Guilty ... Pleasures

Some of you might remember as a kid how it was a "treat" to get to go out to eat. It was like Christmas come early if I ever got to go to Bob Evans or even McDonald's! A rarity for sure, for obvious reasons, but fun and enjoyable none the less! Then I can remember becoming an adult and ... wait for it ... having my own money to ... order an appetizer!!! WOAH! Unheard of ... then came the MIND BLOWING experience of not only ordering an appetizer but DESSERT!!! Shock and awe folks. Why were these such crazy experiences? Because they're indulgences. Things  we don't do often for caloric and financial reasons. But really ... sometimes being naughty can be so awesome! I want to share some of my all time favorite indulgences ... food or otherwise!

First of all ... the new Chocolate Chip Frappe from McDonald's. Holy mother. This tastes 10 x better than it sounds! It's a little pricy, $3 and change for a small, BUT it doesn't drink fast and it tastes amazing!! It's a chocolaty delicious mess of a drink. Be prepared for the calories and it does contain caffeine, however I don't get the weird buzz I usually do when drinking caffeine. Just a delicious refreshing drink!

Next is International Delights Iced Coffee. YUM!! If you're like me during warm months, I don't want to drink a hot beverage! This was a vice for me during the summer. It's about $4 for a carton (half gallon) which lasts about 5-6 large drinks. They come in 3 flavors, regular, mocha, and vanilla. Naturally vanilla is my favorite, but for $4 I love this treat! Better value than Starbucks 4 pack iced drinks! (HINT wait for it to go on sale and use an awesome coupon to make it a better value!!!)

A Turtle Sundae from Mr. Freeze (aka Sweet Retreat) Waterville, Ohio. No other place makes this Sundae like Mr. Freeze. It is hands down my favorite ice cream treat of all time! But if you don't live near Waterville, Dairy Queen offers a close substitute, the Turtle Pecan Cluster Blizzard. Oh mama this is good stuff! A small is all you need and it tastes fabulous!!

Cinnamon Hotcakes from Bob Evans are the diggity ... Seriously if you love breakfast and you love sweet things ... these are the BEST. The portion is big, so make sure this is the only thing you get and don't put any sugar in your coffee! I LOVE these pancakes!

Sunchips ... Done. These things are fabulous. But be careful. They look and sound healthier than regular chips, which they are a little bit, but they can still cost you in the calorie front. My favorite flavors are original, Peppercorn Ranch, French Onion and Garden Salsa. Delish.

Krispy Kreme donuts. I really don't think these need an explanation, but just in case. These are hands down the worlds best donuts. Just plain glazed hot out of the oven absolutely melt in your mouth. If you eat more than 2 you may get an atrocious stomach ache, but if you're not on a weight loss plan you'll thank yourself!

Orville Redenbacher's Movie Theater Butter popcorn is the best. Not a nightly treat though, calories are super high (in case you haven't noticed a trend here). No contest it's the best store bought microwaveable popcorn. It's really so good!

Fried Cauliflower at Whitey's Bar and Grill in Richfield, Ohio. (That's near Cleveland if you don't have a map handy) I have had other fried cauliflower but NO ONE does it like Whitey's! Plus while you're there you can burn off those calories playing a little beach volleyball on their sand volleyball court out back! It's a fun time, great atmosphere and the BEST fried cauliflower EVER!

Oh My! Chai from Tastefully Simple. This is easily one of the best drinks I've ever had. It's not expensive, SUPER easy to make and tastes fab!! I know I indulge a lot on drinks, but when you mostly consume water every day ... your indulgences tend to go the bevy way! ;) Try some when you can, you'll never go back! Um go back to whatever you were drinking before ... or whatever ...

Now for my non food indulgences - yeah you can have those too!!

Lysol Dual Action wipes. These seriously live up to the hype. I LOVE that it has a scrubber side. It works very well on stubborn things like, bathtubs, counter tops, sticky floors, blinds - yes blinds need cleaned too! Very handy to have around the house, but not super environmentally friendly, so I wouldn't try to use them for everyday cleaning.

Shopping at Target. This is an indulgence for me because when I go, I RARELY stick to my list. I end up buying that super cute clutch for $10 or that hand soap that's on sale or a new belt. They have a great selection of excellent items at very good prices. I love shopping at Target, but need to be careful if I walked in for 2 things that I don't walk out with 50! (PS if you have never been or haven't been lately, they have a DOLLAR section with really cute fun stuff for under 5 bucks!!! You GOTTA check it out!)

Hobby Lobby. If you have never been to this store you need to go! Crafts are not usually my thing, but they have a wide variety of neat "already crafted" things and DIY made easy. They're also a Christian operated store and value their customers. I asked a question about a discount once, and because no one in the store was sure of the answer, they gave me the discount! That's customer service folks!! Check them out because they have GREAT discounts and prices for Christmas!!

So remember, don't read this blog and go out and eat or do all of these things at once! Pry shouldn't even do more than one of them in a week! But indulgences are just that, indulgence. A time for us to partake on something that isn't everyday. Do something we don't normally get to ... and it feels so right!

Indulge in moderation my friends!! And leave me some feedback on the products and things you LOVE to indulge in!