I work in an office building that is a five minute walk from the Eaton Centre. For a born shopper, this is a hazardous location, and the opening of different stores has been quite dangerous. A few years ago there was the new Winners across the street; Homesense quick on its heels. Two years ago a J Crew opened in the mall and that was perilous for my lunch hour time and my wallet. Last year saw a Marshalls open and it proved to be heaven for this shoe-a-holic, but hell for my shopping habits.
The store that most recently opened in the ‘hood is the most dangerous of all. We recently welcomed a Bulk Barn up the block. I like to maintain a secret stash in the bottom drawer of my filing cabinet for those 3:00pm cravings, and the Bulk Barn keeps it stocked with Swedish Berries, Big Turk pieces, chocolate covered cashews and whatever seasonal sweets are available (right now that means malt eggs!). I’m a stress eater and when work gets busy I tend to grab a handful or two, or three to get me to quitting time.
Last week I replaced my Bulk Barn drawer with Dr. Joey Shulman’s Skinny Chews. Dr. Joey is a popular Canadian nutritionist and author, who has now developed what she calls “chocolate with benefits”! Marketed as “the perfect option for cravings”, these little individually wrapped treats are less than 20 calories per chew, with 4 grams of inulin fibre per serving. They contain no artificial sweeteners or colours, are gluten free, and satisfy that mid-afternoon sweet craving.
Other fans eat two of these late at night, replacing that desire for a bowl or ice cream while watching The Bachelor.
They’re satisfying, give you a generous dose of your day’s recommended fibre and manage to buy me a couple of hours of distraction from my hankering for sweets.
Now if only I could figure out a perfect option for my hankering for new shoes…
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