My husband’s always been health conscious and fad diets have never impressed him. But there are two ‘commercial’ eating plans that have come to our home for extended stays: Pritikin Healthy Living and Dr. Fuhrman’s Eat to Live. Both are extremely sensible, nutritiously sound, and a panacea for almost anything that ails you.

I, on the other hand, typically rotate my diet between a crumbly home-baked muffin or a great dish of mac ‘n’ cheese.

Several months ago I woke up on the right side of the bed (nutritionally speaking) and I went cold turkey on my fave foods. The first three days nearly killed me, but after that the cravings nearly disappeared. And of course, you know what comes next. I felt great. I lost weight. I had more energy, almost no headaches, I actually craved exercise, and soft, chewy cookies held no interest for me.

During that time we had Thanksgiving dinner at friends’ of ours. To be nice, I took the tiniest sliver of two of the many pies and decadent desserts from the dessert buffet. How’d that work out for me? Just fine. And from my high and mighty perch on the throne of willpower, I looked down pityingly at all the mere mortals who felt the need to indulge in full portions, and even seconds (gasp) of dessert.

Fast forward several weeks, and you’ll see me sharing a (large) piece of tiramisu with my daughter. What is it about those terrible, horrible, no good foods that I keep coming back to them?

It’s the weirdest thing. I cook unbelievably nutritious soups, wash bundles of gorgeous green leafy vegetables, and chop rainbows of God’s glorious, powerhouse fruits and vegetables. I eat a huge salad with a squeeze of lemon for lunch, enjoying its goodness, and then I go and eat a white chocolate kit kat.

I have one hand in the garden and the other in the cookie jar.

But I hope that one day soon I’ll be re-inspired to climb back on that high and mighty throne, cuz it sure feels good up there.

Here’s one of my favorite nutritious dishes that feels like a guilty treat:

Roasted Carrots with Cinnamon and Chili

Buy bunches of organic carrots with stems. Cut off all but one inch of stems so guests don’t think they’re the boring bagged carrots. Wash well and use gentle strokes with a peeler to remove skin. Spray with Pam, sprinkle with cinnamon and chili powder, and bake at 350 until soft, about 30 to 40 minutes. You can seriously pop these like french fries, especially the ones with the crispy tips. So good…