My husband and I have been fans of these snack bars made out of unsweetened fruits, nuts and spices for a while. They're a staple purchase on any trip to Costco, and we tend to battle to get to our favourite flavours first (more on that later). I like to eat one late morning if I'm doing a run on my lunch hour. My husband uses them as a snack after work if he's running between hockey arenas before getting home to dinner.

What's incredible is that these bars are 100% whole food, and each flavour contains no more than eight ingredients. Larabars are gluten free, dairy free, soy free, vegan and kosher. The only people I can imagine who would have issues with these bars are my kids. I've tried to get them to munch on one before an activity, but perhaps they're an acquired taste because neither one of my sons could get an entire bar down. It's not so much the flavours that they don't like, but the consistency; the bars are a little dry and go down better with some water.

Now for those flavours; if you manage to track some Larabars down (and you can find them at health food stores, some grocery stores and Costco) dig into the Cashew Cookie. It's my personal favourite. My husband's partial to Key Lime Pie. I'm searching for the newest flavours launched last year, which include Tropical Fruit Tart and German Chocolate Cake.

As for the name, the recipe for Larabars was developed about nine years ago by the company's founder, Lara. She tried to come up with a cool marketable name, but people kept asking for Lara's Bars, and so the name stuck.

For many of us, the arrival on our doorstep of the President's Choice Insider's Report is like a food porn magazine. Flipping through the latest edition of these products available across the country at Loblaws, Superstore and other grocery chains, I'm inspired to invite friends over just so I have an excuse to buy Chipotle BAked Dip, Crunchy Rippled Potato Chips in flavours like BBQ Baby Back Rips and Spicy Piri, and Mini Chocolate Coated Candy Cane Cheesecakes. 

The Mission Fig & Pecan Gourmet Topper inspired my mother-in-law to update one of her classic appetizer recipes, and I bring you...

1 package of Imperial Cheese

1 8 ounce package of cream cheese

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp worcestershire sauce

Blend all ingredients in a Cuisinart. Top with Mission Fig & Pecan Gourmet Topper. Serve and accept all the compliments.

This year I'm equally impressed by the Sensations by Compliments products available at Sobeys stores across the country. I asked their representative to give me a couple of semi-homemade recipe ideas with some of their new products, and she really came through. You could serve their Hickory Smoked Honey Ham with your own vegetable sides and feel like a completely virtuous hostess.  Top it off by amazing your guests with the decadent taste of the Sensations by Compliments Chocolate Truffle Cake. Add a dusting of cocoa and garnish with seasonal berries and pass this off as your own!

1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced

2 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped

1 Sensations by Compliments Regular Flatbread

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 pear each, green and red, cored and thinly sliced

1/2 wheel double cream brie cheese, cut into thin slices

salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a saute pan over medium high heat and caramelize the onion, season with fresh thyme, salt and pepper. Set the flatbread out on a clean work surface and brush it with the remaining olive oil and spread caramelized onion evenly over the flatbread.

2. Fan the slices of pear around the bread in concentric circles all the way to the outer edges, season pear with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with slices of brie cheese. Bake in the centre of the oven for 10-12 minutes. The bottom of the flatbread should be crisp, brie melted and pears tender.

3. Let cool slightly, slice into 16 wedges and serve.

So this season, put your feet up, invite the Jolie-Pitts over, and and let your neighbourhood grocery store help you with your entertaining. 

I'm hoping this column will inspire you to think about giving a gift that gives twice this holiday season. Upcoming columns will bring you gift ideas for your husband, children and friends, but this is any idea for everyone on your list, from the teachers in the classrooms to the hostesses you'll visit this season.

It's called SickKids Get Better Gifts, and it's an initiative to help you with your holiday shopping at the same time as it helps the SickKids Hospital Foundation. Shopping is as easy as 1-2-3.

1. Visit the site, www.sickkidsgetbettergifts.com

2. Choose a gift that's meaningful to you and those on your holiday shopping list.

3. Purchase the gift online and you'll be able to send a card to someone special that outlines the gift that has been made in their honour. A tax receipt will be sent to you at the time of selection.

The gifts on the site range from helping to provide a holiday meal for a family to helping ensure a child receives a gift from their wish list. Shoppers can also purchase gifts that support the families of children in Sick Kids Hospital such as an overnight bag (with all the essentials that are forgotten when you're racing out the door to the emergency room with a sick child). If you're feeling really generous,$5000 will purchase a child-sized wheelchair for a Sick Kids patient.

There's a gift for every occasion and every price range from $25 on up. I can't imagine $40 better spent than on a sleeper chair that will allow a parent to spend the night beside a sick child.

So before the holiday craziness sets in, do yourself a favour and get a little gift giving out of the way. You'll be doing a favour for some very special kids and their families, and you'll be helping me to make this worthy initiative become a trend.

"Canadian Consumers Flock to Online U.S. Retailers as Canadian Dollar Strengthens"

The survey was conducted by Wishabi.ca, a social shopping service that provides intelligent shopping information. It's an online shopping community that lets visitors evaluate the best bargains in the U.S. and Canada by comparing not only price, but also hidden costs (brokerage, duties, etc. when ordering across borders), whether or not the retailers have warranties, etc. 

This survey of Wishabi.ca users found that six in ten community members research the U.S. price as part of their discovery, and 15% of those went on to purchase from a U.S.-based merchant. Some per-item discounts for cross-border purchases were more than 60% in certain categories.

"As the Canadian dollar approaches parity with the U.S. dollar, it's not just our borders that are congested with Canadian shoppers heading south in search of a good deal. In the world of e-commerce, cross-border shopping is also booming," says Wehuns Tan, Wishabi's CEO. "Increasingly more consumers from across the country are going online and making the time to compare the deals offered by retailers on both sides of the border. As a result, over the past 30 days, we have seen a significant increase in the number of Canadians who are favouring purchases from U.S. retailers, particularly when it comes to electronics, fashion accessories and baby products."

I'm particularly gun shy about online cross-border shopping having been burned by nasty duty charges in the past when catalogue shopping. However, it's not just the thought of H1N1 germs that has me cringing at the thought of shopping malls this holiday season. So maybe sitting at home, surfing the net in the comfort of my pyjamas will be the solution to my Christmas shopping challenges. 

How about you? Do you cross-border shop online? What are some of your favourite sites? Tell me about your best bargain!