As we all know I am in love with Larabars. For me they are the perfect mid-morning, mid-afternoon, pre-workout, post-workout treat. In March 2009, Larabar introduced two new flavours, PB & J and Tropical Fruit Tart. Only issue? They aren’t available in Canada until next month. Why does Canada do this to me? 

Since I discovered Larabars earlier this summer I have been wanting to get my hands on the PB& J. It just sounded too good -

“One bite will bring you back to PB&J’s with the crust cut off, just like mom used to make!”

Thankfully, someone heard my pitiful pleas (or Tweets) and hooked me up with a sneak preview this week of the two new flavours. 

Verdict?

Larabar’s PB & J flavour rocks and does make me think of the sandwiches I used to eat with the crusts cut off. It even smells like PB & J. Yes, I sniffed the bar at work.

The only thing Larabar got wrong is that this version tastes much better than the one Mom used to make. Stock up when they come to town.

Haven’t tried tropical fruit tart yet as it is waiting for me when I return to work on Tuesday.

One of my biggest issues in trying to be healthy is that I love to snack. My snack of choice up until recently was the deadly, but comforting salt and vinegar chips. I never could find a snack that could replace or satisfy my snacking needs. If one more person suggested why don’t you try carrot sticks as a substitute I was going to lose it! Didn’t they realize I was looking for a healthy snack that was at the same time somewhat tasty? Carrot sticks were just not going to do the trick.

But then I discovered Lara Bars via the nutritionist I was seeing. I was shocked these bars are so delicious and came in flavours like Key Lime Pie, Coconut Cream Pie and Peanut Butter Cookie. I now stock up on these bars and turn to them when I need a mid-afternoon snack pre-workout. The bars are also vegan friendly, dairy free, gluten free…basically suitable for anyone!

I recommend you track these bars down immediately. In Toronto I have been able to find them at the Metro grocery store at Yonge and Eglinton, Noah’s Health Food store (better selection of flavours) and at a Health Food store in Kensington Market. They are an amazing pre and post workout snack. You can also order them in bulk via their online store.

They also were recently featured in the current issue of Real Simple magazine as one of their picks for a nutritious snack.