Van’s Snack Bars, Crackers, and a Giveaway

A big chewy cookie… I mean, who wouldn’t want to eat a big chewy cookie and call it a healthy snack bar?

Essentially, that’s what the new Van’s Snack Bars are to me – cookies, albeit healthier ones.  They’ve got a great chew to them, no worries about them falling apart.  We first found the cranberry almond ones a couple of months ago and Braden loves them (and I love that he can eat them).  The bits of almond are all quite small, so there is nothing to have to bite or break apart.  The flavor is quite close to my cranberry oatmeal cookies and it is a happy day when I get to have one of these between teaching classes.  🙂  The chocolate chip bar makes me feel the same way: a healthier version of one of my favorite cookies.  I love that they use figs for some of the sugar!  There is also a peanut butter version.  I haven’t tried it, but after trying the other two, I’d bet it’s a winner also.

Oh my goodness, I think these new “Say Cheese” crackers will satisfy my cheesez-it cravings for awhile.  They are not quite the same, but they have some similar qualities for which I have been searching.  They are thin and crispy crunchy and pretty cheesy.  However, they are quite different because you can taste the oats and quinoa (just a bit, and I didn’t notice it for the first few crackers).  If my memory serves me well, I would say it’s somewhere along the lines of a cheez-it + wheat thin + goldfish (minus the gluten, of course).  They are certified gluten-free, corn-free, and full of nature but not the lab (all natural, no artificial colors or flavors).

Would you like to give these snack bars, crackers, or even Van’s new cereals a try?  Not only did they send me the coupons for my samples, but they sent me some to give away, too.  To one winner, I’ll send 3 coupons for a free box of Van’s cereal, snack bars, or crackers.  To enter, just comment on this post about cereal, snack bars or crackers (for example, I love cheez-it-type crackers, but don’t bother to bake them more than once every other year).  This giveaway is open to U.S. residents and will close Saturday, May 11, 2013 at 9 p.m. central.