I know I said I would post about good workouts to condition your body to not slow down as much when lactic acid starts building up...and I will. Just not today :)
Today's post is dedicated to Skout Organics.
I never heard about Skout before moving out to Oregon. At least, the name didn't register in my brain if I had. Since moving out here though this brand has been gradually nudging over other bars for a spot on my top-bars list and this is tough list to get on.
One of the three things I really look for in a bar is the ingredients. The first is "vegan" and the other is flavor (my motto is generally, if it's bland, but healthy, I'll eat it...but not when it comes to my bars). Skout's ingredients and efforts to work toward a more environmentally sustainable and conscious community are all truly commendable.
Their calories are right in the perfect range to make this bar so versatile. At 170-200 calories depending on the flavor (Chocolate Coconut being the highest--no surprise there), this bar can be a healthy snack on-the-go or at-the-desk; part of a delicious breakfast (I dip it in yogurt for some added fun!); or as fuel for any exercise activity such as hiking, biking, or even at the gym. The calories from fat are not outrageous by any means and are quite low for the fruit bars.
Skout wanted to take a picture with Portland personified, AKA "Portlandia" which, yes, is the namesake of the famous show.
Most importantly, the ingredients are organic, GF, and minimal. My favorite Apple Cinnamon Skout Bar has just 7 ingredients, all of which I can spell perfectly! The spelling part is an important factor for Val and I. I don't need to eat a bar that is all organic, but it does get bonus points when this is the case.
One not so super-positive thing though..the bars are not low-glycemic as the sugar content is on the higher side for a bar of this "caloric-size" (coining that term). So if you do choose to have this bar as while you are being stationary, try to use that energy provided by the sugars by getting up at least once every half hour or so to walk around the office. BUT...But, But, But...Sugar isn't scary. By any means! I only want to paint a full picture and include the things I think of when picking my bars, and I've been picking Skout a lot more lately for many good reasons as listed here, including, actually, the sugar because I know it's providing me great energy and the only reason it is high is because of the fructose sugars from all of the natural fruit ingredients in its rectangular goodness.
But Skout Organics has something other than just bars in what they call their Trailpaks. Clearly they don't like the letter "C". I'm thinking they should rename themselves Skout Organiks. Nah. Keep the C in their, Skout.
Their trailpaks are a bit different than what I would definitely expect if someone told me they were bringing a Trailpak on the hike. I'd be thinking almonds, peanuts, chocolate chips, cranberries..the usual trail mix ingredient. Nope. Skout keeps it simple with just pumpkin seeds, but they mix it up in how they offer you those pumpkin seeds. It's kind of brilliant though...pumpkin seeds are an incredible source of so many important nutrients which I highly encourage you to read more about by clicking on the link.
So their varities. There's the Pacific Sea Salt pak which is pretty simple: salted pumpkin seeds. Very delicious in its simplicity, but the other two flavors are out. of. this. world good: Jalapeno Salsa and Black Pepper BBQ. BPBBQ definitely takes the trophy home for me, but any of them make for a delicious snack or addition to a lunch (salad, sandwich, etc.). It does have high sodium due to the added salt, but sodium is a necessary electrolyte and much of it is lost during hot, sweaty workouts which is why you see in the picture a pickle AND Skout seeds for my post-run lunch.
So that's all for today. Just one big old shout-out to Skout Organics for providing what my body needs to stay fueled for a run or replenished after one. Obviously, I encourage you to pick up a Skout bar next time you're out and about and if your grocers don't have Skout (for my NJ readers), go ahead and order some from their website. You won't regret it.
Happy Running!
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