Before we dive into today’s post, I’d like to give a special birthday shout out to my good friend, Meg! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GIRL! You are so incredibly special, inspiring, and kind. You have the most beautiful heart and are going to be an amazing, passionate, and knowledgeable RD someday. Love you so much!
Workout
At 5:45 a.m., my alarm went off. I grabbed my iPod, laced up my sneakers, and went downstairs with my cup of water in hand. Today’s workout was another ZWOW. I completed ZWOW #9 and swapped the crab toe touches for bicycle russian twists, using 5 lb. dumbbells. Thirty bicycle russian twists are crazy hard, FYI.
Lunch
Last night, I finally finished my microbiology assignment around 9:30 p.m. I then remembered that I had to pack my lunch and snacks for class the next day – and this girl was in no mood to do so. But I did – I just took the guesswork out of everything and had the exact same lunch as yesterday.
Looks just as delicious, right? It was.
Thankfully, I got out of microbiology a little bit early, which granted me the opportunity to a.) go to Matty’s b.) record a new song (!!!) and c.) work on the monster of a case study that is due on Monday. All necessary things, really.
Dinner
Conveniently, Matty also had a crap-ton of work to do, so I didn’t feel bad about ignoring him for school. A couple of hours in, I was ready for dinner! Thankfully, he had a bunch of vegan-friendly food on hand so I whipped up something quick.
Falafel! Any day with falafel is a good day. Alongside my falafel balls, I squirted a dollop of spicy brown mustard onto the plate. The real show-stealer, however, was that massive blob of peas and red & yellow peppers. I stirred 1/3 cup of daiya cheddar shreds in with them for about five minutes on medium-heat and it yielded a pretty fantastic result. So, so, so delicious. I love daiya so much.
barre giveaway
Today, I have something special for you! We all know I love teaching barre classes at Mind Body Barre. There is nothing like pushing people to their limits and giving them the energy and inspiration they need to break out of their comfort zone. Sigh – I miss teaching now. Is my summer class over yet?! 
When Julia Erickson, owner and founder of barre LLC, contacted me a couple of weeks ago, I was psyched! After years of being a professional ballet dancer and grabbing convenience bars at the drug store for energy, Julia began schooling herself in nutrition, specifically the benefits of whole foods for optimum energy and vitality. She started to take notice of the energy bars’ ingredients and, the less she recognized, the more weary she became.
Enter barre.
The above bookmark was enclosed with the bars I was given to sample and I loved the creative, fun, and honest mission statement! Each bar is given a ballet-inspired name, which I find to be so adorable, innovative, and a nice touch to the ballet theme.
The first bar I sampled was the ballerina spirulina.
This is barre’s latest flavor and also happens to be the one I was most excited to try – and for good reason, too! This bar was so incredibly delicious! Honestly, I was a little weary of the spirulina because of its notable earthy flavor but this bar had the perfect balance of sweet with earthy undertones. It also held me over for a good two hours during one of my shifts at the clinic. I’ve been craving another one for the past week. Julia, I think you have a new, faithful customer in me!
The next bar I tried was the pirouette cinnamon pecan.
This one had my favorite packaging. Isn’t that pale salmon color so gorgeous? While still quite yummy, this was my least favorite of the three. The cinnamon flavor was vibrant and fresh but it lacked in the pecan department, in my opinion. This made the overall bar a little bland for my liking. Having said that, the bar was still very tasty! I’m just very picky and particular about my bars.
The third and final flavor that I enjoyed was the black swan chocolate berry.
Obviously, the ingredient list had me at dark chocolate. The dark chocolate flavor was incredible and the cranberries were laced in perfectly, providing the ideal hint of tart! It was one of those bars that ended far too soon – or maybe that was me eating it a little too fast out of sheer excitement?
Overall, I was super impressed with the barre products. Julia is clearly passionate about the barre philosophy – and I am happy to help spread that to you guys because Julia is offering one lucky reader a box of their own! Best of all, the winner will get the opportunity to choose from two flavors of their choice! All you have to do to enter is the following:
- Leave ONE comment telling me which two flavors you would like to try and tell me your favorite thing about the barre mission.
- Extra entry: Fill out the barre request form, hand it to your nearest retailer (with a smile of course!), and ask them to start carrying barre products! Comment here after you’ve done so. I’m trusting you on your word here.
You have until Sunday, June 24, at 10:00 p.m. EST to enter. Good luck!
Stay lovely,
Heather
The Ballerina and black swan both sound sooooo unique and would be great crumbled over Greek yogurt. I love that their flavors are so thoughtful.
I would love to try the dark cherry berry flavor! My favorite part of the mission statement is simply the intent of the company. I love that they have a story & inspiration for the product. It allows for a personal connection with the the product!
These bars sound delicious. I would love to try the Pirouette Cinnamon Pecan because I absolutely <3 pecans. The second flavor I would like to try is a given – Black Swan Chocolate Berry. I don't have these bars in any stores near me but hope to see them sometime soon. Their mission is great. What I like most is the fact that you can actually understand all the ingredients in the bars. I've seen so much positive physical change in my appearance and gained tons of energy just by simply eating clean and making sure I eat things as close to nature as it gets. These bars would be a perfect treat to reward myself for all my hard work. Plus I wouldn't even feel guilty because they are super healthy
I have been wanting to try these bars!! I will go with your word, and want to try the ballerina and the black swan.
I’d love to try the ballerina spirulina and the cinnamon pecan! My favorite thing about this company is that it was created by actual dancers who wanted something better for themselves and others in their positions. I love that they’re made out of only natural ingredients.
I would love to try the spirulina ballerina and berry black swan! I love her mission too – Barre uses simple ingredients that everyone can pronounce, in their purest and most unadulterated form for maximum nutritional benefit!
I’d like to try the cinnamon pecan! I love that they use simple ingredients and nothing fake!
I’d love to try the spirulina flavor (i <3 spirulina) and the dark chocolate (i live on dark chocolate… seriously…), and I love that barre focusses on clean and wholesome foods!
Mmmmmm the Ballerina Spirulina looks amazing! I love that there mission is “to provide exceptional nutritional fortification – inspired by these needs – for dancers and everyone else who demands clean, wholesome, nutritious and great tasting sustained energy.” I am always on the look for clean nutritious bars and these seem like they are right up my alley!
These bars sounds great! I would love to try the ballerina spirulina and the berry black swan. I love that these bars are clean, wholesome, and made of ingredients that I can pronounce. It’s difficult finding healthy and wholesome vegan bars.
I think the two flavors I’d love to try would be the ballerina and black swan. They look so delicious<3 What I love about their mission is stating that they want the dancers to eat CLEAN foods. That makes me happy because now-a-days so many people get caught up in "diet" foods just because they claim to be fat-free and low-calorie, which does not mean that they're "clean". Loved the barre mission statement<3
The Ballerina Spirulina looks great!! I also love pecans and cinnamon, so I think the piroutte bar looks yummy too!!
the ballerina and the black swan sound awesome. i love the ballet spin on the product and brand- and how the ingredients are geared toward clean eating rather than relying processed flavors.
Definitely the black swan chocolate berry! And the ballerina spirulina.
Favorite part of the mission: And while good nutrition is the foundation of wellness, as artists we believe great taste is paramount! When all natural, healthy ingredients are artfully combined, nutrition and taste need not be mutually exclusive.
Cinnamon Pecan and Ballerina Spirulina! I love that their mission is to bring out the best in food in its rawest most natural form to replenish the body’s vitamins and mineral needs most efficiently for endurance and energy!
I have actually tried the cinnamon pecan and the chocolate berry and I LOVE the cinnamon pecan and REALLY want to try the ballerina spirulina because it’s not available anywhere around me or online yet. I ordered the two flavors online because I was SO excited to see something That was ballet inspired that was focused on staying healthy! I love that barre llc is all about staying with whole foods! They have inspired me to change my diet completely actually. I started taking ballet in January of this year as a 21 year old adult beginner and I love it. But I had an eating disorder in high school and am constantly battling to keep my thoughts healthy. So I also love that barre llc says that these are not meal replacements! But they are perfect for a snack between work and ballet class to hold me over for dinner! So anyway! I LOVE barre and so hope to try the ballerina spirulina soon!
They all sound delicious but I’d love to try the Black Swan! I just started taking ballet for the first time since I was 12 (that’s 11 years!) and I just think this bar (barre) would make me a better ballerina. That’s how it works, right?
The Black Swan flavor looks awesome! I love me some chocolate.
I love this company’s mission too. I’ve been dancing for 17 years and it’s hard work, with a lot of pressure to be in tip top shape! Also many people really underestimate how physically taxing dance can be, so I think it’s fantastic that a company is taking time to really evaluate dancer’s needs and create a specialized product for them (and everyone else!)
Wonderful concept! I would like to try the spirulina ballerina & berry black swan. It’s great that her mission encompasses using real whole foods to get the most vitamins to maximize their health benefits!
I would love to try the Pirouette Cinnamon Pecan flavor + i love that they are focused on healthy, and whole ingredients!
Mmmm the Ballerina Spirulina for sure! and I love that they are on a mission not only for a nutritious bar but one that’s tasty as well!
I’d love to try the Ballerina Spirulina barre & what I love is that they are made using real food and made for lean athletes.
I would like the try the Black Swan Chocolate Berry flavor and the Pirouette Cinnamon Pecan flavor. My favorite part about the barre mission is that the bars are formulated with good nutrition and taste.
Oh yummy! I would love to try the Black Swan Chocolate Berry & the Ballerina! My favorite thing about the Barre mission is that they’re sticking to REAL ingredients. Plain and simple. So many bars that claim they are “good for us” and filled with preservatives and sugars that do more harm then good. I’m glad to see a company like Barre moving in the right direction!
Black Swan sounds AMAZING! Like many others, I love that the company is choosing real, whole ingredients.
Yum! Chocolate berry for me, please!
Oh, and I like that they address the “dreaded midday office slump” – haha, I am very familiar with that!
I would love to try the Black Swan Chocolate Berry and the Ballerina Spirulina! I love anything with dark chocolate
My favorite part of the barre mission is that they really made these bars for everyone. They understand the importance of good nutrition and clean products, and they have made this available to everyone.
Not entering but just wanted to say great review and I adore julia’s passion about barre too! It’s so great to help a caring person spread the word about what’s special to her! #sap
anyone!!!
The Black Swan Chocolate Berry and Ballerina Spirulina both sound fantastic to me!
I think this quote sums up perfectly what I love most about the barre mission:
“When all natural, healthy ingredients are artfully combined, nutrition and taste need not be mutually exclusive.”
I love that they set out to make a product for athletes and active people that is both delicious and nutritionally awesome. I love when what I am eating is both wholesome and great tasting. I also love that this product is not just marketed at athletes but anyone who wants to try them.
These look great!
Yum! I’d want to try the chocolate berry
Id love to try the Black Swan Chocolate Berry and the Pirouette Cinnamon Pecan, wow they sound great. Love that part of their mission is to use raw products and stay unprocessed!
I would like to try the ballerina spirulina flavor and the black swan chocolate berry flavor. I am always looking for quick natural vegan food options and I love a company that cares about what they put in their product.
Spirulina and chocolate berry, please! I’ve always wanted to try ballet, but I still need to! Anyway, I like that they’re healthy food that doesn’t confuse healthy and low-calorie. That’s so prevalent and it’s so annoying!
Hi Heather! I would LOVE to try the ballerina spirulina flavor! What a could name and I love the idea behind these bars! As a nutritionist, the stats are amazing on these! I’ve already asked my 2 local stores to carry the bars here in SC! I filled out the form requests and turned them in this morning to both stores in my neighborhood!:) I love that these bars are made for dancers and not just athletes! This is great because we all want a lean dancing body with the convenience of a nice bar to throw in our handbag!:) Love it! Thanks for the giveaway!
I would loveeeee to try the Ballerina!! It sounds so amazing. I really want to try the black swan as well! I love chocolate hehehe. I think my favorite part about Barre’s mission is the the ingredients! Being a vegan I’m very picky about what goes into my body and if the ingredients are as pure and whole as they say, I think I’ve fallen in love. (;
I love the packaging. It’s so simplistic and pretty! I’d love to try the ballerina spirulina simply because the name ROCKS! And I agree… great taste is paramount!
i would love the chocolate cherry one! I also like that it is made for athletes!
Black Swan and Ballerina Spirulina look like the ones I want to try most!!
I love that they aim to use simple ingredients while being dedicated to good taste as well!
Picture this, you are a dancer. You are also a mom of 2 who helps her husband run their landscaping business, and you run around like a chicken with your head cut off most days. You have to be at the dance studio by 6 pm to take class for 2 hrs before your rehearsal at 8 pm that goes until 10pm. Chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, and the fruit you made for your kids just doesn’t sound appealing at 4:30 pm, or you go to open the bar you packed in your bag because you are starving at 8 pm, and you find it some nasty flavor. Worse yet the trail mix you also packed has been dumped into all of the nooks and crannies of your bag and stinky shoes. No way am I eating even M&M’s out of my shoes
I have been dancing for almost 30 years and getting the right amount of fuel before class or a performance so your stomach isn’t bloated or leaves you starving 1/2 way through is tricky. The fact that these are made by dancers who understand what it takes to get through make me super happy. They also work great with the tone it up plan which I follow too. I would love to try the spirulina and pecan flavors because I think these are flipping brilliant!
I love the stress of a “REAL FOOD bar”…none of that icky processed junk! This bar sounds like exactly what I am looking for to fuel the athlete in me. I would like to try the spirulina and black swan flavors!
I’d love to try the ballerina spirulina and the black swan. They look so good! I love their mission statement, especially the part about providing athletes with good, whole food. I love convenience foods but its hard to find ones that aren’t full of chemicals and sugar.
I would love love to try their Black swan chocolate berry, it seems really yummy~ Barre bar is amazing as they provide simple food with good nutrition packed in a bar for busy people who just need a quick snack to tide or the afternoon!
I want to try the Ballerina Spirulina & Pirouette Cinnamon Pecan. I’ve been making my own granola bars to avoid all the junk they put in most bars. I’d love to try the Barre ones!
I trust you on this so I would love to try the Ballerina Spirulina and the Black Swan Chocolate Berry! I love that when designing these bars they kept in mind the “demanding artist-athlete lifestyle” but still made them tasty and healthy!
The Black Swan and the Ballerina sound so delicious! As an athlete, fueling my body is extremely important to me. I love how she talks about the nourishment food gives us, rather than some sort of statement about everything being “low calorie, low fat, etc.”
I filled out the Barre request form
YOU are the sweetest girl in the world. I love you so much Heather <3
The spirulina and chocolate berry sound delicious! I love that they include people beyond serious athletes in their mission statements and are including all kinds of active people.
I love their mission to make nutritious “barres” in the purest form possible, making nutrition on the go simple and healthy. The names are too cute! I would love to try Ballerina Spirulina & Pirouette Cinnamon Pecan. It isn’t often that I find wholesome nutrition bars that make berry free favors (I’m very allergic)!
I would love to try to ballerina spirulina because I’m really curious what it tastes like, and the black swan bar because serious, who can resist some dark chocolate?! I love that their mission is to provide athletes with clean, whole food nutrition bars that still taste yummy. It’s awesome to see energy bars that aren’t highly processed!
Hi All,
I just want to say thank you for all of your kind words and for your help in getting Barre out there in the world! We are so thrilled to get to interact with such fabulous, health-loving, smart people who want to eat real, quality food! And support the arts! And have a lean body, yay! A special thanks to Heather for posting about Barre and for all of you taking those Barre Request Forms to your local stores! Bravo!
xo Julia
I’d like to try black swan chocolate berry and ballerina spirulina!!! Thanks for your reviews of them. I like that they put so much thought into the bar composition, and of course, that all the ingredient names are pronounceable!
I love the honesty in this company. They didn’t like what they saw on the market–so they changed it! So many times I find myself on-the-go with less than stellar protein bar options, and I can’t eat those things. I know my body won’t feel benefits from something packed with corn syrup or fake sugars. I’m always on the lookout for new options and would LOVE to try these! Ballerina Spirulina & Pirouette Cinnamon Pecan strike my fancy.
I’ve worked with an RD in a local grocery store and just sent her an email about the product asking her to look into it! Hoping that gets the ball rolling
I would LOVE to try the cinnamon pecan and ballerina spirulina! I wish I knew somewhere to get them locally. My favorite thing about the mission statement is the focus on health and fuel for everyone. We all deserve it!
I filled out the request form for barre and turned it in!
I love that barre strives for wholesome, natural ingredients to nourish the mind, body, and soul! I would try spirulina or the Black swan flavors.
I was able to fill out the barre request form and turn it in at the local grocer!
I took the request form to my local Whole Foods!
I think it’s cool you mentioned ZWOW… I had no idea she has her own channel now with this new name. I used to follow Zuzana when she and Freddy ran BodyRock.tv. I heard they were splitting up, right? I did Zuzy’s exercises for probably around 6 months, and then I got injured, so I switched to less HIIT and more endurance based activities (that kind of exercise is really more my style because there is less thinking involved, lol). But I did really like her challenges!! She is such a lovely, inspirational person.
Couldn’t agree more, Stephanie! Love ZWOW and so glad you found her through me! Her workouts ROCK.
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