Review: Nature Valley Roasted Nut Crunch

Cross-posted at CFO.

I was pretty happy when a PR firm I just started working with asked me to review a couple of boxes of Nature Valley's new product, Roasted Nut Crunch bars, in peanut and almond varieties. I buy and eat Nature Valley Oats 'n Honey granola barsall the time, but I don't like nuts that much so I wouldn't have bought these without having tried them first but I was definitely curious. Guess what? They're good!

They're definitely on the salty side, so part of me wishes they included chocolate chips or better yet, were dipped in chocolate. But that would obviously have a negative impact on the nutritional information, which is pretty good for a tasty snack. Each peanut bar has 190 calories, 12 grams of fat (1.5 grams saturated, 0.5 grams polyunsaturated, and 10 grams monounsaturated), 180 mg of sodium, 2 grams of fiber, 7 grams of sugar, and 7 grams of protein. The ingredient list is pleasantly short: peanuts, sunflower seeds, sugar, corn syrup, salt, and almond flour. No trans fats in sight - but Marc didn't like the stickiness that I assume is a result of the corn syrup.

If you prefer larger snacks, I would recommend eating an apple or other fruit or having a glass of milk with the bar, since it's not big. But if you take your time eating, which is easy to do since there are large pieces of nuts, I think you'll find that this is a satisfying snack by itself. I particularly like that it's the kind of snack that will keep well in my diaper bag and in the car, so it's great for when I'm out and about. The suggested retail price is $3.39 for a box of six bars, but I'm betting you can find it for less at discount stores like Target.