Sugar High

Caleb and I recently started allowing our daughter to indulge in things like M&M's, cookies and the ilk.  I grew up with a Grandfather who religiously took us to buy penny candy at the local joints and doled out gum and other sweets from his personal stash like all the best grandparents do.  I've never had a bad association with sweets,  nor a single cavity and conversely never craved sweets as an adult.  I always had a taste for salty over sweet.

When I was in high school my friend Marisa told me that her parents wouldn't allow her to have "real" sugar because she was "hyper-active" and instead offered her one of those nasty, aspartame-laden, multicolored lozenges that proudly displayed their "Sugar Free" label while insidiously hiding a bevy of harmful sugar substitutes now widely accepted to cause illnesses like cancer and Alzheimers.  Sugar, in excess, causes its own plethora of infirmities but, in moderation, is one of life's enjoyable and acceptable rewards - like bacon.

Free of sugar but full of cancer - YUM!

So, that's my argument for sugar and in defense of our decision to give sweets (and bacon) to our daughter.

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Yesterday, Chloe woke up, rubbed her still puffy eyes, looked up at me and with the sweetest smile on her face and said "Choc-rate?"  I had to laugh, it was funny - and also terrifying.  I gently explained to her that "We don't eat chocolate for breakfast, honey."  To which her quick reply was, "Cookie?"

This, THIS is the reason I didn't want to give her candy to begin with and I am quickly regretting my decision.  Lucky for us, she's quite an agreeable child - most of the time - and like many toddlers you can use distraction to direct her attention towards some other delicious food that she also loves - most of the time.

I like these - they have more protein than regular yogurt and they have pictograms on the package!  And these.  Both work as a substitute for other non-nutritious junk food but I always feel like I should be making this stuff myself.  

So, I've decided to try this recipe for homemade Chocolate Chip Coconut "Cliff" Bars.  I am conservatively optimistic that they will taste just as good, if not better, than store bought Cliff Bars. 

The recipe I chose calls for something called PB2.  Which, after a little searching, I found out was powdered peanut butter.  I will see if I can find it at the local health food store before ordering it online, though since I've never heard of it before today I'm not holding out too much hope.