Ellen's Banana Larabar Bash

About two months ago I became a bar junkie. Larabar that is! Larbars are raw, gluten free, wheat free, sugar free, dairy free, vegan, kosher snack bars made from only two or three ingredients, usually dates and nuts with another unsweeted dried fruit. Sounds boring and bland, but they're actually very good. My favorites are Cashew Cookie, Chocolate Coconut, and Cherry Pie, although Cocoa Mole and Ginger Snap aren't bad either. Their sister brand, the Maya bar, isn't as promising. (Why would they say they're as good as brownies? Why go there?) However, an insider with the company, no joke, told me those are being phased out.

So, bar addiction + habit of eating spoonfuls of creamy peanut butter + food intolerance of sugar cane and fruit within eight hours of each other + lactose intolerance, and you'll understand why I didn't just go to Veniero's for one of their ultra sweet, heavenly canolis or buy a bag of Uncle Eddie's vegan peanut butter chocolate chip cookies (a former addiction). Now this is how I must satisfy my sweet tooth.

And it's exciting! Dietary restrictions never feel restrictive -- they just encourage me to think more creatively. South Beach Diet? No problem! Raw foodist? Sounds fun! Diabetic? High Five!

THIS IS sliced banana topped with creamy peanut butter, Massachusettes honey, and sheep's milk yogurt with ground flax meal and sliced chocolate coconut Larabar.