WIAW – Can We Skip To Dessert?

Confession: I used to eat dessert for dinner. Often. I didn’t see at the time how this was wrong. I mean, I was like 23. I was an adult. A married adult. I could do as I pleased.

Edy’s Frozen Yogurt, at least two different flavors loaded into a bowl, topped with fat-free cool whip = dinner was served. I spoke highly at the time of the low-fat nature of the yogurt and the benefits of calcium and protein listed on the label.

I know better now.

As much as my sweet tooth tries to takeover, I know that I really need some form of a more balanced meal in order to cross the bridge  to dessert land.

Thank goodness I am now old and wise; otherwise I would struggle to fit in with this month’s What I Ate Wednesday theme.

In honor of my love for dessert though, let’s breeze quickly through my recent meals in order to get to the dessert part of the post, deal?

BREAKFAST:

As cold as it is in the morning, I have suddenly found myself wanting greek yogurt for breakfast.

I don’t know which part of breakfast I love more this week – the fact that fresh blueberries have been cheap enough to start buying again or the fact that I bought a new set of ice cream bowls and use them in the morning to kick off the day.

LUNCH:

This week has been all about giant salads. Sort of looks as though I ate at Whole Foods, doesn’t it?

Tricked you. Remember I took the big blue bowl home last year? I am still ever so grateful that the power at Whole Foods went out that day so that I could be evacuated with my salad bowl in hand. This bowl holds a serious-sized salad for my serious-sized appetite.

This salad in particular contains roasted butternut squash, broccoli, asparagus and a chopped up pepper/onion omelette topped with avocado. I couldn’t decide if I wanted eggs or a salad for lunch so I just had both.

DINNER:

The big blue bowl once again is loaded with a variety of roasted vegetables, sweet potato wedges, lentils and avocado.

If you ask me, I give Whole Foods some serious competition.

DESSERT TIME!!!

We are  lucky that I managed to take any photos at all. Not only am I incapable of will power around slices of fresh fruit but when there is melted chocolate involved, forget it.

And, my son clearly takes after me as he kind of sort of ate our recipe.

Never deny your children fruit, even if it is the chocolate dipped fruit you need to photograph for Davida‘s Great Valentine’s Day Bake Off.

Perfect homework snack.

When Davida made the announcement about her Valentine’s Day link-up party, I knew right away what I would be making.

While I love cookies and molten lava cakes and chocolate fudge anything, I also love chocolate covered fruit.

In fact, if you put an Edible Arrangement in front of me along side chocolate cake and asked me to pick one, I would have a hard time.

The refreshing and sweet taste of fruit combined with a thick coating of chocolate is just divine. And packed with antioxidants.

I understand that Edible Arrangements does their fruit up all nice with shapes and patterns but when it comes down to it, it is chocolate and fruit.

We can do chocolate and fruit at home. And even add a layer of peanut butter if we want to…And yeah, we want to.

You better believe there is a layer of peanut butter underneath all that glorious chocolate.

They actually sell a new gadget for making the fun shapes like Edible Arrangements but I have no patience for that kind of stuff.

I am simple. Give me the fruit and melt me the chocolate.

You can dip any fruit you fancy – pineapple, strawberries, bananas, apples, cantaloupe….raisins. Yes, you can dip your raisins in chocolate and voila – raisinets.

You can buy pre-cut fruit or do it yourself. I know some people are afraid of cutting a pineapple. Don’t be.

The tag on the pineapple even comes with instructions. Pineapple for Dummies?

Use any chocolate you want  – I broke up the Baker’s Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate Bar because I had it in the cabinet. Chocolate chips work just fine too. Dark, Milk, Semi-Sweet, White…even nondairy chips for my vegan friends.

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED FRUIT

Ingredients:

• Fruit
• Chocolate
• Options: Peanut butter, sprinkles, chopped nuts or chopped candy such as m&m’s, reeses pieces…

*It is hard to give amounts because it depends upon how much fruit you want to use as well as how chocolatey you want your coating. If you want my opinion, the more chocolate the better but start with melting half a broken bar at a time or half a cup of chocolate chips.

Directions:

Cut, slice, dice your fruit. Melt chocolate (either chips or bar of chocolate broken up) in microwave safe bowl about 1 minute at a time, stirring in between. Cooking time will vary but takes me about 2 minutes total.

Once chocolate is melted, begin coating your fruit using a small spoon. Be sure to work at a decent pace so that the chocolate doesn’t harden in the bowl.

If you want to add a layer of peanut butter (of course you do) simply spread it on first and then top with chocolate.

Place chocolate covered fruit on aluminum foil-lined plate. Sprinkle on toppings.

Refrigerate briefly to set.

Be sure to check out the rest of the What I Ate Wednesday fun and watch for Davida’s Great Valentine’s Day Bake-Off on Friday!

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Are you guilty of eating dessert in place of a meal?

What have you been eating for lunch these days? I am always open to new ideas.