The Good: Very healthy, Tastes amazingly good.
The Bad: Very expensive
The Basics: Slim-Fast 3-2-1 Chocolate Mint Bars would be perfect, so perfect I would live off them if I could, save that they are so ridiculously expensive.
After my last attempt at eating and reviewing a healthy snack bar, I was very wary. That attempt was with the Atkins Advantage Chocolate Peanut Butter bars (reviewed here!) and it almost made me swear off trying new healthy snacks. But, my wife is determined to get me into shape (an effort I fully applaud . . . so long as I don’t have to work excessively hard at it), so I have been happily letting her . . . at least, I did when she decided to pick up the Slim-Fast 3-2-1 Chocolate Mint Snack Bars. I have an absolute love for all things chocolate mint (check out my review of Jelly Belly Mint Chocolate Dips candies here!) and the idea of getting something healthy that was chocolate mint was enough to make me forget about the Atkins Advantage fiasco.
We only picked up the Slim-Fast 3-2-1 Chocolate Mint Snack Bars, truly, because they were on sale. Sure, I was absolutely intrigued by them. But at $4.99 for only six bars, I could not justify the expense. Ever. So, when we found them buy one, get one free, we decided to splurge.
I am SO glad we did! These are amazing. In fact, these bars are so amazing that if they were less expensive, I would stock up on them and have one a day for the rest of my life. Seriously. I would forgo all other sweets to eat this healthy snack . . . if only they were more affordable!
Basics
Slim-Fast is the company that merchandises its specialized diet plan for those who are trying to lose weight by eating healthier, but more controlled portions. The 3-2-1 plan is a new program that encourages participants to have three snacks (like the 100 calorie Snack Bar), two Slim-Fast shakes or meal bars, and then have a balanced meal of about five hundred calories. The Slim-Fast 3-2-1 Plan Chocolate Mint bars are part of that program, but may be enjoyed just the same outside the program.
The Chocolate Mint Bars come in a .81 oz. chocolate bar that is foil-wrapped. Each bar represents a single serving and Slim-Fast 3-2-1 Plan has bars presented as 7/8” wide and tall by 3” long solid, smooth chocolate bar with a green drizzle of mint frosting on top. One bar is one portion, so this is very easy to get into on the portion front! These snack bars come in packs of six and locally, we have found them for $4.99, though they do seem to go on sale frequently and have coupons fairly regularly as well. At full price, these are thoroughly underwhelming in appearance and the box even makes them look bigger than they are (they could probably save 20% of the cardboard from the box by making the box a more appropriate size!
Ease Of Preparation
Eating Slim-Fast 3-2-1 Plan Chocolate Mint Bars is not a real challenge. After removing the wrapper, simply pull out the bar and stick it in your mouth. There is no particularly complicated equation to eating this chocolate bar. This is an entirely ready-to-eat food!
Taste
Opening the wrapper on the first Slim-Fast 3-2-1 Plan Chocolate Mint Bar, I was absolutely shocked at how good these smelled! I eat a lot of chocolate mint items and this smelled so good! The smell was lightly slightly peppermint and definitively chocolate! I never would have guessed that a Slim-Fast product would smell so wonderfully chocolatey!
With the bold scent of chocolate in my nose, I allowed myself to get my hopes up for the Chocolate Mint Snack Bars. And it lived up! The Slim-Fast 3-2-1 Chocolate Mint Bars are like a chocolate-soaked brownie! These taste instantly like slightly dark chocolate, which is overrun by the peppy mint flavor of the coating. One almost has to strain to taste the chocolate again, because the mint is so prevalent.
This was one of the very best diet snacks I have ever had and I know when I bit into it, my face melted in delight. The Chocolate Mint Snack Bars leave no strong aftertaste (a slight mint flavor persists for about five minutes) and on the flavor front, these are truly exceptional.
Nutrition
Slim-Fast 3-2-1 Plans Chocolate Mint Snack Bars are intended as a supplemental food, not a full meal. These .81 oz. bars represent a single serving and they have a boatload of nutrients in them. Made primarily of sugar, rice flour and polydextrose, the ingredient list does become a mess of preservatives and vitamins near the end. This is not an all-natural food product and these snack bars were produced on equipment that forces them to add a disclaimer about milk, soy, wheat, eggs, sesame, almonds, cashews, coconut, walnut, pecans, and peanuts.
Slim-Fast 3-2-1 Plan's Chocolate Mint Bars have only 100 calories, only 30 of which are from fat. A bar represents 12% of one's RDA of saturated fat, though they are cholesterol free. As well, they are blissfully low in sodium, having only 65 mg per serving. They also have a gram of protein and ten percent of nine different vitamins and minerals! This is a wonderful healthy snack!
Storage/Cleanup
Slim-Fast 3-2-1 Plan Chocolate Mint Bars are amazingly tasty regardless of when they are eaten or how they are stored. Unopened, they have a decent shelf life around eight months. We purchased a box on the first day of February (2012) and they have an expiration date of October 2012. If they melt, they will stain, so consult your fabric guide if that happens. Otherwise, cleanup is simply throwing the foil wrapper away when you are done with the chocolate bar.
Overall
Slim-Fast 3-2-1 Plan Chocolate Mint Snack Bars are amazingly good and well worth picking up. Wait until they are on sale and then stock right up! You will be glad you did.
For other reviews of healthy foods, please check out:
Bolthouse Farms Perfectly Protein Chocolate Mocha
Peeled Organic Apricot-a-lot
Ocean Spray Pomegranate Craisins
9/10
For other food and drink reviews, please visit my index page on the subject! That is available by clicking here!
© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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