You'd Never Guess That These Snack Bars Are Packed With Greens

What’s on my desk this week? A Lärabar — but not just any Lärabar, this one packs a secret punch. You may already be familiar with the brand’s fruit and nut bars that’ve been in the snacking-sphere since the early 2000s. Some of our favorites include Cashew Cookie, Carrot Cake, Apple Pie, Banana Bread, and Coconut Cream Pie, to name a few. Sounds a lot like dessert, huh? Well it tastes that way too, except each of these bars are entirely gluten-free and vegan, made with unsweetened fruits, nuts, and spices.

So what’s the secret punch with this particular Lärabar? Well for starters, it sounds more like a salad than a dessert: Mango Spinach Cashew. But don't let the name fool you, the brand’s newest venture into fruit AND veggie land (titled Fruits & Greens) tastes more like a tropical morning smoothie than a green juice. Although the the ingredients would suggest otherwise, each bar contains 1/4 cup of greens. It's just cashews, mango, spinach, apples, and apricots. The consistency is soft, yet chewy with nice little crunches of cashews dispersed throughout. And the flavor is mango-y with a nice nutty finish. Aside from the spinach-like coloring, we'd be hard pressed to guess that these bars had any greenery involved whatsoever. They are satisfyingly sweet.

You can pick up your own bar for $1.99 (or a 15-pack for $28.95) in two other fruity flavor combos, Pineapple Kale Cashew and Strawberry Spinach Cashew, online or at any variety of in store grocery locations.

*Hot tip: Chop into chunks and add to your favorite nuts for a fruitier trail mix with bonus greens.