Just desserts

I have nothing interesting to write about and no big news to share, so I thought perhaps I'd take this opportunity to spread the word about a wonderful discovery I made yesterday.

The background: Last Sunday, I baked cookies and brownies. And I ate lots and lots of them, sometimes after a meal, sometimes as a meal. So after polishing off the last eight peanut-butter cookies for dinner on Tuesday night, I decided that I needed a break from sugar and vowed not to eat dessert or sweets for one week.

I've done this before, and it's amazing how the craving for sugar goes away after the first few days. But it's still a challenge, especially at the grocery store. And since I usually shop on my way home from work, I'm usually starving when shopping. I always have a pre-made list that I stick to, though, so that I don't make impulse buys.

However, last night, I caved and made an impulse buy. I don't know what it was about this product that beckoned to me, but I couldn't resist its alluring siren call. "It's chocolate," one side of my brain said. "It's off-limits." "But it's fruit! Packed with glorious antioxidants! It's a health food!" The other side argued rationally. And that rational side won.

I ravenously tore into the bag and savored the antioxidant goodness of it all on my drive home. Ah, people, behold the glory:

The bag may say "dark chocolate coated dried plum bites," but all know what that really means, don't we? Chocolate-covered prunes. This snack doesn't count toward my week-long fast from desserts. Because they are prunes, people. (And they are good.) And best of all, there's a built-in incentive for not over-indulging in the whole bag at once, if you get my drift.

Happy Friday, Tuzzins!