Have a Delicious and Nutritious Valentine's Day with Balance Bar {Review & Giveaway}

While I would like nothing more than to dive into a tub filled with chocolate truffles and heart-shaped cookies covered in sprinkles this Valentine's Day, the guilt that would follow would most likely be overwhelming. Even though my sweet tooth would be happy with the chocolate feast, there aren't too many of us that enjoy the feeling of quite that many calories in one sitting, right?

Instead, avoiding the extra pounds isn't impossible thanks to finding products that combine the great taste of sweets with healthy nutrition, energy and convenience. That's why this Valentine's Day (and beyond) is the perfect time to step away from the junk and instead reach for the satisfying flavor and health benefits of Balance Bar.

Founded in 1992 by a group of sports enthusiasts, scientists and people with a passion for life, Balance Bar was one of the originators of energy bars and the nutrition bar category.

As they have long crafted their products with the perfect balance of great taste, quality nutrition and lasting energy, it is easy to see why their 40-30-30 nutrition principle (40% of calories come from carbohydrates, 30% from quality protein and 30% from dietary fat) provides balanced energy... as opposed to a sugar rush and subsequent crash.

Add to that the many different flavors, styles and formats of energy bars that Balance Bar offers and there is no reason that nutrition can't be easy and delicious for everyone. These convenient bars can be eaten at home, work or on-the-go, so no matter if your day has you attending meetings, running errands, picking up the kids, squeezing in a workout or more, you can stay balanced and ready to keep up with it all.

So, with Valentine's Day on the calendar this month, it was the perfect time for a heart tin and assortment of bars to arrive to help remind me about not completely forgetting about my waistline.

Waiting inside were two scrumptious flavors of Balance Bars: Chocolate Raspberry and Chocolate Mint Cookie Crunch.

While I wasn't sure what to expect from either of these flavors, I was already happy that they were both an excellent source of antioxidants and Vitamin D and that both contained 23 vitamins and minerals.

But... could they really taste all that good?

Fortunately, the answer is yes!

The Chocolate Raspberry is a gluten free, 180-calorie bar that manages to have just the right amount of smooth chocolate with a hint of sweet raspberry that melts in your mouth. Considering that these bars also include 4g of fiber and 13g of protein, they're a great replacement for the usual chocolate Valentine's Day treats!

Although I was hesitant to try the Chocolate Mint Cookie Crunch simply because I'm typically not a fan of chocolate and mint together, I was surprisingly pleased by the satisfying crunch that these provide and the way that the flavors mix together for a light, refreshing taste.

If you're a fan of Thin Mints, these would be a much healthier, extremely delicious replacement that would keep you going with only 200 calories and a whopping 14g of protein!

Whether you are trying to make your New Year's resolutions last further into the year than most or you simply know that it is better for your body to eat healthy snacks throughout the day to stay fueled (and not starving!), Balance Bars are a delicious way to keep you on track... while giving your taste buds a treat at the same time.

To find out more about the HUGE variety of Balance Bars and the endless number of flavors available, visit them at Balance.com and on Facebook and Twitter. As well as keeping an eye out for these bars at your local grocery store and health food store, you can also find them at ShopBalance.com as well as on Amazon.

Plus, thanks to the generosity of Balance Bar, one person will be able to have a post-Valentine's Day dose of healthy nutrition as well, because...

One lucky person will win a Valentine's Day tin and assortment of bars from Balance Bar!

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A big thank you to Balance Bar for providing a prize pack for me to review as well as for one lucky giveaway winner. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.