Quite recently, I discovered my inner child still knows how to throw one hell of a tantrum. It’s fall; Dairy Queen’s Blizzard of the Month is Pumpkin Pie. Just seeing the amazingly tasty-looking picture on the menu board was enough for me to (metaphorically) start kicking and screaming. I want! I want! I want!

Yet, when my turn came at the counter, I didn’t order a Blizzard. Instead, I stuck to the plan I had when I walked in the door and ordered two “No Sugar Added” fudge bars. They are deliciously chocolate, cold and creamy, and best of all, they are only 50 calories each.

And I certainly enjoyed feeling holier-than-thou noble when I left that establishment without having devastated my daily caloric intake for weight maintenance.

But… but… Well, my visual memory is pretty darn strong. Courageously, hopelessly, aggravatingly strong! I couldn’t stop myself from imagining what that cold pumpkin concoction with the bits of crust throughout and copious amounts of whipped cream on top tasted like (Not like I’d never had it before!). And that, dear readers, sent me spinning into a full-on pout. And it wasn’t pretty.

Pumpkin is a vegetable. One cubed cup is a mere 30 calories and has 197% of a person’s daily dose of Vitamin A. It’s exceedingly high in potassium; the body must have potassium!

Yep, my war of rationalization raged on for days.

In the end (And thankfully, it was the end!), I stopped in at Cash and Carry over in Warrenton and bought a bottle of Sugar-free Pumpkin Pie Spice coffee flavoring. Okay, I bought several bottles.

I got home and made a big pot of coffee. I poured a cup and added a healthy shot of the flavoring. It smelled heavenly! And the taste—the taste was “good enough” for me to smile all the way to my office to write this blog.

So I’m back to feeling noble again—Noble, but this time, not the least bit deprived.