Picky Bars Review: It’s freaking science dude

source: Picky Bars website

I was so excited to have the opportunity to sample Picky Bars recently. If you haven’t tried Picky Bars, you are missing out. They are delicious & nutritious!

What are Picky Bars????

Picky Bars were created by Lauren Fleshman for her husband Jesse Thomas who is a professional triathlete who happens to have a dairy and gluten intolerance.  She wanted to make a healthy and athletically balanced yummy tasting bar for Jesse that could help fuel his training. At the time Lauren was battling an injury so she devoted her energy to perfecting the Picky Bar with her good friend Stephanie Rothstein. Together the three of them have created a healthy & delicious treat that is pure genius. 

Not only are Picky Bars incredibly tasty they are GOOD FOR YOU! This list was hijacked directly from the Picky Bar’s “nutritional principles” tab on their website.

• Considered to be an "ideal size:" 200 calories or less.  Great size for <30min post-workout recovery, one hour before exercise (or cut in half for 20-30 min before), or the perfect snack size between meals.)
• Have a 4:1 carbohydrate/protein ratio that is ideal for recovery and maximizes absorption of nutrients.
• Be gluten and dairy free
• Have balanced macro-nutrients (25% fat, 60% carbohydrate, 15% protein) for hunger control and happy digestion.
• Select carbohydrate sources that promote level blood sugar, sustained energy, and nutrient absorption.
• Use whole foods that are geographically nearby whenever we can.
• Minimize soy content (less than 1%) since most people get too much of it daily without realizing it.
• Provide a mixture of nuts and seeds for nutrient diversity (e.g. cashews are good for vitamin K while almonds are high in vitamin E).

source: Picky Bars website

I had the opportunity to sample all 4 flavors of Picky Bars. It is a tough decision to say which was my favorite, because honestly they all taste awesome. However, since I love coffee I will say that the “Smooth Caffeinator” was my favorite. The coffee flavor in it is so good!

FLAVORS (description verbiage from Picky Bar's website):

Lauren's Mega Nuts: The original Picky Bar flavor!!!! It is made with Peanut butter, mixed nuts, semi sweet chocolate chips and all the other goodness we've listed. It tastes like crispy peanut butter and jelly but with a little zing.

All-In-Almond: This bar is peanut free, vegan, almond butter based and sweetened with agave nectar.

Nutless Wonder:  This bar is made free of peanuts and tree nuts and made using sunflower seed butter.

Smooth Caffeinator: This bar is pure hazelnut mocha madness and my favorite Picky Bar.  It is made with rich hazelnut butter mixed and a sprinkling of roasted coffee. Coffee + Picky Bar= amazing treat!

source: Picky Bars website

When I was in Eugene for the Marathon a couple of weeks ago, I even had the opportunity to meet Lauren. I was a little star struck when I first saw her. She is so incredibly gifted and an all around great person. 

Lauren is FUN with a capital "F"

What did I love the most about Picky Bars?

I loved how filling and nutritious these bars were and absolutely loved the chunks of chocolate! I also liked how they didn’t feel as dense as a Clif Bar and they seemed to agree with my stomach which has been a bit finicky on my lately. A Picky Bar has become my new “go to” snack. 


When I was doing research on Picky Bars I realized that there was no where in Spokane where I could buy them. I was a little bummed about this, but you can order them online on their website. They also have a club you can join called the Picky Club. I joined on Wednesday and I am looking forward to receiving my first Picky Bars in the mail. Joining is easy! I simply emailed Stephanie and told her I wanted to join the Picky Club. I received an email back from her within the hour detailing what I had to do to sign up. There was a link to register for Pay Pal which only took about 5 minutes to complete. Each month $37 will be charged to my credit card and I will receive 18 Picky Bars in the mail. Next I emailed Stephanie back letting her know that I had completed the Pay Pal process. I let her know my t-shirt size (yes, you get a shirt--I am excited) and how many of each bar I would like to get every month. Very simple and easy!


Being a picky eater is pretty cool!


Questions for you:


Have you had a Picky Bar before? What did you think?
What is your favorite energy bar?


--Tasha