Friday's Vegan Accessory: Snacks at the Office

To make it through the 3pm slump, I snack at work -- just about every day. My favorite snacks are food bars and granola . . . so, I thought I'd highlight a few vegan options and mention some nifty giveaways so that you might snag your own free vegan snacks for the office.

My absolute favorite is the Larabar Jocalat bar, which comes in six flavor varieties, all of which are vegan (the regular Larabars also are all vegan -- check 'em out). I like the traditional chocolate version best, possibly because it seems to be the only version that my Trader Joe's regularly stocks. In fact, here is it on my desk cosying up to some reporters:

And one lucky reader of Chocolate-Covered Katie (a.k.a. Chocolate Covered Vegan) has the chance to win an entire case (a $32 value) absolutely free. See this post for more details on the Jocolat giveaway.

I also enjoy The Simple Bar, which has a very different texture from Larabars; perfect for those days when something grainy and nutty is needed. And, they have less calories than Larabars and pack 16 grams of protein. The Simple Bar comes in 6 varieties, all of which are vegan. See the lovely fan display below; unfortunately, I don't know of any current giveaways.

Also unfortunately, most other food bars incorporate honey or some type of dairy product . . . so, I usually stick to these. (Yes, there are the Raw Revolution food bars, but they have 300+ calories, which is way too many calories for a snack in my opinion.)

However, another excellent snack option is to make your own vegan granola. I really like the custom-made granola from MixMyGranola.com -- a company run by three friends that uses locally-grown, mainly organic ingredients. You choose your base and then add your favorite ingredients. The organic granola and organic muesli bases are vegan (the other 2 have honey). Best of all, the website calculates the nutritional information of your custom made granola. It's not the cheapest ever -- the base is $4.95, then each ingredient adds to the cost, and finally shipping is a flat $5 -- but sometimes a splurge on a healthy snack is worth it (think how much you spend at Starbucks every day . . .).

And . . . I have a giveaway for the custom-made granola! Fit for Free is giving away a $10 gift certificate plus free shipping to make your own granola; see this post for details on the giveaway.

Another similar option for make-your-own cereal is Me and Goji. Note that the healthy hoops and golden granola bases are NOT vegan. The website also calculates the nutritional information of your custom made cereal. Check out the cereal I made. At $15, it seems really expensive . . . but it contains 15 servings . . . $1 a serving is less than Larabars!

And . . . another giveaway! HealthingIt! is giving away a $20 gift certificate to design your own cereal; see this post for details.