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My pajama pants fit a little too well. This wasn’t a good thing. Pajama pants are supposed to be loose and comfortable.
Fed up, I decided to create a mantra. I recalled mentions from my yoga instructor, a nutrition workshop I attended a year ago, a bible school lesson from grade school and a flyer I saw at a health food store. The mantra went something like this œTomorrow is another day. I will not give in to temptation. My body is a temple and I will rid myself of sugar.
When I awoke, I was prepared to go sugar-free. Okay, œfree would have been too ambitious, I would go with as little sugar as possible.
With my usual excitement for the weekly farmer’s market I made a mental list of what I would need to buy. I was on the lookout for some of my favorites; spaghetti squash, free range eggs, sheep’s cheese, assorted peppers, eggplant, juicy peaches and cherry tomatoes. Peaches were to be the sweetest purchase I would make.
Willpower: 1 Sugar: 0
I exchanged a dollar for three shiny bell peppers, snagged the last pint of the pop-in-my-mouth cherry tomatoes and headed for the sheep’s cheese booth. Then, by some powers unknown to me, I was standing at a baked goods booth staring at a blueberry cobbler. I explained to the local baker that while the cobbler looked amazing, I just couldn’t make the purchase. It just happened to be my luck (or lack there of) that because the market was almost over they would sell it for half price. Somehow it seemed justified and I left with the blueberry goodness in my bag.
Willpower: 1 Sugar: 1
My next stop was at my favorite breakfast place for a veggie omelet and coffee. My voice of reason decided to leave the new blueberry purchase with the tip on the counter for one of my favorite waitresses. But not before I cut a small sliver for myself.
Willpower: 2 Sugar: 2 (I tried)
On my way home, I stopped to see a friend who owns a local chocolate shop. He was not there but the chocolates were. As I left a message with the girl behind the counter my hand felt the contents of my pocket, searching for change. With new combinations like pear caramel chocolates I couldn’t resist. The dark little creatures stared at me from the glass case, pleading to be freed. I had just enough for one lucky fellow to go home with me in a clear cellophane bag.
Willpower: 2 Sugar: 3
Safe at home with no sweets to tempt me I settled in to read the paper with a rerun of the Pie Challenge on The Food Network in the background. I should have known better. The first time I watched it I walked around town for hours trying to find a peanut butter pie. Sure enough, I was suddenly in the mood for pie. I thought a walk would help clear my mind but it just landed me at a local pastry shop.
I explained to yet another confused employee that I really didn’t want anything but I was just in the mood for something (and yes there is a difference.) I thought if she described each handcrafted pastry it would give me a mental taste that would take care of my craving. I was wrong. I left with two chocolate gananche bites of goodness and a lemon meringue mini tart. I was certain I had made good purchases. But I was equally certain I shouldn’t have made them to begin with.
Willpower: 2 Sugar: 5
I walked home with my goodies, brewed some decaf French Vanilla coffee and savored every bite of my recently purchased cookies. I had exactly one bite of my lemon tart, and although it was a fabulous pairing of tart and sweet, it didn’t quite hit the spot of a pie. I saved the rest for another time.
Willpower: 3 Sugar: 7
Later that night as I shimmied (yes shimmied) into my pajama pants. I recounted the day’s intake. My mantra had failed me.
œThey say that when you deprive yourself of something you end up just wanting it even more. (Kinda like that last guy I dated¦hmmmm) And it proved to be true. Had I not banned sugar from my diet I likely would have not indulged. That’s what I’ll tell myself anyway.
Test your own willpower with some local treats.
Food by Design
Connie Alfarro & Alexis Cosgrove
11 White Oak Road
Landenberg, PA 19350
610-255-1430
Found at The West Chester Growers Market
Hours: Every Saturday 9:00am- 1:00pm May through December
Éclat Chocolates.
24 South High St.
West Chester, PA 19382
office 610-692-5206
fax 610-692-5207
info@eclatchocolate.com
Hours:
Monday-Friday: 11-6
Saturday: 11-4
Sunday: closed
Signature Pastries
142 W. Gay Street
West Chester, PA 19380
610.738.9505
Hours:
Sunday: 8 am to 2 pm
Monday: Closed
Tuesday through Thursday: 8 am to 5 pm
Friday: 8 am to 10 pm
Saturday: 8 am to 10 pm
About the Author
Mary Bigham, the creator of wcdish, is a self-admitted sushi and travel addict. She has a crush on just about every food but refuses to eat American cheese.
More About Mary...