees convention appeals to you you’ll like it. Once I got over the idea that it wasn’t a PB&J in a bag, I was able to enjoy it a lot more. 

No jelly. Yes, I think those are hemp seeds.

Taste:

Again, nothing like a PB&J. Little/no peanut butter flavor, little to no fruity jam flavor and nothing resembling bread. Mostly nuts and a great figgy/malty-tasting dough mixture. I thought it tasted fantastic. I like the textures of the nuts and their flavors; a little sweet and not too salty. 

I gave a bite to one of my kids and about lost a finger, she loved it too. These are very good-tasting bars even though they don’t, to me, resemble a PB&J in the least. This bar didn’t stand a chance after I tasted it. 

She left me a little after her bite.

Conclusion:

I think this bar is a keeper, I’d eat one just about any day. If you want PB&J flavor on the trail make yourself a sandwich and bring it. Just remember to put peanut butter on both slices of bread so the jam doesn’t soak through. If you want a bar that’s got good things in it and also tastes good, this is a good option. 

One caveat: For being nearly 400 calories I didn’t find it as filling as, say, a baked potato with butter which has less than 300 cal. It is possible that you could overeat and end up snoozing under a tree rather than tearing up the crag/trail like you planned, or it might be the perfect way to down some balanced energy in a quick compact package when you can’t afford to stop and cook. Either way give this bar a try.