Once he stepped off his fuel guzzling private jet, Al Gore’s puffy post political body would probably want to kick my ass. I haven’t replaced my incandescent lightbulbs with compact flourescents yet and I drive a mini-suv, though one that gets relatively good gas mileage. I am definitely not a tree hugger, though I am most definitely a cheap bastard.

I am, on the other hand, a sucker for tasty ethically produced food, and these two sides of me rage against each other daily. Never is the battle more elevated than on a grocery run to Whole Foods, aka Whole Paycheck, where a bounty of organic sustainable expensive tasty and sometimes local treats await. Last week I found myself staring at $6 1 lb bag of granola from Chicago’s Milk and Honey Cafe, which in reality isn’t that expensive. Then again, for 3 bucks I could get myself some fake marshmallow and waxy chocolate chip infused gooey “granola” bars from the nearby Jewel. Boy am I glad I listened to the angel on my shoulder.

Milk and Honey’s fat dried cherries, crunchy nuts, and general caramelized goodness may be the best granola I’ve ever had. I can’t live without it. It’s become my breakfast, afternoon snack and even a late night binge. Now I’m on the great granola caper in search of better granola. Christine Cikowski, a recent contributor to Hungry and a partner in Eat Green foods turned me on to the their rosemary and pinenut granola bar, which most definitely beats the hell out of sticky commercial bars. You can find those at local grocery stores like Provenance etc…Now that I’ve been granola enlightened, maybe I’ll get to changing those lightbulbs.