I was in Shadyside on Saturday with Husband to gawk at the line of people outside the Apple store waiting for the iPad (we’re on the list for the 3G release and I hope I’m not expected to camp out for that, but it is very sweet and you can play with one at BestBuy). In the meantime we had time to kill and nothing was open on Walnut street so we mosied on down to Coffee Tree Roasters to get some joe.

I have to say that we were a little disappointed to see that CTR is even more pricey than Husband’s love affair with Starbuck’s but they did have some tasty gluten free treats I decided to try. That’s not to knock Starbuck’s on this item either- though I’ve only encountered ONE GF baked good in a Starbuck’s case ONE time, they do sell a variety of prepackaged fruit chews, bars and cookies now that are GF and in some cases lactose free. But back to the Coffee Tree.

The Heart Thrives packages sitting up on top of the baked goods case caught my eye and Husband got me one to snack on. Well, actually it got put in the fridge for 5 days and then I cracked it open to split for my breakfast. What are they? ‘Sun cakes’ and heart shaped little goodies that look somewhat like suet or at least something our local birds would be fanatic about. They are gluten free, diary free, vegan and have no GMO. Sounds tasty….

I opted for the apple variety and I can say that on the go they’re a good option. Now they say they’re gluten free but the main ingredient is oats so if you’d like to call the company (Healthy Baking Company  1-800-830-0309) to make sure there’s no cross contamination, go for it but I didn’t have any issues with them.

The verdict? Well their website is pretty crappy which never gives me a whole lot of confidence in a product but the stuff isn’t bad. Not very tasty really- it’s kind of like a bar of oatmeal and I detest oatmeal but it does keep you full longer and I cheer for anything that can claim that and pull it off. I generally eat a light yoghurt and an orange with my breakfast so one of the apple cakes was the perfect accompaniment for these. If you like yoghurt (or honey or lite syrup/jam), try a little on top of your bar and eat it with a fork but if you’re going to grab and go it’s not bad, just make sure you’ve got a drink with it!

P.s. I hear that WholeFoods carries the Heart Thrive bars too And if you order through the parent company’s site you can get free bars with your first order. I’m for that!