Abigail Wald

The YES Bar was born about four years ago in our kitchen in Laurel Canyon, CA. My younger son had a lot of food sensitivities at the time, as well as a few health challenges, and I found myself constantly having to say "no" to things he wanted to eat. It made me sad, and I vowed right then and there to whip up a treat so delicious, and so healthy that anytime he asked for one, I would be able to say a resounding YES! I collected all the healthy yummy foods I could find in my kitchen that were all naturally free of gluten, dairy, soy, and corn. I started with nuts and seeds. I added some honey and maple syrup, some pure vanilla bean powder, some cinnamon, some dried fruits, and coconut butter. I added chia and flax for an extra dose of nutrition. And then I threw in dark chocolate, well, just because chocolate is awesome. I experimented for months til these little portable yummies had just the right consistency. From day one, even before they were perfect, my son loved them. My other son loved them. Our friends who came over loved them. My husband loved them. He started using them for his 50 mile bike rides. His cycling buddies wanted some. We brought them as snacks to birthday parties and other people wanted to buy them. We went to some local stores, and they loved them, and wanted to sell them. You get the picture. We realized that even with all the many many bars that are out there in the world, there really wasn't any other bar just like the YES bar. What's different about us? Well, we are grain free, and we are paleo friendly. Every single ingredient in our bar is a REAL FOOD. We have no funky binders or preservatives or fillers of any kind. We are not just a bunch of healthy bird seed stuck together, and we're also not a glorified candy bar. But at the end of the day, what really makes people love our bars is that THEY TASTE THAT GOOD. I think it's because I didn't set out to "make a bar." I set out to make a delicious treat that was 100 percent healthy.

As a certified Hand in Hand Parenting Consultant, I help parents get the support they need and deserve so they can move beyond power struggles to truly connect with their kids, and build a family that works for everyone in it!