Fit Food: AMRAP Bars Review + GIVEAWAY

UPDATE: AMRAP made a change to the prizes! Please check below for more information!

If you're a regular reader and/or social media follower, then you know that I am always on the hunt for good things to grab and go for pre- and post-workout. As I've gotten more serious about running, I've discovered that this is more important than I'd initially thought, and since this revelation, I am slowly becoming more intentional about what I put in my body to help with recovery and pre-workout energy.

That's why I was ecstatic last month when I was given the opportunity to receive and review the new AMRAP Bar flavors, thanks to my Sweat Pink Ambassadorship. I received a box of AMRAP bars in Fig Cacao, Cashew Vanilla, and Almond Honey. At first glance, I noticed that they were much bigger than I'd expected. They are about the size of a personal check, and pretty dense. This should be interesting, I thought. Keep in mind that I am super cynical about new health food products, which is part of what makes me the consummate reviewer. :-)
So what are AMRAP bars anyway?

AMRAP stands for As Many Rounds As Possible, which many of you may already know (I'm a little bit of a wuss when it comes to trying AMRAP workouts myself). AMRAP Nutrition sells products that are paleo, gluten-free, GMO-free, dairy-free, and unprocessed. These bars are meant to be meal replacements, and it is suggested to use them either prior to or following a workout.

How did I use mine?

First, I crushed it in my workout. I ate one of the bars after my first 5-mile run, I ate another after a crazy night of volleyball, and I ate another after a hardcore run. Sometimes Most of the time, after a hardcore workout, I want to just eat a lot of food, and fantasize about everything being smothered in cheese. Fortunately, this is not a plausible option the majority of the time, so I don't end up in a cheese coma. Nevertheless, I am always super hungry after working out, and it's really hard to exercise discipline (pun intended) when it's later in the evening, and I all I want to do is stuff my face. Because I work full time, and have a crazy work schedule, I can usually only find time to work out in the evening. Sometimes this means that I have already eaten dinner or a late snack before the workout, so it's not entirely wise for me to be eating a full blown meal right before bed. That's when these AMRAP bars really came in handy.

Because the bars are dense, and are roughly 300 calories (slightly more or less, depending on the flavor), they make a great meal substitute, and are packed with a ton of nutrients that aid with recovery. The first time I ate one was the Fig Cacao bar. I underestimated its density, and tried to gobble it down super quickly. About 3/4 of the way through, I had to stop and slow waaaaay down. These are not bars for gobbling, folks! The best way I found to eat them is to nibble ate it while stretching. Two birds with one stone, my friend!

The second flavor I tried was the Cashew Vanilla. I'm not typically a fan of sweet things, so I was a little leery of this one. I took a bite and thought it was going to be sweetness overload, but I was wrong! This was actually my favorite flavor of the bunch! It is so delicious! The Almond Honey AMRAP Bar was pretty yummy as well, and less sweet than the Cashew Vanilla, without being bland. All in all, I really enjoyed the flavors, and especially appreciated that I felt full after eating the bar, and didn't even have to slip into a cheese coma to get there!

I'm going to keep it real with you guys, because that's what I do over here, so I have to tell you that the one down side I have found is the cost. For an assorted pack of 12, they are about $48, which equals $4 a bar. I'm pretty cheap, so I'm not sure that the cost is something I could totally justify. Yes, the bars did the trick as far as providing me with a good 12-15g of protein, and several grams of fiber, and yes, they are indeed delicious, but other bars I've tried have been about half the cost. I'm on the fence about buying an assorted box, though. I really just want the Cashew Vanilla flavor, and a box of 8 is $30, which is slightly less per bar. Who knows, though? Maybe I'll become an AMRAP Bar junkie. I haven't found anything else that has done the trick so far when it comes to recovery.

Would you like to win your own AMRAP Bar Variety Pack? Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below to be entered to win your own pack! Good luck!

Update: AMRAP nutrition is giving away three boxes (one of each flavor), so three people have an opportunity to win and 8-pack of one of the three flavors! I will pick three winners (one for each flavor). Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

By the way, check out this cool AMRAP Nutrition video: