clif bar

Like all parents, we're constantly doing our best to nourish our little ones with a well-balanced diet. But when the nutrition labels on packaged food are targeted to the average adult's diet (2,000 calories/day), it's not always easy to tell just how much (or how little) of the good stuff our kids are actually getting. That's why we're so excited to share this new tool from Clif Kid with you!

Here's how it works:

1. Head over to Clif Kid.
2. Grab a food package and identify the nutrition label on the back.
3. Under "Adult Nutrition Label," pick a nutrient you want to convert for your child, and enter in the grams from the nutrition label on the package.
4. On the "Kid Nutrition Label" side, you'll see the grams converted into the daily percentage this nutrient takes up in their diet for the day. Notice the difference as compared to an adult's — it's as easy as that.

Put the Clif Tool to work today, and tell us the most surprising finds you discover!

I aim to eat fresh real food whenever possible, but early morning workouts and a rushed commute to work means I occasionally reach for energy bars on the go. My flavor of choice is peanut butter and chocolate (because how could you not love the salty and sweet combo?!) and I've tried more varieties than I care to admit. Some are protein-filled and a delight like candy, and others taste like cardboard. It's hard to pick a winner, but my recent go-to has been the Think Thin Chunky Peanut Butter Bar, which packs 20 grams of protein and no added sugar but somehow satisfies my sweet tooth.

Are you a choco-nut too? Check out nutritional breakdowns and reviews of some of other popular choices.

Clif Bar has been making chewy whole grain energy bars for almost 20 year now, so it was only a matter of time before the company started making a crunchy version. Reminiscent of the granola bars of my youth, Clif Crunch ($4.50 for a box of six packages, each containing two bars) comes in the familiar flavors — Honey Oat, Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip — as well as the gourmet White Chocolate Macadamia. Each pouch contains two slim and crunchy bars just like those of yesteryear. I have tasted all the flavors with peanut butter being my favorite, but my daughters enjoyed the white chocolate version — it's a bit sweeter.

Clif Crunch definitely feels like a lighter treat than the traditional Clif Bar, and although they don't parch your mouth I would save the bars as a post-workout treat. They didn't works so well in the middle of a long ride. Paired with an apple or grapes, a Clif Crunch makes for a nice afternoon snack too.

To see how the Clif Crunch compares nutritionally with Nature Valley granola bars, keep on reading.

I'm loving two-wheelin' during National Bike Month and these three stats have given me extra incentive bike every where: 1) 40 percent of US urban travel is under two miles; 2) 90 percent of those trips are made in cars; 3) for every mile you bike instead of drive you reduce your carbon footprint by one pound of carbon dioxide. Put these three pieces of info together and it's easy to see that biking more about town is not only good for your health, it's good for the planet too.

For an extra incentive to hop on my bike for easy errands, I joined the 2 Mile Challenge. Created by Clif Bar, the 2 Mile Challenge is equal parts eco awareness, fitness initiative, and fundraiser for three different charities. When you sign up for the challenge you join a team that raises points for one of the charities. All three organizations will receive $25,000 from Clif, but the one with the most points on Oct. 31 will receive an additional $25,000. Here are the teams.

• Red Team: Alliance For Biking and Walking
• Red Team: Trips For Kids
• Blue Team: Alliance For Climate Education

You also earn points for your team by registering for a team and linking personal Facebook accounts to the 2 Mile Challenge site; issuing bike-riding challenges for yourself and friends; logging miles for every mile you ride or walk instead of drive; and logging trips for consecutive weeks. Raising money for a cool organization and challenging friends adds another element of fun to biking, an already fun mode of transportation.

I dare you to take the challenge!

Being that the idea for Clif Bar began on a bike, it seems only fitting that I would meet up with the current president of the company, Kevin Cleary, on the last leg of a bike commute to the office. Legend has it that the lack of a palatable energy bar during an endurance bike ride back in the early '90s inspired the company's founder, a baker by trade, to tinker in the kitchen to create the Clif Bar. Looks like his experiments paid off, no?

As the current president and COO of the company, Cleary continues the company's commitment to biking and commutes on two wheels 44-plus miles round trip about twice a week. Clif is one fit company! Not only are employees encouraged to exercise during the workday in the on-site gym, which offers 33 fitness classes a week from Zumba to spinning, they are also encouraged to green their commutes by biking, carpooling, walking, and taking mass transit.

Kevin has been bike-commuting consistently for four years. In honor of the upcoming Bike to Work Day, I asked him to share his top tips on how to start cycling to work. Here they are:

1. Map it! Go to Google maps and map out your route using the bike feature, which highlights bike paths too. Research the safest route possible, which might not be the quickest. It helps to talk to other bike commuters about alternative routes. Cyclists are friendly and love to share shortcuts.

For three more helpful tips, keep reading.