I say 'Why Not?!?!' As long as you're not downing a bowl of Cocoa Puffs or a Snickers bar first thing in the morning, a little all natural deep dark cacao bean in some form is perfectly acceptable in my book. I am no stranger to the sweet stuff in the morning (see my recipe for the ultimate Chocolate Chunky Monkey) and as I reviewed my choices of LARABARS this morning, it became apparent to me that more often than not, I opt for this flavor in the morning. My favorite variety of Larabars are the Jocalat ones (fancy way of spelling 'Chocolate'???) which of course all include, yup you guessed it . . . Unsweetened Chocolate and Cocoa Powder as a main ingredient.  I figured I could either criticize and scold myself for not having something like toast and almond butter, or some other buttery, eggy, protein filled option, or I could simply embrace my adoration for the brown stuff and feel great about it. I choose to embrace! But which flavor to embrace? Chocolate Coffee, Chocolate Mint, or just plain old Chocolate? (By the way, there is also German Chocolate, Chocolate Cherry and Chocolate Hazelnut . . . just an FYI!) This morning, only the Chocolate Mint would do. Mostly because it was already opened. (What? I had a late night sweet tooth. Don't judge!) These tasty treats are high in fiber and chock full of good, natural stuff like almonds and dates. If you rather eggs in the morning, these will do just fine as an afternoon snack or pre workout boost (the natural sugars found in these bars are a great source of fast energy providing carbohydrates).  MMMM, MMMM, GOOD! Don't get me wrong, I still love my hot tasty oatmeal in the morning, but with as much traveling as I've been doing lately, these are the perfect way to start my day and go great with my ultimate latte! They don't melt, they are portable and they are just about, well, perfect. In order that I don't sound too much like an advertisement for Larabar (unless of course they want to ship me a few cases free and then I'll plug em all they want!) I do want to let you know that my chocolate addiction didn't stop there this morning. OH NO . . . there is this GREAT dark chocolate store in the West Village that sells nothing but, you guessed it DARK CHOCOLATE. It's called PURE DARK and you won't find any of that icky diluted, crap filled milk stuff here. This place is nothing but PURE DARK CHOCOLATE goodness. Everything in here is amazing, from their slabs to their spicy hot cocoa! (Although my recipe for homemade spicy cocoa is pretty friggin good too!) But my favorite thing to do is mix up my own little concoction. You can mix and match from a variety of nuts, dried fruits, and of course, cacao nibs (little bits of pure unadulterated chocolate). So I proceeded to down a couple of tablespoons of one of my favorite mixes I created. I call it the "Galardi Special":  Dark Chocolate covered cacao nibs, ginger bits, shredded coconut and chopped pecans. (I also love a blend with blueberries and slivered almonds) I've been nibbling (or downing may be the more appropriate word here) this blend for days now and finally just polished it off as I write this entry. Good riddance! I can NOT be tempted to get more, as good for you as it may be in healthy fats and fiber. Unfortunately, PURE DARK is in the direct path of my return route from my BARRE ASSETS class every Tuesday at CRUNCH. Darn those Pure Dark people. And I have plenty more suggestions on what to buy when you just can't seem to resist the temptation of a sweet treat. Email me HERE! Enjoy your weekend!