Cooler weather is a trigger.
For my sweet tooth. Sure, it exists year-round, but something about the fall and winter seasons makes me yearn for decadent baked goods.
Is it just that sweets are more prevalent? Spring and summer offer delicious naturally sweet fruits, maybe it ‘s the pies and candies that come with certain winter holidays that are to blame. We can always blame advertisers:
Some of you may have seem my tweet about Candy Corn Oreos last week. Is this really necessary? *I must admit I’m biased, as I don’t even like candy corn.
Whatever the case may be, I have found a few ways to keep my sweet tooth at bay. Even when I have a kitchen full of Maple-Bacon Pancake Cookies.
- Walk it out. When I was baking all those treats I found myself unable to stop “taste testing,” so I took a 10 min walk. Unbelievably, it worked!
- Freshen your breath. Get the taste out of your mouth – have a mint, gum, or just go brush your teeth. You won’t want to mar the minty freshness with more food.
- Drink water. Are you really hungry, or just have the munchies? Chug a glass of water and see! The body can’t distinguish between thirst and hunger, and ad after a 16 oz glass of water, you’ll probably feel too full to eat that break room cookie.
- Try an alternative. If you really are hungry and your body wants something sweet, try a piece of fruit or a “treat” sweetened with a natural sugar-alternative like Stevia or Xylitol. I like to keep my Granola Cookies (ahem… only 74 cals and 3g sugar) or Chocolate Zucchini Muffins (100 cals and 2g sugar) on hand in the freezer for a dessert-emergency.
- Stop and think. The first bite of that treat is going to taste the exact same as the last bite. So… do you really need more than one bite?
Another way to keep the fall dessert binges away is to checkout the collections of posts for this fall’s What I Ate Wednesday theme: “Fall Into Good Habits.”
Check out may healthy fall eats below, and then click here to head over to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to get ideas from others’ healthy fall choices!
Meal 1:
My usual, morning Apple Cider Vinegar, Glutamine and BCAA cocktail was a little different this morning. At Jenn’s urging, I tried it mixed with kombucha in place of some of the water. I used my ginger-cinnamon homebrew and it was fantastic! Jenn also just posted a great testimonial about how great this is for your skin. It is a great energy boost too – it’s replaced coffee in my life.
In keeping with the fall theme, I went pumpkin for breakfast. Meg made a fabulous pumpkin Fall Scramble inspired by my PB & Jeggs. I’ve had it pinned to try for weeks and today it finally happened. Why did I wait so long?!
I reduced the amount of pumpkin to 1/4 C (personal preference), and added a few extra spices because I just can’t help myself. In addition to cinnamon, I added pinches of fresh nutmeg and allspice, plus a little vanilla extract.
It was like eating pie for breakfast. I kid you not.
Meal 2:
Plums have never been my favorite fruit. I like them, but they weren’t a craving. Lately I can’t get enough! Today’s Mid-morning snack was cottage cheese mixed directly in the almost-empty container with a little protein powder, cinnamon, fresh plum, and a scoop of Sunbutter.
Meal 3:
Scallops are a great seafood protein source, but I’d never attempted to make my own. Inspired by Heather, I finally took the plunge. My first batch was a little overcooked. This second try was MUCH better. I used this recipe from Rufus for Orange-Lime Scallops (sans sauce), and added some cilantro, shallot, and jalapeno to the marinade.
Served a top a tortilla with arugula, nutritional yeast sauce (nooch + water + cayenne + cumin), and cauliflower. And 1/3 piece of left over bacon.
The plate? It was a koala. These plates = greatest breakroom find ever.
Meal 4:
Yes, I’m in a grilled tilapia rut. However, I did change-up the marinade a little. This one is basil, peach schnapps, jalapeno, and cardamom. It was delish with a side of carrot sticks as my mid-afternoon snack.
Meal 5:
Did you guys check out Instagram last night? The cauliflower crust pizza made another appearance. Topped with Uncle Dude’s Ridiculous Marinara, tempeh, arugula, asparagus, red pepper, shallot, a teensy bit of avocado, nutritional yeast, and a drizzle of balsamic.
This beast was ~350 calories and packed 25 of protein!
Meal 6:
I was feeling something custard-like for Meal 6. Since this meal is a veggie and a protein, my ice cream had to be creative! Pink is creative, no?
Beet Frozen Custard. Sounds weird… tastes good. This is a theme in my life.
I added 1/2 a scoop of casein for the protein (and the recovery – my poor legs are SORE), and amped up the flavor with my favorite spices: fresh ginger and cinnamon. A little Stevia and I had a delicious pink bowl of creamy frozen “custard.”
Recipe at bottom.
Meal 7:
Bringing back an old favorite with a new twist. I tool my Banana Creme Brownie Parfait, but made it a cherry-flavored treat. Cherries are supposed to help with soreness and recovery (reducing inflammation and oxidative stress), which I am in desperate need of after Monday’s leg day. They also are high in melatonin, a hormone that regulates the body’s sleep cycles.
I replaced the banana flavored yogurt cream with cinnamon (also good for pain-relief), and topped it with melted cherries (frozen black cherries microwaved until juicy and tender). The perfect end to a looooong day.
Beet Protein Frozen Custard
- 1/3 C beet, roasted
- 1/2 scoop vanilla casein (or other protein powder)
- 3 oz tofu
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 inch piece fresh ginger
- 7-8 drops liquid stevia (adjust to desired sweetness)
- 1/4 unsweetened almond milk (or liquid of choice)
- Ice, to taste
Place all ingredients in Vitamix or high-powdered blender and blend until smooth.
Serve immediately, or store in freezer until snack time.
Serves 1.
***
Protein count for the day: 186.2g from fall clean eats!
How do you break an unclean-eating bender?
Candy corn – love it or hate it?
Just the thought of candy corn gives me a cavity..not a fan at all! As much as I love Oreos, these are the exception! Great tips for curbing a sweet tooth! The 2 main which work best for me are finding alternatives & asking myself whether I NEED more than a few bites to satisfy the craving.
Love all of your creations, as per usual and I can’t get over the whole jeggs thing. I guess I’ll have to try it out for myself eventually to see what you mean. I can’t see eggs being sweet though! I am open to it, I am. Anyway, those same things work for me when taming a sweet tooth as well. I also take a 5 htp when I feel like I might have cravings for sugar that day in the morning and it’s supposed to help. Whether it actually does is debateable though.
You must let me know when you try them! Peach was my favorite so far (if you can still find them). They aren’t overwhelmingly sweet, and you can always eliminate the stevia all together. I’m really just adding enough to the peanut flour to make it taste more like peanut butter (most has some sugar added).
What is htp?
Wowwa on meal #6. Gorgeous color. and looks refreshingly delicious! Nice job on the eats, as always. 🙂
How’s walking in the stilletos coming along?
Ugh. I’m slacking.
As always, love your posts. Great idea about the 100 cal chocolate zucchini muffins. And those candy corn oreos! WOW!
Thank you!!! I bet you could come up with something way better than those Oreos for Halloween. 🙂
I”m afraid to publicly admit, I am a closet candy corn lover, but they’re not vegan. Although the candy corn oreos apparently are. But, not gluten-free. So either way, not something I’ll be eating any time soon, although in my past, I was known to eat candy corn (& oreos) by the mouthfuls.
I need to try your cauli crust pizza. I tried one, and though it was good, I think it was a bit more than 350 calories.
As for those cookies, if an Oreo doesn’t have chocolate, it’s just not worth my time.
I’d be interested to see what you think in comparison – I’ve never tried the higher-calories versions.
Agreed on the Oreos!
I am not a candy corn fan either. The thought of those oreos makes me feel sick! I am actually not a fan of any oreos.. I mean.. I like the cookie.. but don’t like the super sweetness or the texture of the filling!
ugh! hate it. so gross. cannot stand it 🙂
I’m not a candy corn fan either– but those little pumpkins? Now those are a different story haha 😉
Definitely want a slice of that pizza too, I HAVE to try that!! Or I can just come live in your kitchen and eat all your leftovers heehee!
LOL! Come on over! But keep your candy pumpkins… I need chocolate. 😉
It’s too early to be this hungry. The scallops look great. Pull them off before they’re done, cover them and they should continue to steam cook.
I have the worst sweet tooth – I try all of your techniques, but sometimes I can’t resist and once I start, I can’t stop! I heard about those Oreos too – and was bummed because they are full of gluten! I love candy corn and I suspect I’d love those too!
Some great tips to tame the sweet tooth! I’ve been dealing with that lately.
I tried Apple Cider Vinegar…finally! So, I’m going to give it a go and see what happens. Thanks for talking about it’s benefits!
Great tip – I’ll do that next time. Thanks for the recipe!
Definitely tips I’ll have to keep in mind – my sweet tooth gets even worse when delicious fall-themed baked goods come out. That brownie parfait looks amazing!
Great tips, Laura! You covered the two that I resort to the most (when I don’t give into my sweet tooth that is) – drinking water and brushing my teeth. Worrks MOST of the time!
And your beet custard reminds me of a beet and lemon sorbet the Vitamix demo guy at Costco made. It was delicious!
Well, sometime you just have to indulge. I like the 80/20 rule. 🙂
My demo guy never made that! Jealous! He does a cabbage thing that pretty and purple though.
Love the tips for taming the sweet tooth! I have a seriously bad sweet tooth so new tips are always helpful! and I hate to admit it but I absolutely love candy corn and try to avoid it every fall!
Candy corn is one of those sweet things that I actually won’t over eat. I like it, but after a handful, I always feel sick to my stomach. I think I actually crave sweets more in the summer because for me summer equals frozen yogurt or ice cream! I’m a much bigger froyo/ic fan than I am of baked goods. That’s not to say that I don’t like those too!
I tried to get froyo tonight. There was whole friggin’ sorority in the shop and the line was way too long to wait in. I guess I should thank them, but I was annoyed at the time.
Love your pizza creation! I tried making that cauliflower crust once but it didn’t work out at all… Maybe I need to try again?
Did you try it with the updated recipe I posted? I weighed everything to it’s *hopefully* fool-proof now!
Candy Corn= true love… I look forward to it each year! But I do feel somewhat sick after eating it, so I may try sticking to small portions this time around and see if I can be satisfied by just a taste. However, I feel it’s a food that I have an all or nothing attitude around, so perhaps I won’t even buy it! These are great tips though, I do clearly have a raging sweet tooth 🙂
The custard looks like a recipe I must try!
My mom always sends my brother and me(not sure if that was grammatically correct) care packages in the fall with Halloween candies/cookies and she asked if I wanted these. haha I said no thank you, but only bc I wouldn’t want to like them and eat the whole box. My sweet tooth is triggered by cool weather too. I’ve already had way too many pieces of pumpkin bread.
I have BEGGED my mom for years not to put candy in my stocking.Easter basket/etc. She never listens.
Pumpkin bread I’ll gladly accept though. 🙂
I want to eat everything you ate! But mainly that banana creme brownie parfait… GAH! Call me girly but I’d give that beet protein frozen custard a try just because it’s pink!
I didn’t realize it’s almost breast cancer awareness month – should have saved that pink recipe in its honor!
I always love your creations! 😀 XO
I can make that brownie now (And those eggs…)! And was kinda already planning on nomming on cherries this evening. And as for taming the sweet tooth? I love love my evening “desserts” of protein powder and nut butter. And nut butters (especially almond butter) seem sweet to me at other times of day too. Or I just smother something in cinnamon. Things covered in cinnamon? Automatically dessert. And ew, no to candy corn, and, as much as I love oreos, I don’t think I could get over the candy corn factor.
That’s right!!!! I want you to make jeggs, pretty please! 🙂
Agreed on the nut butter. And the candy corn. Blech.
can i tell you how obsessed i am with scallops – well basically any seafood – i would eat seafood every day of my life for the rest of my life hahahah i think i need to move to maine or maryland..
I’m starting to be the same way! Can’t believe I wouldn’t touch the stuff until almost a year ago exactly.
Candy corn is one of those sweets I really do love. I live the big pumpkin ones though…YUM! I normally just find a good alternative to the sweet hit I’m looking for. I am actually one of those weird people that can actually step away…unless we are talking about 7 minute icing and then it all goes to hell! I really need to try the PB Jeggs! I think that may be my treat tonight! It sounds perfect!
I’m still partial to baked goods. Preferably chocolate. 🙂
Let me know if you try the jeggs!!!
I hate sweets that stick to your teeth, so candy corn isn’t my thing. And no Candy Corn Oreo’s isn’t necessary, but it’s amazing what so many people in this country think a great idea is.
How did I know we’d agree on this?
damn. i missed that tweet! I’m with you on this. I love candy corn. and oreos. but seriously, this is why we’re fat. c’mon use your brains.
I don’t know if I can handle candy corn Oreos. It seems like too much sweetness. I can only eat a few candy corn before I start getting grossed out!
Agreed! I’d rather have chocolate any day.
I love candy corn. Candy corn oreos though? I don’t think those are for me… Thanks for your sweet tooth suggestions!! Goodness knows I need them. I’m going to start trying your walk suggestion!
Take a walk with meeee! 🙂
I have such a sweet tooth as well! On my cheat days i would always choose sweet stuff like chocolate/ice cream etc over pizza/chips etc. I can imagine Candy Corn Oreos would be ridiculously sweet; ive only ever had candy corn once and was overwhelmed with how sweet it was!
great tips!!!! that is what i tell all my weight loss patients to do! recently they have been asking me for various websites to help maintain their loss and begin their journey to a healthier lifestyle. so i give them your website and couple other ones. you have great reviews! thanks for all of your posts!
Thank you so much for sharing my site! I hope it is helpful to them. 🙂
As always your meals make me hungry and give me inspiration for healthy meals! I love the pumpkin scramble idea!
Candy Corn Oreos? My teeth hurt just THINKING about that. I’m all for seasonal but that’s a but outta control
such cute plates, and as always delicious eats!!!
My problem is not really a sweet tooth, just the love of munching. Those tricks work for most situations though – too bad I have jaw problems and can’t really chew gum, that is a good one!
That’s a general problem for me, and you’re right – these tips work there too. Having dealt with TMJ I understand the gum thing. I also keep sugar-free Altoids or peppermints around for day when my jaw aches!
hold the phone! You don’t like candy corn? what? okay i only like about 2 bites. It’s super sweet! I would take your beet protein shake over it anyday.
I’ve never been a candy person – give me chocolate!
we have sweet tooths! we usually try to stop and really think about them before eating more than we should 😉
we are not fans of candy corn and so happy to see someone else does not like them either!
I am actually shocked at how many people are say they like candy corn!
Candy corn creeps me out. I’m not sure what actual food product it’s made of except sugar. Even in my processed sugar induced hey day, I wouldn’t touch them.
I recently cut sugar out of my diet for 10 days when I noticed I was jonesing for it like a crack head, and I drank beets for a few days to clean out my system. Sounds weird, tastes good (now where have I heard that before…).
LOL! Excellent use of my fav phrase. 🙂
Oh sis, I MISS YOU SOOOOO MUCH! I want to FaceTime/Skype with you RIGHT AS SOON as my parents leave! I am so sorry we haven’t been in touch much lately :'( I miss you so much, but feel so overwhelmed right now and I just don’t know how to organize my life 🙁 Anyyyyyways…
I’ve only had candy corns ONCE and threw up. I think they are the most disgusting things ON EARTH, so when I first heard of these horrendous OREOS I could have vomitted right then and there. Seriously. SO GROSS!
I am so impressed with your eats! And so so so proud of you for cooking scallops!!!!!! SO PROUD! You amaze me and your WIAW’s inspire me 🙂 Thank you Laura <3 I LOVE YOU
You threw up?! And I thought I hated candy corn… LOL!
Talk SOON! xo
p.s. I am SO happy that you loved the recipe AND SO GRATEFUL that you gave me a shout out 🙂 thank you so much sis
Those are definitely great ways to tame the sweet tooth. I think sometimes we need to give into our cravings of course, just for moderation and its normal to indulge some of the time. I should be practicing this one more, since I have a hard time letting myself “indulge” in treats.
Ick I hate candy corn, I’ve never like those gummy sugary type foods. I always preferred stuff like ice cream or chocolate.
Yumm, that beet custard looks amazing and so smooth!
Of course! I should have noted that depriving yourself too much often leads to a bender!
I always brush my teeth when I am taming a sweet tooth (and then I put my retainer in 🙂 It is the only thing that works for me without fail.
Candy corn is cuter but the taste is about a 2 on a scale of 1 to 10. Not worth the calories!
The only time I’m jealous of my mom’s mouth piece (she has to keep it in due to TMJ) is when we’re at and event – perfect excuse not to munch!
Oh well I love friggin candy corn. Gimme Gimme. The parfait is lookin yummy!
I’d like your meal 7, and your muffins, and the cookies. right meow 🙂 YUM
I love candy corn! I don’t think I’d go for it in Oreos though. I love seeing your meals! You’re so good about taking pictures of everything…I’m usually too hungry to do such a thing, so I only end up with a few pictures. PB and Jeggs sound interesting…I’ll have to check out the recipe and give it a try! I love being adventurous in eating!
Thank you! Only on Wednesdays… I’m terrible about forgetting when I’m ready to EAT. 🙂
Meal 3, 5 and 6 Mmmmm!
Pinning your Beet Bowl for later trials 🙂
You guys seriously have the craziest food in the US! The only kind of Oreos we have here are the normal ones. 😛 I’ve got to admit, I’m kind of intrigued by those candy corn ones… but I think just one bite would send me into a sugar coma!
Also everything here looks amazing, as usual!
they are really over-doing it with the Oreos here. you should see the selection of flavors in the store… maybe I’ll take a pic next time.
Those are awesome tips for the sweet tooth! I’m with you on candy corn, so gross. That beet custard looks fun- I bet a two year old would go for it with the bright pink. You’re so creative!!
It would be appealing kid food… just watch out ’cause beets stain like crazy! 🙂
Wow I like the look of the frozen beet custard, but the parfait sounds like it would taste better!
You don’t like candy corn?! That’s practically a sin. My boyfriend actually went to Walmart last night to look for those Oreos for us LOL. He couldn’t find them though!
I haven’t seen them in person yet either… I’m sure it’s a matter of time though!
I have never liked candy corn either! I’m not much of a candy person. Am I weird?? Don’t answer that… 😉 I love me some plums too!! I can’t get enough.
BTW… jambalaya recipe is up for you tomorrow! 😉
Not at all! I’d take a cookie or cake over candy any day!
Off to look for my jambalaya… 🙂
love the blog title definitely helps cut calories
Those plates are so awesome! So creative with the beets!
I recently underwent breaking an unclean bender. It had to be done. Lots of water, cold turkey on the junk, up the fruits and veggies, limit grains for a few days and I’m muuuuch better.
Candy corn? LOVE it. Unfortunately.
I love the idea of beets in dessert. You rock!
Water is a big help – the best cleanse around and totally free. 🙂
I think I need to be making that beet custard ASAP. I’ve got all of the ingredients! Sounds awesome to me- and I’d eat it for an afternoon snack. 🙂
Let me know if you try it! It is a great snack. 🙂
that pizza looks delicious! I’m not a candy corn fan either! great advice for not digging into sweets! Thanks for sharing!
wow! i did not see that new cookie before this- I don’t like candy corn either so those do not sound appealing!
I am totally going to have to make that custard…it looks to die for! I also tend to eat my avocado “chocolate” pudding to tame my sweet tooth, a nice dose of healthy fat with stevia does it in only a few bites! Thanks again for the inspiration!
It’s been way too long since I’ve made avocado pudding… thanks for the reminder!
Another I-want-to-jump-into-my-screen WIAW 😀
And I know exactly how you feel about sweets, especially during Christmas time 😉
Thanks for the tips, god knows I could use them 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
But would you eat the candy corn cookies?! I have to believe you’d choose something more delicious. 🙂
Love these tips! My sweet tooth needs some serious taming!!!!!!
OOOH ID HEARD ABOUT EM ON TWITTER
Id not seen
that box
the oreos
the corn of the candy type.
<<>>>
LOL – the corn of the candy type. I just realized… I don’t like ANY corn.
Yeah I give a definite thumbs down to the Oreos, for many reasons, but the candy corn flavor just seems YUCK!
I think meal 7 is my favorite, but what can I say I love desserts as well.
Looks like you had another wonderful day of eats, plus an awesome score with the koala plate 🙂
Ahhh, so much to comment on! List format beginning in 5, 4, 3, 2…
1. I’ve been feeling my sweet tooth coming out from hiding too! I think it has to do with the cooler temps…I’m cold and I automatically want warm comfy food and baked goods is very high on that list! And you and your baking bonanza and subsequent IG parading isn’t exactly helping!
2. Candy corn…I’d rather eat dirt! And candy corn Oreos? What the heck will they think of next?! Leave that damn cookie alone…it’s fine the way it is! Have you seen the candy corn M&M’s? Totaly blasphemy!
3. I can definitely attest for the skin clarity with ACV! I ran out of my Fitmixer aminos on Monday (gasp) and so I haven’t been taking my usual morning cocktail since there is NO WAY I’m taking it straight (I have a plan for this IF Netrition will hurry up and get me my package I ordered on Sunday…ugh!), but I just noticed the other day that I’m starting to break out a bit after nearly a month of nothing. I couldn’t believe it!
4. If I can manage to stay awake long enough (I’m almost done with my shift), those pumpkin peggs are going down in like an hour…you’re right, pumpkin and eggs were MEANT to go together…and peanut flour just makes everything better! 😀
5. I’m so happy the scallops turned out! Can you believe how easy it is once you get the hang of it? I’ve overcooked my fair share of seafood, but now that I’ve got it down pat (and remember that it is NOT like cooking chicken), I’ve been loving me some scallops and shrimp!
6. And now I’m wanting to get boozy with some marinades…peach snapps? Genius!
7. Dude! I had no idea how good cherries were for you! Talk about a RECOVERY meal…is there anything that parfait didn’t have?! Love it!
8. You’re smoothie reminds me of Barbie…and now I’m singing Barbie Girl! C’mon Barbie, let’s go party…. ah ah ah yeah! 😉 LOL
I love numbered list. 🙂
1. I think you should come to ATL with some yummy baked goods. And pancakes.
2. Candy corn M&Ms?! What is wrong with people? Don’t mess with a good thing!!!
3. Just add a little stevia, cinnamon, and water for the ACV mix. Not quite as good ad the Aminos, but much better than ACV shots.
4. Did you do it?!
5. I need to work on shrimp. It grosses me out!
6. I’m thinking rum will be next….
7. They are SO good! And so tasty with ginger.
8. I hate you for getting that song stuck in my head. I mean that in a loving way. But really… was that necessary?
Love those tips!! Brushing my teeth generally works for me, like the walk idea though! I’m a little hungover today and I reeeeeeally want pancakes and / or maple bacon pancake cookies!! The ONLY thing stopping me (aside from the fact that I have no bacon and the fact that I’m not allowed sugar ) is that I can’t be arsed with the cleanup! Ghhh! What a waste of space I am today! Ha! Fancy going out for pancakes??? I will be round in ten! (How cool would that be!) 🙂
Hayley… I heart you. Wine has sugar. 😛
Great tips, and I’m sure they’re helpful… but yes, sometimes you do need the rest of the bites. Sometimes you really do.
Love that beet protein frozen custard … Beautiful 🙂