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One of the consequences of isolating ourselves is that a lot of us are getting fatter.

And it gets worse at Christmas – when we typically lead ourselves into temptation! We eat too many treats even in NORMAL times. And in ABNORMAL times, with everybody stress-baking, it’s out of control.

Everybody sharing beautiful desserts inspired by the Food Network and therefore irresistibly delicious – all our New Year’s resolutions broken before we’ve even made them! We are trapped in this unholy cycle of treats. And we are helpless. Unless …

We STOP making them so delicious!

You can still make them attractive, you can turn them into priceless works of edible art, but they should taste terrible — the kind of dessert that you hide inside the serving napkin after one nibble.

Making these un-delicious treats is a great way to use up the abandoned ingredients in your pantry. For example, I have some wheat germ, dried cranberries, kale, and half a jar of garlic jelly.

In 20 minutes, I could make a plate of cranberry kale wheat germ garlic jelly thumbprint cookies which won’t tempt anybody, but are completely safe should you accidentally eat one.

You still get the pleasure of baking something in a warm cozy kitchen – but portion control is easy because you will feel not the slightest temptation. And any friends you share them with will voluntarily keep their distance – probably for the rest of the pandemic. Everybody wins!

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