Before I went to England in January/February I signed up to take part in a review for CORE foods. Just before we were due to leave they contacted me telling me the food was due to arrive, as I knew I’d be out of the country I asked them to delay till I got back and they agreed 🙂 When I got home mid February my sample pack arrived later that week. I want to thank CORE foods for their understanding. I really wanted to do this review and they accomodated my last minute travel plans. So on with the review….
My package arrived with an ice pack. We’d been warned that the CORE foods were fresh and required refrigeration or freezing. They are 100% organic, gluten-free, raw and the defender meals are vegan to boot! I received three flavors: walnut banana, almond raisin and cashew cacao. From their website:
CORE Meals are FRESH portable food. They’re as convenient as packaged products, but they’re not candy, they’re food. Each pack is 4 hours of stable, balanced energy. Grab instead of breakfast when you’re in a rush, or after a workout for a solid recovery.
CORE Meals are FRESH food. The colder you store them, the longer they last. We recommend storing them in the freezer (for up to 6 months). They thaw in less than 10 minutes. You can also store them in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. At room temperature they will last up to a week.
CORE Defender Meal is focused on maximizing health and longevity. This recipe follows a strict vegan diet, which has been proven to be the most powerful weapon to Defend against diseases of affluence (heart disease, cancers, etc.)–the diseases that kill the majority of Americans. Defender Meals utilize our balanced recipe of complex carbohydrates and healthy essential fats fortified with Organic Flax and nuts for 12 grams of Organic Vegan protein. We recommend Defender for car rides, plane trips, and everyday pursuit
You can buy the meals at the CORE foods website, but first go to their facebook page for a chance to win a case of meals and get a $5 coupon!!!
I was pretty eager to try these out as I do tend to snack on bars, nuts, or small meals throughout the day and some days I am famished. I was eager to see if these bars would really help satiate me through the day during my busy schedule. I chose to eat my bars consecutive weeks on Wednesdays. I teach bodypump Wednesday mornings (after PT clients) and then I have a small window to refuel before heading out again for corporate fitness classes at lunch. So post bodypump I opened up my first bar, the
Raw walnut banana defender Meal
The bar was pretty big and looked pretty gruesome but I’m used to eating things that don’t look all that nice (my cooking for example!) but taste delicious and this was no exception. It was lovely! As I was pressed for time I ate it in my car and it was GOOD. Easy to manage and no crumbs dropping everywhere.
As it indicates on the package you must drink lots of water with the bar. I guess that’s how the oats expand. Honestly you need to drink a lot as the bar is hard to get down otherwise, it’s not dry persay but as with all bars they take a bit of chewing. The oats we’re a little overpowering on this bar for me, and the banana flavor out powered the walnuts for me. I’m really fond of nuts 😉 But it was delicious! I drank a copious amount of water with my bar…
I have to say it kept me satisfied until mid afternoon, so a good 4 hours! That’s pretty good from one small bar!
Raw cashew cacao defender meal
The following week I tried the Raw cashew cacao defender meal. Honestly I thought this would be my favorite as I am a woman and I do enjoy chocolate but this one was my least favorite of the three. I was a little disappointed but as I had no other food I managed to eat it all, despite not really enjoying it.
Raw almond raisin defender meal
The last bar I tried was by FAR my favorite. It was the almond and raisin meal. Maybe it was the addition of the dried fruit making the bar more moist/sweet? I’m not sure, but this was the winner for me by far! Perhaps it’s because it tasted like a Clif bar?
This one just looked and tasted yummy! As you can see the bars are also pretty thick, about 1/2 inch thick and chock full of nutrients!
The ingredients were sparse but the flavor was FULL! All that’s in the bar is oats, almonds, raisins, flax and spices. But it packed a punch for me 🙂
Stats
Each bar was around 350 calories which does equate to a small meal which is what these are promoted as, meal alternatives. The fat calories were a little high for me BUT it’s all from good fat sources (nuts). Low in sodium. Obviously as the main component is oats the carbs are going to be high but the protein is up to at 10g per serving. It was a pretty good post workout meal/bar.
All in all I was highly impressed with the meals. I kept mine in the freezer till the morning that I needed them, then took them out and put them in my bar. By the time 11.30 rolled around the bars were defrosted and ready to eat 🙂
Price
They are a little pricey IMO at around $4 a meal however they are NOT FOR PROFIT, which means they reinvest the profits in food quality, community and the planet. So if ecology rather than budget is your motivation this company is definitely worth a look.
Conclusion
Would I buy them? Probably yes. My only “problem” is the mail order online 🙁 I’d rather have them available at a store so I could buy one or two as needed not have to buy 10 at a time.
You can buy the meals at the CORE foods website, but first go to their facebook page for a chance to win a case of meals and get a $5 coupon!!!
*** CORE foods provided the samples for free but the opinions are my own***